"If his family's here, we cook and clean for them. If not, we come in weekly to freshen the place up and keep it from getting musty while nobody's living here."

Micki nodded, though she wondered how they made a living on Damian's sporadic visits alone.

"When Damian was young, we were his neighbors in New Jersey," Rosa explained as she chopped tomatoes. "We didn't have any kids of our own, so I'd do babysitting for his mother while she worked. She helped his father out at his car dealerships. Damian made it big, bought this place about the same time Tino had a heart attack."

She spared a loving glance at her husband. "He needed warmer weather and Damian needed caretakers. It's a win-win situation, though a much bigger win for us," Rosa said, clearly embarrassed.

“Don't sell yourself short,'' Damian said, joining them.

He stepped closer, his big body overwhelming Micki from behind, his heady masculine scent sending warning signals to her brain. If she thought she'd slept off the effects of last night, she'd been sadly mistaken. Her reaction to the man was as potent as ever, which meant her plan to seduce him was still in full force.

"I see you met the best people around," Damian commented, affection in his tone.

"We met," Micki said warmly.

'We're almost finished," Tino said. "Do you want us to come back and clean up?"

Micki shook her head. "No thank you. I can take care of-"

"I'd appreciate it." Damian interrupted her.

He eased closer and leaned his head near hers. "They'll be insulted if they think they aren't needed," he whispered quietly into her ear. His breath was warm and his lips brushed against her hair. He might not have intended anything except imparting information but the result was erotic all the same and she shivered.

"Well, I need my rest anyway," Micki said.

Rosa nodded, pleased. "Dinner will be ready in a few minutes, so why don't you go sit and have a drink?' She gestured in the direction of the dining room.

Micki had expected a casual dinner, but as she headed to the other room, she found the rectangular table set with a delicate tablecloth, good china and two glasses of sparkling water poured and waiting for them. Surprised, she turned to question Damian.

He stopped short, nearly walking into her. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing, except…why the formality?"

He shrugged. "Rosa thinks company's a reason to use the good dishes."

"I would have thought this room was for show," she said, laughing.

"If it were up to me, that's what it would be for. My sisters decided if I was going to have a big house and help, I shouldn't be serving on paper plates in the den."

"They have a point."

He strode around her, pulled out a chair and waited for her to be seated.

Suddenly nerves took over as she found herself next to Damian at the end of the table. In the silence that followed, the atmosphere around them grew more intense. She became aware of the ticking of the clock on the wall behind her, a synchronized accompaniment to her heart as it beat heavily inside her chest.

She searched for an easy topic of conversation. He had his prearranged doctor's appointment the next day and Micki knew he put a lot of stock in the doctor helping him get back to work soon.

"So how 'bout them Renegades?" she asked to break the tension.

It worked. He grinned and raised his glass. "To the division championship, then the NLCS and finally the World Series."

She lifted her water and clicked her glass with his. He seemed pleased at the topic of conversation and she didn't want to mess up by getting too serious. "I spoke to Sophie and she said the camp ran smoothly."

He nodded. "It always does. You Jordan girls have a knack for PR."

"Thank you. It's something we all enjoy, which I'm sure helps a lot. Nobody wants to get up and go to work every day and be miserable."

"Amen."

She smiled. "You love what you do, too."

"There's nothing more fulfilling than baseball."

She raised an eyebrow. "Nothing more fulfilling, huh? Are you absolutely sure? Because I can think of a few things that at least come close." And in case her insinuation wasn't clear, she reached out and ran her foot up and down his leg.

He blinked, obviously startled. Well, so was she. She hadn't thought she'd have the nerve to pull off Sophie's first suggestion.

"Micki Jordan, are you flirting with me?" he asked, stunned.

She tried for a relaxed smile. "I believe I am." Because she might never get another chance like this again. A rush of excitement flooded her veins.

Damian, meanwhile, still looked stunned.

"What's the matter? I can't imagine I'm the first woman who's propositioned you."

He placed the glass back onto the table and leaned closer. "Is that what you're doing? Propositioning me?"

She nodded slowly. "The question is are you up for the challenge?" Because Micki wanted him at peak levels.

Damian stared at the woman next to him. How had she gone from embarrassed ingenue to seductive vixen? And how did he get the shyer Micki back? No way did he want to be alone with the bold Micki, who seriously threatened his tenuous restraint.

"Oh, Rosa," he called. "Is dinner almost ready? I'm starving."

Micki met his gaze and chuckled. "I'll be sure to keep that in mind."

"Is everything a sexual innuendo where you're concerned?"

She propped her chin on one hand. "Only since I met you." She paused in thought. "Actually only since Carter got me drunk, then you kidnapped me to a remote island off the coast of Florida."

"I tried to talk you out of the strip joint," he reminded her.

"That brings me to another point I thought you were a fun guy."

"I am a fun guy."

"You're going to have to prove it," she teased and his groin tightened with immediate need.

"Dinner," Rosa said, arriving with two plates, heaping with delicious food.

He'd hoped Rosa and dinner would break the tension, but as they began to eat, Damian realized they were just inching closer to the end of the meal and time alone-when he'd have to decide whether or not he wanted to meet Micki's challenge.

"Rosa, this is delicious," Micki said.

The older woman blushed. "Thank you. Steak, potatoes and green beans. All Mr. Fuller's favorites."

"So he ate his vegetables as a boy, did he?" Micki asked.

Rosa shook her head and laughed. "No but we've been piling them on his plate anyway. If we call them his favorites, we figure one day he'll forget and believe it"

"His mother's idea," Tino said, striding into the room with a wine bottle in his hand. "Wine anyone?"

Damian placed his hand over his glass. "No, thank you."

"Me neither."

Without warning, Micki ran her foot up and down his leg once more, blatantly teasing him. His gut twisted and he broke into a sweat. No way could he withstand a serious post-dinner assault.

"While you were having your wine, our daughter Sara called," Rosa said.

"The one who's getting married in a few months." Though he'd never been close with their children, Damian knew all their life stories and the depth of Rosa and Tino's love and pride in their brood.

"Well, not according to her. She had an argument with her fiance and just like that, she called off the engagement." Rosa snapped her fingers.

"As if a promise means nothing," Tino said, his disappointment and concern clear in his tone.

"I'm sure she didn't break the engagement lightly," Damian said.

"That's what we need to find out." Rosa glared at her husband. She obviously wanted him to withhold judgment. "So we need to leave early, but I promise to come back and clean in the morning."

"That's not necessary." Micki waved a hand, calling attention her way. "You help your daughter. I'm happy to clean up."

"Are you sure?" Rosa asked.

Damian had every intention of letting them go to their daughter. "We can handle it," he assured her.

“Thank you " Tino said.

"Both of you," Rosa added. She untied her apron as she quickly walked back to the kitchen. A few minutes later, the door slammed shut behind the couple, leaving Micki and Damian alone.

Using caution, Damian turned to Micki. "I thought you wanted to get out of here as soon as possible." He hoped his reminder would get her to think about leaving again before he did something stupid. Like sleep with her.

"I changed my mind. I’m not so sure leaving is best for me after all. I like it here. It's relaxing, it's away from the press…and you're here."

Damian glanced toward the ceiling. How much could a normal guy take? She was sending out blatant signals and he couldn't deny his interest. Hell, he'd been interested for too long and now she was all but offering herself to him.

He'd never denied that he'd been spoiled, the baby brother of sisters who catered to his every whim and the athlete whose money assured him that any woman would do the same. Until now, he'd always known when to draw the line and respected the need to do so.

Micki deserved that same respect, but she so obviously didn't want it, and damned if he could stop himself from acting on what they both desired.

"You're serious?" he asked because he had to be sure.

"About you?”

He nodded.

"I can spell it put for you if you'd like," she said,leaning closer, her fresh scent enticing him. "I’m deadly serious about wanting you. About understanding your rules and not expecting anything beyond this. In fact, I'm so busy at home, I wouldn't have time even if you came crawling on your hands and knees."

He raised an eyebrow, wondering if he'd read her wrong in the past and she really was into short flings, or if she was telling him what he wanted to hear.