The Baseball Card Boyfriend (Starrycard Creek Bachelors #3)

Chapter 9

Chapter

Nine

MAGGIE

Maggie peered down the shadowy alley.

The coast was clear.

Her conscience?

Not so much.

She inhaled the crisp night air, her emotions swirling between eager anticipation and a creeping sense of dread. “Christian, are you sure we won’t get in trouble?”

“For a bad girl, you worry a lot about getting caught,” he teased, his back to her as he slid a thin, flat tool between the sash and the frame of a first-story window that looked out into the alley.

Lucky whined. He’d pressed his front paws against the building’s brick wall, his eyes locked on Christian’s every move, his ears twitching with each creak and click.

And speaking of creeks—the watery kind—she yearned to lose herself in the soothing murmur of Starrycard Creek. It flowed, babbling and bobbing a block away. She would have also loved to spend more time gazing at the night sky. The stars were truly the stars of the night, casting a gentle glow over the silhouette of the mountains as a layer of dark clouds built in the distance. The raw beauty of the place was almost enough to quell the storm of anxiety brewing within her.

Almost.

“It’s okay if you can’t open the window. Going out for a drive in the middle of the night was exciting enough. We’re really breaking the rules,” she said, aiming to add excitement to her statement, but it landed as flat as a deflated balloon.

“What rules?” he asked, turning his baseball cap backward to allow him to get his face closer to the window.

Good question.

She paced. “The rules about needing eight hours of rest. It’s got to be close to midnight. Our sleep will be impacted.”

Tap, tap, tap. Creak!

“What do we need to wake up early for?” he asked, gaze trained on the latch.

Gah! Another good question.

“Um…work. Because I work for you, and you need to recuperate, even though you are clearly agile enough to break into a building. But sleep allows people to follow a daily schedule and such and so on and so forth as prescribed by my neurologist, Dr. Joan Ironside, MD.” Maggie clamped her mouth shut. Stupid, nervous rambling!

“I’ve just about got it,” Christian said under his breath, maneuvering his large frame as he worked, unmoved by her word salad.

A faint click signaled the latch giving way, and her heart raced. He lifted the window, then held her gaze in the inky darkness. “What did I tell you?” he said, his voice brimming with satisfaction.

She shrugged. “You didn’t tell me anything. You said we were going to be bad.”

“And we are the baddest of bad, aren’t we, boy?” Christian cooed to the dog. He swayed from side to side as Lucky pranced around him—the dog equivalent of a high five.

Despite her nerves, she chuckled and shook her head. The pair could have been lifted straight from a quirky heist flick—Christian with his exaggerated swagger and Lucky with his tail whirling like a helicopter blade. She glanced past them into the sea of darkness behind the window. She had no idea what type of business was inside. The wind whipped through the alley as the clouds blew in with a smattering of raindrops. She shivered as a chill came over her.

“Here,” Christian said, taking off his coat and draping it over her shoulders. He glanced at the sky. “A storm’s blowing in. That’s common this time of year.” He looked her over. “First thing tomorrow, we’re getting you an insulated coat, a raincoat, and a fleece jacket.” He rubbed her arms, and she stared up at him, captivated. His hat, still backward, gave him a roguish allure. As her eyes adapted to the dark, the man seemed to grow more handsome by the second. Everything about him radiated a boyish charm.

Stop! She could not let her mind go there. Even if her head injury had rendered her perma-horny, she had to control it. Christian Starrycard was her boss—sort of.

She held his gaze. “I’m not sure I’m a bad girl. In fact, judging by my pounding heart, I may be a very, very good girl.”

A wicked grin stretched across his lips. “A good girl, huh?”

This man.

“You’re terrible! You know what I mean.”

“This is the bad girl experience. Go big or go home.”

She chewed her lip. “Go home sounds good.”

“That’s not what you want. You’re intrigued. Admit it.”

She exhaled a heavy breath. “I’m intrigued, but we’re breaking and entering.”

He waved her off. “We’re barely breaking and entering, and we won’t break anything. We certainly won’t be robbing the place. Wait, I’ve got to take that back. We’ll partake in the amenities and offerings, but nobody will be none the wiser.”

Excuse me?

“Hold up. Amenities? Offerings? We’re not at a bank or a jewelry store, are we?”

He inhaled a hiss of a breath. “A liquor store.”

“A liquor store!” she whisper-shouted. “Why are we robbing a liquor store? You have a whole liquor-making room and a mini barn stocked with even more alcohol.”

He laughed, and the warmth of the sound resonated through her. As much as she loved seeing him in good spirits, she couldn’t take part in robbing a liquor store.

“Why are you so excited?” she demanded.

“We’re not at a liquor store. I was messing with you.”

“Where are we?”

“The Starrycard Creek Senior Center.”

That was no better.

Her jaw dropped. “We’re robbing senior citizens?”

“No, we’re not fleecing old people. Trust me. Growing up, I used to do this all the time with my little sister, Caroline.”

She narrowed her gaze and pursed her lips. “Just Caroline? None of your other siblings? Why just her?”

The man cringed.

“Christian, enlighten me,” she pressed, absolutely sure she was on to something.

“Caroline’s the youngest, and she was the easiest to convince,” he answered, rubbing the back of his neck with a nervous chuckle.

“You are not making a compelling case for sneaking in,” she shot back.

But her attempt to cut their night of breaking and entering backfired when that maddening half-grin bloomed on his lips.

He tucked a lock of hair behind her ear. “Come on, Maggie TBD, it’ll be great. It’s harmless fun. And Lucky will love it, too. I mean, look at him. He’s on his best-boy behavior.”

She surveyed the pup. The man wasn’t wrong. The dog had ceased his wild ways and sat like a disciplined soldier beneath the open window.

“What if someone sees your truck?” She did another check of the darkened alley, her defenses waning but not completely depleted.

“Nobody will see it. And even if they do, they’ll figure someone from the senior center left their car here overnight.”

“What about the Starrycard Creek Police?”

“It doesn’t exist. We’re under the Creek County Sheriff’s jurisdiction.”

“What if they come by?”

“They won’t. There’s basically no crime in Starrycard Creek.”

“But we’re crime-ing ,” she whisper-shouted.

He watched her, his lips twitching as he stifled a grin.

So nice to know he’d found this exchange amusing.

She peered down the darkened alley again. “Maybe I should stay out here and keep watch. There are bad girls in movies who act as lookouts. That could be my level of bad girl.”

He placed his hands on her shoulders, and just when she thought he couldn’t leave her more breathless, the jacket slid down a few inches, allowing his warm skin to brush against hers. A delicious shiver danced through her, leaving her yearning for more as his expression grew earnest. “I’d never do anything to hurt you, Maggie. All I want is to make you…”

“Go on,” she murmured, her body tingling.

He parted his lips as if to finish his thought, but he hesitated.

Was he reconsidering her go-home plan?

“On the badness scale of one to ten,” he continued, “what we’re about to do is barely a one. Probably more like point five. We can go home, if you’re not up for it, but I know you’ll like what’s inside. Will you trust me?”

Little did he know, she was powerless to say no.

“Okay. Let’s do it.”

“You’re sure?” he pressed, his nervous grin slowly transforming into that boyish expression that made her weak in the knees.

“Yes, but we’re not calling it breaking in .”

“We’re not?”

“We’re not burglars,” she reasoned. “We’re acting in the capacity of…security guards. Yes, we’re monitoring and ensuring safety,” she continued, feeling much better about what they were about to do. She glanced at the dog, and her smile widened. “We’re the Volunteer Creek County K-9 Unit.”

“That’s the spirit. I used to tell Caroline we could sneak in because we were invisible.”

“And she believed you?”

“Until around Christmas. She thought she could be invisible whenever she wanted. One afternoon, she left my family’s paper shop and went to the candy store—a very packed—candy store. She jumped the counter and started gorging on chocolate peppermint fudge. She didn’t think anyone could see her.”

“Did she get in trouble?”

“We both did. She ratted on me.”

“I bet she was furious with you.”

Vibrating with silent laughter, he removed his hat, ran his fingers through his hair, and then replaced the cap firmly on his head. “She punched me in the eye. The kid was half my size, and she knocked me out cold.”

Maggie chuckled. “I don’t know the woman, but I like her already.”

“Well, you both have socking me in the face in common.”

She touched the skin below his bruised eye. “I wish I remembered doing this to you.”

His body went rigid, and he pulled back.

What a strange reaction. He must want her to regain her memories, right?

Heavy raindrops peppered the ground. “Come on. Pretty soon, there’ll be a downpour.” He gestured to the open window. “I’ll climb through. Pass Lucky to me, and then I’ll help you in.”

“What about your arm, your shoulder?” she asked, her eyes narrowing against the intensifying rain.

“I’ll be careful. It’s much better since I started doing my mobility exercises. I can use it. But it’ll never be the arm of a power hitter.”

She nodded, noting that the usual torment lacing his words when he spoke of his injury had softened.

“I want to share this with you, Maggie. This place means something to me.”

There was no way she could say no now.

She nodded as Christian slipped through the window like a lynx. Barely a second passed before he reached for Lucky.

“Here we go, boy.” She lifted the pup and handed the dog to Christian, who cradled him briefly before setting him inside. Then, extending his good hand, he helped her, his grip firm as he guided her through the window into the darkened interior.

He shut the window, removed his coat from her shoulders, and rested it on an old chair. She glanced around, her eyes adjusting to the darkness. Bookshelves lined the walls, and tables were strategically placed throughout the space, giving the impression of a makeshift library.

He came up behind her. “Close your eyes.”

“Why? It’s dark,” she replied, the heat of his presence stirring an intoxicating sense of anticipation inside her.

“Just do it, Maggie TBD.”

“Are you going to keep calling me TBD ?” she asked with a pout, but when he said it, the ache of not knowing her last name didn’t sting quite as much.

“Yes, I like it. Baseball players love nicknames. We’ll stick with it.”

“What’s your nickname?” she continued.

“I didn’t have one.”

“Then why do I need one?”

“Because I want to give you one. Now, be a good girl, TBD , and close your eyes,” he said in that cocksure, commanding tone that threatened to turn her knees to jelly for what had to be the hundredth time since they’d left the hospital.

She exhaled a slow breath. “Fine, my eyes are closed.”

He clasped her hand, and a wave of warmth washed over her—a sensation she was beginning to crave.

“Oh, shit,” he whispered under his breath, leading her deeper into the building.

“You should never say ‘oh, shit’ while trotting someone around with their eyes closed.”

“I forgot something.”

“Should we turn back?”

“No, we’ll make do. Okay, we’re here.” He stopped. “Stay like that. Don’t move. I need to open the door.”

Lucky brushed against her legs as she heard a click, then listened to the door emit a slow, drawn-out whine. She inhaled and identified their destination. “Are we at an indoor pool?”

“Open your eyes, TBD, and see for yourself.”

Bingo! She was right.

The air was thick with the unmistakable scent of chlorine. It blended with a faint mustiness that hinted at the pool’s age. The only light came from the underwater bulbs. They cast a bluish glow that danced across the water’s surface, creating shimmering reflections on the tiled walls and ceiling. A diving board jutted out over the deep end. Despite its simple rectangular design, the place had an undeniable charm, especially when imagining Christian and his little sister sneaking inside for a midnight swim.

She peered up at the man. “It’s hauntingly beautiful. You’re right. I’m glad we’re here, but you have an indoor pool at the ranch.”

A wide grin stretched across his face. “Not with a diving board and what comes next. Come on, Lucky.” He jogged toward the deep end, kicking off his shoes.

And that’s when it hit.

They were here to swim, and she wasn’t wearing a swimsuit.

She stood like a gobsmacked statue, looking on as he stripped down to his boxer briefs. His broad shoulders tapered down to a chiseled chest and defined abs. Despite no longer being a professional athlete, his body exuded raw athleticism, and it left her breathless.

“Take it down a notch, Miss Perma-Horny Brain,” she whispered.

“Did you say something?” he called.

“Um…no,” she uttered, grateful she could even produce two syllables.

Christian set his hat and clothing on a bench. “I forgot we needed swimsuits. I’d always make sure Care had hers on under her pajamas, but underwear works. Are you good with that?”

She blinked. Speak, woman.

“TBD, all good?” he repeated, one foot on the ladder that led to the diving board.

His hella hot bod must have triggered her brain to reboot.

She cleared her throat. “Yeah, yes, sure. Underwear for the win…for the goal…for the…”

Splash!

She gasped as Christian hit the water.

Splash!

Lucky sprang into the pool on the man’s heels.

Christian emerged from the shimmering blue depths and shook the water out of his hair. “Hey, water dog,” he crooned as Lucky paddled around him. “TBD?” he called.

“Yeah?”

“Check out Lucky. You like the water, huh, good boy,” he cooed to the pup as the pair swam and frolicked. “Water’s perfect. It’s warm. That’s how the old people like it.”

She pointed to the far end and started walking that way. “I’ll wade in at the shallow part—just to be safe, in case I can’t swim.”

“Good call. I’ll be right there,” he said, his gaze locked on her as he glided through the water toward the steps. “Want me to look away as you undress?” he asked as he approached the shallow end.

She tugged at the hem of her shirt. “Yeah, just give me a second.” Her breath quickened as she untied her sneakers and slipped off her yoga pants and tank top, feeling the humid air against her bare skin. She silently thanked Pre-Amnesia Maggie for choosing a matching pale pink bra and panty set trimmed in lace. Nothing over the top, but at least it wasn’t granny panties or a teeny-weeny G-string stuck in her butt crack. Still, her heart raced.

Calm down! This is just a midnight swim in her underwear with a gorgeous former pro ballplayer who was built like a brick house.

She ran her hands down her torso, feeling the delicate fabric cling to her curves. Just a swim, just a swim. She dipped her toe into the water as Lucky bounded up the steps leading to the pool deck. The pup shook vigorously, sending a spray of water droplets all over her. And God bless that dog. It was the tension breaker she needed. She laughed. “Hey, no need for the preview. I’m getting in,” she said, giggling. She took another step into the pool, expecting Christian to comment on the dog’s antics, but the man didn’t make a sound.

He stood in the shallow end, gaze locked on her. Wide-eyed and jaw flapping, it was as if he wasn’t quite sure if she was real or something from a dream.

She dragged her fingertips across the water’s surface. “The old people really know how to choose a pool temperature,” she remarked, like an idiot, unsure of what to say to the person currently staring at her like she was the most fascinating thing he’d ever seen.

“Christ, TBD,” he got out. “I could look at you forever and it still wouldn’t be enough.”

“What?”

He cleared his throat. “Um,” he murmured, like his brain needed a reboot, too. “I don’t know what that was. Would you like me to help you? I won’t let you sink. Even if you could swim, I wouldn’t let you drown. That would be pretty shitty of me. Fuck…I’m gonna shut up, but you should know that you look…” He stilled, his lips parting like a confused goldfish.

“Yes?” she said softly.

“You look like a woman wearing underwear. Underwear is not exactly swimwear, but it’s similar in function and in what it covers and doesn’t cover. And I fully support everything it doesn’t cover and, of course, the parts it does cover.” He grimaced. “Goddammit, I don’t know what just poured out of my mouth.”

And, like earlier, his nervous rambling put her at ease.

Feeling empowered by his word salad jabbering, she waded into the pool, the water rising until it reached just below her breasts. She schooled her features and held Christian’s gaze. “Would you say I look like a good girl or a bad girl in my swimming attire?”

That shifted his attention. His mortified expression vanished, and his half-grin returned. “That depends. How do you feel?”

“I feel like a little of both,” she replied, moving toward him, the water now kissing her shoulder blades.

But what if she was wrong? What if her naughty overpowered her nice?

“What is it, Maggie?” he asked, coming to her side.

“I’m worried I might be…” she said, continuing further into the pool as she recalled what had gone down outside the hospital, and that sense of clawing worry took over.

“What?” he asked, losing the playful tone.

“I was thinking about how I behaved with your brother, with Owen, when I made up the housekeeper position. It was deceptive and?—”

“It was genius, Maggie, and I understood what you were doing.”

“But I tricked your brother.”

“No, you were being kind to him—and to me. You were trying to smooth things over and lighten the load on the guy. He’s prickly on the outside, but he takes everything to heart. I picked up on what you were doing immediately.”

“Okay, that’s what I hoped was happening. It was like you could read my mind, like we were…”

“Like we were what?” he asked, the blue light highlighting the sharp cut of his cheekbones.

How was she supposed to answer? He’d already made the case for them not knowing each other before she’d materialized out of thin air to save Lucky from the train. And yet, she couldn’t shake the feeling that he did know her, and that knowledge was intimate.

Intimate.

Her chest tightened as a damning realization dawned.

Christian was a well-known baseball player. A celebrity. He wasn’t married. He didn’t have a girlfriend. He could probably have his pick of women. She was nobody—literally and figuratively. What if she’d had a one-night stand with him? What if she’d stolen the baseball card and the stone? What if that was what he wasn’t telling her? Maybe that’s why he didn’t want her to mention the card and the stone to his family.

The watery world grew topsy-turvy. She could barely draw a breath. She took one unsteady step, then another before a dizzying sensation took hold. The room blurred. Her vision darkened, and before she could draw another breath, her body slipped beneath the water’s surface.