Chapter 26

Jenica

The bathroom is next level luxury. The tile on the floor is sparkling white, and the double sink vanity has a variety of travel sized toiletries that I can't wait to try. But the jacuzzi tub in the corner is probably my favorite. I can't wait to take a long hot soak with Jake's arms around me.

Right now, however, I am desperate to scrub the night off my skin, so I peel my clothes off and turn on the water in the shower and let it run to get hot.

Standing in the bathroom mirror, I stare at my reflection. My forearms have slight rope burns, and Richardson's vice-like grip on my neck left a slight bruise, but the pasties I applied before I got dressed last night are bright, and fresh as rain.

I peel them from my areola slowly, wincing a bit as they pull the skin, and once they're off I toss them in the trash and then step into the shower.

I take my time, letting the water ease the soreness from my muscles, and once I'm ready to wash myself, I reach for a bar of soap on the shelf and peel the paper. Opening the door to grab a washcloth, I drop the paper from the soap on the counter, before rubbing the bar over the terry cloth, and working up a lather.

I wash my body from head to toe, scrubbing until my skin is squeaky clean, then wash my hair. The shampoo and conditioner smells like lemon and mint, and when I'm done, I feel like myself again.

After drying off, I wrap the towel around me and tuck the end under my arm and make my way out of the bathroom.

"Ah," Jake smiles when he sees me. "How was it?"

"Good," I smile. "You're up."

He reaches out and pulls me to him, wrapping his enormous arms around me. "It can wait."

Pulling me into his lap, he holds me and we sit there in silence for a moment. No one makes me feel this way. No one. Warm. Safe. Loved.

"This is nice," I murmur into his chest. "Can we stay awhile?"

"We can stay forever." I look up and brush the stubble on his cheek. "I called Cruz and filled him and Ellery in. They wanted you to know that they love you and glad you're okay. We can see them tomorrow and fill them in on everything, including the tapes."

I nod and look down, needing to say something, but not sure how to.

"About last night…" I start then stop, not sure how to explain to him about that dance. I want him to know I never did that for anyone else. That all those men saw while I worked there was me in a bikini, nothing more.

He tucks a wet strand of hair behind my ear and looks at me, eyes warm. "You were beautiful, Sparky. Nothing to talk about."

"It didn't make you sick?" I keep my eyes down. "Seeing me like that."

"Hell no." He tips my chin up and looks deep into my eyes. "Seeing you on that stage, knowing you were dancing for me…it was incredible. You are incredible."

My cheeks warm with the compliment. "It was the first time I'd ever done that. All those weeks I was there, I tried to stay off the stage. But when he found out about you, he forced me up there."

"Doesn't matter if you did or didn't dance," he shakes his head. "You are mine, Jenica Dawn Miller, but that doesn't mean I get to tell you what you can and cannot do. At least, not out of the bedroom." He waggles his brows and I can't help but let out a tiny laugh. "But in all seriousness," he tightens his hold, "you could have turned around and shown off this beautiful, strong body, and it would have been your right. I am confident enough in us to know it doesn't matter who looks because only I get to touch. So they saw your ass. Big deal. You're beautiful and your dancing was beautiful. Nothing more to say about it."

I throw my arms around his neck, holding on for dear life. "Thank you for saving me, again."

He rubs his hands up and down my back, and when I pull back, he swallows. "I want you to come back to Highland with me."

I shake my head, trying to keep up with the change in topic. "What?"

"Hear me out." He grips the towel and clears his throat "I signed the deal with the Rockies. Cruz and I both did."

"You what?" I grip his shoulders and squeeze. "When?"

"Night before last. That's why I came down a day early. I wanted to tell you in person before the series started and also tell you that I figured out a way for us to be together."

"I am so proud of you." My chest swells with pride as I cup his face and squeeze. "Your dream is coming true."

"It is," he smiles. "Some of it. But if you come to Highland with me, all of it will come true, and yours as well."

I drop my hands and push up from his lap. "Jake, you know I can't afford Highland.

"I know," he pushes up as well. "But you can afford community college. You can enroll in the one affiliated with Highland, which is the same cost as DCC. You can work up there if you want. Although, you don't have to. I have enough money now, but I know you are determined to do this on your own, and I support that."

"What?" I can't help but laugh. "Follow you to Highland for a few months and then watch you head to Colorado with Cruz and Ellery next winter?"

He laughs and shakes his head. "Sparky, you are coming back with me to Highland because that's where you belong. It's as simple as that. And you are coming with me to Colorado, too. I will help you get there, but that is all I am going to do. Help. You will get the rest on your own."

"What?" I tighten my towel. "Jake, you can't Pretty Woman me."

"Well thank God for that," he laughs, "because I am no Richard Gere."

"And I'm no Julia Roberts."

"No," he reaches for me, "you're not. You are more. You are everything, and I cannot live without you. That's why you're coming back to Highland with me."

"Jake," I sigh. "Be real."

"I am." He moves his hands down to my ass and I place my hands on his chest. "Community college is the same price everywhere, Sparky. I can't believe I didn't think of this before." He's talking fast and excited, his words tumbling over one another. "You can live with us. Ellery doesn't charge any of us rent. It's not charity. She doesn't want the money because she's going to rent the house and make it all back when she moves."

I chew on the inside of my cheek, what he just said made sense, surprisingly. She said as much before when she said I should move up there, but I never considered it because I didn't know if I could find a job and honestly, didn't even think about whether Highland had a community college.

"Go on," I nod slowly, wanting to hear more.

"Highland Community College is ten dollars per unit," he explains. "If you take one class that's thirty dollars, and if you take four classes that's one hundred and twenty. Same as you would pay in Davenport. And living together saves on airfare."

"Okay," I nod, everything he said adding up so far. "And when you three head to Colorado, what do I do?"

"We don't leave for Spring Training until February. Cruz and I will finish up our degrees over summer and fall, and when we leave, you and Ellery can transfer to whatever school you want up there. I am sure she's already looking for a place for the four of us."

"Jake," I shake my head. "This is a little crazy. Move to Highland, take a semester, then move to Colorado, and enroll in community college there. Housing aside, I still need to work."

"You're forgetting one thing," he smiles mischievously.

"And that is?"

"Pitching," he grins.

"Pitching?" I repeat, voice lifting an octave. "Jake, are you high?"

"Not at all. Sparky, you're a natural. Your knee is solid. I don't know what doctor you saw, but there is absolutely nothing wrong with it."

"No." I shake my head, refusing to think for even a second that what he is proposing is possible. "That dream died."

"Well someone once told me the funny thing about dreams were that they could be a part of you for so long, and when you least expect it, change. No less bright, just…different." My chest tightens remembering what I told him that night at Nana's. "Listen to me," he cups my face, holding it still, "this is your dream and you can do it. I know you can. And I will be there every step of the way, helping, and supporting you. If you practice through the summer you can try out for the team at CU in the fall."

My throat tightens, the idea too crazy. "And if I they won't let me?"

"They will," he smiles. "Coach has a contact there and I asked him to reach out for me."

"What?"

"It's true," I nod. "They looked at your high school stats and were more than eager to have you come up and try out."

My chest tightens at the possibility of playing ball again. "What if I don't make it?" I whisper.

"You will, and you know why? Because you and me, we're meant to be, Sparky. And the four of us, we're a family. Dreams are dreams but the shit we've gone through is the kind of glue that sticks. The universe wants this, why else would it have led me to you not once, not twice, but three times."

"Three times?" I shake my head.

"Last summer," he holds up one finger. "The weekend I flew to Davenport," he holds up a second. "And last night," he holds up third.

"What about the Mets?" I ask lamely, not knowing what else to say.

"The Mets?" he laughs. "What about them?"

"They were your dream."

"Were. Past tense. You and me, our friends in Colorado, this is my dream now. Although, my first pro game will be against them next April when I make my debut in the majors, so I do still get to share a field with them in a way."

I stare back at him, not believing this is happening.

"What about Richardson?" I whisper the question I have been afraid to ask since we left the club.

"He's gone," Jake says simply. "He is not going to hurt you or our friends, ever again."

"Jake, don't tell me you—"

"He had a heart attack," Jake cuts me off. "Did I beat the shit out of him? Yes. But when he got up to come for me, he clutched his chest and fell to the floor. He's gone. And this is your future."

I lick my lips and look down, too scared to believe this could work.

"Listen to me," he grips the sides of my face and I look up. "Your dream may have changed once, but when it did, it led you to where you are right now. And through all of that—the good, bad, even the ugly—you're still standing. That's the same with my dream, only it stayed the path and because it did it led me to you. Had I not been recruited to Highland, I'd have never met Cruz, and followed him to Cherry Cove where my life changed forever last summer in the best way possible. But now it's time for my dream to change and yours to come true. This is meant to be, Sparky. It's a sign from the universe. We'd be fools not to take it."

"You can't toss aside your dreams for me. You will hate me."

"Hate you?" He smiles. "I could never hate you. And I'm not tossing them aside. I'm living them…with you. You know as well as I do that I could play in the minors for years without ever getting to play in the majors. I'm good, sure, but so are hundreds of other guys waiting for their shot. But playing for Colorado I will be pro from the get-go. What better way to be a legend than by being part of a team's first year? It will be good for me….for us."

"What is good for me doesn't matter."

"You know that's not true. What's good for you is all that matters." My eyes fill with tears. "I want you, Jenica. All of you. Your hopes and dreams just as you have my flaws and scars."

"Who says you have them?"

"Because I do. And I accept them, just as long as you do because your opinion is the only one that matters. I love you, no one else."

I try to pull back but he tightens his hold. "You're insane."

"I am very sane. I assure you. But I will go crazy if you don't admit you love me, too because I am already there. I'm crazy about you. I have been ever since the first moment I laid eyes on you. The way you gave us the business in the store when—"

"The store?" I look at him, confused. "Maybe you are crazy because we met at your party."

"No," he flashes me a big, beautiful smile. "You were at the store, and you were on the phone, and I saw you and I swear to God, Sparky, my heart stopped beating. I fell for you right then and there."

A tear seeps out of my eye, rolling down my cheek.

"Please Jenica," he breathes my name, wiping away the tear with his thumb. "We're good together. You know we are. Just let yourself be happy. It's time. You can bet on me."

"I don't need to bet on you."

"Fine," he counters. "Then bet on us."

"You can't start betting on shit, Hot Shot. You need to be better with your money."

"You sure do talk a lot," he laughs and my eyes narrow. "But I love that. I love your fire and wit and your fast ball. Shit I could crouch down behind home plate and watch you wind up forever. I love the way you love baseball but most of all, I love the way you love me." He grabs my hands and pulls them to his chest. "And I know you do. So just admit it, and I will spend the rest of my life having your back."

Jake has a way of making me believe anything is possible, even dreams that died and changed. "Why do you want to save me so badly?"

"Save you?" He laughs. "Hell baby, I need you to save me."

He looks at me, eyes warm, and full of love. There is nothing to do but what my heart wants. Jake is all that is good in this world. He's kind, and smart, and he cares about his friends. But he also has the heart of a lion. One who will tear the flesh off a man's bones because like me, Jake was born with that need to protect what's safe. His friends, his family, and now, me.

I said I wanted angst and fire, and shit, I got it in spades. The part of him…the part he has spent his whole life pushing down…he set it free with me, and I am his lion tamer. No one else. He is my future that I never dared to dream and I couldn't say no to him, no matter how hard I tried.

"Okay, Hot Shot," I say finally. "I will come to Highland with you."

He drops his head back and exhales with relief. "Thank God."

"And I will try out for the team in Colorado. But if I don't make it…"

"You will," he insists.

"Are we really going to do this? I mean really?"

"Hell yes." He reaches for me, the heat in his eyes making me shiver. "Just as soon as I do this."

He grabs my hips and spins me around, laying me down on the bed and nuzzling my neck. "I can't promise it will be easy."

"Good," he pulls back. "If I wanted it easy I would have kept playing the field."

"I am no walk in the park."

"Enough already," he laughs. "Stop fighting this. Stop denying us. Just let me love you." He brings the back of his hand against my cheek, stroking it gently. "And if you don't let me have you right now, I will pick you up and throw you over my shoulder, spanking that luscious ass of yours until it's hot and red and you are wet as hell. We have this incredible room all to ourselves we need to fuck it up."

"You mean live it up," I laugh.

"No," he grabs my ass. "I mean fuck it up."

I laugh and he hugs me close, kissing my neck, chin, and lips. "Fuck, Sparky, you make me happy and I want to show you right now how much. But if you need time with all that happened…."

"Time," I cup his neck. "I don't need time. I know what I want."

"And that is?" he grins.

"You," I smile. "I want you to make love to me."

"Good God, Sparky, are you ever not ready?"

"Nope."

"Well then, prepare to get fucked."

"Not before you get sucked," I grin.

"You're frisky in hotels. I like it."

"Must be the linens."

"Well, it's probably a good thing you're so fond of hotels. If you're going to be shacking up with a pro baseball player you will see plenty of them. Although, I can't say if all of them will be this nice."

I laugh and place my hands on his cheeks as he buries his face in my neck and kisses me. "Aren't you forgetting something, Hot Shot?"

He pulls back and looks at me curiously. "What's that?"

I push up from the bed slowly and give him my best come hither look. "Shower."

He presses his elbows into the bed and pushes up, eyeing me hungrily. "You already took one."

"Yeah, well, I need another." I reach for the end of my towel and drop it to the floor.

He sits up, eyes on fire. "First one in comes first?" He arches a brow.

"Oh, you know it."

I turn and head for the bathroom but get no more than two feet when I feel a wall of muscle press against my back and wrap an arm around my waist.

"First or last," he pulls my back to his chest, "it doesn't matter. I'm going to fill you full, Sparky. So fucking full, that the world knows your mine."

"Oh yeah?" I moan, relishing the way he feels…the way we feel.

"Oh yeah," he scoops me up and kisses me, heading for the shower. "Now and forever."