Billionaire's Contract Engagement(25)

"This year should be better," Evan consoled.

She nodded. "Soren is our best. He usually starts cold, though. If we can get out of the first inning, he's awesome."

Again Evan grinned and sat back to watch. Celia bolted from her seat  when the second batter grounded to second and Noah scooped, tossed to  the shortstop who turned the double play to first.

Evan could swear that Noah looked straight at Celia and winked. He  looked between the two and finally shook off the absurd notion.         

     



 

Soren struck out the next batter and the Tide was up to bat. Celia  clutched her hands like an anxious mother. Todd Cameron, the lead off,  looked up at Celia as he headed to the plate, grinned and waved. Celia  waved and blew him a kiss.

Evan stared but didn't say anything. Things just got stranger and  stranger. He was willing to put the first off as a fluke, but when the  third batter came up and gave Celia a thumbs-up, he wondered what the  hell he was missing.

After the batter flied out to center field, advancing the two runners on  a sacrifice, Evan leaned over, intending to ask Celia exactly what he  was missing out on, but she put her hand on his arm and squeezed hard.

"Just a minute. Noah's up!"

Her fingers dug into his arm like little daggers, but he didn't pry her  away. He was too interested to see what would happen when Hart came up.  And, too, he was interested to get a close up glimpse of what he hoped  would be his company's golden PR boy.

Noah's face was drawn in concentration as he began the walk to the  plate. He swung the bat a few times then stopped, two inches out of the  box. He turned and glanced first to the right of Evan and Celia and  dipped his head in acknowledgment. Then he turned and scanned behind  home plate until his gaze lighted on Celia.

He lost the look of intense concentration, and his face relaxed into a  smile. He gave her an exaggerated wink and then held up his fist.

Evan's mouth fell open as he glanced between the two. Celia's hand tightened further on his arm when Noah took the first strike.

"Come on, come on," she whispered.

The next two were balls. Then he swung at the second strike. If he  didn't hit soon, Evan was going to lose the feeling in his arm.

The next pitch, Noah fouled back. The next was a ball, making it a full count.

"I can't watch," Celia whispered.

The pitcher wound up, threw a fastball and Noah swung. The bat connected  with a sweet crack that to anyone listening signaled a smash hit. The  ball sailed over the center-field wall into the upper deck. Three-run  homer to start the game.

Celia lunged to her feet and screamed at the top of her lungs. "Did you see?" she yelled at Evan. "Did you see?"

"I saw, I saw!"

He laughed as she continued to bounce up and down. Noah rounded the  bases, taking high fives from the first-and third-base coaches. He met  his teammates at the plate, where the group jumped up and down and  pounded on Noah.

Noah looked up at Celia and pointed. She leaped to her feet again and  pointed back, her smile so wide Evan was sure she'd hurt something.

Then she glanced over in the direction that Noah had first looked when he'd come up to the plate and then back down at Evan.

"I'll be right back, okay? I'll just be a second."

She hurried up the row of seats and then cut over to the section that  adjoined the home-plate area. Evan watched as she hugged two younger  looking men and an older guy. They glanced over in Evan's direction once  but then didn't look back as they chatted with Celia.

A few minutes later, she returned and took her seat beside Evan again.  He was beginning to think he'd been dropped in an alternate reality. Was  there anyone here she didn't know?

When she'd offered Noah to him on a virtual silver platter, he'd only  assumed that she'd contacted him through his agent and offered him a  deal he couldn't refuse. He hadn't considered that she had such a  connection to his team. And what connection that was had Evan insanely  curious.

He leaned over so she'd hear over the still insanely celebrating crowd. "What am I missing here?"

She smiled. "I'll explain later. Just enjoy the game."

Mysterious little wench. He'd make her pay later when he had her alone.

The rest of the game followed a similar pattern. Celia seemed to know  every damn person on the team. He began to have uncomfortable thoughts,  like whether or not Celia was involved with Noah Hart. It would  certainly explain how she'd been able to get him to agree to the  endorsement deal.

But it also brought up a lot of questions. Like whether she was using  Evan to further her career. He glanced sideways at her. No way. It would  take someone pretty diabolical to have a man like Noah Hart on the line  and then sleep with Evan to secure his business. Why would she even  need it if she was involved with Hart? The man made a lot of money, even  without the million-dollar endorsement deals. He was one of the  highest-paid baseball players in the league.

Before he could get carried away with thoughts that would only enrage  him, he made himself back down and quit speculating. He'd find out  before the end of the day. One way or another. And then he'd decide what  to do about Celia. And his account.         

     



 

When the game ended after the visiting team failed to score the  necessary runs to overtake the Tide in the ninth inning, Celia stood,  her cheeks flush with excitement.

"We're going to have an awesome season. I just know it!"

He stood beside her unsure of what would happen now. Nothing had gone the way he'd anticipated.

Sure enough, she grabbed his hand and began pulling him toward the exit. "Come on," she said.

But they didn't leave the stadium. Instead they went down to a  restricted area, where Celia flashed a pass he hadn't seen up to this  point. He shouldn't be surprised. But when they stopped outside the  players' locker room, he was.

They waited a good while. Several members of the press came and went.  Finally one of the players stuck his head out the door, looked up and  down and then his eyes brightened when he saw Celia. Evan was a little  starstruck. It was the Tide's catcher, Chris Davies. He was a veritable  legend in baseball, and it was rumored this would be his last year  before he retired.

"Cece! You should have just come on in. Noah got held up by an interview, but he wanted you to come on back."

Celia walked over and gave the catcher a big hug and a kiss on the cheek. "Good game, Chris. You're looking as awesome as ever."

The big man actually blushed. He glanced up at Evan, and Evan was convinced the guy scowled at him.

"Oh, Chris, this is Evan Reese. Evan, this is Chris Davies, the Tide's star catcher."

"Yes, I'm well aware," Evan said. "Great game. I've watched you a lot of years."

"You Evan Reese who makes the sportswear?" Chris asked.

Evan nodded.

"Cool. You two come on back. Noah should be done by now."

Despite his wealth and position, Evan couldn't control the incredible  rush of walking into the Tide's locker room. It was every little boy's  dream. It was why he'd gone into the business he had. He loved sports,  and he was as in awe of the big dream as any other kid out there who  loved sports.

Several players stopped Celia for a quick hug and a kiss. Some ruffled her hair and she gave them affectionate pats in return.

"Cece! There you are."

Evan looked up to see Noah barreling his way through a crowd of people.  The next thing he knew, he had Celia in a giant bear hug, swinging her  around in a circle.

Evan watched, his irritation growing more with each passing second.

Finally Noah put her down.

"Hey, did you see? Fantastic hit, wasn't it?"

Celia smiled broadly at the other man and her affection for him was  obvious. A fact that made Evan even grumpier. Endorsement or not, he was  ready to deck the star right in the jaw.

"I saw, of course. You were awesome as always."

"Hey, I need to get a quick shower. You two can wait for me over there,"  he said, gesturing toward a sitting area that was removed from the  chaos of the open locker room. "I won't be long."

Celia kissed his cheek. "We'll be there. Take your time."

Noah ruffled her hair affectionately and loped off toward the showers.

Evan opened his mouth to ask but then shook his head. He'd wait. This had to be worth the price of admission.

Celia led him into the adjoining room and sat on one of the leather couches.

"This is usually reserved for coaches and their families," she said when  he sat down in one of the chairs across from her. "None of the press or  players will come in here."

"You know I have a hundred questions, Cece," he said drily.

She flushed a little guiltily. "Okay, so maybe I'm guilty of wanting to  watch you experience everything firsthand. I mean I could have warned  you but that wouldn't have been any fun."

He raised an eyebrow. "The only question I want answered right now is whether you're involved with Noah Hart."

He watched her eyes go wide in shock. Her mouth fell open, and he knew  in that moment, whatever he might have assumed-even with good reason-he  was dead wrong.