Free Center Stage: A Hot Baseball Romance (Diamond Brides Book 8) by Mindy Klasky Page A

law.
    But she wasn’t a little girl any more. She was a woman—a woman who had been ready to become a wife two times in as many years. It wasn’t her fault the guys had gotten cold feet.
    All right. Maybe it was her fault. Maybe she’d missed some clues along the way, failed to read messages, neglected to understand the subtle things that had all been left unsaid.
    She understood things now, though. She understood that Ryan Green was standing behind her, his hands wrapped around her hips, holding her steady, away from his body. Away from the erection she was pretty much positive he was sporting.
    She should step forward. She should pretend to be fascinated with the play of moonlight on ocean waves. She should chatter away about nothing, about the silver light on the boardwalk, about the gulls sleeping on the sand, balanced on one leg, about anything at all that would give Ryan a chance to get himself back under control.
    But she’d made her decision the night before, when she’d TPed Will’s house.
    Holding her breath like she was afraid she’d shatter her own determination, she turned to face the man behind her. She felt his fingers tighten on her hips for just a heartbeat, and then he started to pull away, to edge higher onto the beach, away from her and the crashing ocean waves.
    She didn’t want to let him go.
    His biceps were hard under her palms as she clutched him, harder than any muscles Will Templeton had ever dreamed of having. Don’t think about Will .
    His thighs were hot against hers as she leaned into him, scorching through her jeans in a way Will Templeton had never done. Don’t think about Will.
    His lips were soft beneath hers as she brushed against him, as he invited her to touch, to taste in a way Will Templeton had never done. Don’t think about Will.
    Frustrated by the stupid tricks her mind was playing, angry with herself for not listening, she darted her tongue against the corner of his mouth. His lips opened easily, as if he’d only been waiting for her to make up her mind, for her to take the first step. His breath steamed against hers, sweet with Coca-Cola and candy bars.
    His arms were iron across her back, keeping her balanced on the shifting sand. He pulled her close, closer, and her hands scrabbled across his shirt. Now that she’d opened Pandora’s box, she wanted more. She arched her neck, knowing that his hand would be there to support her head, that his fingers would tangle in her hair. He eased her lips to a perfect angle, and she moaned deep in her throat as a white heat rippled down her spine.
    A good girl would be embarrassed by that moan. But Lindsey was ready to leave that good girl behind forever. She rubbed herself against Ryan’s chest, reaching behind her for his hand, the one spread against the small of her back. She clutched his fingers in hers, pulling them to the hot V at the top of her thighs, pressing his palm into the hard seams of her jeans. As he cupped her, hard, she fumbled with the single button, fighting with the zipper to free herself, to give him the access she wanted, she needed.
    And then a piercing beam of light cut between them.
    She cried out in surprise, feeling Ryan swallow half her exclamation even as he pulled away. She blinked hard, trying to stare into the white brilliance, trying to make sense out of the glare and the blanket of freezing air that smothered her.
    Ryan edged his shoulder in front of her, protecting her with his body as he raised a hand to shield his eyes from the blazing light. Lindsey knew she should do something, she should fasten the button on her jeans, she should sneak her zipper back in place. But her body refused to follow her command. She couldn’t move. She couldn’t speak. She couldn’t think.
    Because with Ryan blocking the worst of the light, she could see who stood in front of them on the beach. She recognized the navy uniform, the gold star glinting on a breast pocket, the utility belt heavy with a nightstick