Page 121 of This Heart Of Mine (Chicago Stars 5)

She knew it was a fluke, too, because she started gnawing at that bottom lip again and looking even more nervous than before. That made this a good time to start playing a few mind games. “Nice pitch, Daphne. Think you can do it again?”

“I doubt it.”

She was definitely nervous. Definitely sexy. He loved the way that lady made love, with her whole heart and every part of her body.

Her butt wiggled. Oh, he remembered what that wiggle felt like.

The ball came fast, but this time he was ready for it—except it dropped unexpectedly at the last instant, and his bat met nothing but air.

“Exc’llent, Aunt Molly.”

“Thank you, Hannah.”

Kevin couldn’t believe it.

“Nice going,” Dan grumbled from behind him.

Molly stroked the inner slope of her breast with her index finger. The tip of her tongue flicked over that puffy bottom lip. God, she was making him hot! As soon as this game was over, he was dragging her back into the woods, family or not, and then he’d show her a real game.

She wound up, and just as she released the ball, looked right at his crotch. He instinctively stepped away to protect himself. As a result he missed most of it and tapped a feeble roller back to the mound. He started to run. She threw to Julie on first base, who caught it with something that looked like a pirouette from Swan Lake.

He was out. Out! He looked from the ballerina to the bunny lady and tried to take it in. Molly’s eyes flicked from his face to his crotch. And then she grinned. “Did I ever tell you I went to summer camp for nine years?”

“I believe you mentioned it.” He couldn’t imagine any summer camp teaching that particular trick. The queen of the mischief-makers had thought it up all by herself.

By the end of the first inning Molly had given Cody an easy pitch, walked Dan, and struck out the oldest O’Brian kid, along with his father.

Jocks 0, Last Kids to Be Chosen in Gym Class 2.

She sauntered past him as her team came in from the field. “Nice day.”

“I thought you said you weren’t any good at sports.”

“I said I didn’t like sports, jock boy.” She flicked his chest. “There’s a difference.”

He couldn’t let her get away with that one, so he gave her some prime NFL sneer. “Next time you stare at my zipper, jock girl, you’d better be on your back.”

She laughed and ran off to join her team.

Lilly was first up. She was all Guccied in coordinating colors with diamonds flashing from her rings and bracelets. She kicked away a pair of leopard-print sandals, slipped off sunglasses with interlocking C’s at the hinges, and grabbed the bat. She took a couple of practice swings, then stood up to the plate as if she owned it. Right then he knew that he hadn’t gotten all his athletic ability from the rodeo rider.

She arched an eyebrow at him, and her eyes caught the light. Green like his.

I know you’re my real mom and I love you very much…

He didn’t try to burn her. Instead, he sent it nice and easy over the plate. She took a great swing, but she was rusty and didn’t catch it all.

“Foul ball!”

He gave her the same pitch again, and this time she caught it clean. The bat cracked against the ball, and as her team whooped, she made it to second. He was startled by the burst of pride he felt.

“Nice going,” he muttered.

“Past my prime,” she said.

Captain Goodheart was up next, all solemn and serious, with the same worried look on her face he sometimes saw her aunt wearing. Hannah’s straight brown hair was a little lighter than Molly’s, but they had the same stubborn chin, the same slight tilt at the eyes. She was a serious kid, as well as being neat. Her American Girl T-shirt didn’t show any sign that she’d been playing with a couple of poodles and eating chocolate cake. He spotted a tiny notebook sticking out of the back pocket of her shorts, and something inside him melted. She seemed more like Molly’s daughter than Dan and Phoebe’s. Was this the way his little girl would have looked?

Out of nowhere his throat tightened.

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