Author: Jaci Burton

She crossed her arms. “I’ll pass.”

* * *

SAVANNAH HELD HER BREATH AS HAL SHOOK HANDS with Cole. She had to wait outside the recording studio, which seemed like miles away.

Not that she could do anything for Cole even if she was sitting right next to him. She couldn’t put the right answers in his mouth. Whatever he said, he’d have to own.

Hal started slow, talking about Cole’s hometown connection to St. Louis. Obviously tense at first, Cole seemed to relax under Hal’s easygoing style of questions about how Cole would fit into the Trader lineup. Cole handled those answers just fine. He had enthusiasm, really talked up the Traders, kept his points to discussing the team and how excited he was to be a part of such a great organization.

It was perfect.

“So tell me, Cole. Given your past and the fact you’ve often been in the limelight for all the wrong reasons, why do you think the Traders took a gamble on you?” Hal asked.

Uh-oh.

She saw the change in Cole’s expression, the way he leaned back in his chair.

Please think before you answer, Cole.

He opened his mouth, then looked across the room to the booth where she sat. He took a deep breath and said, “Well, Hal, you can’t believe everything you hear about me.”

“So all those previous media reports are lies?”

He gave Hal a grin. “Of course they are.”

Hal gave Cole a disbelieving look. “Nothing printed about you previously is the truth.”

“Hey, I’m no Boy Scout. Like I said, you can’t believe everything that’s been said about me. But some of those things happened when I was younger. I learned a few lessons.”

“So you’re turning over a new leaf with the Traders.”

“Clean slate. New start. And in answer to your question, the Traders took a gamble on me because I’m one of the best wide receivers out there.”

Hal laughed. “Pretty bold statement considering there are three awesome receivers on the team.”

“I’m confident in my skills. Obviously the Traders are, too. Otherwise they wouldn’t have picked me up. But rather than just talking about what I can do, I hope you and the Trader fans will tune in to see what I can do.”

Savannah relaxed her shoulders. Excellent answer. And Hal wasn’t a contentious interviewer, so he didn’t get into the negatives about Cole’s past. Cole and Hal shook hands after the interview and Cole met her outside the booth.

He gave her a smile. “Did I pass?”

“You did okay.”

“I did better than okay and you know it.”

They walked toward the front door and outside. “Hal was easy on you. He’s not going to besmirch anyone with the Traders because he doesn’t want to risk his press pass to the locker room. The real test will come when you have to face national media. But as a first test, you passed.”

“Good enough.”

“We need to work through some of the questions that will come up when you do have those interviews.” She pulled her phone out of her pocket and scrolled through her calendar. “I have some free time tomorrow afternoon.”

Cole shook his head. “Can’t. I have Gavin’s wedding coming up and I’m one of the groomsmen. I have all this…wedding stuff to do over the next few days.”

“Oh, that’s right. Fine. We’ll start on Monday.”

“That’ll work.”

“I guess I’ll head out, then.”

She walked to her car and he opened the door. “Savannah.”

She turned. “Yes.”

“You wanna talk about last night?”

“What about last night?”

“That kiss between you and me. And what happened the other night at your place.”

“Nothing happened, Cole. Nothing that’s going to be repeated, anyway, so there’s nothing to talk about.”

“If that’s the way you want to play it.”

“It is. It’s best if we keep our relationship strictly business.” The chemistry between them scared her. She had to be on her guard around him to make sure what happened never happened again.

And he knew she was attracted to him. She caught the hint of a smile, but then it was gone.

“Sure. I’ll see you Monday.”

He turned and she slid into her car. Now it was her turn to smile.

He’d see her well before Monday.

EIGHT

COLE STOOD IN THE SMALL, SUFFOCATING ROOM IN the back of the church, feeling claustrophobic and wishing this were over already so he could be at the bar. But he’d do anything for his cousin Gavin, including hanging back here to wait for the ceremony that was already ten minutes late.

“Leave it to Liz to need to make an entrance,” Gavin said as he looked out the window.

“Maybe she bailed on you.”

Gavin shot his brother, Mick, a glare. “She’ll show up. Or I’ll hunt her down and kill her.”

That made Mick laugh. “You do realize you’re in church.”

“And God knows Elizabeth. He’d forgive me.”

Cole shook his head. Weddings were so not his deal. It was hot and humid today and wearing this tux didn’t help. Nor did being packed in like sardines in this tiny little room with a bunch of men, one of whom was pacing.

Mick’s phone rang and he picked up and listened. “Okay, babe. Smile pretty when you come down the aisle.” He pocketed the phone. “Tara said we’ll start in about ten minutes.”

Gavin groaned.

“Hey, at least she showed up,” Cole said.

“Yup. It’ll be over before you know it. And then your lifetime of servitude begins.”

Dedrick, one of Gavin’s teammates and best friends, shot Gavin a huge grin.

Gavin laughed. “I hope so, Deed, because we have a game on Friday night.”

“I can’t believe you didn’t get married during the off-season,” Cole said.

Gavin gave Cole one of those looks. “You obviously don’t know my soon-to-be wife and your new agent all that well yet. She wanted the wedding now, in July, and by god she was going to have one, even if it’s in the middle of baseball season and on a Wednesday night. She arranged it around the All Star break so there’d be a few days off.”

“She had to plan it around our season,” Tommy, one of the other teammates said as he buttoned and unbuttoned his jacket. “My wife, Haley, said Liz was kind of determined.”

“So I guess you’ll be delaying your honeymoon?”

Gavin shrugged. “Yeah. But we’re heading to Fiji in November.”

“After we win the World Series,” Dedrick said.

“Hell yeah,” Tommy said, high-fiving Dedrick.

“If you don’t have her pregnant by then,” Dedrick added.

Gavin laughed. “I’ll do my best.”

“You guys are crazy.” Mick came over to Gavin and straightened his tie. “And so’s your fiancée.”

“Tell me something I don’t know,” Gavin said. “But I love her. What can I do? July wedding it is. She doesn’t care that much about the honeymoon, anyway. To her it’s all about the wedding.”

Mick nodded. “Tara, too. It’s all she’s been able to talk about since our own wedding. That and baby stuff now that she’s pregnant. She was freaking out about having to have her dress altered.”

Cole shook his head. “Women and love and marriage and weddings and babies? I remember when all we could think about was sports. And getting laid.”

“You find the right woman, you still get laid,” Dedrick said, waggling his brows.

“Damn straight,” Mick said, patting Cole on the back. “Just you wait, cousin. Your day of reckoning is coming.”

Cole let out a derisive snort. “Not me. Not interested.”

Mick shot Gavin a knowing look. “Seems it wasn’t that long ago we both thought the same way.”

“Yeah. He’s gonna fall hard when it happens.”

“All married men say the same thing. Mark my words. I’m staying single.”

Mick arched a brow. “Care to lay some money on it?”

Cole rolled his eyes. “Sure.”

Gavin put his arm over Cole’s shoulders. “I’m in for a hundred.”

“Me, too,” Mick said.

“You’re on. Easiest money I’ll ever make.”

“Sucker,” Dedrick said as he walked by. “You’ll meet your match. Every guy does.”

“Not this guy. I like my life just the way it is.”

SAVANNAH THOUGHT THE WEDDING HAD BEEN AMAZING. Elizabeth was stunning on an ordinary day, but today she looked like she belonged on the cover of a bridal magazine. In a soft white with a dropped waist, her strapless organza dress was simple, but elegant. Her red hair had been pulled up, with a few strands softly framing her neck and face. She took Savannah’s breath away, so she could only imagine the impact she’d had on Gavin, who’d looked awestruck when Gavin’s father had walked Liz down the aisle.

Cole hadn’t looked too shabby as one of the groomsmen, either. Whether sweating it out at the gym or dressed up to the max in a tux, he was simply mesmerizing. She couldn’t take her eyes off him, which was no doubt why he had the reputation he had—like all the Riley men. There was no doubt it was a devastating gene pool.

The ceremony had been lovely as Elizabeth and Gavin had shared tender words of love and commitment. And even though the wedding was on a weeknight, the hotel where the reception was being held was packed full of family and friends and Gavin’s teammates. It probably helped that their next series was a home game.

The hotel ballroom was decorated in a mix of pale yellow and purple, the dark purple matching the bridesmaids’ dresses. The flowers throughout the ballroom, highlighted by breathtaking orchids, were simply stunning. The wedding party was introduced to a fanfare of shouts and applause, then Savannah nearly swooned to the romantic first dance. It was clear Elizabeth and Gavin were very much in love.

She’d love to have a man look at her like that someday—like she was the only person in the room and no one and nothing else existed.

Did love like that exist? It must, because it was evident on the faces of this newly married couple, and others spread across the room. She could feel it, though she had never experienced it either for herself or in relationships close to her.

As her gaze drifted over the wedding party that surrounded the bride and groom, she caught sight of Cole, who happened to be looking at her at the same time.

She smiled at him, but he frowned, then looked away.

Interesting.

The wedding party danced, pictures were taken, and Savannah found her seat at the table with some of Gavin’s teammates and their wives.

Cole sat at the head table next to one of the bridesmaids—Elizabeth’s new sister-in-law Jenna. She was Cole’s cousin, if Savannah remembered the family tree correctly. Jenna was perfectly adorable. She had short dark hair with purple streaks at the tips that matched her dress. And some very hot and gorgeous guy came up to her and kissed her, causing Jenna to smile.

“Are you having fun?” Elizabeth and Gavin were making their rounds from table to table.

“It was a beautiful wedding. I’ve never seen two people who are obviously so much in love.”

Elizabeth grinned. “I know. Kind of nauseating, isn’t it?”

“Not at all. It’s very romantic.”

“I can’t help it. It’s everything I ever wanted, the stupid fairy tale and all.” She grasped Gavin’s hand and introduced him to Savannah. Gavin shook her hand.

“You have an incredible new wife.”

“So she keeps telling me,” he said with a grin, then planted a kiss on her lips.