A subject Damian could discuss with Roper without holding back. He and the other man had come up through the ranks together. They didn't have much in common except the game and mutual respect but it was enough to forge a bond between teammates.
"The kid has balls," Damian said of Ricky Carter. Damian understood the other man's drive and determination. He'd had it himself at that age. He'd also had respect for those who had come before him, and that was where he and Carter differed.
"If you need help stuffing him dick first into his locker, I'm your man," Roper offered.
"Thanks, John."
"My pleasure." Roper folded his arms behind his head and lay down on the long bench.
Silence descended but instead of releasing tension, their conversation had reminded Damian of all he'd left behind on the island in favor of the shit he'd returned to in his everyday life.
He wiped the sweat off his forehead with a towel and copied Roper, lying back and closing his eyes. Better than facing what lay ahead.
CAROLE PACED THE FLOOR of her New York City hotel room, which was twice the size of her condo, a one-floor apartment that she paid for with her job as a legal secretary. Through her position at a law firm specializing in sports contracts, she'd met a variety of athletes at a variety of stages in their lives. Some, like Damian, were close to retirement and others, like Carter, had youth on their side.
She was attracted to them all and when they reciprocated, she indulged in what she thought was every woman's fantasy. Sleeping with ballplayers, star ballplayers, made her feel special and one step up from the other struggling working women of the world.
She'd never thought twice about her lifestyle nor had she had a problem moving on when a relationship had bored her-until Damian had come along. She'd enjoyed his company and looked forward to his return trips to Florida. She thought he'd felt the same way despite his reputation and so she hadn't seen it coming when his interest had faded. Not wanting to lose him, she thought that if she'd played it cool, he'd come to his senses and realize he didn't want to lose her. For a short time, her plan had worked because he had called, wanting to see her on his last trip to Florida. Then he'd unceremoniously dumped her that same night, passing her off to Ricky Carter like she was a piece of meat to be shared.
Not that she didn't like Carter. She did. A lot. Enough to have slept with him starting back in April, while she was still trying to hang on to Damian. She and Carter had had a good laugh over the fact that Damian had thought they didn't know one another. He'd even paid for their night out.
Still, in her heart, Damian's actions had stung. And now she had a major problem. A life-changing problem that would make living in her small apartment awfully cramped.
Her hand came to rest on her belly, as it often had since the stick had turned pink a few weeks ago. A baby. Jeez, how the frig had she been so careless?
She shook her head. Careless wasn't the right word. She might like men, but she was smart enough to use protection each and every time. With each and every man, though in the past six months, there had only been two of them.
Damian and Carter.
She couldn't know for sure whose baby she was carrying, but she knew who was better capable of supporting her and this child.
She knew what she had to do, which was why she was in New York now. She was so nauseous she thought she'd die and she knew it had nothing to do with morning sickness.
She was petrified of telling Damian and yet she knew that he was the only one capable of sparing her from the same fate as her mother-pregnant and alone, raising a kid on welfare, a revolving door of men passing through. In fact it had been this pregnancy that had forced her to face reality.
Her life had been too damn close to her mother's. One man after another, nobody ever staying long, nobody loving her. Carole wiped the tear that dripped down her cheek. Pathetic, that's what she was and she never even saw it happening.
The sound of someone knocking on the door startled her and she ran to the mirror to quickly check her makeup before letting Damian inside. He was her one chance to fix her life and she couldn't afford to mess up now.
CHAPTER NINE
SINCE RETURNING from the island, Damian's game was running smoothly. On the field, he was the Damian Fuller his coaches and fans expected. His first game off the disabled list, he'd played all nine innings, singled, doubled, walked twice and homered once. In the field, his work had been his best in years. Most importantly, as a team the Renegades had won this past series at home and they were still solidly in first place. Carter was pissed at being put back on the bench, but that was the kid's problem. Damian was at the top of his game again and that's all that mattered to him.
His coaches, his manager and most of his teammates were happy with his performance. The only one not taking his calls was his agent, and it didn't take a genius to figure out why Yank Morgan was upset. But the old man had sent his niece off to the island knowing full well that, to Damian, nothing came before his career. Yank couldn't possibly think Micki would change his mind-although Damian had to admit she was the only woman who'd ever tempted him to say to hell with his single-minded philosophy.
He found himself thinking of her at the worst moments. When he was in the field during a game, he'd remember her determined face as she pitched to him, how well she caught a ball and how her hair fluttered in the island breeze. He'd always catch his wayward thoughts before he screwed up on the field. Each time he'd push her out of his mind and promise himself no more. Then he'd imagine how much worse it'd be if he had to deal with her on a daily basis, and he'd assure himself that his decision to keep his distance was the right one.
Damian didn't think his agent would want him to screw up the end of his career over a woman. Not even the older man's beloved niece. And since he planned to stay away, Damian figured the old man would thank him for sparing Micki even more pain. Hell, Yank Morgan would come around in the end because, like Damian, he understood the game came first.
As a professional athlete Damian couldn't afford to let his emotions get the better of him. But as he walked into Carole's New York hotel where she'd asked him to meet her, his gut churned and even his chest hairs prickled with unease. Something about her coming to New York and calling him out of me blue just didn't feel right.
She greeted him warmly but her half smile did nothing to put his mind at rest, either,
"Thanks for coming, Damian." She led him into the oversize hotel room, lavishly decorated and probably a lot more expensive than Carole could afford.
Still he wasn't abo
ut to pry. "You're looking well," he told her. Not good, well. He chose his words carefully.