Sizzling

Reid Buchanan—former baseball player, playboy and all-around great guy. A man's man--the one who gets the girl. Every girl. Sometimes too much of a good thing can be a whole lot of trouble.

Reid and his brothers:

Reid parked his Corvette behind the Downtown Sports Bar and climbed out. He stood staring at the rear door for a full minute, then told himself it wouldn't be so bad.

Ever since he'd blown out his arm and had to retire from baseball, he'd been working at the family sports bar. "Working" being a loose definition of what he did. In theory he was the general manager. In reality he came and went as he wanted, worked behind the bar, entertaining customers with stories about his baseball career and life, and hired the female staff. He'd always thought of the sports bar as a refuge—a place to hang where he was known and admired. Today it was nothing more than a house of shame.

Everyone inside knew him and he was willing to bet his impressive bank account that each one of them had read the morning paper.

"Goddamn it all to hell," he grumbled, then used his key to let himself in the back door.

Figuring he might as well get it over with as quickly as possible, he bypassed the relative safety of his office and walked into the bar.

Instantly the low rumble of conversation stilled and all eyes focused on him. Reid kept moving.

"Hey, hon," one of the waitresses called, her mouth twisted in some weird almost-normal smile. "Good to see you."

He nodded and continued walking through the happy hour crowd.

"Reid!" one guy yelled. "How's it hanging?"

Reid ignored that, scanned the clusters of patrons and saw two familiar faces in a corner. He headed directly for them.

"Reid." Maddie, one of the waitresses, grabbed his arm. "She's full of shit, okay? That night we were together was great. Let me know if you want me to sign a letter or something."

He nodded at the busty brunette, knowing that they had spent the night in bed and unable to remember anything specific in the blur that was his sexual past.

He hurried over to greet his two brothers and sank gratefully into the chair they'd pulled up for him.

They'd positioned their table just right, tucking his chair next to a display case of sports crap. It meant he wasn't in anyone's direct line of sight.

Cal, his older brother, pushed a full mug of beer in his direction. "How you holding up?" he asked.

"How do you think?" Reid took a long swallow. "It's a little slice of hell."

Walker, his younger brother, grimaced sympathetically. "Sucks the big one."

Reid eyed the nachos on the table, but wasn't hungry. "The worst part is I don't even remember her. It was the week my team was in the playoffs. I'm sure I was drunk." He shook his head. "What does it matter? She wanted revenge and she sure as hell got it. Reporters are everywhere. They're crawling over the houseboat."

"It's not a defensible position," Walker told him.

Cal looked at Reid. "So speaks our brother, the former-Marine."

"He knows what he's talking about," Reid grumbled. "I've got to get out of there. I thought about a hotel, but they'll find me there. Someone on the staff will sell me out."

"Come stay with Penny and me," Cal said. "We have room."

Reid hesitated. Their house was big enough, but Cal and Penny had a new baby. They were focused on other things.

"I appreciate the offer, but I'd be in the way."

"You wouldn't," Cal told him.

Walker shrugged. "You can bunk with me, but it would be on a sofa."

"Tempting," Reid said with a grin. "But no."

"You could always move in with Gloria," Cal said. "No one would think to look for you there. Didn't you say one of her nurses had set up a room for her downstairs?"

"In the study," Reid said slowly, considering the possibility.

"You would have the whole upstairs," Walker told him.

"There's plenty of room," Reid murmured. His moving in would also annoy the hell out of Lori, and that would be a plus.

A woman walked toward the table. She was tall, built and cover model gorgeous. She smiled at him.

"Darlin', I just wanted to let you know that the night we had together was incredible. I still remember everything about it and I'm willing to swear to it. Want my phone number?"

Reid studied her face and realized he had absolutely no recollection of ever having seen her before. What did that say about him?

"I appreciate the offer," he said. "I'll let you know if I need a signed statement."

"You do that. I'm always willing."

She turned and walked away. He watched her swaying hips and felt absolutely nothing. Given the day he'd had, it would probably be months before he could think about having sex again, and how grim was that?

He leaned back in his chair and looked at his brothers. "That reporter has me by the balls. I can't sue. There's no way to win. It would be a circus. I don't want that. Seth, my manager, says to lay low and it will blow over."

"He's right," Walker said. "People will get interested in someone else's life."

"When?" Reid asked, knowing it couldn't be soon enough. "I talked to him about the other stuff in the article. Where that bitch of a reporter said I'd blown off kids and charity events. I wouldn't do that."

He hadn't. He hated that kind of stuff, so he made it a point to never accept any kind of invitation where he had to show up and speak. He sent checks...or his manager did.

"Just because some kid sent a letter asking me to go to some charity thing doesn't mean I have to. But that's not how the reporter saw it."

"You have to let it go," Cal said. "You can't do anything about it now."

Reid knew that was the truth, but he hated being painted in asshole colors. "I talked to Seth about the other stuff in the article, that baseball team that went to the state championships. He said that was just a mix-up with the travel agent. I didn't know anything about it."

His brothers looked sympathetic, but that wasn't helping. Maybe because sympathy wasn't enough. Not when he'd been accused of offering to sponsor a baseball team and send them to their state championships, only to have the travel agent forget to include a return ticket. All those kids and their families had been stranded hundreds of miles from home with no way to get back.

"I didn't do anything wrong," he mumbled, knowing in truth, he hadn't done anything at all. "I told Seth to send me everything. The fan mail, the charity requests. I'm going to read them myself."

"And then what?" Cal asked.

"Hell if I know. I'll do something. I have to. It's one thing for that reporter to say I'm lousy in bed, but it's another for her to claim I disappoint kids. I'd never do that."

Not messing up was one of the main reasons he preferred not to get involved at all.

"This sucks," he said, as he reached for his beer. "My life is at a new low point."

"Worse than when you blew out your shoulder?" Walker asked.

"No," Reid said quietly. "Not worse than that."

Walker shrugged. "Just trying to put things in perspective."

Which Reid appreciated. No, this wasn't worse, but it close. A little too close.

 

Reid with Gloria:

Reid found himself more restless than he would have liked. It was his damn conversation with Lori and all the things she'd said to him. While most of her ranting had been crap, a few of her choice phrases had hit home.

Admittedly it had been a poor showing of judgment to sleep with Sandy and Kristie during their interviews. But they'd both come on to him. They'd been eager, he hadn't been busy, nobody was married, so what was the problem? It wasn't as if they'd been bad choices to look after his grandmother.

But no matter how he twisted the argument around and made himself out to be the good guy, the whole situation was a little...tacky.

He was, he conceded, officially, a shitty member of the human race.

He went downstairs to the one person guaranteed to add to his guilt—his grandmother. He found Gloria admiring a modest diamond ring on Sandy's left hand.

"Hi," he said as he walked into the room. "What's up?"

"I'm engaged," Sandy said as she turned toward him and beamed. "Remember that guy I told you I was seeing? He proposed. This morning. It was so romantic."

"Congratulations," he said.

"Have you started planning the wedding?" his grandmother asked.

"Not technically," Sandy said with a grin. "But in my mind? Sure. Now I just have to convince Steve that running off to Las Vegas is romantic. There's a little chapel there that is so pretty. We could stay at the Bellagio. I've always wanted to stay at a fancy hotel like that."

"Then that's what you should do," Gloria told her as she patted Sandy's hand. "A girl only gets married once. Or twice."

Sandy laughed. "Good point."

"Obviously this happy news could change your desire to stay here. While I would really like you to continue through my convalescence, I'll understand if that doesn't work out."

Sandy shook her head. "Are you kidding? I love my job. Of course I'm staying. I love the hours and the pay is going to mean I can afford the Bellagio."

Sandy laughed and Gloria joined in. Reid stared at them, not sure what was going on. His grandmother would never approve of getting married in Las Vegas and she hated people who left before the job was done. He thought about all the science fiction movies he secretly watched and wondered if the old broad had been taken over by a pod or some kind of parasite.

Sandy chatted a little more about how wonderful Steve was, then excused herself. When Reid was alone with his grandmother, he moved close and stared at her.

"Did they change your meds?" he asked bluntly. "Are you stoned?"

A little of the woman he knew returned as she narrowed her gaze. "Nothing has changed about my routine. I'm completely fine and healing very well."

Uh huh. "You were nice. That doesn't happen very often." Or ever.

"You're hardly around enough to know what I do in my day." Gloria dropped her gaze to the blankets on her bed and began smoothing them. "I've decided to make some changes in my life."

He had no idea what to say to that. "Changes, like..."

"I'm going to be more pleasant. Easier to get along with. Less critical. It would be nice if you noticed."

He'd been hit by a lot of baseballs in his career, but only two had nailed him in the head. This felt a lot like that.

"Nice, as in nice?" he asked.

She returned her attention to him. "Perhaps you could pretend the concept isn't completely foreign. Speaking of changing, it's something you need to take on, as well. Your current circumstances are inexcusable. You've brought shame to the family name and humiliated yourself. Honestly, Reid, what were you thinking, not giving your best while sleeping with a reporter? I would think, given all your experience, you would know what you were doing."

Until that moment, he'd never understood the idea of wanting the earth to open up and swallow him whole. But he did now.

His own grandmother was scolding him for not being better in bed? Did it get any worse than that?

"I'm not having this conversation with you," he said firmly.

"And yet here we are. Talking." Gloria drew in a breath. "I suspect all the accusations about disappointing children aren't your fault. You have many flaws but being cruel isn't one of them."

"Don't flatter me now," he muttered. "I won't know how to take it."

"I don't plan to flatter you. I plan to give you a few hard truths. How did the problem with the children happen?"

He pulled up a chair and sat next to her bed. "I don't know. I stay out of that sort thing. My manager, Seth, handles all of that kind of stuff, along with booking endorsements and appearances. My business manager, Zeke, takes care of the money. He writes checks when Seth tells him to. I don't know the details of their day to day operation."

"That's your first mistake," his grandmother told him. "It was one thing when you were busy playing baseball, but now you don't have an excuse. What else do you have to do with your time?"

Ouch. "I work at the sports bar."

"Based on how much time you've spent around here lately, I would say that job isn't a big priority." She sighed. "Reid, you've always had it easy. You're smart, handsome and your fast ball was just as powerful in the ninth inning as in the first."

Pod person, he thought as he stared at her. Definitely a pod person.

"How do you know that?" he asked.

"I would, on occasion, watch you play. And I learned about the game. It's sports, Reid. It wasn't difficult to pick up a few basics."

"You never told me."

"I didn't think it mattered."

He reached out his arm and lightly touched the back of her hand. "It would have mattered a whole lot. It still does."

They stared at each other. For the first time in his life, he realized his grandmother had cared about him. It was good to know. A little scary, but good.

She broke contact first. "This Seth fellow. He sounds like a complete idiot. It's one thing to handle your fan mail and requests for appearances, but it's another to screw it up completely. What do you know about Zeke?"

"That he's been in the business twenty years and that he's totally honest. He won't even let his clients give him Christmas presents. We're allowed to send a food basket to the office for the entire staff, but nothing else. No kickbacks, no perks. Not even tickets to the game."

"Good. Fire Seth and put Zeke in charge. You aren't going to be making any public appearances for a while. Should the need arise, I have the names of a couple of media people who know what they're doing and they're not idiots."

"You're trying to run my life," he said not actually annoyed by her suggestions. He'd known he had to fire Seth—he'd just been putting off the inevitable. But he was surprised she was taking an interest.

"You can do this," she told him. "Take responsibility. We'll change together."

"This isn't a conversation I ever thought we'd be having," he admitted.

Gloria smiled. "Surprise."

 

Reid and Lori:

The next morning Reid went looking for Lori. Sometime in the night when he once again couldn't sleep, he'd had an uncomfortable realization.

Lori had been upset because he hadn't slept with her. He'd slept with the other two nurses but not her.

He wanted to tell her not to take it personally, but she was female and of course that's how she would see things. How could he explain that he hadn't slept with her because he hadn't seen her that way? Oh, yeah, there was a conversation he was dying to have.

He told himself to forget about her and the other nurses and her possible hurt feelings, except he couldn't. Bad enough the world thought he was a jerk—he didn't want Lori thinking that too. Even though it was probably too late to change her mind.

He found her in the kitchen. She was rinsing off Gloria's breakfast dishes and putting them into the dishwasher. She narrowed her gaze when he walked into the room but didn't say anything.

She'd changed her clothes, he thought, noticing she'd replaced her normal scrubs with jeans and a sweater. The more fitted style suited her, drawing his attention to curves he previous hadn't noticed. Interesting.

She straightened and pushed up her glasses. "What do you want?" she demanded.

"To meet your sister."

The words weren't the ones he'd planned and he had no idea where they'd come from.

"No," Lori said flatly.

"Why not? She's dying. You said she's dying. Maybe she'd like some company. I'm good company."

"You're not and the answer is still no. Madeline isn't some freak show you can visit to fill your day. Go annoy someone else."

Her attitude was really starting to piss him off. What had he ever done to her? "I'm trying to help," he told her. "I bring comfort to the dying."

"Obviously not sexually."

The unexpected snipe cut right through his who-gives-a-shit veneer. He crossed the two steps separating them, grabbed her arm and fought the need to shake some sense into her.

"It wasn't my fault," he yelled. "It was my first year away from the game. My team was in the playoffs. They'd just lost. I was drunk. So what if I was more interested in drowning my pain than showing that woman a good time? I had an off night. Everybody else gets an off night, but not me, right? I'm good in bed, dammit. Better than good. I've been clawed and made women scream on a regular basis."

Her steady gave never wavered. "I'm yawning," she said in a low voice. "That's how interested I am in this conversation."

He swore, jerked her close and kissed her.

He hadn't planned to. He was just so pissed off and there weren't that many acceptable ways for a guy to let off a little steam.

So he pressed his mouth to hers and let all his frustration and anger and okay, maybe hurt, pour into the kiss.

He buried his free hand in her hair and was surprised to find the curly waves were kind of nice to touch. He moved a little closer and tilted his head slightly, getting a better angle on kissing Lori because it was starting to feel good. Damn good. Who knew?

Irresistible

Walker Buchanan—ex-marine. He’s a man who knows how to protect those he cares about. But there are secrets in his past-secrets that might destroy him.

Elissa walked briskly across the small landing and knocked firmly on Walker’s door. No way she was going to let him know she felt embarrassed by their previous conversation. Nope, except for the fact that she was cooking for him, she was going to pretend it never happened.

He opened the door. “Hello, Elissa.”

Sometime in the past three or four days, she’d forgotten what he looked like. Oh, sure, she could have picked him out of a line-up and been confident he was her neighbor, but she’d lost track of the specifics.

She hadn’t remembered how his dark eyes seemed to observe everything without giving anything away. How his strong features made her want to trust him instantly or that his mouth was both stern and intriguing.

He looked solid, steady...dependable. All very appealing traits, give her history with men.

“Hi. You never took the money.” She thrust the five dollars at him and held her arm steady until he took it from her.

“Thanks. You didn’t have to—”

She cut him off with a flick of her wrist. “I did have to. It helps me sleep at night. I also wanted to apologize for the misunderstanding. I jumped to not very flattering conclusions and I shouldn’t have.”

“I realize how that could have happened.”

She wondered if that was true or if he was just being polite. And then she wondered how his skin would feel if she touched his arms. Was it rough or soft? Did the muscles yield at all or were they—

She mentally put on the brakes and smiled brightly so he wouldn’t guess what she was thinking. Dear God, what was wrong with her? She’d seen plenty of good-looking men before. Some even in person. But she’d never reacted like this. It was worse than feeling guilty. Which meant she should get to the point.

“I made chili,” she said. “You mentioned smelling my cooking and wanting to trade what I owe you for that. I’m all right with that. So I made chili and cornbread. There’s still pie left, but you probably still have some of your own, so I don’t know how interesting blueberry pie would be. Although I have ice cream. It was on sale. Chocolate chip. Zoe and I do the chocolate thing.”

When she realized she was babbling, she pressed her lips firmly together, then cleared her throat.

“My point is, you’re welcome to join us.” Hmm, that didn’t sound right. “Mrs. Ford is already downstairs. This isn’t anything but payback. I’m not asking you out or anything. I don’t date. Anyone. I don’t do anything else, either. I’m not issuing a challenge. I know some guys assume if a woman’s alone, it’s a challenge. I’m not. I’m not interested in getting involved or having a fling or anything like that. This isn’t a good time for me. Zoe’s really young and there are other complications.”

Big ones, she thought, thinking that Neil was at least six feet and was never going to go away.

“You’re saying you don’t want to date or have sex with me,” he clarified.

“Right,” she agreed, before actually processing what he’d said.

“Good to know.”

Walker was quiet for so long, Elissa began to think he wouldn’t answer. She had the feeling he was going to simply walk out and she would never see him again.

But finally he said, “I didn’t plan on leaving the Marines when I did. I was going to stay in until they kicked me out because I was too old. One day I woke up and I couldn’t do it anymore. I couldn’t kill, I couldn’t send men off to die. There was already too much blood. So I left and I came home. Only there isn’t a home anymore. I have my brothers and Dani. I have money, but there’s nothing else. Nothing permanent.”

She felt his emptiness and it burned her with an aching cold.

“I do it on purpose,” he continued. “I stay away, disconnected. It’s my choice. But sometimes there are temptations I can’t resist. Like you.”

Elissa thought of herself as many things, but never a temptation. “Me?” she asked in squeak.

He shrugged. “The way you move, the way you smell, how you never give up. I knew better but I wasn’t willing to act on that. I made love to you because I needed to, Elissa. I needed to kiss you and touch you. I wanted to know what you felt like and how you tasted.”

She felt herself blushing and getting aroused. His words as powerful as his touch had been.

“Have you ever been in love?” he asked.

The question came out of nowhere. “I... No. I thought I loved Neil, but I loved what I wanted him to be.”

“I have. Once.”

 

Reid Buchanan—former baseball player, permanent playboy. When you’re Reid Buchanan, life is good.

Reid glanced at the resume in front of him. Sandy Larson, age thirty-five. She had a bunch of initials after her name, which he assumed was a good thing for a nurse.

So far he’d had three interviews with women who were qualified, but didn’t come close to having personalities that could stand up to Gloria. But he was already bored with the process, so he was thinking he’d just hire them and call it a day.

Someone knocked on his office door promptly at ten-thirty. He glanced up and saw a tall, large-breasted blond with big green eyes and a smile that could light up Chicago.

“It really is you,” she said with a laugh. “When I got the information from the service and they said Reid Buchanan I’d hoped, of course, but I never dreamed I’d actually get a chance to meet you.”

She strolled into his office, her hips swaying in obvious invitation. “I’m Sandy and I’m a huge fan.”

He stood and walked around his large desk. “Really. Follow the game?”

“Less now that you’re not playing.” She held out her hand. “This is a real thrill for me.”

He took her fingers in his and held them longer than he should have. When the welcome in her eyes didn’t fade, he knew he was in.

“So you’re a nurse,” he said, leading her to the sofa in the corner.

“Uh huh. About twelve years now. I did ten in a hospital and then I went into private duty nurse. I get to meet the most interesting people...like you.”

He sat down next to her on the leather and angled toward her. “My grandmother is a very demanding woman.”

“That’s okay. I’ve had crabby patients before. Mostly they’re mad about something. I’ve found if I can figure out what, I can deal with them.”

“Intuitive and smart. You’re quite a package.”

She smiled. “Do all the women fall for your lines?”

“Yes. Are you going to be an exception?”

“Now why would I want to do a stupid thing like that?”

Delicious

Cal Buchanan—owner of The Daily Grind, a successful and growing coffeehouse chain. He’d walked away from the Buchanan empire to start his own company and his grandmother had never forgiven him. When she begs him to return, temporarily, he gives in to guilt and agrees.

Cal was tall, about 6’3, with dark hair. His face was all sculpted cheekbones and stubborn jaw, and his mouth frequently betrayed his mood. Right now it was thin and straight. He was so angry, he practically spouted steam. Penny had never felt better

They moved closer until they were almost touching. And then they were in each other’s arms, his mouth on hers.

Several things occurred to Penny at once, the first and most prevalent being that Cal could still kiss like the devil. Even with his lips only lightly pressing, she felt shivers and heat and need. Second, her breasts were so exquisitely sensitive that if he’d simply touched her tight nipples she would explode into orgasm.

She wanted to throw her arms around him and given in to the moment. She wanted to crawl inside of him and see how much two-become-one they could muster. But then that pesky third thought crept into her brain.

This was not a good idea.

She wanted it to be, but it wasn’t. Smart people did not get involved with their ex-husbands at work. Not even one who was only sticking around for a few months.

 

Walker Buchanan—left Seattle and joined the Marines right out of high school. In theory, he did it to get away from his grandmother, but there might be another reason lurking in the background.

When Cal pulled into the garage, the door to the house opened. The man standing there was tall and muscled, with a military-short haircut. Cal grinned.

“Walker,” he called as he got out of his Z4. “When did you get home?”

“About three hours ago. I picked up a rental car at the airport and drove here. Hope you don’t mind me crashing at your place for a few days.”

“Stay as long as you like.”

They walked into the house. Cal led the way to the kitchen and saw the bottle of Scotch already on the counter.

He grinned at his younger brother. “Just like I raised you.”

Walker picked up the bottle and poured his brother a glass. After handing it over, he picked up his own. “You always did keep the good stuff around. I respect that.”

They toasted each other silently, then moved into the living room. As always, Walker took the club chair that faced the door and allowed him to sit with his back to the corner of the room.

“How are you?” Cal asked after they both had a chance to sip the Scotch and appreciate the fire Walker had expertly built.

“Good.”

“You seeing much action?”

“Some.”

Walker had spent much of his past tour in Afghanistan. He sent regular e-mails that didn’t say much more than he was fine. There were no details about his day or his assignments.

“How long’s your leave?”

Walker sipped his drink, then put it on the side table and leaned forward. “I left the Corps.”

Cal stared at him. “Retired?”

“It’s been fourteen years, so that’s what they’re calling it.”

Cal couldn’t imagine his brother doing anything else. “Why?”

Walker shrugged. “It was time.”

“What are you going to do?”

“I’m not sure. I thought I’d stay here for a few days, then go get my own place.”

“Sure. Stay as long as you like. I’m working twelve, fifteen hours a day, so I’m never here. And my love life sucks, so you won’t get in the way of that. I thought you’d be in until they kicked you out,” Cal said. “Are you all right?”

“Fine.”

Cal wasn’t sure he believed him. There was something about Walker’s eyes—something dark.

“Want to talk about it?” he asked.

Walker looked at him. “Have I ever?”

“No. Want to get drunk?”

Walker grinned. “I wouldn’t say no.”

Reid Buchanan—former Major League pitcher. Reid grew up a gifted athlete after God granted him a thunderbolt for a right arm. He was popular with the ladies and living a great life...right up until he blew out his shoulder.

Penny walked to the right of the bar, where a small alcove offered restroom choices, a pay phone and a door marked “Employees.” From there it was a short trip to Reid Buchanan’s cluttered office.

He sat behind a desk as big as a full-size mattress, his feet up on the corner, the telephone cradled between his ear and his shoulder. When he saw her, he rolled his eyes, pointed at the phone, then waved her in.

“I know,” he said as she wove her way around boxes he had yet to unpack. “It is an important event and I’d like to be there, but I have a prior engagement. Maybe next time. Uh huh. Sure. You, too.”

He hung up the phone and groaned. “Some foreign government trade show crap,” he said.

“What did they want you to do?” she asked as she swept several folders off the only other chair in the office and sank onto the hard wood seat. She dumped the folders onto his already piled desk.

“Not a clue. Show up. Smile for pictures. Maybe give a speech.” He shrugged.

“How much were they willing to pay you?”

He dropped his feet to the floor and turned to face her. “Ten grand. It’s not like I need the money. I hate all that. It’s bogus. I used to play baseball and now I’m here. I’ve retired.”

Just last year, Penny thought. With the start of the regular season just weeks away, Reid had to be missing his former life.

She poked at one of the piles on the desk, then glanced at him. “I distinctly remember you saying you wanted a desk big enough to have sex on. It was a very specific requirement when we went shopping for one. But if you keep it this messy, no one will be interested in getting naked on the very impressive surface.”

He leaned back in his chair and grinned at her. “I don’t need the desk to get ‘em naked.”

“So I’ve heard.”

Reid Buchanan was legendary. Not just for his incredible career as a major league pitcher, but for the way women adored him. Part of it was the Buchanan good looks and charm that all the brothers had. Part of it was Reid just plain loved women. All women. He didn’t so much have a type as a gender. Former girlfriends ranged from the traditional models and actresses to mother earth tree huggers nearly a decade older than him. Smart, dumb, short, tall, skinny, curvy, he liked them all. And they liked him.