Dustin paced the cracked walkway in front of Clover’s apartment. It was late, and the stars were out, but her car wasn’t in its usual spot. She was probably at work. The team had flown into Vegas earlier that evening, and those who didn’t have a wife or girlfriend to pick them up from the airport had to take the bus back to the stadium. A wicked rainstorm in the canyon had slowed them down considerably. Heavy winds buffeted the side of the bus, turning the driver’s knuckles white as she gripped the steering wheel.

Dustin wasn’t afraid of the weather; he was afraid of what he’d find waiting for him in St. George. Clover hadn’t returned any of his calls or texts since their conversation two days ago—which had gone well, in his opinion. So the sudden cold shoulder was uncalled for and disturbing. He wanted to ask her what was going on, but he couldn’t do that if she didn’t come home.

He stumbled over a raised section of concrete. What if she’d stopped to help a homeless guy and gotten attacked? They’d met because she’d jumped out of her car in an effort to “help” him. Had he been less than a gentleman, he could have easily carted her off and done horrible things to her. She was so small and delicate physically.

He yanked off his ball cap and scrubbed his hands through his hair in worry. A yellowed streetlight cast an eerie glow on the grass as the sprinklers kicked on. He jumped out of the way to avoid getting wet just as a pair of headlights turned in to the small parking lot. The engine made a light ticking noise that he recognized right away.

Clover barely had the engine off before he yanked the door open and hugged her. She screamed and pushed against him, her efforts not strong enough to stop him, but her intent was. He jumped back. “Clover—it’s me.”

Her hand was over her heart and she panted. “You scared the living snot out of me.”

Dustin approached again, this time much slower. “I scared you? You haven’t returned my calls or texts for days. I thought you were in a ditch somewhere.”

“So you decided to attack me in a dark parking lot?” She ripped off her seat belt and scrambled out of the car.

Dustin gave her plenty of room. “I was worried out of my mind.”

“You’re out of your mind, all right.” She pressed a hand to her head. Her beautiful hair was gathered into a messy bun at the back of her neck. She wore a long black skirt and a blush-pink blouse that made her skin look rosy—even in the ugly overhead light.

They both stopped their restless moving and locked eyes.

Whatever they’d been arguing about melted away, and Dustin reached for her. “I missed you.” He wasn’t afraid to say it to her, although she’d struggled to say it to him. Maybe he should have taken that as a sign …

“Dustin.” She said his name with so much regret that it built a wall of brick between them before he blinked.

He dropped his arms to his sides. “What’s going on, Clover?”

She looked up as if trying to read the answer in the stars. “Nothing. I just, I have all these thoughts.”

He lifted his eyebrows but waited silently, hating the sense of dread that seeped out of the shadows.

She shifted, kicking a pebble off into the grass. “We come from two different worlds.”

“So?” he challenged. She’d once thought he threw his money around and lived an extravagant lifestyle, but after the time they’d spent together, she should know better. Did she still see a spoiled child who refused to grow up? He thought they’d moved past that. Jeez, what was it going to take?

“So, I have people who need me. I can’t take a week off to play.”

His head spun. “Is this about the All-Star break? It wasn’t all play for me. You know that. I still had workouts and—”

The shake of her head was hardly there, but he caught it and knew that it meant she wasn’t listening to him—not really. She’d already made up her mind. Like the pitch he’d watched fly by in St. Louis—she was going to watch him leave and be caught looking. He could read it all right there on her face: the words spelled out in her dropped gaze, the small line between her eyes, and the way she curled in on herself.

“I don’t think we should see each other anymore.” Her words were cold and breathy.

Dustin’s heart stopped beating altogether, and he didn’t breathe for a count of twenty. When he finally sucked in air, it was quick and jabbed at his insides. He pulled his keys out of his pocket. Yeah, he drove a nice car; that didn’t make him a bad person. He’d been himself with Clover, not once pretending to be smarter or better than he was, and it backfired.

He took two steps back even though his body fought him. His arms knew she fit inside them just right, and they hung heavy at his sides. “I’ll leave your name on the tickets if you want to catch a game.” The offer was as real as it was stupid, a lobbed ball begging her to swing.

She stayed quiet. Her shoulders bounced, and he hated walking away while she cried. There wasn’t anything he could do about it, though. If she wouldn’t swing at the pitch, then they’d have to take the out.