Elliott’s easy smile crinkled tanned skin and made his midnight-black eyes dance with humor. “The twang isn’t fake, darlin’, and the ego isn’t the only sizable thing on me. God, you’re gorgeous. Ditch this human computer and marry me.”
She laughed, instantly charmed. But Zeke speared him with a look. “She’s too smart for you.”
“Who isn’t?” he joked, winking at Amanda. “I’m still amazed they let me on the team. I’m the dumbest third baseman ever.”
Dumb as a fox, she suspected, if he was one of the Niners. “I doubt that.”
Elliott reached for her glass. “Smart enough to know when a lady needs a drink.” He put the glass under Zeke’s nose. “Get with the program, Genius. Your girl’s parched.”
Zeke took the glass, giving him an amused glare. “Do your best, Becker. It won’t work. She’s mine.”
“You can’t blame a man for trying.”
Zeke laughed. “No, I can’t. Excuse me, Mandy.”
He stepped away, and instantly the other man got a little closer, a scent of sandalwood adding to his allure. “Where did he find you?”
“High school,” she said.
“No shit. Sweethearts?”
“Not exactly. We had longing eye contact across the cafeteria.”
“Really? I pictured Zeke more of the lost-in-the-library type back then.”
“You can’t imagine.” She gave him a slow smile, wanting to protect—and even improve—Zeke’s reputation. “Every girl in school wanted him in the worst way.” Wanted his GPA, so that wasn’t a lie.
Both his eyebrows shot up. “Including you?”
“At the front of his line.”
He made a little snort of surprise, which gave her a weird jolt of pleasure. “So where you been all these years?” he asked.
Married and held prisoner. She lifted a shoulder and kept the banter going. “Just waiting for him to sow his wild oats.”
“Zeke? The brainiac? He’s never been the biggest ladies’ man on the team.”
“How many of, uh, you guys are on this team?” There couldn’t be too many Niners running around.
“Well, they have been dropping like flies lately. Flynn was one of the founders, but he’s obviously off the team, and I’m a little worried about Lord Leo, who is rumored to have fallen flat on his face in love with a librarian, no less, up in someplace called Sanctuary Island.”
There were lords on the team? “So if you move away, you’re off the team?”
“Not exactly. If you—”
Another man sidled up next to Elliott, nudging him to the side. “You’re out, Elliott. Zeke sent me over to pinch hit while he gets a drink.”
What was this? Another god fallen down from Mount Niner? Amanda looked up at this newest arrival, meeting smoky gray eyes that looked...familiar. Recognizable. Even a little famous.
“I’m Nathaniel,” he said with a picture-perfect smile.
“Nathaniel...Ivory.” She managed to keep the stunned shock out of her voice, as a member of a family that some would call “American royalty” stood right in front of her—and not on the cover of some magazine. “Hello. I’m Amanda Lockhart, er, Mandy. Just call me Mandy.”
Damn, her composure had slipped a little. But whose wouldn’t? Naughty Nate, as the tabloids liked to call him, had hair a thousand shades of chestnut, a jaw like it was chiseled from marble, and that smile that every member of the Ivory family seemed to be blessed with. Along with...a reputation for trouble with a capital T.
“Mandy,” he nodded, openly admiring her. “Well, now I understand why our poor Zeke is a puddle of nerves tonight.”
“He is?” She glanced over her shoulder, seeing Zeke leaning against a bar, chatting with a woman. “He doesn’t look nervous.”
“Watch,” Nathaniel said. “Give him three, two, one...there.” As if on cue, Zeke turned from the woman and looked at Mandy, a little surprised to be caught by all of them.
The other two men lifted glasses to him in mock toasts, and Zeke shook his head, fighting a smile, before saying something to the woman.
“Mandy knew Zeke in high school,” Elliott said, lifting one brow. “Apparently, Einstein was quite the catch back in his day.”
Nathaniel let out a loud laugh. “Not a chance. He’s a card-carrying nerd who, thanks to some very good friends, discovered that even rich men need to hit the gym.”
“Oh, really?” She feigned surprise. “And here I recall they named a set of bleachers after him since he did the deed under them so many times after football games.”
“He was on the football team?” Nathaniel choked.
“And not a virgin?” Elliott added.
She gave a broad smile, careful not to lie. “Trust me, a cheerleader never forgets.”
She could feel Zeke coming up behind her. Maybe she could smell his cologne or sense the other two men shifting toward him, but his hand on her shoulder was no surprise. In fact, it was welcome.
“What are you telling these clowns?”
“I’m sharing what you were like in high school.” She felt his hand tighten on her shoulder, a flash of disappointment darkening his eyes.
“Who knew you were Most Likely to Get Laid?” Elliott drawled, giving Zeke a playful punch.
Surprise flickered on his expression, then it slipped back to cool and calm as he pulled Amanda a little closer. “I don’t like to brag.”
“Your girlfriend is doing it for you,” Nathaniel said.
“Are you, now?” He rubbed her arm affectionately. “And here I thought she never even noticed me back then.”
She looked up at him, lost for a moment in the warmth and invitation in his eyes. “If that was the case, I was blind and stupid.”
His eyes shuttered as if she’d kissed him, the compliment obviously going straight to his heart. He didn’t reply, but they shared an achingly long look.
“Well, she sure as heck is noticing you now.” Elliott put his glass up for a toast. “Let’s make a bet on how soon we’ll need a right fielder.”
“Why would you need one?” Amanda asked.
The other two men fought a laugh, but Zeke looked serious. “Careful what you say, gentlemen. I don’t want to scare her off.”
“Why would I be scared?”
Elliott leaned closer. “We have a strict ‘bachelors only’ rule on the Niners. Once you lose that status, you’re off the team.”