Ben couldn’t believe his eyes when he saw Anna sitting in the stands. She didn’t mention anything about coming to the game when he spoke to her last. It was a surprise that touched him to the very core of his body. He sat in the locker room after the game realizing just how much he missed her.
It had been a few days since he saw her last and he completely understood. Finding a dead animal strung to the front door would do a number to a person’s psyche, he just didn’t realize that she would take it out on him. But again, it was understandable. If she hadn’t believed that his ex-girlfriend was the animal murdering culprit, she probably would have invited him over to protect her.
Ben had never imagined that his ex would go as far as murdering an innocent squirrel to prove a point, and he was right on that assumption when he discovered the news about her death.
“Hey, man.” Ben looked up and saw Johnny. “What an incredible game you played today.”
Ben chuckled. “It wasn’t too bad.”
He shook his head. “Dude, you hit a grand slam. I have seen you hit many home runs, but today was epic. You smacked that ball harder than I have ever seen you smack one.”
Johnny was right. Somehow, Anna’s surprising arrival amped him up and seeing her beautiful smile gave him some kind of adrenaline rush. He felt unstoppable. Even after hitting the grand slam, he went on to hit another home run followed by a couple singles. It was one of the best games he had ever played.
“Well, don’t get used to it. Games like that don’t come every day.”
“Agreed.” Johnny grinned. “I’m sure it had something to do with that hot number I saw you eye a few times.”
Ben didn’t disagree.
“I knew it!” Johnny laughed out loud. “Who is she?”
“She’s some hottie he met thanks to me.” Nate clapped Ben on the back as he walked by.
“Yes, and I should thank you for that.” Ben winked at Nate.
“So you’ve been banging some hottie and you haven’t spilled the details? Oh, Ben. This is serious,” joked Johnny.
“What are we, sixteen-year-old girls? Since when do I need to spill the details of my love life?” Ben eyed the two men in front of him and winced with his last proclamation. Love was not a word to use lightly, especially in front of his teammates.
“Damn, Ben. I knew you liked the woman, but I didn’t know you were in love with her,” a wide-eyed Nate expressed.
“Guys, I am not in love. I simply said that I wasn’t going to spill the details of my love life. You’re reading way too much into my choice of words.” He thought about those words and realization dawned on him. He was very much on his way to being in love with Anna.
“Yeah, well when you guys are planning the wedding, I hope I’m at least invited.” Nate gave Ben a playful punch in the arm before walking away.
Johnny eyed him.
“What?” Ben questioned.
Johnny shrugged. “Nothing.”
“Please, just get it over with.”
“I have been your best friend for many years now, and in all that time, I’ve never seen you not want to brag about a woman.” Johnny sat down beside him. “I have heard you talk about breasts, asses, hell, I’ve even heard you talk about the way a woman moves her tongue. Never have I heard you not want to talk about a woman. This proves to me that this woman is different from all the other ones.”
Ben opened his mouth to respond but Johnny stopped him.
“I don’t need an explanation or any kind of reasoning. I just want you to be cautious. You know the line of work we’re in and the type of women we attract.”
“Johnny. She isn’t some cleat chasing bimbo. Anna is a pretty amazing woman. You’ll see that when you meet her.”
“Okay.” Johnny nodded. “Any woman who can capture all of your attention has all of mine.”
Ben grunted. “Thanks. I think we plan to do a little shopping this afternoon if you want to join.”
“Actually, I just might. Let me know when you’re ready to go.”
Ben nodded once and watched Johnny walk away as his words replayed in his mind. He knew Anna wasn’t with him because he was a professional ball player, but a small shred of him wondered if he was right. He shook those thoughts from his head, feeling guilty for even having them. Anna was a genuine person and there wasn’t a fake bone in her body. Ben hurried through his after-game routine and rushed outside where he knew Anna was waiting for him.
* * *
It was hot. So hot, in fact, that Anna thought her face would melt off, and the last thing she wanted was for Ben to see what it would look like if her face was puddled at her feet. Fans began gathering around the door to the team’s locker room and players slowly began to trickle out. After five minutes of waiting on pins and needles to see Ben’s face, the crowd parted and Ben walked out with another player.
The second she saw him, it didn’t matter that sweat was gathering in pools under each breast. What mattered was the fact that her heart skipped a beat when she saw his eyes light up at the sight of her.
“Anna!” he hollered and waved her to him. She walked to his side and he pulled her against him before crushing his lips to hers, catching her off guard. It was a disgusting display of affection that she never imagined he would want to do in public, but he surprised her yet again.
“Hello to you, too,” she said breathlessly.
“I missed you.”
Anna smiled. “I missed you, too.”
“Where’s your car? I’ll walk you to it.” Ben scanned the parking lot.
“Karlie and I actually took an Uber here and she left already with Nate.” Her heart sped up again at the thought of having to tell Ben what his ex did to her car.
“No problem. I’m parked right over here.” He grabbed Anna by the hand and pulled her to the car, then opened the door and helped her in.
“What would you like to do?” He glanced over at her when he started the car. “I thought we would head to Fashion Square. Maybe do a little window shopping? Possibly see a movie?”
Anna nodded. “I’m down for anything as long as it involves food.”
Ben chuckled. “If my girl needs nourishment, then nourishment she shall have.”
She laughed. He was being cute and endearing, and that was definitely something she wasn’t used to in a man.
It didn’t take them very long to get to the mall. Ben pulled into the first empty spot he found and turned the car off.
“I hope you don’t mind, but I invited my buddy, Johnny, to join us.”
Anna was happy for the distraction of another person hanging out with them. Having another person around would divert her from thinking about her feelings towards Ben, which was beginning to become a bit draining. They entered the food court and Anna noticed a man across the room waving frantically at them.
Ben chuckled. “As you can clearly see, Johnny is eager to meet you.”
Of course he is, she thought nervously. She knew a man couldn’t be with a woman if his friends didn’t approve.
“He’s a great guy but extremely unfiltered and quite the jokester,” Ben mentioned as they slowly made their way to Johnny’s table. “He says the first thing that pops into his head and he’s a bit on the vulgar side.”
Anna smiled. “I don’t mind a little vulgar.”
Ben laughed and shook his head. “Then the two of you will get along nicely.”
As soon as they reached the table, Ben and Johnny pounded fists together. “Johnny, this is” Ben was cut off before he could finish his sentence. Johnny had jumped out of his chair and pulled Anna into a tight hug. “Anna,” he finished. “This is Anna.”
Anna was stunned by the sudden embrace and wasn’t sure how to react. Not wanting to embarrass or offend him, she returned the hug only to find a beaming smile on his face when he pulled away.
“Sweet, Anna. Our man Ben here has nothing but great things to say about you.”
Feeling heat rise up her neck, Anna giggled. “It better be all good or there’ll be hell to pay.”
Johnny held his hand over his face and glanced around the food court. “Whooo weeee, we got a live one folks!”
“You’re exhausting,” Ben joked before taking a seat.
“But in all seriousness, it’s great to meet you, Anna.”
“You, too. Although I wish I could say the same thing to you that you said to me. Ben has nothing but negative things to say about you.” Anna sat next to Ben and winked, taking joy in the way his mouth fell open.
“You’re a filthy little liar!”
Anna laughed.
“That wouldn’t surprise me. It doesn’t even bother me.” Johnny shrugged. “All of us have a reputation to uphold and I wouldn’t want mine tarnished by some jealous man telling everyone that I’m sweet and kindhearted.”
“Believe it or not, you are sweet and kindhearted. Your behavior is just a front to keep everyone at arm’s length.”
“Did I just enter a day time talk show where the guests talk their feelings out?” Anna asked, interrupting their bromance. Ben and Johnny looked at her then looked at each other before exploding with laughter.
“Try not to lose this one, Ben. I like her,” Johnny stated while wiping away a tear.
Ben smirked at Anna and the look in his eyes caused goosebumps to erupt all over her body. It wasn’t the look of a man who was still reeling over her sudden humor, it was the look of someone completely smitten with her, giving her hope for their relationship. She hated that she constantly questioned his feelings for her.
“I’m not in the mood for food-court food,” Ben declared. “What do you guys think about heading towards the other side of the mall?”
Anna and Johnny nodded their heads together and the three of them began walking towards the side of the mall where most of the restaurants were. Ben grabbed Anna’s hand and her breath caught in her throat. He caressed the back of her hand with his thumb sending jolts of electricity throughout her body. She felt like she was floating next to him until a familiar face appeared in front of her, causing her to stumble.
“Well, if it isn’t my husband’s favorite person in the whole world.” Cara’s face was pinched, as if she had just sucked on a lemon. She softened a little when she glanced up at Ben. “And who may this be?”
“Cara, this is my”
“Boyfriend,” Ben cut in. “And this is my friend, Johnny.”
She eyed Ben and Johnny before realization dawned on her. “You guys play for the Diamondbacks?”
“They do,” Anna interrupted. “Guys, this is Cara Sanders. I’m in the middle of helping her and her husband remodel their home.”
“More like stealing the attention of my husband.” Cara suddenly looked disgusted as she glanced back at Anna. “He turns into a pile of mush whenever your name is brought up.”
Her comments made Anna uncomfortable and she found it hard respond. Thankfully, she didn’t have to. Cara saw someone she knew and hurried away from the trio.
“That wasn’t awkward at all, was it?” Johnny asked, breaking the silence.
“What was that all about?” Ben questioned.
“Crap,” Anna muttered to herself. “There’s way more to this story than I’m ready to explain right now.” She rubbed her temples. “I need a drink.”
She started to follow closely behind Johnny when Ben grabbed her hand and pulled her close. “Is everything okay?” he whispered an inch away from her face.
Anna nodded and placed a soft kiss on his cheek. “I’ll fill you in when we sit down.” They walked towards the restaurant hand in hand.
* * *
Ethan sat at his desk reviewing the most recent email sent to him by Anna. The woman was incredible at her job. She knew how to reach into a person’s mind and create exactly what they were thinking. It was obvious in the spread before him and everything she had ever sent him to date.
As he scribbled a couple notes on his notepad, Cara walked into the room, grinning. How he wished he could wipe it from her face.
“How’s my doting husband this evening?” she asked, her grin getting bigger.
“Well, that depends on what my loving wife has come to tell me.”
Cara took a seat across from him—something she hadn’t done in years. It had him questioning her motive.
“Is there something I can help you with, Cara?” Ethan raised his eyebrows.
“No, no. I just wanted to tell you about my trip to the mall today.”
Annoyed that she was taking her time getting to the point, he smacked his hand on the table. “Dammit, woman, what’s the point of this story?”
She only blinked at him, furthering his annoyance. “I saw Anna today. She was walking around with her new boyfriend and a friend if his.”
This caught his attention. “And?”
“And you would be happy to know that the man she is seeing is a major league baseball player for the Diamondbacks.” Cara leaned back in her chair, pride and joy lighting up her mousy features.
Ethan gritted his teeth. “And what do you expect me to do with that information?”
Cara continued to sit across from him, smiling. She knew she had hit a nerve with the information she divulged. “I don’t expect anything from you anymore, Ethan. I just thought you’d like to know that your little girlfriend is dating someone much more popular than you.”
Not wanting her to see how her words affected him, Ethan sighed. “Is that all?”
Cara nodded and left the room. As soon as she was out of sight, Ethan hurled a container of tape across the room so hard it broke in half. Anna had become all he could think about lately and he knew her having a boyfriend had something to do with it.
“Gold digging whore,” he whispered under his breath. It was something he didn’t expect of Anna. She was so sweet and seemed so innocent, but now he knew he was wrong about his first impression of her. Why else would she be hooking up with a rich man?
This thought caused Ethan to snarl. If she wanted to be with a man who had money, then he was prepared to give her exactly that. The only thing he had to do was get Mr. Ballplayer out of the picture. Ethan took out a notebook and began jotting down all the ways he would make that happen.