Jaci Burton - Straddling the Line

“Oh, now it’s on,” he said, climbing out of the pool and coming out after her with deliberate intent.

She backed away. “Hey. It was a means to an end, Trevor. I was trying to get free.”

He came closer, and she ran.

But he was a lot faster, and caught up to her, pulling her against him and flinging them both into the deep end. He heard her shriek of laughter as they both went under, and this time, he untied the top of her bikini, keeping hold of her as they came up. Treading water, he caught the back of her strapless top and pulled it away, holding it above the water like a trophy.

“Trevor,” she said, her eyes widening as she looked at her top in his hands. “I’ll take that back.”

“Hey, I told you it was on. And I always win.” He couldn’t see anything because she was under the water, but at least she wasn’t mad.

In fact, she shrugged. “Have it your way.” She swam to the shallow end and calmly walked up the steps, her lush, ample bare breasts visible. She went to the chaise and grabbed her towel. “Enjoy your trophy. I’m going to take a shower, then it’s back to work for both of us.”

He couldn’t help but admire the sleek line of her back as she walked away.

She had amazing breasts, too. Her dark nipples had puckered from the chill in the air, making him want to put his mouth on them and warm them. She made him hard watching the way her hips swayed as she walked away.

Haven was a revelation, a really nice surprise he hadn’t been expecting.

She wasn’t here so he could seduce her, though. Too bad, because he’d like to put his hands on her again, this time to do more than play in the pool.

But he’d made a promise, and he intended to stick to it.

And as he climbed out of the pool, he looked down at her bikini top clutched in his hand and smiled.

Nothing said there couldn’t be some fun in it for both of them, though, right?

AFTER HER SHOWER, HAVEN GOT DRESSED AND WENT back downstairs. Trevor wasn’t there. She looked out on the pool deck for him, but he wasn’t there, either. He was probably still upstairs, so she went into the kitchen and fixed herself a glass of water, needing something to cool her down after their interlude.

She found her bikini top lying over the kitchen faucet. She shook her head, and ran her top upstairs, tossing it into the bathroom sink before returning downstairs. The last thing she needed was for Hammond to find various parts of her clothing in the kitchen. She was supposed to be here for professional reasons, not fun and games.

Damn Trevor for finding new ways to turn her on. Then again, he’d been right—she had started it. She just hadn’t known how hard a player he was, how much of a competitive nature he had. Now she knew, and she’d keep her distance.

She heard him coming down the stairs, so she turned around and leaned against the counter, wishing she could put something—anything—between them. She felt like she needed a shield to ward off all the testosterone that seemed to roll off him.

Or maybe that was just her imagination.

“There you are,” he said, grinning as he walked by and looking at the sink, where her bikini top used to be. “Swimming was fun. We should do that again.”

“No, we definitely should not. I’d like to not bare my breasts to anyone who happens to be watching.”

He laughed and leaned against the counter next to her. “I don’t have any neighbors within viewing distance of my backyard. That’s why I bought this property. It’s plenty private.”

“There’s Hammond.”

“His errands will take him away from the house for the rest of the day. So no one saw your boobs but me.”

“Great.”

“Yeah, they were.”

She rolled her eyes at him and pushed off the counter, heading toward the living room. “Ready to continue?”

“No. I have to head to the stadium and prep for the game. But you can come along.”

She stopped and turned. “All right.” Now she could watch him in action. She was eager to see him work, and getting to see it at field level excited her.

She gathered up her things and stuffed them into her bag. By then, he’d grabbed his team bag and car keys.

“Ready?” he asked.

“Sure.”

He led her to the car. It only took about a half hour to get to the stadium, but she enjoyed the view nonetheless.

Trevor was right. It had been a long time since she’d been to St. Louis, and she’d had a child’s-eye view back then. Now everything looked different.

The city had grown so much, but she was still in awe of the Arch and the Mississippi River as they wound their way downtown and toward the stadium.

“So you’ll continue to play baseball until the end of the season, then you’ll head to Tampa and join the football team there?”

“Yeah. At least this season, since the Rivers have a shot of making the playoffs. It works easier that way for both teams, rather than me trying to jump back and forth.”

“Easier on you, too, I imagine.”

He nodded. “I travel enough with the Rivers. I don’t need to go back and forth with the baseball and football teams. When baseball is done, I’ll join Tampa and play out the football season with them.”

She shook her head. “I don’t know how you do it, Trevor. Trying to juggle two professional sports seems crazy.”

He pulled into a parking spot and turned off the engine, then turned to her. “That’s me, Haven. Just fucking crazy.”

She laughed and got out of the car with him.

“I’ll set you up inside the boxes where it’s more comfortable,” he said as they headed into the stadium.

“If you don’t mind, I’d like to sit as close to the field as possible, unless there are no seats available.”

“Are you sure? The club box seats are much more comfortable. Plus, there’s liquor and great catering.”

“I’m pretty sure I can handle it.”

“Suit yourself.” He led her inside and stopped at security, where she was given a pass. She picked it up and looked at it. “This isn’t a press pass,” she said as she hurried to keep up with his long strides.

“Yeah, I know. A press pass limits you. This one won’t. It’ll give you access to anywhere in the stadium you want to go.”

“Really. Why would you do that?”

He stopped and turned to face her, and as they stood in the sun, she was struck again by how utterly gorgeous he was. “So you have all access. But don’t go anywhere you shouldn’t.”

She laughed. “Where am I not supposed to go?”

“The locker room would be a bad idea. You don’t know who you might find naked down there.”

“Okay. I’ll avoid the locker room. Anywhere else?”

“Management offices might be a bad idea. You don’t want to get thrown out on your ass before you get a chance to interview anyone.”

She sighed. “Just tell me where I should go.”

“You should be safe at field level or in the club boxes.”

“Thanks.”

“I’ll meet up with you at the exit when the game’s over. If you get hot, just head upstairs to the club boxes. They’re air-conditioned.”

He directed her to the field—and pointed out the boxes.

“Okay.”

“Do you need me to walk with you?”

“Thanks, but no. I’ll find my way around. You go get your game face on, and kick some ass.”

He grinned. “Thanks. I’ll see you later.”

He disappeared down the tunnel, and Haven made her way out to the field. There were press on the benches higher up. Since she had the all-access pass, she walked out to the field entrance where security waved her on.

Awesome.

She stood out on the field, and her first thought was of her dad, of how much this would have thrilled him, to be standing here at field level with her, surveying the players as they took the field for warm-ups.