Hot Target by Lisa Renee Jones

It was a good two hours later when Katie sat on Luke’s old bed in the middle of his old bedroom where Spiderman and Troy Aikman decorated the walls; Ann sat across from her.

  She and Ann had talked for hours. It turned out Ann had been a grief counselor for teens, and somehow, Katie had started talking about her sister and then never stopped. It was the first time she’d talked—really talked—about losing her parents since their deaths.

  “Please tell me she didn’t pull out the photo albums,” Luke said, appearing in the doorway.

  Katie looked up, her stomach fluttering at the country-boy sex appeal he oozed in faded jeans and a light blue button-down Western shirt that highlighted his eyes.

  “I most certainly did not,” Ann assured him. “I promised her I would next time, though.” She patted Katie’s jean-clad leg. “Incentive for you to come back.”

  Katie smiled at Ann, but she couldn’t bring herself to look at Luke. She had no idea how he felt about the invitation. As much as she’d enjoyed the day, her heart was heavy with memories, her emotions twisted.

  It wasn’t long until Katie was given a bear hug by J.C., who, wearing his Hawks jersey with his son’s number on it, was a good six-four and as broad as he was tall. “You come back here, little girl. Nice to see my son finally bring someone home.”

  Katie smiled. “I’d like that.” After the visit, there was no question about why Luke had wanted to keep his parents in the dark about his stalker. They’d be worried sick if they knew. But they also had no idea Katie was here because Luke had no option but to bring her along.

  Would Luke have invited her if circumstances were different? She wasn’t sure he could answer that at this point. How did either of them know what was real and what was close proximity and circumstances?

  As they exited the house, Katie was still avoiding eye contact with Luke. Emotions she hadn’t felt in years were stirring to life. Caring for someone and fearing she’d lose them had kept her single for years now.

  Luke laced his fingers with hers as they walked to the car in silence. At the passenger side of the car, he slid his hands down her arms, facing her. “You okay, sweetheart? Did my parents say something to upset you?”

  “No,” she said, shaking her head. “Your parents are wonderful. I love them.”

  “Then what is it? What’s wrong?”

  “I…” She felt the emotion flutter in her chest. “I…Luke.”

  His fingers laced in one side of her hair. “What? Talk to me, Katie.”

  She blinked up at him, the streetlight illuminating the concern in his eyes. She kissed him. “Memories,” she said. “That’s all. The family setting stirred some old memories. But it was good talking to your mother.”

  “You can talk to me, too,” he said, his thumbs gently caressing her cheek. “You know that, right?”

  “I know,” she said. And she did. “But I…can’t.”

  “Why?” he asked. “Am I a bad listener? You don’t trust me?”

  “No,” she said quickly. “No. I…don’t want to lay all this heavy stuff on you, Luke. You have games, and—”

  He kissed her, a long, deep kiss that left her gasping for air and pressing against his chest. “Luke! Your parents!”

  “Are probably cheering from the window,” he said. “They loved you. Now. Let’s go back to the hotel. I have ways to make you talk.”

  And just like that, amazingly, Katie was smiling, her demons slayed by a pitcher who had a ninety-eight-mile-an-hour fastball and was one hell of a kisser.

  THE FIRST GAME NIGHT back in California, Katie felt edgy, certain something was going to happen. A knack for gut feelings that she’d inherited from her father was something she never ignored. Although she’d kept her worries from Luke. He was pitching the first game, and he needed to be focused. For safety measures, Josh and Noah were in a nearby van, with a remote feed on several locations.

  Katie once again sat with Heather and, despite her nerves, cheered excitedly as Luke pitched. “He’s going to have his best game ever if he keeps this up,” Heather declared. She glanced behind her. “Good grief. I didn’t know Libby was here. I do believe Rick really has a thing for that girl. At least when he’s in town.”

  “Come to think of it,” Katie said. “I didn’t see him with anyone else in Texas. Yet I’m not sure I would have known otherwise. Luke and I didn’t exactly hang out with the guys.”

  Heather elbowed Katie and smiled. “I bet you didn’t.”

  Katie smiled but a grim thought occurred. It would be horrible if Libby ended up being the stalker if Rick was really hung up on her.

  The crowd went nuts as the Hawks headed onto the field again and Luke strode toward the mound. Nerves fluttered in Katie’s stomach. Her cell phone rang.

  She reached inside her purse and eyed the caller ID, almost relieved to see “unknown.” They were almost paid up with the loan sharks, and Katie could finally end that piece of hell. She hit Silent as Luke threw a strike.

  “Yes!” she yelled, when her phone started to ring again.

  A weird flutter, that gut feeling she got sometimes, hit her stomach. She snatched the phone again. Noah. She snapped it open.

  “Come out to the parking lot,” she thought he said, as the crowd roared. Luke threw another strike. Katie wasn’t cheering. She didn’t get a chance to confirm Noah’s request. He’d hung up.

  “I’ll be right back, Heather.”

  “But Luke is pitching,” she argued.

  “I know,” she said. “I’ll be right back.”

  Heather frowned but Katie didn’t offer more. She rushed up the stairs and through the stadium, dialing Noah as she did. When he didn’t answer, she started to panic. She rushed out to the parking lot, to where the dark blue van Noah had rented was parked, and headed to the back door.

  It opened as she arrived to reveal Noah, squatting down to her eye level. Josh sat at a monitor, his attention on the security feed.

  “What?” she demanded.

  “First,” Noah said. “Your sister and Donna are fine.”

  Her heart thundered in her ears. “What does that mean?”

  “The office was set on fire,” he said. “We lost everything. The loan sharks said it’s a warning. They want the rest of their money now.”

  Her office. Destroyed. The only thing she had left. Her dancing was gone. Her parents were gone. “We were paying!” she yelled.

  “I know, Katie,” he said. “I know. But these kinds of people aren’t reasonable. You have insurance. We’ll find a temporary office. I’ll go home while Josh wraps up here. But, Katie. We need to pay these guys off. You need to talk to Luke. Borrow the money.”

  “No,” she said instantly. “I’m not talking to Luke, and you aren’t, either, nor is Josh.”

  “Katie—”

  “I’ll get the money,” she said shortly. She’d spent hours talking to Luke, hearing about his ex-manager, his ex-girlfriend. People he’d thought were friends. “But I’m not going to Luke. I won’t allow him to think I’m after his money or that we’ve dragged out this investigation to earn enough for my sister’s debts.”

  “He’s not going to think that,” Noah said. “He’ll want to help.”

  “I’ll get the money, Noah,” she said. “Just please make sure Luke gets home safely. I’ll meet him there. And you’ll tell him nothing. This is personal. I’ll deal with Luke my own way.” He hesitated.

  “Noah, this is my decision.”

  Reluctantly, his expression turned grimly accepting. “Fine,” he said. “But Luke’s going to ask where you are.”

  “You’ll think of something,” she assured them. “I have faith in you.”

  “Katie—”

  She started walking, needing privacy to deal with the situation her way. “I’ll grab a taxi and meet you at the house.” Her pace picked up. She had to escape before Luke saw her. Or maybe she was doing what Luke had accused her of too many times—running. Running from him. Running from herself. Running from c
aring enough to fear losing him. She’d dealt with enough loss already. And her sister was in jeopardy. It was overwhelming.

  Katie hailed a cab and got in, offering her destination. Then she dialed Ron’s number. He answered on the first ring, and she went for it—she asked for the money, explained everything. He hadn’t offered her the money up front before, but that’s when he thought she might decline the job. Now he knew she’d stay, that she’d protect Luke.

  Five minutes later, she hung up, swiping at the dampness on her cheeks, not even remembering her tears. Ron was wiring the money. He was calling Donna and arranging it. Katie fell back against the seat, emotionally exhausted. She wasn’t sure she was going to be ready to face Luke tonight, but there seemed no escape.

  She ran her hand through her hair and tried to calm down. Luke. She just didn’t have the emotional capacity right now to do this “thing” with him. She wasn’t ready. Deep down, she’d known that when she’d met his parents. She just wanted to do her job and leave, with the peace of mind of knowing that Luke was safe. She needed it to be that simple again. A job. Then she would go home.

  LUKE STEPPED out of the locker room into the masses of rookie Malone’s press, and silently cursed under his breath for all kinds of reasons. Malone had a chip on his shoulder as it was, and stealing his limelight, which Luke didn’t want to do in the first place, wouldn’t help any. Nonetheless, it was too late. The press pulled away from Malone and swarmed Luke.

  “Luke! Luke!” Questions started flying faster than baseballs. He raised his hands in mock surrender. “Y’all have beaten more answers out of me tonight than the other team did bad pitches. And I threw my share of bad ones tonight.”

  “The scoreboard didn’t show it,” one of the reporters said.

  “Because my team backed me up,” he responded. Rick had especially done so. He’d kept more than one runner off base, but he’d also, unfortunately, taken a fly ball to the eye that had left him with a shiner and stitches to show for it. Of course, Rick had found plenty of female sympathy, which he was already exploring. A couple of blonde twins named Kari and Karra.

  “Just a few more questions, Luke,” a reporter said, stepping to his side. It was Tim Edwards—tall, thin, hungry for a story.

  “Tim,” Luke said good-naturedly. “You and I do the perpetual ‘one more’ question all the time, and I rarely have limits, you know that. Heck—tonight one reporter even followed me into the shower. Did I refuse to answer questions? No. All I asked for was some soap and a towel.”

  Laughter erupted as Luke added, with a mock salute, “Until next game. I’m going home.”

  Reluctantly, the crowd of media hounds let him pass and returned to their pursuit of Malone. Luke didn’t have to look at Malone to know he was pissed—he could feel his hostility in the air.

  But he didn’t care. Katie deserved credit for getting him focused on his game tonight; he was ready to grab Katie, make a run for food and conversation, and end the night thanking her for getting his head on straight with all kinds of erotic pleasures. Before the game, she’d teased him with a bottle of whipped cream and the promise of its creative uses. What more could a man ask for? Play the game of baseball, which he loved, and then go home to a bottle of whipped cream he’d share with a woman he wasn’t afraid to admit he was falling in love with.

  A quick scan of the area and Luke spotted Noah and Josh, which meant Katie had to be nearby. Luke sauntered forward, feeling a rush of anticipation over seeing her that he’d never felt for a woman before. Katie had a way of keeping him smiling off the mound and, so far, focused when he was on it.

  He stopped in front of Noah and Josh. “Where’s Katie?” he asked, his gaze drifting up and down the concrete ramp, to find no signs of Katie. He shifted his attention back to the brothers in time to see Noah and Josh exchange an uncomfortable look, which instantly set Luke’s nerves on edge. “Okay,” he said. “What the hell is going on?”

  “Katie went back to the house,” Josh offered, another shared look with Noah. “She’s meeting us there.”

  Luke shook his head, confused. “Did something happen? Is she okay?”

  “She’s fine,” they both replied.

  “So,” he said, trying to understand and be discreet at the same time. “Is this about the ‘situation’ we’ve been dealing with?”

  “It’s about a situation that Katie has been dealing with on her own,” Noah said, scrubbing his perpetual stubble. “A situation we have no business telling you about because it’s her personal business.”

  Luke looked from Noah to Josh, and that punched-in-the-gut feeling intensified. He had given his trust to Katie, done so despite a past that warned him that trusting wasn’t smart. If something went wrong between them, he realized suddenly, if she betrayed him, it was going to hurt like a bitch.

  “You know,” Luke began, and it wasn’t meant to be a question, “you’re going to tell me anyway.”

  Josh shoved his hands in his jeans pockets and rocked on his heels. “Yeah,” he said. “We are.”

  A few minutes later, the three of them stood at the bed of Luke’s truck, and Luke had gotten an earful. “Holy hell,” he said, shifting his weight from one foot to the other, agitated beyond belief. Katie had kept all kinds of shit from him. The kind of stuff a woman who cares about a guy doesn’t keep to herself. He’d spilled his guts to her, told her all about the hell he’d gone through. And she’d told him her own history—stories about her knee injury and losing her career. Stories of her past, he realized. Nothing that pertained to the present, though, except for a few details about starting her business.

  He stared up at the pitch-black sky, the clouds shadowing the stars, kind of like his emotions were affecting his ability to think straight, and spoke half to Noah and Josh, half to himself. “I didn’t even know her sister was in trouble. Not one word about this.” Neither of them spoke, and he was damn thankful for that. He was trying to make sense of why Katie had kept this from him. Trying to come up with a reason other than the obvious. He simply wasn’t a long-term commitment to her. He was sex and satisfaction and a job. But damn it, he wasn’t going to leave her to deal with this on her own, no matter what the outcome between them. He had money. Plenty of it. Too much of it. He gave it to charities, gave it to his parents. He could give some to Katie to ensure her sister was safe. He’d seen a few guys get in deep with those kind of people. They kept coming until they got their money.

  He tilted his head down, brought Noah and Josh into focus. “How much is the gambling debt?”

  “Thirty total,” Noah said. “It was fifty but she’s already paid twenty. I’m headed to the airport as soon as I know everyone is safely where they are supposed to be,” Noah added.

  “The gambling problem is over, right?” Luke confirmed. They both nodded and he added, “So if I pay this, it’s done?”

  “It’s done,” Noah agreed.

  “I’ll give you the money,” he said. “Take it and make this go away.”

  Josh cleared his throat. “Katie’s going to be furious that we told you.”

  Luke pulled his keys from his pocket. “Yeah, well, I’m pissed at her for not telling me.” He glanced at Josh. “Katie and I need some privacy to talk.”

  “I have your place on remote surveillance,” Josh said. “I’ll follow you home and stay nearby.”

  “Consider me gone,” Noah said.

  Satisfied they had an agreement in place, Luke drove them to his place.

  He thought of how Katie was withdrawing now after everything they’d been through and silently cursed. If pleasure was all Katie wanted from him, if he wasn’t good enough to be a confidant, a friend and lover, well, then, fine—pleasure was what he would give her. Nothing more. Nothing less. But damn it, they were going to be honest about it. They were going to come to terms with what they were and what they were not. All she’d had to do was talk to him, and he could have taken care of her.

  Almost an hour later, thanks to the
after-game traffic, Luke entered the house with Noah and Josh on his heels. He took the stairs two at a time and went straight to his bedroom—their bedroom. Katie had been sharing it for over a week. They were living together, he thought. Living together and he didn’t know what was going on in her life.

  He found her clothes in a pile on the bathroom floor, her swimsuit missing from the towel rack, which meant she was in the pool—her replacement for running since hurting her knee. He went back down the stairs, and Noah and Josh were nowhere in sight. Smart. Good. They knew when to get lost. Noah’d pack and be gone without saying a word.

  In all of sixty seconds, Luke had made his way to the sliding glass doors, and sure enough, they were unlatched, indicating Katie was out back. He took the brick path lined with shrubs and flowers, and found the long, eight-ball-shaped pool, and Katie in the midst of laps.

  Luke considered his options, frustration still churning inside him. He decided the best way to talk to Katie was naked. That seemed to be how they communicated best. And if this was all about pleasure for her, then, by God, let there be pleasure.

  12

  LUKE WAS STANDING at the end of the pool, buck naked and about to dive into the pool, when Katie seemed to sense his presence. She reached the edge of the water and grabbed the wall, blinking up at him. “Luke?” she murmured, sounding surprised, her eyes lingering below the waist before lifting back to his face, her expression tentative, as if she seemed to sense his hostility. “Where are Noah and Josh?”

  “Not important,” he said, diving into the water. He was behind her in a matter of seconds, pinning her against the wall, his front to her back. He pressed his cheek to hers. “Let’s not waste any time,” he said, and tugged her bottoms down her legs. His palms skimmed a path over her hips and raised her above the water to lightly smack one perfect, round cheek. She gasped with a mixture of surprise and pleasure.

  “Luke,” she whispered, in the midst of a moan as he slid his hand along the crevice of her backside. That perfect, round backside. Damn, he loved her ass.