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meant only for him.
    Like she was meant only for him.
    But her beauty had always been there, hidden just below the surface, just waiting for her to pull back the screen and let it shine. It hadn’t taken much. She let down her hair, changed her clothes, and there it was.
    Well, no, that wasn’t exactly true. The real change, the change that had her catching eyes and turning heads, was her attitude.
    For the first time, Jan was willing to shine. More than her hair or her clothes, it was the set of her shoulders, the lift of her chin, that invited men and women alike to notice her.
    She still didn’t know what she had, but she’d learn soon enough with players like Tyrell Brown panting all over her.
    Okay, to be fair, Brown wasn’t panting all over her. He was all about Vicky, like the sun rose and set in her eyes.
    But he’d noticed Jan— noticed her —and he let her know it.
    It went straight to her head, of course. So would all those Toms, Dicks, and Harrys. She’d lose what little perspective she had. Make one tragic mistake after another.
    It was an apocalypse waiting to happen.
    Everybody started clapping again, and Amelia sat down. Someone slid a plate in front of Mick, a frizzy salad with tiny sections of orange. He ate it like a robot.
    A toe connected with his shin. He looked up into Ray’s knowing eyes.
    Christ, Cody’s right. Everybody’s on to me.
    â€œSox are looking good,” Ray said, an obvious ploy to get Mick’s head back in the game. “We’re driving up to Fort Myers on Monday to check out spring training. Want to come along?”
    Mick shook his head. Shook it off. “Can’t. Back to work on Tuesday.”
    â€œYou took some time off after the fire?”
    The Fire. As if he didn’t fight fires every day. But he knew which one Ray was talking about. The only one anyone was talking about.
    â€œThey sidelined me for few weeks,” he said, “because I got brained by a beam.”
    â€œConcussion?”
    â€œSo they tell me.” Mick shrugged. He wouldn’t have known he had it if they hadn’t forced him go to the hospital.
    Beside him, Jan let out another giggle. He cut a glance at her. She was leaning forward, eyes shining as Cody charmed the ladies with tales of his youth, Tyrell inserting asides that had everyone in stitches.
    Ray kicked him again. “Why don’t you tell her?”
    Mick played dumb.
    Ray rolled his eyes, lifted his chin in Jan’s direction. “The good old days just ended, my friend. You’ve got twenty-four hours—if that—before the competition lines up. Time to get your head out of your ass and make a move.”
    A move. Right. Jan wouldn’t recognize a move if it bit her in the ass. Which, come to think of it, was a move he’d really like to make.
    Not that he would. No way.
    Besides, she wasn’t interested in him. If she was, she would’ve made her own move.
    Wouldn’t she?
    â€œShe thinks you’re out of her league,” Ray put in.
    Everyone was a mind reader tonight.
    Mick quit playing dumb. “I doubt that,” he said, “and if she does, she’s got it backward.”
    â€œI agree.” Ray grinned at Mick’s misery. “But it’s never too late to reform.”
    Easy for Ray to say. Ray didn’t really know him. None of these people did.
    Sure, they knew he got around. His brother liked to say he parked his hard-on in a different garage every night. Which was an exaggeration, but still.
    What nobody understood was that what seemed like an endless pussy party had long since ceased being fun. Now it was just . . . necessary. Sex was like breathing for Mick. He needed it like he needed air.
    His doctor swore nothing was wrong with him, that he simply had a strong sex drive, a “problem” he’d look back upon fondly when his testosterone levels dwindled someday.
    For now, Mick dealt with