His own miracle. “Me, too,” he told Chipper, grabbing Holly’s hand. “I’m glad she’s my girlfriend, too.” He felt her stiffen in surprise at his side, and he looked into her eyes, which were warm and filled with things that somehow warmed him, too. From inside his pocket, his cell phone rang, and he pulled it out “It’s Sam,” he said.
“Pace,” the publicist said in a voice that told him she’d been crying, possibly still was. “Holly isn’t the leak. She never was. It’s Jeremy.”
“What? How did you find that out?”
“I lied and told him I had proof it was him, and he caved like a cheap suitcase. He’d stolen my password and was accessing my computer for privileged information. He’s turned in his resignation at the Bucks.”
“Are you okay?”
“Not really, no. I tried to turn in my resignation but no one would take it.”
“Good.” He couldn’t imagine the Heat’s PR department without her running it. “This isn’t your fault, Sam. Any more than it was Holly’s.”
“I’ll work on believing that.”
“Good. You and Holly both deserve better.” He slipped his phone into his pocket and found Holly looking at him. “What?” he asked.
“Nothing.” She leaned in and kissed him. “Everything. You stood up for me.”
“That’s what boyfriends do,” Chipper said. “Right, Pace?”
Pace found himself smiling into Holly’s eyes. “Right.”
She smiled back, and for the first time ever before a game, he felt light as a feather. Like he could do anything.
With her at his side.
In the stands, Holly distracted herself with her camera, taking shots of the guys warming up and interacting on the field. As practice ended and the stadium began to fill, adrenaline seemed to run high. From where she sat, she could see straight into the Heat’s dugout, and she turned her camera there, zooming in for some great shots. She hadn’t gone online to see the lineup today, and she wondered who was pitching as she got pictures of Gage talking to Pace, and then she went still, her eyes locked on the lens as Pace looked up and unerringly found her in the crowd.
He was a hundred yards away and yet in her lens he was right there, eyes warming. He smiled and mouthed her name.
And then, oh God, and then he mouthed three little words.
I love you.
Staggered, she sank to her seat, lowering her camera to take in the real Pace, but he was nothing more than a blur so she went back to the lens.
Because surely she’d imagined it, just a funny little trick her brain had decided to play. Ha ha. Funny.
Her eyes soaked him up, willing him to say it again, but Gage got in her way, squinting out into the stands to see what Pace had been looking at.
Holly sucked in a breath, painfully aware that she was probably still persona non grata around these parts. And it was then, while trying to lie low, that her cell phone buzzed. “You coming?” Gage asked in her ear.
“Um, what?”
“Get your ass down here. You have a player to kiss.”
She dropped her phone, stuffed her camera in her bag, and raced to the clubhouse, passing by several of the training staff and maintenance staff, all of whom greeted her. At the door to the clubhouse, Gage pulled her in for a hug.
Stunned, she hugged him back.
Henry smiled at her. All the guys smiled at her, some even hugging her as Gage had. Hell, Wade gave her a smacking kiss right on the lips, lingering over it until she was yanked out of his arms and into another pair that she knew like the back of her hand.
“Hands off,” Pace said over her head to Wade.
Wade grinned broadly. “Aw, that color of green looks so hot on you.”
Gage pushed Wade clear. “You two have a shower room to get to in a damn hurry.” He pretty much shoved them inside. “You know the drill.”
When the door shut, Holly leaned back against the tile wall, her heart so full she could scarcely stand it. “I think we’ve had our quota today already.”
Pace grinned as he came in close. Trapping her against the tile with a hand on either side of her face, he stepped into her. “Maybe we’re due for more than our fair share.”
“I’m game.” She was still smiling when he kissed her, but at the first touch of his lips all humor faded, replaced by a familiarity that was as natural as breathing and a heat that never failed to amaze her. She wound her arms around his neck, loving the feel of his bigger, stronger arms pulling her up against the body she planned on nibbling every single inch of later. He smelled like soap and deodorant and Ace Wrap and she inhaled him in—
“Okay, that’s all we have time for, thank you.” Gage fisted his hand in the back of Pace’s jersey, pulling him free.
“Wait,” Pace told him. “I’ve got to—”
“Later.”
And just like that, he and Pace were gone.
A little dizzy, Holly made her way back to the stands, where just before the first pitch, Sam appeared at the empty seat next to her. “Is this seat taken?”
Holly looked up at the woman she’d become such good friends with and felt her throat tighten. “Yes. By you.”
Sam sank down next to her. “I’m so sorry, Holly. I’ve given you such a hard time, and it wasn’t your fault and I’m just so . . .” Her eyes filled. “Sorry.”
Holly hugged her. “You were only protecting your team. I get that. I heard about Jeremy. Are you okay?”
“Pace,” the publicist said in a voice that told him she’d been crying, possibly still was. “Holly isn’t the leak. She never was. It’s Jeremy.”
“What? How did you find that out?”
“I lied and told him I had proof it was him, and he caved like a cheap suitcase. He’d stolen my password and was accessing my computer for privileged information. He’s turned in his resignation at the Bucks.”
“Are you okay?”
“Not really, no. I tried to turn in my resignation but no one would take it.”
“Good.” He couldn’t imagine the Heat’s PR department without her running it. “This isn’t your fault, Sam. Any more than it was Holly’s.”
“I’ll work on believing that.”
“Good. You and Holly both deserve better.” He slipped his phone into his pocket and found Holly looking at him. “What?” he asked.
“Nothing.” She leaned in and kissed him. “Everything. You stood up for me.”
“That’s what boyfriends do,” Chipper said. “Right, Pace?”
Pace found himself smiling into Holly’s eyes. “Right.”
She smiled back, and for the first time ever before a game, he felt light as a feather. Like he could do anything.
With her at his side.
In the stands, Holly distracted herself with her camera, taking shots of the guys warming up and interacting on the field. As practice ended and the stadium began to fill, adrenaline seemed to run high. From where she sat, she could see straight into the Heat’s dugout, and she turned her camera there, zooming in for some great shots. She hadn’t gone online to see the lineup today, and she wondered who was pitching as she got pictures of Gage talking to Pace, and then she went still, her eyes locked on the lens as Pace looked up and unerringly found her in the crowd.
He was a hundred yards away and yet in her lens he was right there, eyes warming. He smiled and mouthed her name.
And then, oh God, and then he mouthed three little words.
I love you.
Staggered, she sank to her seat, lowering her camera to take in the real Pace, but he was nothing more than a blur so she went back to the lens.
Because surely she’d imagined it, just a funny little trick her brain had decided to play. Ha ha. Funny.
Her eyes soaked him up, willing him to say it again, but Gage got in her way, squinting out into the stands to see what Pace had been looking at.
Holly sucked in a breath, painfully aware that she was probably still persona non grata around these parts. And it was then, while trying to lie low, that her cell phone buzzed. “You coming?” Gage asked in her ear.
“Um, what?”
“Get your ass down here. You have a player to kiss.”
She dropped her phone, stuffed her camera in her bag, and raced to the clubhouse, passing by several of the training staff and maintenance staff, all of whom greeted her. At the door to the clubhouse, Gage pulled her in for a hug.
Stunned, she hugged him back.
Henry smiled at her. All the guys smiled at her, some even hugging her as Gage had. Hell, Wade gave her a smacking kiss right on the lips, lingering over it until she was yanked out of his arms and into another pair that she knew like the back of her hand.
“Hands off,” Pace said over her head to Wade.
Wade grinned broadly. “Aw, that color of green looks so hot on you.”
Gage pushed Wade clear. “You two have a shower room to get to in a damn hurry.” He pretty much shoved them inside. “You know the drill.”
When the door shut, Holly leaned back against the tile wall, her heart so full she could scarcely stand it. “I think we’ve had our quota today already.”
Pace grinned as he came in close. Trapping her against the tile with a hand on either side of her face, he stepped into her. “Maybe we’re due for more than our fair share.”
“I’m game.” She was still smiling when he kissed her, but at the first touch of his lips all humor faded, replaced by a familiarity that was as natural as breathing and a heat that never failed to amaze her. She wound her arms around his neck, loving the feel of his bigger, stronger arms pulling her up against the body she planned on nibbling every single inch of later. He smelled like soap and deodorant and Ace Wrap and she inhaled him in—
“Okay, that’s all we have time for, thank you.” Gage fisted his hand in the back of Pace’s jersey, pulling him free.
“Wait,” Pace told him. “I’ve got to—”
“Later.”
And just like that, he and Pace were gone.
A little dizzy, Holly made her way back to the stands, where just before the first pitch, Sam appeared at the empty seat next to her. “Is this seat taken?”
Holly looked up at the woman she’d become such good friends with and felt her throat tighten. “Yes. By you.”
Sam sank down next to her. “I’m so sorry, Holly. I’ve given you such a hard time, and it wasn’t your fault and I’m just so . . .” Her eyes filled. “Sorry.”
Holly hugged her. “You were only protecting your team. I get that. I heard about Jeremy. Are you okay?”
