Catch of a Lifetime: A Cricket Creek Novel (27 page)

Jessica laughed with pure delight. “I’m going to give it the old college try.”

Ty let her slide slowly down his body until her feet reached the tile floor, but instead of releasing her, he held her close. “It feels great to have you back in my arms once again.”

“There’s no place on earth I’d rather be.”

B
ella inhaled the pungent scent of dark-roast coffee as she scooped it into the paper cone. She usually liked to sleep in on her day off, but she wanted to cook Logan a big breakfast in honor of opening day. Plus, her mother would be arriving later for the game, and she needed all the energy she could get to deal with Nicolina Diamante. Her mother still didn’t know that Logan was a guy, but Bella shoved that little detail from her brain and concentrated on gathering together the ingredients for a big, old, country-style breakfast feast.

While humming to herself, she opened the refrigerator and located a carton of eggs and a package of sausage links. After fishing a bag of frozen hash browns from the freezer, Bella found the skillets she needed. She cooked as silently as she could in an effort not to wake Logan before he needed to rise. Once the sausage links and hash browns were popping and sizzling in the skillets, she paused to pour a big mug of strong coffee. After adding cream and sugar, she took a bracing sip and sighed.

“Something sure smells amazing.”

“Oh, my God! You scared the daylights out of me!” Bella squeaked, and almost sloshed her coffee over the rim
of the mug. She turned to give Logan an accusing glare, but the sight of him in nothing but blue shorts made her eyes widen instead.

“Sorry,” he said with a sheepish grin, and headed over to the cabinet to grab a coffee mug. His blond hair was bed-head messy, and he nonchalantly scratched his bare chest while yawning. How could a person look so good after just waking up?

“Well, you shouldn’t sneak up like that.” Logan made her feel frumpy in her leggings and oversized T-shirt. Her face was washed free of makeup, and her hair was a mass of messy waves tumbling over her shoulders.

“Okay . . . but I do live here, you know.”

Boy, did she ever. “Yeah, but you aren’t usually awake this early, and I was sort of in a zone.”

“Couldn’t sleep,” he admitted while pouring the steaming brew into his mug. After replacing the carafe on the warmer, he looked her way.

“Oh, sorry to hear that,” Bella said, and tried not to stare at his near nakedness. She wondered if he paraded around like that just to turn her on. Not that she was about to let him know how much she wanted to grab him and do something crazy like lick his nipples or squeeze his butt . . . or both. She felt her face grow warm at the image, and hoped Logan thought it was from the heat of the stove. “Opening-day jitters?”

Logan took a long sip of his coffee but gazed at her over the rim of his mug. After lowering his arm, he examined the contents. “Not really.”

“What, then?”

He paused for a second and then lifted one shoulder, causing muscle to ripple. “Just . . . stuff,” he finally replied, but his gaze lingered on her long enough to send a hot shiver down her spine.

Were thoughts of her keeping him awake?

Don’t even go there,
she sternly reminded herself, but it
was getting more and more difficult each and every day she spent under the same roof with him. And it wasn’t just that he made her heart race every time he entered the room. She simply enjoyed his company and looked forward to the time they spent together. Bella felt more at ease with Logan than she ever had with David, and already knew much more about him. Conversation with Logan came easy, and she found herself thinking about him during the day. “Would you like some breakfast?”

“Sure. Whatever you’re making would be great. Thanks,” he said with one of those smiles that turned her inside out.

But it suddenly pissed her off that he could make her feel this way! Bella had overheard Noah talking on the phone about Logan just yesterday. He had said that Logan’s elbow was healed and his arm was coming back stronger than ever. It wouldn’t take long for a major-league franchise to sit up and take notice. Why get involved with someone who would be leaving town as soon as he could?

“Wow, and hash browns too?” Logan commented with another smile. “Thanks for cooking such an amazing breakfast, Bella.”

Bella shrugged. “I was bored and hungry,” she mumbled, and took a sip of her coffee.

“Oh.” His smile faltered, making her feel like an ass. “Well, lucky me, I guess.”

“Yeah,” she said as she lowered the temperature on the links and potatoes. “I overheard Noah say that your arm is stronger than ever.” She flicked a glance his way.

Logan nodded. “I’ve got the green light to pitch in relief.”

“Are you excited?”

“Sure.” He took another sip of his coffee but averted his gaze.

“You don’t seem like it.”

“I am,” he insisted, but without much conviction. She knew that she had hurt his feelings and it bothered her.

“Do you want your eggs over easy?” she asked, even though she knew damned well that he did. She knew everything from his favorite ice cream to how he liked his steak prepared.

“Scrambled like yours, if it’s easier.”

“No, I don’t mind fixing them the way you prefer.”

“I don’t want you to go to any trouble, even though you’re bored.”

Bella felt tears well up in her eyes, turned back to the stove, and started flipping the golden hash browns. A moment later she put down the spatula with more force than necessary.

“Bella, I don’t get it. Did I do something to piss you off?”

Bella whirled around to face him. “Yes!”

“What the hell did I do?”

She stomped her foot so hard that the sausages rolled around in the skillet as if in surprise. “You . . . you’re almost
naked
!”

“That’s
it
?” He set his coffee mug down on the kitchen table with a
thump
and angled his head in question. “Do you want me to put on a shirt?”

“Yes!”

“Okay! Geez . . .” he grumbled and turned to leave.

“Wait. Oh, Logan, I lied.”

He came to an immediate stop and then slowly turned around to face her. His blond brows came together. “So you
don’t
want me to put a shirt on?” he asked slowly.

“Yes . . . no.” She shook her head and gazed up at the ceiling. “Oh, God.” After taking a deep breath, she decided to come clean. “Okay, here goes. I lied about fixing breakfast because I was bored. I was making this big spread for you.”

Logan’s frown remained. “So you went to all of this trouble, and I pissed you off by walking around in my gym shorts? I walk around in them all the time. Bella, we’ve
been through this, and you insisted that it didn’t bother you.”

“I lied about that too.”

He gave her a lopsided grin.

“This isn’t funny, Lo-gan!”

“Okay.” When he took a step closer, Bella backed away and came up against the counter. “So, is this confession time?”

“No!” she said, but then realized he was talking about himself. “Okay, maybe.”

“What else have you lied about, Bella?” he asked softly.

Her chin came up. “It’s your turn,” she tossed back at him.

“Oh, really?” He arched one eyebrow. “How about a little game of truth or dare?”

“I hate that silly game,” she scoffed.

“Really?” He took a step closer, crowding her space. “Well, how about I let you go first?”

Bella narrowed her eyes, but then said, “Okay. Truth or dare?”

“Truth.”

“Do you parade around half-naked to try to get me . . . excited?”

“Truth.”

“I knew it!” She stomped her foot, forgetting that she was braless. Her breasts jiggled and she folded her arms over her chest. “My turn.”

“What?”

“You have to let me have my turn. It’s only fair.”

“Whatever.” Her pulse pounded, but she shrugged as if it were no big deal. “Dare.” She wasn’t about to tell him any more of her secrets.

“Touch me with both hands for one minute.”

Bella snorted. “That’s it?” She did a little head bop and put both index fingers on his chest.

“With your
hands
, Bella. Not just your fingertips.”
4

Bella rolled her eyes and sighed. “Whatever,” she repeated, but when she splayed her hands on his warm skin, she had to swallow a moan.

“One minute,” he reminded her when she would have snatched her hands away. He knew her all too well.

“Right . . .” She tilted her head to the side and shrugged. “One minute.”

“I know . . .
whatever
.”

They stood there silently, and she started ticking off the seconds in her head. But when she got to thirty, she lost count, since all her brain could handle was her hands on his bare skin. Just when she was about to give in and pull his head down for a long-awaited kiss, he said, “Okay, time’s up.”

Bella wanted to snatch her hands away, but that would be a dead giveaway, so she leisurely slid her palms down his torso and trailed her fingertips over his skin before breaking contact. She had the satisfaction of feeling his ab muscles contract.

“Your turn.”

Oh no.
“I need to finish making breakfast.”

“It can wait,” he said, and flicked off the burners. “Unless that was too much for you,” he challenged.

“
Pfft
. Okay, Logan. Truth or dare?”

“Dare,” he responded easily.

Bella decided to get even. “Put
your
hands on
me
for one minute.”

“Okay,” he said, and slid both hands up her big T-shirt.

“What are you doing?” Perhaps this wasn’t such a good idea after all.

“It had to be bare skin, right?”

“Oh . . . right,” she said, shrugging to hide the hot shiver caused by his big, warm hands on her back. She tapped her toe as if bored, but in reality, her pulse pounded. She wanted so badly for his hands to roam over her body, but he stood very still. At about thirty seconds, his fingertips
dug just slightly into her skin, and she knew he was having the same thoughts. Each second ticked in tandem with the slow
thud
of her heart. Heat radiated from his chest, and if Bella moved forward just an inch, she would be flush against his body. “Are you ready to end this stupid game?” Bella tried for a tight tone, but her voice came out breathy. She looked up at him and angled her head in question.

“No.” His eyes locked with hers. “Truth or dare?” he challenged.

“Truth!” If she had to put her hands on him again, she knew just where they would land.

“Do you want to kiss me?”

“No!”

“Tell the truth, Bella!”

“I did!”

“I don’t believe you.”

“I don’t want to kiss you because I wouldn’t be able to stop there. How’s that for the truth? Are you happy that you’ve humiliated me?” She reached up and pushed at his chest, but he grabbed her wrists and held her firmly.

“Humiliated you?”

“Yeah! Why do guys like to do that?”

“Just how am I doing that, Bella? Huh?”

“I’m falling for you, and all you want is a piece of ass!” she sputtered.

“Really?” He dropped her hands and then took a step backward. “Wow. That’s what you take me for?” The look of hurt on his face went straight to her heart and squeezed. He looked at her for a long, measuring moment, but then shook his head. “You’re full of crap. You don’t really believe all I want is to bed you. How could you fall for a guy like that?”

Her chin came up, but she remained silent.

“You want to believe that, Bella. It’s your armor.”

“You’ll be leaving as soon as you get picked up by a minor-league team.”

“That’s a factor, but that’s not it either.”

“Really? So tell me, then. What exactly is my problem, Logan?”

“You said it before. David humiliated you. Hurt you. You’re not willing to risk it again. Pride and fear are getting in your way.” He shrugged. “Until you let go, you can’t move forward. Oh, believe me, I know that drill backward and forward.” He turned on his heel and started to walk away.

Bella blinked at his back. He was right. And she was letting him slip away because of it. She had to stop him! “Truth or dare?” she asked softly.

Logan stopped and balled his fists but didn’t turn around. When his feet finally moved, she thought he was going to keep on walking out of the kitchen and out of her life. Her heart pounded with sheer terror, and she knew now that she had never felt about David the way she felt about Logan. He was her friend, and she didn’t want to lose him. If he got called to the minor leagues, she would just have to follow him!

But instead of walking away, he pivoted to face her. “Truth,” he said firmly.

Bella pressed her lips together, swallowed hard, and then asked, “Do you care about me?”

“Yes. More and more each day.”

When he didn’t even hesitate, she put her hand to her mouth.

“Truth or dare?” he asked gruffly.

She removed her hand and gave him a trembling smile. “Dare . . .”

“Kiss . . .” Before he could get the rest out, she ran forward and jumped up into his arms. With a surprised grunt, he grabbed her and stumbled back against the wall. Bella wrapped her legs around his waist and shoved her fingers through his shaggy hair and kissed him. She kissed him soundly, deeply . . .
wildly
until they were breathless and laughing. He cupped her bottom in his big, capable hands.

“You didn’t let me finish my dare. “I was going to say kiss my ass.”

She shoved his shoulder. “You were not.”

“Kiss my . . .” he began, but was interrupted by the doorbell chiming.

Bella’s eyes widened. “Oh, my God!”

“Who could it be?”

“I just bet that’s my mother!”

“Holy crap,” Logan said with wide eyes.

“Yeah!” Bella scrambled to the floor. “Get some clothes on.” She looked down at his erection. “Oh . . . sorry. Hold that thought!”

He shook his head sadly. “Why is it that I have both the best and worst of luck?”

Bella giggled, but then nibbled on her bottom lip.

“Bella, she does know that I’m a guy, right?”