True, she did kind of feel like wriggling in ecstasy every time Lucas put his hands on her too, but she was trying to keep hold of some degree of sanity. She and Lucas were temporary. She knew that deep down.
Dougal was not going to be happy when Lucas finally bailed. Neither was Sara.
“Thanks, Sara.” Maggie’s voice came through the headset and Sara turned to smile at her. Maggie had taken her under her wing and, as a result, she now knew almost everyone who worked for the Saints who wasn’t in Florida. She suspected she would know the rest of them by the end of this trip.
In between introductions, Maggie had found her a job helping Shonda, Alex’s PA, with various tasks. In the spare moments when Sara wasn’t doing that or ferrying Alex, Mal, or Lucas between Staten Island and Manhattan, Maggie kept giving her the potted history of the Saints with enough juicy gossip interspersed with the facts and figures to make it interesting.
She watched Lucas climb out of the helo and then hold out a hand to help Maggie out. Maggie grinned down at him, and Sara felt a wholly unreasonable twinge of envy. She wasn’t going to be able to touch Lucas for two days while they were here in Florida. That thought already made her skin itch. So it hardly seemed fair that Maggie got to.
Which was ridiculous. For one thing, Maggie was madly in love with Alex—that was blindingly obvious to anyone who saw them together. And for another, Sara had had orgasms aplenty in the last few days. She didn’t have any excuse to be as horny as she felt now watching Lucas walk away.
As he and Maggie headed toward the stadium buildings, Sara looked back down at her instrument panel, just in case Maggie turned around.
She didn’t want to be caught staring at Lucas. Maggie hadn’t done any more outright probing about Sara and Lucas, but Sara wasn’t stupid. She knew Maggie had her suspicions. Sara had caught Maggie looking at Lucas when he spoke to Sara a time or two. Which meant she had to keep her nose clean.
Maybe she should find Ollie Shields and flirt with him shamelessly in front of Maggie or something.
Though that might backfire if Lucas thought she was serious.
She sighed as she settled back in her seat. She had to deliver the helo to the airfield where it belonged. Then she’d come back and worry about fooling Maggie Jameson when she had to.
* * *
Lucas heard the chopper’s now familiar takeoff behind him but made sure he didn’t look back to watch Sara fly away. Sara had warned him that Maggie had asked questions and, as much as he’d be happy to tell Maggie about Sara, he had to respect what Sara wanted. He wasn’t going to keep them a secret forever but a little time for Sara to get comfortable with the situation was reasonable enough.
He hid a yawn as they walked toward the stadium entrance.
Beside him, Maggie turned her face up to the sun. “Sunshine! I’d forgotten how nice this is.”
“Are you wearing sunblock?”
She laughed. “Yes, Dr. Gorgeous. I am enjoying my UV rays responsibly. I have no desire to fry. Just to be warm and not have to wear seven layers of clothing.”
Lucas couldn’t argue with that. The New York winter had been long and cold so far, and there was no sign of it letting up. It was almost March. There should at least be some hints by now that spring might happen eventually.
Of course, with his current workload, he wouldn’t have much time to enjoy nice weather in New York even if there was any.
“So are we going to see this Sam Basara that Dan keeps telling me about?” Maggie said.
“That’s the plan. Dan’s going to give him a trial in the game today. See how he goes. He’s sent a couple of them home already, so pressure’s on.”
“Thank God I don’t actually play baseball,” Maggie said. “I’ve never liked this part. I mean, it’s fun to look at stats and try to work out who’s undervalued and go with the scouts and study the guys playing. But it’s harder when you get to the part where you have to crush their dreams.”
“I don’t think anyone aspires to crush dreams,” Lucas said. “But we can’t hire everyone.”
Even if he wanted to. It had been hard when Dan had told him he’d already cut Walsh and the other two older pitchers who’d been after a contract. He agreed with the assessment on the older guys, they were about done, but Walsh had been a good strong candidate. Sadly for him, not as strong as his friends. Or the pitcher from the Preachers who was still hanging in there. But Walsh was going back to his college team and had a few more years to prove himself and get a shot.
Maggie was swarmed by the players sitting in the bleachers as soon as she walked out into the stands, so Lucas continued on alone to find Dan. He saw Sam sitting alone in the stands, down near the fence line, and decided to make a detour.
“Hey, kid,” he said. “How’s it going?”
Sam looked up and pulled off the shades hiding his eyes. “Mr. Angelo,” he said, sounding nervous. “Okay, I think.”
“It’s Dr. Angelo,” Lucas said. “Or Lucas, outside hours. You’re still here. That’s better than okay.”
Sam nodded. “I know. And I’m happy about it.” He didn’t sound all that happy. He sounded stressed. Working himself up in his head. Lucas knew about that particular monkey. Maybe Sam needed another trip in Sara’s helo. For that matter, maybe Lucas needed another trip in Sara’s helo. One where she took them somewhere secluded so he could put his hands on her. It had only been a few hours and he was already going nuts thinking about when he could be back in her bed.
And that was a line of thought that wasn’t going to help him make a nervous kid less nervous. He tried to push Sara to the back of his mind. They needed pitchers, and this kid was the best of the bunch. So it was time to think about him.
“I heard about Walsh,” Lucas said. “That’s tough. But he’ll be okay. He’s talented, he’ll find a home. Coach tells me he’s thinking of giving you a start in today’s game. So concentrate on that.”
“I am,” Sam said. His forehead wrinkled. “Coach said you were a pitcher. Played for U of T?”
“Yeah, I did,” Lucas said.
“What happened? Did you blow it?”
Lucas shrugged. “No. Didn’t end up getting a chance to take my shot. I got hurt. In an accident. Screwed up my shoulder, and it was never going to be stable enough for pro ball. So I became a doctor instead.”
“Do you miss it?”
“Baseball?” He grinned. “Why do you think I bought a team? This game gets into your blood. But I don’t have to tell you that. So you need to take care of that arm of yours, okay? No doing anything stupid.” Like running into burning stadiums. Not that he could regret saving lives or that he’d do anything differently if he had to do it again. But he would do his best to make sure that this kid and anyone else on his team never had to make that choice.
“I will,” Sam said. “I’m doing everything they tell me to.”
“Good. And tell you what. If you do okay, I’ll see if Sara can take you for another spin in the chopper. How about that?”
“That would be cool. Could Tico come, too?”
“As long as he doesn’t do anything stupid,” Lucas said. “Is he getting a chance this game?”
Sam shook his head. “Coach says next time.”
“How’d he take that?”
“Okay,” Sam said, but the words came a little too quickly.
Not so well, was what that translated as. Lucas made a note to check on Tico. There was something a bit wild about him, and he had the kind of attitude that suggested a chip on his shoulder about something. He reminded Lucas of Mal in some ways, and Mal had always been the wildest of the three of them. He didn’t want Tico losing his chance because he cracked and did something dumb under pressure.
“You’d better go join the others,” Lucas said. “You can meet Ms. Jameson.”
“Okay, sir. Are you coming to the game?”
“Wouldn’t miss it.”
* * *
For this to work, Lucas decided much later that night when he was finally alone in his hotel room, the cold water in his shower needed to be a lot colder. At this stage, maybe a walk-in freezer would be required. The cool water might have temporarily killed the inconvenient hard-on but it couldn’t kill the thoughts of Sara that plagued him. Even through the postgame celebration dinner—they’d actually won—he’d been distracted by her.
All that softness and smooth skin and laughter. Lying in her bed just a few doors down the corridor.
But she might as well have been on Mars. They’d agreed no sex in Orlando, too risky.
He rested his forehead on the slick cool tile. He really didn’t like hiding things from Alex and Mal. But Sara wasn’t ready. So he had to wait. Though he was pretty sure that Maggie, as Sara had said, had some fairly serious suspicions.
All the more reason why trying to sneak down the hall was lunacy.
He turned the water pressure on harder but that didn’t help.
He wanted her. Wanted sex and the smell of her on his skin and the sound of her voice in his ear as she told him what she wanted.
Damn.
He killed the water with a savage twist of the faucet and stepped out of the shower. Even as he toweled off, his hard-on rose again.
Maybe he should just take care of things. Then he might have some chance of getting to sleep at some point during the night.
He wrapped the towel around his waist and stalked out of the bathroom over toward the bed, flipping on the lamp as the sole source of illumination in the room.
Just as he was about to lie down, his cell buzzed to life on the nightstand.
He picked it up, ready to snarl at whoever was calling him at this hour of the night, but the caller ID read
SARA
and irritation turned to anticipation in a second. He hit the
ANSWER
button so hard it was surprising the screen didn’t crack. “Hello?”
“Oh good, you’re awake,” she said.
Her voice was soft and a little husky over the phone. He felt his cock go harder still.
“Having trouble sleeping?” he asked.
“It’s a very big bed,” she said. “And it’s half empty.”
“Don’t blame me for that,” he said. “You’re the one who wants to keep this a secret.”
“I know.” She sighed, and there was a world of frustration in that sound. “I do. But…”
“But this is insane and you want me to come right over?”
“No. I want you to stay there and come.”
The breath left his chest in a rush and the room spun for a second as most of the blood left his head equally fast. “Phone sex? Really?”
“You got a better idea?”
Well, yes, he did, but it wasn’t one that Sara would go for. “Not right now.”
“Good. So, what are you wearing, big boy?”
He looked down at the towel, which was currently tented with the force of his hard-on. “A towel.”
She laughed, throaty and delicious. “Seriously? Or are you just saying that?”
“Scout’s honor,” he said. “I just got out of the shower when you rang.”
“A cold shower?”
“Definitely.”
“Oh good. Me, too.”
“You’re wearing a towel?” He flopped back on the bed, put his arm over his eyes for a moment while he pictured it. Sara with wet hair curling around her shoulders. Smelling like soap and warm woman. Ker-riiiisst.
“Well, I was, but then I took it off so I could put some lotion on.”
Warm, slippery woman. “You’re trying to kill me, aren’t you?”
“Is it working?”
He focused on the aching heat in his groin. “Definitely.”
“So maybe you should take that towel off.”
He couldn’t argue with that. He tossed the towel across the room. Then moved up the bed so he could lie against the pillows. “One towel gone.”
“Mmmm,” she said. “I like that image.”
“You know, we both have smartphones, you don’t have to imagine.”
“Ah, but imagination is sexy, Dr. Angelo. Don’t you know the research that says the brain is the biggest erogenous zone? Like right now. Right now I’m imagining you lying there, naked. Hard.”
His mouth went dry. “You are?”
“And I’m imagining what I’d do if I was there with you.”
“Are you going to tell me what that is?”
She sucked in a breath. Then he heard a rustle, like maybe she was settling back into the pillows, too. “Does that mean you’re up for phone sex after all?”
“I am one hundred percent in favor,” he said fervently and lay back to see where Sara’s imagination might take him.
* * *
Sara smiled as she watched the cab pull up outside her apartment two weeks later. Sneaking around seemed to be working pretty damned well. Even if she did say so herself.
Several nights a week, Lucas arrived on her doorstep, they had incredible sex, and then he left before daylight. Okay, so that part wasn’t quite so good, but she could live with the incredible-sex part.
Even better, they continued to rack up the frequent flier miles. So far they’d flown to Florida and back six times in that same two weeks and she’d delivered him to and from JFK each time.
So she was getting flight time. Not quite as much as she would have with Charles Air, but more than she would with no helo. Air time and hot sex. What more could a girl ask for?
Beside her Dougal woofed and bounded toward the door, delighted, as usual, that his new idol had arrived.
Which could maybe be attributed to the fact that Lucas was smart enough to always arrive with jerky or dog biscuits or, once, a truly gross pig’s ear to keep Dougal occupied while they did other things.
Just as Dougal began to bark with more enthusiasm, the buzzer sounded and Sara darted over to let Lucas in. She made Dougal sit, which he did with one of his protesting little whining grumbles that sounded as if they should be coming from something the size of a Pekingese, not a Lab.
And then she opened the door and Lucas stepped through. Beside her, Dougal started whuffing with happiness.
She was about to throw her arms around Lucas and kiss him hello when she realized he was carrying two grocery bags.
“What’s this?”
“I thought I’d make dinner,” he said. “We’ve been eating in hotels and restaurants and airports for two weeks. I want real food.”
“You cook?”
“I do,” he said gravely.
She shook her head. “You really are trying for the too-good-to-be-true award, aren’t you, Dr. Angelo?”