Catching Lily (Spring Training Book 2) Read online

  “Who slashed your tires?”

  “She hired a kid to do it.” Lily blew out a long breath.

  Ava sighed. “The irony is that she was leading a double life with Luke, and he didn’t catch onto it after he did the same thing to you.”

  “God. You’re right. He deserves bad karma.”

  An hour later, Lily pulled into the parking lot beside the Miami clubhouse and got out of the car, stretching her legs.

  As soon as they entered the stadium, they spotted Zia and headed toward her.

  Zia jumped up to hug them both. She held on to Lily extra long and then met her gaze. “You okay? I can’t believe what everyone is saying. That crazy woman has been coming here for years. She’s a regular groupie. She was a little weird, but no one suspected she was so out of her mind.”

  “Yeah. It’s insane. And the crazy thing is she’ll probably get off easy. Property damage. Community service. Not likely she’ll serve any time.”

  “Seriously?” Zia asked as they took their seats. “How is that possible?”

  Lily sighed. “The courts don’t have room for harassment cases in which no one got murdered, I suppose.”

  “That sucks.” Zia leaned around to speak to Ava. “How’re you holding up?”

  “Better, now that I don’t have to worry about Lily all the time. That woman added a whole new layer to the term stress.”

  “Let’s discuss something less depressing,” Lily suggested, grabbing both women by the arms and squeezing.

  “Excellent idea,” Ava agreed. “So who’s the guy on third base?”

  * * *

  As Dominic shrugged into khaki pants and reached for his pale blue dress shirt, he eyed one of his best friends without turning his head to face him.

  Xavier Monreal got dressed next to him, and he was putting extra effort into smoothing his shirt and adjusting his pants. “Was that her in the stands next to Lily? They looked like twins from where I was standing.”

  “Yeah. They look alike. But they’re more like mother and daughter. Keep in mind that Lily raised Ava from a very young age. She’s twelve years younger.”

  Xavier smirked. “You’re glaring at me. You said she’s twenty-two. You set me up with her yourself. If you didn’t want me to go out with her, why did you arrange it?”

  Dominic sighed and lowered himself onto the bench behind him to put on his shoes. “I trust you.”

  “You trust me?” He chuckled. “Now you’re her father?”

  “Feels like it all of the sudden.” That was the truth. If anything happened and Ava got hurt, Lily would seriously be pissed. Why the hell had he set Ava up with Xavier, or anyone for that matter? He should have told her hell no.

  This was dangerous territory. His own relationship with Lily was new and had been through several trials. Regardless of the outcome, the last thing he needed was another bump in the road between him and Lily.

  “Look, relax man.” Xavier turned sideways and faced Dominic. “It’s just dinner. A double date. You’ll be there too. Don’t get carried away. Just because she’s cute doesn’t mean we’ll hit it off.”

  He had a point. Ava had a head on her shoulders from everything Dominic could tell. Lily had said so often enough also.

  “Maybe she doesn’t even like Puerto Rican ballplayers with lots of money,” he teased.

  Dominic groaned. He knew for a fact Ava was going to like Xavier. Every woman liked Xavier. And Xavier liked women too. He dated a lot of women. The only reason Dominic had considered this possibility was because even though Xavier had a list of first dates a mile long, Dominic was pretty sure the man didn’t sleep with most of them. He rarely dated a woman twice.

  He seemed particular. Which was perfect.

  “Just don’t…” Dominic let the rest of that sentence trail off unspoken.

  Xavier stood, ran a comb through his hair, and shut his locker. “Relax. I won’t lay a hand on her. I get it. I’ll wine and dine her, but I won’t do anything to mess things up between you and her sister. You can count on me.”

  Dominic hoped so. Because he had high hopes with Lily, and he didn’t want one more goddamn thing to come between them.

  * * *

  “You think they’re okay?” Lily asked as Dominic led her onto the dance floor.

  He smiled down at her, set a hand in the center of her back, and hauled her closer to enjoy the slow song. It was the first time all evening he finally had her all to himself, and he wanted to breathe in her scent and enjoy the feel of her body against his. “I think they’re fine.”

  “I didn’t really expect them to hit it off like that. I was hoping there would be no chemistry.” She sighed.

  He leaned down to kiss the sweet spot on her neck below her ear. “I was kinda hoping the same thing.”

  “Why?” She stiffened.

  He shook his head and smiled again. “Only because I don’t want anything else to get between us. Relax. Xavier’s a good guy. He’s not going to drag her off to a closet and—”

  Lily reached up and set her fingers on his lips. “God, don’t finish that sentence out loud.” She shuddered as he turned them in a circle on the dance floor. Suddenly, she stiffened, her eyes widening. “Is he a Dominant? Oh, shit. He is. You said he was the one who introduced you to the owner of Zodiac. And you set him up with my sister?” Her voice rose.

  Dominic gave her a squeeze. “Relax, baby. He’s not as into the lifestyle as me. It just so happens that Lincoln and he have been friends for years. He’s only a member of Zodiac because he knows the owner. He doesn’t go there often. I’m not going to say he isn’t kinda alpha, but he’s not as dominant as me.”

  She didn’t look convinced. “You’re sure?”

  “I wouldn’t have set your sister up with someone you wouldn’t approve of, Lily. Give me a little credit. Trust me. Xavier is a stand-up guy. Besides, I doubt she’ll hold his interest. She’s too young.” He leaned down to kiss her lips and stop the madness. “I’m far more interested in our relationship than Ava and Xavier.”

  “Yeah?” She started to grin. “Now that we’re free to go out in public without having to worry about some crazy person following us?”

  He shrugged and winked. “I don’t know. I kind of enjoyed being forced to stay in the house with you.”

  “Mmm. Can’t argue that point.” She leaned back a few inches again and changed the subject on him. “I hate that Valerie released those damn pictures. If it weren’t for that, we’d almost be done with this.”

  “I know, babe. But try not to let them rule your life. They aren’t nearly as bad as they originally looked in the text message. They’re too grainy. It’s almost unclear who’s in them. And we’re fully clothed as far as the camera knew. Who really pays attention to that tabloid shit, anyway?”

  She narrowed her gaze. “Half the women in the US.”

  He winced. “Okay, but has anyone said anything to you?”

  “Not yet.”

  “How about you put together a statement. If someone says anything, you could giggle and say, ‘Oh, yeah, that’s me. My boyfriend is so romantic. He couldn’t wait to make out with me, so he pulled over to do so.’ Add a blush to that, and whoever is asking will shut right up.”

  She smiled slowly. “That could work.”

  They were still spinning around the dance floor, but he had something else to say. “Let’s step outside.”

  She nodded as he took her hand and led her to the glass doors along the side of the dance floor.

  He pulled the handle and let Lily pass under his arm before following her out into the evening. It was almost chilly since the sun had gone down.

  She shivered, so he led her to the edge of the patio and wrapped his arms around her from behind, setting his chin on her head. The dress she wore this evening wasn’t nearly enough against the chill in the air.

  “It’s so peaceful out here.”

  “Yeah.” He stared into the night and then closed his eyes and savored the f
eel of Lily in his arms. He inhaled the scent of her hair slowly. Then he took a chance. “I want a relationship with you.”

  “What do you mean? You have a relationship with me.”

  He swallowed and continued. “I mean, I want more. I want you with me. Every day. Not every third day for a stolen hour.”

  She turned in his arms and lifted her face to meet his gaze. “What are you saying? The season’s about to start. You’ll be traveling half the time. That’s not conducive to an everyday relationship.”

  He licked his lips. “It would be if you went with me.”

  Her eyes widened. “Went with you? Dominic… I can’t do that. I have a gallery to run. And you live in hotels. It’s not feasible.”

  He knew she would say that. He expected it. But he didn’t like it. “We’re just getting to know each other. I want to spend more time with you than a few mornings a week when I’m in town. My schedule is hectic. I play late almost every night for eight months. I sleep late and then do it all over again. It’s hard on a new relationship. Nearly impossible. The failure rate is high.”

  She stared at him, so he continued. “Nearly every time one of us meets a woman and starts a new relationship, it ends up doomed. It seems all glamorous at first, but then when it comes down to it, it’s usually more than a woman can take.”

  “I never saw this as glamorous, Dominic. So I don’t fit the mold from the start. In fact, I’m not really interested in all the glamour. I was hoping you would keep that part separate from me.” She bit her lip and then nibbled on it.

  “Keep it separate? How?”

  “I don’t want to travel with you for one. I’m serious about my business. I have a job. A career. I worked hard to build it. I’m not giving it up. And you have a job you love. I wouldn’t expect you to give it up, either.

  “So we’ll work around it. See what happens. Take it day by day. If it’s meant to be, it will work out. Even long distance.”

  He couldn’t move or breathe. This wasn’t how he saw this going down. He made a lot of money. She didn’t have to work. “Could you maybe take a few months off? Could Stephan run the gallery for a while? Maybe Ava could help? Or do you have other employees?”

  She narrowed her gaze and pushed on his chest until she could take a step back. “No, big guy. It doesn’t work like that. It’s my gallery. And even if I could take time off, I don’t want to. That’s my career. Do not belittle it just because you make more money. I’m a grown woman. I’ve built that business up for years. I’m not going to quit and run off with some twenty-six-year-old ballplayer until he gets tired of me. What would I have then? Nothing. Don’t be so cocky. Your suggestion is insulting.”

  He reached for her, but she stepped back farther, wrapping her arms around her middle. He wanted to take the last ten minutes back and call a do-over. He was also a little pissed that she didn’t seem to take him seriously. “Lily, don’t.”

  “Don’t what? Don’t have my own dreams? Don’t keep a business I spent years building so I can follow you around the country while you play your little game?”

  “My little game?” His voice rose. He dropped his hands from her altogether. “Is that how you see my job? As a hobby?”

  She shrugged. “It’s volatile. You have no way of knowing if it will last from one season to the next. Or even one week to the next. It’s insulting for you to insinuate I should quit my job to follow you around. Why don’t you quit yours and help me out at the gallery?”

  He rolled his eyes. “Be reasonable.” Why was she being so emotional?

  “Me?” Her voice rose. “You just asked me to quit my job and become a baseball groupie so that you have someone to fuck between ten in the morning and noon. Who’s being unreasonable?” She took a step back and turned around. “I think I should go home.”

  Fuck. That had not gone at all as planned. “Lily, wait.”

  She kept walking. A moment later, she pulled the glass door open and stepped back inside.

  He raced to catch up, but by the time he reached their table, she was already grabbing her purse, and Ava had a horrified look on her face.

  “Lily, can we discuss this? Like adults?”

  She spun around. “Adults? Who are you accusing of not being an adult here?” She glanced around, exaggerating her movements.

  “Lily…”

  She pushed past him. “I don’t want to discuss this anymore today. I’m not sure I ever want to. I’m going home now. It’s getting late, anyway. It’s a long drive.”

  “You can’t leave here angry.” Dammit. Why couldn’t she see reason?

  “Watch me.” She turned toward the door.

  Ava said something to Xavier and then raced after her sister.

  Dominic stood staring after them, completely unsure what to do. On the one hand, he didn’t want Lily to walk away from him. However, he also didn’t want to chase her down and beg. That wasn’t his style. And she was about to be extremely disappointed if she was testing him in that way.

  “Cordes?” Xavier asked. “What the fuck did you do?”

  Dominic whipped around to face his friend. “Me?” He pointed at himself. “What about her? She was being completely unreasonable.”

  Xavier took his arm and led him out the front door. The women were nowhere to be seen. They’d sped off. Dominic kicked himself for letting Lily drive her own car to the restaurant. If her car had been at his condo, he could have talked to her on the way back. But she’d insisted they needed to head back to Miami after dinner and dancing.

  “You want to talk about it?” Xavier asked.

  “Not a fucking chance in hell.”

  Chapter Sixteen

  A week later…

  “How many times are you going to hammer that nail? I’m pretty sure it’s all the way into the drywall by now. Can you even see it? How are we going to hang anything from it if it’s inside the wall?”

  Lily spun around to face Stephan, who met her narrowed gaze with a smirk.

  He pointed at the spot on the wall where she had indeed driven the nail in too far. “You sure showed that nail.”

  When she fumed, scowling, he stepped back.

  He held up his hands. “Why don’t you just call him?”

  She stomped off, handing him the hammer. “If you’re so smart, you hang the picture.” It was before hours. They had come in early to move inventory around. So far, it hadn’t gone well.

  Lily headed for the refrigerator and grabbed a bottle of water.

  Stephan sauntered into the room and grabbed a second one for himself. “Sit.” He pointed at one of the couches.

  She stomped over and plopped down, but only because that had been her intention in the first place. “Do not start lecturing me. I can’t take it. I’m pissed that I didn’t see the writing on the wall is all. I’ll get over it. Give me a few more days.”

  “So you’re mad at yourself?” He took a seat on the same couch, other end.

  She shrugged. “For falling for a boy-man and then letting him get under my skin? Yes.”

  “Not for your part in whatever argument the two of you had last week?”

  “Nope. He was being a jerk. I’m just glad I found out sooner rather than later. I could have wasted months dating him only to figure out he was so insensitive and childish in the end anyway.”

  “I see.” Stephan took a drink of his water. “It might help if you told me what happened. Perhaps I could give it a fresh perspective. Ava says you didn’t say a word to her. And I’m betting you haven’t spoken to Zia either since you won’t take her calls.”

  “There’s no reason to discuss anything. I don’t need anyone’s perspective. I’m a grown woman. I have rational perspective all by myself.” She took another long drink. She felt like shit. She hadn’t slept well in a week, and her temper had been so close to the surface that she frequently took it out on Stephan.

  “Cordes isn’t exactly a child, you know. He’s the same age as me. You’ve never treated me like
a child.”

  “You don’t act like one. You didn’t suggest I quit my job to travel around with you so you could play ball with your friends.” She sat forward, words flowing out of her mouth so fast she couldn’t stop them. “You didn’t belittle my career and insinuate it was a stupid little hobby I had and I should give it up because your stupid little hobby is so much more lucrative and important.”

  Stephan flinched. “He said that?”

  “Yes.” She leaned back and took another drink. “More or less.”

  “More more? Or more less?”

  “What the hell does that even mean?” She shot him a glance. Everyone around her was losing their minds.

  “Did he ask you to sell the gallery?”

  “No. But that’s what he wanted.” She humphed and then glared at Stephan. “Don’t try to turn this around and make me the bad guy here. I didn’t start this. Dominic did.”

  “I’m just trying to help.”

  “I know. Per-spec-tive.” She drew that last word out, imitating him.

  “Lily, I’ve known you for several years. You’re one of my best friends, in addition to being my boss. Let me help. I know you’re hurting. And I also know you wouldn’t be if Cordes didn’t mean something to you.

  “You’ve been hurting since the moment you met him. Every time something came between you two, you retreated. It’s time to stop pretending you don’t care and figure out what to do next. If you want me to shut up and let you wallow in your own self-pity, fine. I’ll go. But for once, why don’t you let someone give you some fucking per-spec-tive instead.” His tone was harsher than she’d ever heard. In fact, he’d never spoken to her like that.

  She turned her head and found him frowning. “Fine.” She slumped lower in the cushion. “He asked me to let you run the gallery for a few months so we could spend more time together. It was insulting. And I told him no.”

  “Why was that so insulting? The man’s in love with you, Lily. He wants to spend time with you. That’s a no-brainer. It’s a reasonable request.”