Emily found herself breathing quicker, and she was very, very grateful she’d made an effort with her appearance tonight.
Caleb put his hand on her son’s shoulder and directed him back toward Emily. She appreciated that he hadn’t forgotten about her child and that he wanted to get up close and personal. Stopping right in front of her, Caleb said softly, “Emily … you’re exquisitely beautiful.”
Emily put a hand to her throat. “I bet you say that to all the ladies.”
Caleb shook his head shortly. “I’ve never met a woman as beautiful as you.”
Emily had no clue how to respond. Her throat was dry, and her hand trembled against it.
“Can we play now?” Krew begged, tugging on Caleb’s arm.
“Of course, little man.” Caleb gestured back toward the field, where a camp chair was set up next to a small table. “I thought you might like a chair and some snacks and drinks while you watched,” he told Emily.
She blinked in surprise. “Wow, um, thank you kindly.” So he was not only incredibly good-looking, excellent with her son, witty, and an impressive, successful athlete; he was also thoughtful. Wow, oh wow.
He put a hand on the small of her back and walked her to the chair. Emily trembled from the warmth of his touch searing through her jacket and shirt. She didn’t think this could be considered a date, but she was grateful that Jeff rarely came around. If he saw her with this incredible man, his jealousy would kick into overdrive. Four more months. Sheesh. She was in trouble.
* * *
Caleb had seen many a beautiful woman, dated many a beautiful woman. He’d never been drawn in like he was by this gorgeous female. He tried hard to focus on teaching the adorable little man, but his thoughts and his eyes strayed often to Emily. He needed some questions answered, he needed to ask her out on a date, and he needed to simply be closer to her.
His brain was mush from too many times of staring at Emily in awe rather than thinking straight. Her pale pink top complemented her almond-colored skin and dark eyes. If he ran his hand over one smooth shoulder, would she smack him? He was willing to try at this point. She was driving him to distraction.
Krew was doing great, but Caleb was racking his brain for a drill that would keep him distracted so he could flirt with the little guy’s mom. “Okay. We need to work on ground balls and cradling,” he said.
“Yes, sir.” Krew saluted him, mostly respectful, but the kid had a smart-alecky streak that had to be from his mother. Caleb loved it. These were his kind of people.
“I’m going to stand by your mama and toss the ball, and you’ll have to run for it, scoop it, and then cradle to the end of the field and back. Got it?”
“Yes!” Krew was lit up with excitement just like he’d been for the last hour. This kid lived and breathed lacrosse. He was perfect.
Caleb walked over to Emily. She smiled a warm greeting from her chair. She’d drunk one of the sparkling ice drinks but hadn’t touched the snacks. She stood as he approached.
“Hey,” she said softly, running her hand along the outside of her thigh.
Caleb thought it might be a nervous gesture, but it made his heart pump faster. Had she lost her sass from last night? He’d liked that sass a lot, but he liked the idea that he made her nervous too. Oh boy. He needed to slow down. He wasn’t big on commitment or responsibility, and these two deserved both. “Hey,” he said.
“I’m ready,” Krew called.
“All right.” Caleb slung the ball from his lacrosse stick, and it flew over Krew’s head and bounced across the deserted field. Caleb was glad that this section of the park was relatively quiet.
“What kind of drill is this?” Emily asked, standing next to him.
Caleb glanced down at her, getting a whiff of a light, sweet scent like honeyed lilacs. She was tall for a woman, a couple inches shy of six feet, but he was six-four. Her height fit him as perfectly as her sass did. “Ground balls,” he said.
“Really? I was thinking you could call it ‘make the adorable child run so you can have a minute alone to flirt with the mama.’”
Caleb grinned. There was that sass, and she was encouraging him to flirt, right? “Was I really so transparent?” he asked.
“Yes, sir.” Yet there was something vulnerable in her eyes, something just for him. He wanted to earn her trust. He wanted to be the one to step up and love and be there for these two. Wow. He’d never felt anything like this before. Wouldn’t his brothers be chortling with glee if they could hear his thoughts? Caleb hadn’t even thought of pranking Emily; flirting with her was more fun than any prank he’d been involved in. He should be terrified with the switch, but he was thrilled with it. He could still get lots of pranks in with his own siblings, especially Seth. Just yesterday, he’d had thirty-seven pizzas delivered to Seth and Breeze’s fancy motorhome. Seth had thought it was hilarious, and all of the nearby motocross crews had loved the pizza.
Krew raced the length of the field and headed the other direction, cradling the ball in his stick.
“You didn’t like the snacks?” Caleb asked, gesturing to the table.
“You don’t get this shape by popping in peanut M&Ms like they’re candy,” Emily said.
Caleb grinned. So she knew that she was fit and appealing? Good for her. “You look great, but they are candy.”