Hot Number (Hot Zone 2)

"He took a stab at being human."

She raised an eyebrow. "Are you kidding? What's he really want?"

"My thoughts exactly but I don't think you're going to believe the answer." A smile curved his mouth and she was tempted to taste the hot chocolate right off his lips. "He wants Carole."

Micki choked on her drink.

"There's more. Apparently their relationship began way before I ever handed Carole over to him. They hooked up back in April."

Micki opened and closed her mouth. "Are you saying the baby could be his?"

"Could be. He's had it in for me for a long time. He's been after my job, my woman-he told me himself." Damian shook his head. "He was the one who called the press that night at Lacie's and the one who sidetracked our luggage. And, he was also the guy who revealed the paternity scandal to the papers."

"Quite a stand-up guy," Micki muttered, never forgetting for a minute that he'd deliberately gotten her drunk that night, which had led to her public humiliation.

Damian rocked back in his chair. "I wanted to throttle him but then I realized thanks to his being a slime-ball, he may have taken the load off my shoulders. And the kicker is? He wants to. Even if the baby's mine, he wants to marry Carole."

Micki gnawed on her lower lip. "This is so bizarre I don't know whether to cheer or hit him with his own bat”

Damian nodded. "Join the club."

"When do you plan on talking to Carole?" Micki asked

His expression turned thoughtful. "The series of away games are over soon. As soon as Carter's home, I figured we'd do it together. Hard to believe the guy who sabotaged me might be my only chance at freedom."

More than anything, Micki wanted Damian free from Carole and this mess but at the same time, she knew what freedom meant to Damian. No personal responsibilities, no heavy-duty relationships, just a man and his career, she thought.

A man minus Micki.

DAMIAN GLANCED DOWN at his hand. He knew better than to attempt to flex. The pain wasn't worth the effort and immobilization was the best medicine for now. Doctor's orders, Damian thought. The doc had called with his test results soon after Micki had left.

Damian was glad she'd missed the call so he could wallow in his grief in private before sharing the news. Apparently he had nerve damage or at least slight nerve damage. Once this flare-up subsided, he could choose to finish out the season, but if he continued to play, he'd be guaranteeing himself an awful lot of time on the disabled list next year and risking nerve damage that would likely be both major and permanent.

Which meant he had to make a decision. If he were honest with himself, the time had been coming for a while now. He just hadn't wanted to face it. Denial at its best, as he'd told Micki.

Micki. Who else would have the guts to throw his inadequacies in his face and make it seem like she was doing him a favor? He bit back a grin at the feisty way she'd confronted him. At the time, he'd silently applauded her nerve.

Hell, the verbal slap she'd provided had awakened something dead inside him. And that spunk of hers turned him on. When he was with her, not just in her bed but by her side, the bad didn't feel nearly as awful as he knew it should.

Damian wasn't a man who wanted women in his life or interfering in his business. That rule didn't apply to Micki. Ever since that New Year's Eve kiss, something had been building between them. He'd denied it, a tactic he now realized was his specialty when he didn't want to face an issue. And when denial had no longer worked, he'd ignored the attraction as if it would disappear. But their chemistry had been stronger than he knew and by the time he'd taken her to bed, she'd already become a part of him.

The best part, he thought. Even then he must have sensed how much he needed her because he'd blindly shown up on her doorstep after Carole's declaration and he'd wanted her by his side ever since. She-and her family-had given him direction and instructions on steps to take in order to cope with the scandal, and somehow she'd kept him focused when he could have spiraled out of control in a panicked frenzy. She'd refused to let him give in to self-pity over his hand and showed no mercy when it came to making him face the future.

What future? he wondered. With the exception of saving his money for a rainy day, he'd never planned for a day without baseball.

"Maybe it's time you should," he said, mimicking Micki's words.

But first he had to deal with Carole and figure out that part of his life. Between him and Carter, Damian was looking at a fifty-fifty shot the baby was his. Not good odds.

But he believed he could handle the possibility. As Micki had correctly pointed out, he had the best role model to make it happen. If the kid was his, Damian knew he'd be as good a father as his old man had been to him. He knew this thanks to Micki.

Damian rubbed his eyes and wal

ked to the window overlooking the park below. Man, he was tired and not just from making love to Micki late into the night.

He was emotionally drained. For many reasons. Not the least of which was Micki herself. What would her role be in his life once he no longer had the baby scandal as an excuse to keep her by his side.

CHAPTER FOURTEEN