Page 4 of Naked

“Ah that’s right. You’re cousins?”

Eve Spencer was the Director of Fan Experience for the Mantas, and she was married to Adam’s cousin, Jake. She was the one who connected me with Adam and Vector Racing. I only met her once, but I was very much looking forward to seeing her again tonight. For one, I wanted to thank her. And for two, I was curious to see how a Mantas executive lived.

“Jake and I are, yes.”

“Max and Sam are a lot of fun when they come to the office with Eve. Have fun tonight and we’ll see you tomorrow.” Drew walked us out of the building. I stayed in Adam’s shadow, my heart jumping into my throat every time we turned a corner even though it made little to no sense.

Hunter wouldn’t be in the executive offices even if he were in town.

And he wasn’t in town.

I double checked the Injured List and his social media pages like the scaredy pants stalker I was.

Adam, being the boss and a former race car driver himself, drove our rental car from St. Petersburg, where the Mantas were based, to the other side of Tampa Bay, to Davis Islands, where the Spencers lived with their two daughters, Max and Sam.

The house was beautiful and appeared to have rather recently been renovated. It held the appearance of old Florida architecture, but everything was clean, modern, and sturdy. We climbed the front porch, but rather than knocking, Adam opened the front door and invited me in.

Inside was much like the outside. Historic in look, modern in feel. Dark, glistening woods mixed with clean white walls. Baseball memorabilia was everywhere. There were signed baseballs, jerseys, and bats. A photograph of each of the World Series winning teams. And older photos of Eve with her famous baseball player father, Papa Joe Daniels.

I took a moment to examine these things as Adam called into the house and was instantly mauled by two girls who appeared to be approximately ten and eight years of age. He threw one over his shoulder while the other wrapped her entire person around his left leg. Both girls giggled uncontrollably.

I found their laughter infectious and joined in their giggles. I sometimes dreamed of having a sister but alas, I only had brothers. Two to be exact. One older and one younger.

Adam dragged his left leg as he walked forward, presumably toward a kitchen based on the smells and sounds I heard echoing down the hallway. This turned out to be true. We entered a large, bright room that looked out onto a tropical backyard with a pool.

Eve came to us, taking the girl from Adam’s shoulders. “Welcome, welcome. How did your meetings go? Hello again, Tilley.” She spun her daughter down to the ground and held out her hand.

“Thank you for inviting me to dinner. You have a lovely home.” It somehow managed to feel expensive and homey at the same time.

“We’re happy to have you, and thank you.” Then she turned back to Adam, kissing him warmly on the cheek. “Elizabeth is in the living room. I was about to deliver drinks, but since you’re here you can take over as waiter.”

“Tilley.” He nodded me over to the bar where a tray with drinks was already waiting. “What will you have?”

I surveyed the options. There were two bottles of open wine. One red and one white. A selection of hard liquors lined an upper shelf. Adam chose a bourbon and poured two fingers into a tumbler. In the fridge below I noted a wide variety of beers to choose from. “I’ll have red wine, please.”

Adam poured me a more than generous glass, picked up the already prepared tray of drinks, and led me toward another room where three women were having a lively conversation.

I recognized the woman to the right as Elizabeth, Adam’s wife. He went to her first, setting down the drinks and kissing her soundly.

It was hot.

And I was jealous for some reason. Not of Adam or Elizabeth. I think maybe it was the love and familiarity they shared. It was intense.

One of the women cleared her throat. “Hi, I’m Carrie. Ignore those two. It might be a while.”

The combination of her face and name triggered a memory. Carrie also worked for the Mantas as an orthopedic surgeon. “Oh I’m well aware. I’ve been trapped in elevators with these two.”

Adam scowled at me. “What have we ever done in an elevator that made you uncomfortable?”

“Exist.”

That got the whole room cackling with laughter. “It’s true!” Carrie howled.

“Your sexual tension is inspiring,” the third woman nodded. She swung her gaze to me and smiled. “I’m Zoe, by the way.”

I froze as more recognition hit me. In all my time with the Mantas I’d hoped and wished for this moment. As a total and complete fan girl ofThe Butterfly Rebellionseries I was well aware that writer extraordinaire Zoe Hyde was married to Mantas second baseman Erik Cassidy.

I made a very ridiculous giggling sound in the back of my throat.Zoe Hyde.Zoe freaking Hyde was sitting in front of me!

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