Married and held prisoner. She lifted a shoulder and kept the banter going. “Just waiting for him to sow his wild oats.”
“Zeke? The brainiac? He’s never been the biggest ladies’ man on the team.”
“How many of, uh, you guys are on this team?” There couldn’t be too many Niners running around.
“Well, they have been dropping like flies lately. Flynn was one of the founders, but he’s obviously off the team, and I’m a little worried about Lord Leo, who is rumored to have fallen flat on his face in love with a librarian, no less, up in someplace called Sanctuary Island.”
There were lords on the team? “So if you move away, you’re off the team?”
“Not exactly. If you—”
Another man sidled up next to Elliott, nudging him to the side. “You’re out, Elliott. Zeke sent me over to pinch hit while he gets a drink.”
What was this? Another god fallen down from Mount Niner? Amanda looked up at this newest arrival, meeting smoky gray eyes that looked...familiar. Recognizable. Even a little famous.
“I’m Nathaniel,” he said with a picture-perfect smile.
“Nathaniel...Ivory.” She managed to keep the stunned shock out of her voice, as a member of a family that some would call “American royalty” stood right in front of her—and not on the cover of some magazine. “Hello. I’m Amanda Lockhart, er, Mandy. Just call me Mandy.”
Damn, her composure had slipped a little. But whose wouldn’t? Naughty Nate, as the tabloids liked to call him, had hair a thousand shades of chestnut, a jaw like it was chiseled from marble, and that smile that every member of the Ivory family seemed to be blessed with. Along with...a reputation for trouble with a capital T.
“Mandy,” he nodded, openly admiring her. “Well, now I understand why our poor Zeke is a puddle of nerves tonight.”
“He is?” She glanced over her shoulder, seeing Zeke leaning against a bar, chatting with a woman. “He doesn’t look nervous.”
“Watch,” Nathaniel said. “Give him three, two, one...there.” As if on cue, Zeke turned from the woman and looked at Mandy, a little surprised to be caught by all of them.
The other two men lifted glasses to him in mock toasts, and Zeke shook his head, fighting a smile, before saying something to the woman.
“Mandy knew Zeke in high school,” Elliott said, lifting one brow. “Apparently, Einstein was quite the catch back in his day.”
Nathaniel let out a loud laugh. “Not a chance. He’s a card-carrying nerd who, thanks to some very good friends, discovered that even rich men need to hit the gym.”
“Oh, really?” She feigned surprise. “And here I recall they named a set of bleachers after him since he did the deed under them so many times after football games.”
“He was on the football team?” Nathaniel choked.
“And not a virgin?” Elliott added.
She gave a broad smile, careful not to lie. “Trust me, a cheerleader never forgets.”
She could feel Zeke coming up behind her. Maybe she could smell his cologne or sense the other two men shifting toward him, but his hand on her shoulder was no surprise. In fact, it was welcome.
“What are you telling these clowns?”
“I’m sharing what you were like in high school.” She felt his hand tighten on her shoulder, a flash of disappointment darkening his eyes.
“Who knew you were Most Likely to Get Laid?” Elliott drawled, giving Zeke a playful punch.
Surprise flickered on his expression, then it slipped back to cool and calm as he pulled Amanda a little closer. “I don’t like to brag.”
“Your girlfriend is doing it for you,” Nathaniel said.
“Are you, now?” He rubbed her arm affectionately. “And here I thought she never even noticed me back then.”
She looked up at him, lost for a moment in the warmth and invitation in his eyes. “If that was the case, I was blind and stupid.”
His eyes shuttered as if she’d kissed him, the compliment obviously going straight to his heart. He didn’t reply, but they shared an achingly long look.
“Well, she sure as heck is noticing you now.” Elliott put his glass up for a toast. “Let’s make a bet on how soon we’ll need a right fielder.”
“Why would you need one?” Amanda asked.
The other two men fought a laugh, but Zeke looked serious. “Careful what you say, gentlemen. I don’t want to scare her off.”
“Why would I be scared?”
Elliott leaned closer. “We have a strict ‘bachelors only’ rule on the Niners. Once you lose that status, you’re off the team.”
Oh, dear. Pretend really did have to end. She managed to keep her face expressionless.
Zeke, on the other hand, seemed completely relaxed at the implication, his hand slowly moving up and down her arm possessively. She wanted to hate the sensation, but, damn it, she didn’t hate it at all. Still, she didn’t look up at him, too terrified to see what she might read in his eyes.
There was no way they’d need a new right fielder because of her. She simply couldn’t get in any deeper than she already was.
* * *
After dinner, the party moved inside as the breeze picked up and rain threatened. While Zeke and Mandy chatted with Meredith about the latest addition to the shark tank, Garrett joined them and wrapped a loving arm around his wife to whisper in her ear.
Zeke watched the exchange, aware of the tug of envy for what they shared. His friend had been lost and lonely a few years ago, bouncing from woman to woman and bed to bed. Then Meredith had appeared, and wham, Zeke had witnessed Garrett transform from playboy to peaceful.
Zeke had never been much of a player, though the women were available at every turn. That wasn’t what he wanted. Under his possessive arm, he stroked Mandy’s bare shoulder, the contact getting far too familiar, too good. Could she fill the hole in his heart? Did he dare give another woman a chance, after—
“Gotta steal Zeke for some business,” Garrett said to the group.
Meredith reached for Mandy’s hand. “I’ll entertain your beautiful girlfriend, Zeke. Go talk shop with my husband.”
“I’m fine,” Mandy said, though he had to say there’d been a subtle shift in her demeanor since Nate and Elliott had made their stupid jokes about losing a right fielder. Nothing he could exactly pinpoint, but he didn’t relish the idea of leaving her.
Still, he knew Garrett’s invitation to the dinner party hadn’t been strictly social, so he owed this time to his host. “I won’t be long,” he whispered, adding a kiss to her soft hair.
She glanced up and smiled, that wariness that had shown up earlier still taking her eyes from grass-green to the dark shade of a raw Colombian emerald.
“We’ll be in the study with Nate and Elliott,” Garrett told his wife. Then he gestured toward the window. “Looks like Mother Nature refused to cooperate with your plans for an after-dinner cruise.”
Meredith waved her hand. “Can’t control the weather. We’re fine inside, but…” She gave another look at the sky. “I think some of you will not be getting in a helicopter tonight.”
Zeke had already thought of that but hadn’t suggested turning the evening into an overnight—not with Mandy so skittish. He let Garrett lead him away to the study before they could start that discussion.
In Garrett’s oversized and over-masculine two-story library, Elliott and Nate lounged, talking.
“We were just making friendly wagers,” Nate said, as Zeke joined them in another leather chair.
“On what Garrett’s latest insane scheme is?” Zeke asked, grinning at their host, who had a reputation for outrageous ideas. Obviously, they paid off, but it took balls of steel to do a deal with the guy. Zeke had done many, of course, all profitable.
“No, we’re betting on how long until you’re off the team.”
He didn’t answer, but Garrett brought over a bottle of port and gestured toward crystal glasses, eyeing Zeke. “She’s a lovely young woman.??
?
“She is that,” he agreed.
“You sure she’s legit?” Nate asked.
“Legit?” He scoffed at the word, using it to avoid confirmation or denial. “Coming from you, I suppose you’re asking if she’s got blue blood that can be traced to Plymouth Rock.”
Nate angled his head in consent. “I never heard of Lockharts.”
Had she introduced herself that way? Why did she insist on using that name? “That’s a married name. She’s divorced.”
Elliott leaned forward. “I like her, Zeke, but you have to be careful.”
In other words, watch out for money-grabbing gold-diggers. As if he didn’t know that. “I am.”
Garrett had his phone out, tapping the screen, almost as if he weren’t listening. “I’d like to be sure she isn’t going to break our boy’s heart.”
The other two men laughed softly, but Zeke put his hand on Garrett’s phone, pushing it down. “No need to run a search on her. We’re safe in that department.” Except, he knew for damn sure his heart wasn’t safe at all. It might already be a lost cause. “And if not?” he added, digging for a certain kind of casual he didn’t exactly feel. “I don’t like to play things safe, as you all know.”
“Good,” Garrett said, settling into the fourth chair. “Because I have one hell of a dangerous proposal, and you are the three to make it happen.”
Happy that the conversation was off Mandy, Zeke shifted his attention to business. “Let’s hear it.”
Garrett folded his arms and looked from one to the other. “I’ve heard each of you on different occasions proclaim that you’d like to own a professional baseball team.”
He had all of them instantly. They didn’t bother to share a look; they’d talked about this over post-game beers many times. Elliott, Nate, and Zeke shared a love of the sport and deep desire to be team owners.
“Oh, baby.” Nate leaned forward and put his knees on his elbows. “You got that right. The only problem is there isn’t one in the entire country interested in selling right now. Trust me, we’ve looked.”
“What about starting one?” Garrett asked.
“Too much legwork,” Elliott said.
“And years before you have a competitive team,” Nate added. Of course, that would matter to Nate, who didn’t know the definition of defeat.
“Not to mention that buying a Major League team would take more money than the three of us would part with that easily,” Zeke said, already doing the math in his head and coming up with...astronomical.
But Garrett ignored the arguments. “I didn’t say Major League.” They all started to speak, but Garrett waved them off. “Hear me out. I’m talking about a privately owned minor league baseball team.”
“None of those for sale right now, either,” Nate said.
“You can buy equity stakes, though,” Zeke told them. “I’ve looked into a couple of teams. Quite profitable. But...” He gave a shrug. “Not the game we’re interested in, right?”
The other two men agreed.
“I’m not talking about an equity deal,” Garrett said. “I’m talking about starting a minor league team from the ground up. Including building a stadium that can be used for MLB spring training, which would pretty much pay for itself in a few years.”
All three men looked at each other, Elliott’s eyes the widest. “Build a stadium?” The real estate mogul in him looked fascinated. “I like that idea.”
“It needs to be in Florida,” Garrett said. “Because I’m here now more than I’m anywhere else, but it can’t be the east coast of the state because of spring-training travel logistics. The big teams have almost all moved to the Gulf Coast. We need to find a location, do a land deal, get the stadium built, and start recruiting players. I’ve got more friends involved, but I want you to be the core team. I know your hearts are into this.”
Zeke knew where he stood. The closest thing he’d ever gotten to playing ball as a kid was running algorithms on statistics. He played softball now, and each game made him want to be more involved with baseball. And not as a spectator; that wasn’t good enough for him. He’d always known that someday he’d buy a team.
“I love this idea,” he said, unable to hide his enthusiasm. “I’m all in.”
Garrett beamed as Nate lifted his port glass. “I’m interested if I can have a hands-on role. I don’t want to be an angel investor.”
“Same here,” Elliott said. “What’s our next step?”
Garrett beamed, obviously expecting this response. “Lawyers, of course,” he said. “And we have to scout a location. We can hire someone to do that because I don’t have time to drive up and down the state, but I do have a few locations I think could sustain a medium-to-small stadium.”
“I’m over on the west coast all week,” Zeke said, already loving the realization that the project would have him back in Florida—with Mandy—on a regular basis. “Give me your list, and I can check out some sites. Then we’ll turn it over to professionals—”
“Like me,” Elliott said. “I think I’ve proved I can close the deal on a good piece of land.”
Considering that Becker had made his fortune at twenty-five by buying an innocuous property in New England that happened to have two billion dollars’ worth of solid Goshen stone on it, he certainly had the qualifications there.
“You can have that job, Becker,” Zeke agreed. “And when we get close to building—”
“I’ll handle that,” Nate offered. His family money meant he never had to work, but Nate had proved himself to have excellent project management skills.
“Gentlemen.” Garrett stood and raised his glass, and they all followed suit. “Let’s play ball.”
They toasted just as a thunderclap shook the house and rain splattered on the window. “Didn’t you come by helo?” Nate asked.
Zeke lifted his glass. “But not going back that way,” he said.
“Not tonight,” Garrett agreed. “You and Mandy can stay here, of course. I’ll get a guest suite prepared.” He took a moment to lift his brows. “One room or two?”
Zeke didn’t hesitate a second. “One.” Yes, they had a contract…but he could definitely find some loopholes tonight.
Chapter Eight
There never was a moment to say no. The party ended, the weather escalated, the overnight guests were ushered to their rooms. Or room, as the case may be. Of course, Amanda and Zeke weren’t flying back to Florida’s west coast in a storm, and it seemed crazy to go to a hotel when they were in a house this size, but...
Amanda swallowed against a dry throat as she entered the softly lit guest suite on the second floor and heard Zeke behind her, saying good night to their hosts, giving her a minute to get situated.
She looked around, admiring a floor-to-ceiling fireplace in the middle of a cozy sitting area. French doors lined one wall, looking out to a wide veranda, only partially covered by an awning, the rest designed for private sunbathing. Tonight, however, rain blurred what must have been a million-dollar view beyond that. Large double doors opened to a bathroom the size of a small country, and another set led to a walk-in closet. In the middle of the room…the elephant—an ultra-king-size bed covered in silk pillows and draped in sheer curtains.
One great big mistake just waiting to be made.
“Your dress is going to be a mess.”
She wheeled around at Zeke’s voice, catching him as he closed the door and locked it behind him. “Excuse me?”
“From sleeping in it.” He took a few steps closer, fighting a smile. “I mean, if you’re going by the letter of our law.”
The contract that said no clothes would ever come off. She’d thought that would be enough to keep them out of bed. Of course, she hadn’t planned to be trapped in a suite overnight with him.
“Then you’re going to be uncomfortable, too.” She gestured toward his dress shirt and trousers. “Maybe you should have thought of that when you told Garrett we only needed one room.”
&nb
sp; She gave him a minute to deny that, but he lifted a shoulder. “I didn’t want to leave you.”
Points for honesty. And the ability to turn her lower half into a pool of lust with so few words and one hot look.
“Anyway, if you read that contract closely, it doesn’t specify whose clothes,” he said. “I can take mine off.”
Oh, please don’t do that. She’d never manage to keep her hands off him.
“Or you can take yours off.”
She narrowed her eyes and crossed her arms. “You know damn well what I meant when I put that line in our deal. All clothes stay on. All hands kept to ourselves. All...stuff...is off-limits.”
“Stuff? Is that what the kids are calling it these days?” In three long strides, he closed the space between them, his eyes bright.
“Whatever you call it, I was trying to keep us from a situation like...” She angled her head toward the bed. “This.”
“Yeah, that.” Eyeing the bed, he sidestepped her and lifted one of the sheer drapes off a hook to slip it a few inches across the canopy. “Nice bed. You could sleep in here without clothes on, and I wouldn’t even see you.” He fingered the fabric. “Although, this is pretty sheer. But if we turn the lights off, you’re safe.”
“I know I’m safe,” she admitted. He’d never lay a hand on her if she didn’t want him to. The problem was...look at him. That was the problem. His hair was a little messy from the wind outside, his collar open, his sleeves rolled up to expose strong forearms.
He sat on the bed, the flouncy comforter puffing up around his legs. “I’ll sleep on the floor.”
“Don’t be silly.”
“I bet the tub’s huge.”
She smiled. “Safe bet, but no.”
He fell back and spread his arms across the bed. “I’ll fit on that settee.”
“I doubt that.”
He patted a pillow as if inviting her. “There’s a chaise on the balcony. I don’t mind rain.”
“Saying one thing, doing another.” Laughing softly, she took a few tentative steps closer, unable to resist the sheer pleasure of looking at him spread out on the bed. His hair dark against the shades of cream and ivory, his arms open as if she could...climb on. His eyes closed, and she ventured closer, quietly inhaling the clean scent of him.