"You need security to keep the women away, huh?"

He could tell she was deliberately keeping the conversation light for his sake and decided the hell with it. He wasn't in a light mood and she might as well know it going in.

"Right now I want everyone to stay away." He caught himself immediately. "Except you." He hadn't wanted company but with Micki he didn't feel the need to entertain her or make small talk.

She'd never been to his apartment, yet she made herself at home, heading straight for the den and his oversize club chair. Since she'd taken his seat, Damian eased-himself beside her on the arm of the chair.

"So how bad is it?" she asked, reaching for his good hand, the one not in a brace.

"Can't feel my thumb and the rest of me hand tingles like it's asleep."

"What do the doctors say?"

He shrugged. "They're being deliberately vague till the tests are read. They're still mentioning carpal tunnel and a pinched nerve but nobody's willing to commit to anything."

Micki swallowed hard. She'd come here because he'd ignored her calls on both his cell and his home number, and she'd realized he was probably holed up here throwing a pity party for himself. She glanced at the half-full glass of whiskey and frowned. She hated that she'd been right.

Damian was the least self-pitying man she knew but the potential for bad news was strong and he'd spent who knows how long denying the inevitable.

"Don't take this the wrong way and jump all over me, okay?" she asked.

He tipped his head towards her. "I promise not to take it the wrong way. As for jumping you-"

She laughed. "Those weren't my exact words."

"They work well enough for me," he said in a husky tone she couldn't mistake.

A tremor of awareness shot through her but she forced herself to keep her focus. He might not realize it, but he needed sound advice and she was here to give it to him. "Didn't you realize something like this would happen eventually?"

"Ever hear of denial?"

She thought of her Uncle Yank. "I'm vaguely familiar with the term. Look, you're thirty-five and have a multimillion-dollar contract. You've been selected for ten consecutive Ail-Star appearances, you've won an All-Star MVP award, five Silver Slugger Awards and ten consecutive Golden Gloves and that's not the half of your accomplishments. That's a lot to be proud of no matter when you have to step down." She glanced up and noticed the satisfied expression that curved his mouth into a sexy grin.

"Has someone been reading up on me?" he asked.

She nudged him in the side with her elbow. "Don't be so arrogant. I just happen to know these things."

He burst out laughing.

She ignored the burn in her cheeks. "My point is-"

"I get your point, Micki. I just can't accept it."

“Well maybe it's time you do." She let out an exasperated groan. "Maybe it's time that spoiled little boy who thinks everything comes so easily acknowledges that his time in the field and at the plate has passed. That doesn't mean the future doesn't hold great things."

She slid forward and rose from her seat, certain he needed time and space to absorb her words.

"Wait." His hand on her shoulder stopped her.

"I think I've given you enough to think about. I should go."

His hand curled tighter around her, his fingertips branding her with their heat. "What if I don't want you to leave?"

Micki's heart skipped a beat, maybe more, before it kicked in once more. "You aren't upset about what I said?"

He let out a harsh laugh. "Sure I am. That doesn't mean I'm upset with you."

She turned to face him. "Nice distinction. Another way of not dealing with your feelings?" she asked lightly, though how she could speak with both his large, warm hand and his chocolate gaze on her was beyond her.

Her mouth had grown dry and not because of the sexual tension, though it was strong. Something had changed between them.

For the first time since they'd returned from the island, for the first time since the paternity scandal, Micki truly felt as if they were back in their easy, comfortable state.

And because of that connection, the teasing took on more sensual, provocative undertones. Desire raced through her at the thought.

He raised his hand and cupped her cheek. "Know what I like about you?"

''What's that?" she asked, trembling as she spoke.

His thumb caressed her face. "You don't pull any punches. You tell it like it is. And you aren't afraid to go head-to-head with me."

"I learned from the best." Once again she thought of her uncle.

"Well you should know something. Your guts and your spirit? They turn me on."

His voice was gruff and, combined with his purely masculine heat, it turned her on. Still, before she'd consider sleeping with him, she had to make some things clear.

"Damian?"

“Hmm?" His gaze bored into hers.

She gathered her courage because what she was about to say was the last thing she wanted, but she had ho choice. “This can't be more than a one-time thing."

One more time together before the paternity results came in. Micki knew that once they determined whether or not he was the father, she'd lose him one way or another. To his new life with a baby or to his old life that he couldn't seem to let go of.

He stared into her eyes, his hand caressing her face, remaining eerily silent as he pondered her words. She trembled with passion and desire, ready to jump him at a moment's notice. But Micki needed confirmation that they agreed on the ground rules.

She swallowed hard. "Do you understand?"

A muscle ticked in his cheek. "I ought to. They're my damn rules."

It had been a while since she had had the freedom to act on her feelings and she did so now. Slowly she reached out and smoothed her fingers over the lines of tension on his face, trying not to let her emotions show. "And? Do you want to go along?"

"I want," he said in a deep voice. "I want you badly."

His words freed her from worry or from thinking about anything except tonight. A seductive smile curved her lips.

He slid his hand from her cheek to her shoulders, his fingertips dipping below her neckline. His touch was hot on her skin, his intent to tease and arouse obvious- and effective.

She trembled, her nipples puckering into hard knots beneath her lightweight T-shirt as she reached for the opening on his collared polo shirt.

He stopped her, grabbing her wrist with his good hand. "I think I can maneuver things better in the bedroom."

"Tonight you don't have to worry about maneuvering or using that wrist at all," she promised him. "Tonight it's all about you."

Damian appreciated the sentiment but he wanted to make love to Micki hard and fast, to block out everything around him, but her.

"Show me the bedroom," she said, her voice low and husky.

Apparently she was calling the shots tonight. Fine by him. He didn't want to think, not even about her words. She hadn't sugarcoated her feelings and because he trusted her judgment, he'd think about what she said-but he'd do it tomorrow. As she'd pointed out, they had another agenda for the rest of the night.

Her hand in his, he led her down the hallway ending at his large master suite. She stepped ahead of him toward the bed, a place he'd only slept alone. Despite all the women who'd passed through his life, he'd protected and held onto his privacy both on the island and here at his apartment. Though Micki had shown up uninvited, he had no second thoughts about sharing his personal space. She'd already become intimately involved in his life and having her here felt right.

The bedroom lights were on dimmers and he lowered them enough to set the mood. He joined her by the bed, where she'd already begun to strip off her clothes. He had every intention of following her lead.

He reached for the snap on his jeans just as Micki came beside him wearing a nude-colored bra that revealed soft mounds of flesh and delectable cleavage, along with her darkened nipples pressing enticingly into the see-through lace. His gaze fell lower, to her flat stomach and matching panties, also nude, that teased him with a glimpse of triangular shadow.

"You're fast," he said, approvingly.

"Aah, but I intend to go slow." A provocative smile lifted her lips.

She pulled his shirt from his waistband, then slipped the garment up and off easily. Instead of turning to his jeans next, she dipped her head and placed her lips against his abdomen. With excruciating patience, she teased him, running her mouth over his bare chest, leaving a moist trail in her wake. Cool air rushed over his dampened skin and he shivered.

"You like this?" Micki asked, at the same time she splayed her hands over his chest, her fingertips grazing his nipples, turning them into hardened peaks.

He let out a rough growl as desire shot through him, the ache traveling straight to his groin. If she wasn't going to move things along, then he intended to. He needed her too badly.

He unzipped his jeans and quickly shoved them aside.

"Commando," she murmured. "Now that I like." With both hands, she eased him onto the bed and once he was on his back in the center, she straddled his waist.

He slid his hand to the back of her neck, pulling her close for a hot kiss, holding nothing back. He thrust his tongue into her open mouth, delving into the deepest recesses and finding so much more than an answer to his sexual need. Kissing her soothed his pain and eased the ache in his soul.

She squirmed on top of him, her body grinding against his, as desperate as he was to get closer despite the silky barrier that still separated them. He hooked his one thumb into the thin band and slid her underwear down her soft thighs.

"Please tell me you have protection," she murmured.

He nodded. "Not because I bring women here, but yeah, I do." She exhaled a sigh of relief and he laughed. "It's good to know the warning's mutual," he said, tucking her hair behind her ear.

She grinned. "Very mutual."

He retrieved the foil packet from his nightstand and handed it over to her. "The hand's not working well enough for me to do it myself." He eyed her warily as he pushed himself against the pillows and waited for her to take over.

She ripped the foil, an expression of concentration on her face. She held up the condom to the light, eyeing it this way and that "Is there a trick to this?"

"You'll figure it out" He clenched his jaw, his throbbing arousal making it difficult to focus.

His groin jutted upward and she began to roll the thin sheath over him, her fingers brushing his penis. Her lack of skill and yet complete determination was endearing and arousing at the same time.

Once protected, she straddled him, poised directly over where he needed her most. Not about to be completely passive, he reached out and tested her wetness, slipping his finger between her damp folds.

"Oh wow." She shuddered and clenched her legs around his hand.

Damian grinned. "At least I haven't lost my touch.”

"Nobody will ever accuse you of that," she said and began an easy slide down his shaft.

She was hot and tight, and fit like a glove. He let out a prolonged groan, his body shuddering from the need to thrust. But he wouldn't, not until she'd begun her ascent and he knew he could take her along with him.

Damian already felt the urge to come but he wasn't about to do it alone. He thrust upward, making sure she felt the full force of their connection. A connection he welcomed as much as he fought to control.

She grabbed his hand and began a steady rocking motion, grinding herself against him each time she encased him completely in her luscious body. He shifted, adjusting his weight and thrusting upward, over and over again.

They reached a mutual rhythm, one that came so naturally it would have been frightening if he'd had the time to think. He didn't. He could only focus on sensation. On feeling.

She was equally lost, her breath coming faster and fester and faster. Soft cries escaped from the back of her throat and her nails dug into his shoulders as she rode him harder, her body pulling him along for the ride.

Finally her body squeezed even tighter around his. The closer he came to release, the thicker and harder he grew. His muscles tightened and he lost himself inside her.

In more ways than one.

MICKI SCOURED THE CABINETS in Damian's kitchen but there wasn't much to eat or even use to create a meal. Instead she pulled out the box of cocoa mix and used the microwave to make hot chocolate. Just as she finished the preparations, Damian strode into the room, wearing a pair of gray sweats and nothing more.