“I haven’t danced like that in years,” commented Javi once they were seated in the back of the car.
“I haven’t either. I was surprised at how well you danced,” admitted Camdyn.
“I’m originally from Miami. My family is Cuban. Dancing seems to be inherent for us,” he stated with a wave of his hand.
“No one is born that good of a dancer,” said Camdyn. “I took classes for years and I would bet you took some, too.”
He laughed. “You’re correct. I had a few classes. My father thought dancing would enhance my body awareness andimprove my strength and agility for baseball. But I was always good at my lessons, so I think it was mostly inherent.”
Camdyn was intrigued. She couldn’t imagine her brother taking dance classes. “Do you think the classes helped your playing?”
“I don’t think it hurt. Does that make me less masculine to you?” he teased.
She laughed. “No. I still find you very masculine.”
“How about handsome?” he questioned.
She tried not to smile. “Yes, I find you handsome, too.”
“That’s good,” he replied. He leaned closer to her, as if to divulge a secret. “Because I find you incredibly attractive, Cami.”
She raised a brow and questioned, “Cami?” Had he already forgotten her name?
“Sí, Camdyn. I think it suits you,” he replied while maintaining eye contact with her, as if challenging her to dispute it.
He had no idea how arousing she found that.
Their ride stopped in front of the hotel and Javi took care of the fare before taking her hand and leading her into the hotel lobby. He stopped once inside and faced her while still holding her hand. “This is my hotel. We can grab a drink in the bar and talk until you’re ready to go. Or we can go up to my room. You get to lead. What do you want to do,Cami?”
With her free hand she reached up to stroke back a piece of hair that had flopped onto his forehead. He was giving her a way out with drinks at the bar, but she didn’t want it. Tonight she was being reckless. Just this once, but by her own choice. Tonight, with Javi, she didn’t have to be an ice queen. She didn’t have to be perfect and controlled. She knew she was safe with him.
“Your room,” she answered.
A smile spread across his face. It was easy to tell that was the answer he’d wanted. He tugged her hand and led them to the elevator.
CHAPTER 4
Keep in the best physical condition, keep your eye on the ball and get on top of your plays.
– William “Bill” McGowan, Baseball Hall of Fame inductee, 1992
Sweat trickled down Javi’s back and he could not wait to hit the showers. As he lifted his arm to throw a ball back to Gallegos, he discreetly sniffed his armpit. Ripe was an understatement. He would have loved to have shed his jersey like half of his teammates had done during practice, but his chest protector would have rubbed his skin raw, so he’d kept it on. Usually, perspiration dried quickly in the dry Arizona heat, but his gear trapped it, causing him to swelter like he was still at home in humid Florida. Their stadium was a dome. They could have practiced in the temperature-controlled, air-conditioned environment, yet their manager made them practice outdoors at a private field at least once a week.
After what seemed like endless repetitions, their sadistic manager called an end to the day’s grueling training session. Javi had performed fine, but his mood was sour. He wanted to blame the heat—he was certainly dehydrated from it—but heknew that wasn’t the root of his grumpiness. He wasn’t his usual outgoing and friendly self. He’d been impatient and irritable with his teammates.
He’d been in funk since the day before when he’d awoken in his San Diego hotel room alone. He normally slept light, but somehow he’d crashed hard enough for Cami to sneak out without waking him. She hadn’t even left him a note. All he had was her first name and an obsessive mind that kept replaying every interaction they’d shared. There was no way she had not noticed the electric chemistry between them. His only hope was for her to show up at another one of his games. She’d clearly been a Diamondbacks fan, so he was praying she showed.
He trudged to the cavernous locker room with the rest of his teammates. They’d barely made it into the air-conditioning when Javi heard the shrill sound of his mother’s unique ringtone echoing through the large facility. As the guys continued talking, stripping off their clothes and heading off to the showers, Javi grabbed his phone from his locker. He’d missed the call, and according to the display, it was thetenthhe’d missed.
Dread settled in his belly. His mother called daily, but never repeatedly. She normally only called him before she went to bed. Something must have happened. He immediately struck her contact on the phone, and as he waited for the call to connect, he sent up a prayer that she was okay.
He must have looked freaked out, because Callahan Gallegos caught his eye and asked, “You okay?”
Javi pushed his free hand through his sweaty hair while the phone rang. “Man, I don’t know. I missed ten calls from my mom.”
Cal’s face immediately took on a look of concern as he dropped down on the bench across from Javi to untie his cleats. The El Conquistador was a good guy and had quickly become Javi’s closest friend on the team.
His mom’s line picked up and Javi turned away from Cal. He didn’t need anyone seeing him break down if she hit him with bad news, but all Javi could hear was his mother’s uncontrolled squalling. “Mamá?Mamá, what’s wrong?” he pleaded as his gut became a mess of anxiety.
