Making a Comeback by Kristina Mathews

Author:Kristina Mathews [Mathews, Kristina]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781616509996
Google: qhxjBgAAQBAJ
Goodreads: 23649051
Publisher: Kensington
Published: 2014-12-31T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter 16

Even though she’d invited him for dinner and he’d agreed, Annabelle was surprised to see Cooper at her front door. He was dressed in dark designer jeans that fit him like nobody’s business. His tailored shirt was a silvery green, the color of eucalyptus leaves. Longing stirred inside her. For the man, yes, but she also longed for home.

She leaned in and gave him a quick hug.

“Your cologne smells like eucalyptus. It reminds me of San Francisco.”

“It’s the lotion.” He smiled. “Are you still using the stuff I gave you?”

“The one made by the little old lady from Mendocino?” She’d been using it religiously. And it really did help with the stiffness. “Are you hurting? Is your shoulder okay?”

“The shoulder’s fine. I still use it out of habit, I guess.” He reached up and rubbed his shoulder. Also out of habit? “Plus, it smells good.”

“It does.” She stepped aside to let him in. “How long did you live in San Francisco?”

“Nearly six seasons.” He held a bottle of wine in his left hand.

“Do you miss it?”

“Sometimes. It’s a great city.” He transferred the wine to his other hand. “I always kept my place down here, though. I guess I knew I wouldn’t stay in San Francisco forever.”

“You don’t want to be here, do you?” Annabelle noticed he stood stiffly, like a kid forced to wear a starched suit. “Is it me or my friends?”

“Annabelle.” He still sung her name. “I do want to be here. With you.”

To prove it, he set the wine down on the hall table and kissed her, his whiskers tickling her lips. He’d trimmed his beard, and she liked the way it looked. She really liked the way it felt. Her body sang with his touch.

“Good. I worried that maybe since we…” She took a deep breath.

“You thought that since we slept together, I’d, what? Lose interest?” He shook his head. “I don’t know what kind of guys you’ve been with before, but…”

“You’ve met my ex-husband.” She didn’t want to talk about the other guys she’d been with. Especially not that disaster that happened in New Zealand. And she didn’t think he wanted to hear about her relationship with the guy he’d been traded for. “But that doesn’t matter. I don’t want things to be weird between us.”

“I don’t want things to be weird between us, either.” He reached down and brushed her hair off her forehead. Then he placed a gentle kiss on her scar. The tenderness moved her in a deep way.

“But you don’t want to have dinner with my friends, do you?”

“It’s not that.” He let out a sigh. “They’re part of the baseball world. I disgraced the game, and I don’t know if I’ll be a part of that world anymore.”

“Maybe it’s time you find out.” She led him back to the kitchen.

* * * *

Cooper set the wine on the counter. He reached into the drawer where Annabelle kept her wine opener, but then he thought maybe he was making himself too much at home.

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