“I can go slow.”
A relieved exhale tumbles from my tight lungs.
“I can be molasses on a cold day. A glacier sliding downhill. A snail on a leisurely stroll.” His hand flexes beneath my touch. “Whatever you need, Kenzie.”
My lips tick upward because I believe him wholeheartedly.
Our shared smile slips into something heated when Trevor flips his hand and interlaces our fingers. Despite being the one who just set a boundary, I’m about to rise on my tiptoes when Jet cries out.
Trevor chuckles, squeezing my fingers before releasing them. “Roommates for the rest of the day?”
Something inside me wants to scream over the loss of contact, but I nod.
When Trevor walks away to free Jet from her room, I wait for remorse or worry or a myriad of negative emotions to hijack the moment, but nothing comes. Instead, my socked feet pad toward the person who’s always been there for me. A blush of happiness shimmies down my arms because even if we’reonly roommatesfor the rest of the day,we’re still spending it together.
Chapter 18
Trevor
“Come on, old man! Get up and dance,” Tenny goads me, his sapphire tennis necklace flashing in the club lights beside our VIP table.
Normally, I’m down for a little post-game team bonding, especially since we annihilated the Mustangs tonight, but right now, I’d rather be on the couch with Kenzie and our cats, especially since we’re only four days into this nine-game homestand. Instead, I’m at some overcrowded club for a Cinco de Mayo-themed EDM dance party. I check the time and groan when only ten minutes have passed before setting my phone face down on the table.
I don’t even know why we’re out. Most of us aren’t drinking because we have two more games against the Cincinnati-basedteam followed by three games against the Miami Sharks. Two pitchers of virgin margaritas crowd the sticky tabletop next to the bottle of tequila Aaron is using to spike his drinks. Since he doesn’t have to pitch again until Thursday’s game, he’s pouring with a liberal hand and getting sloppier by the minute.
The more he drinks, the more he talks, making it harder not to slap him upside the head. Yet another reason why I wish I’d refused the invitation like Kai, DJ, and Ricky did. But since I’mtechnicallysingle, I got roped into coming.
“You’re not getting any younger, grandpa,” Rhett Wells, our shortstop, joins in. “You’ve got to move while those hips still work.”
Internally, I roll my eyes. Since I’m almost a decade older than most of the single players, I get these kinds of comments a lot. Tenny and Rhett are twenty-five. Aaron is a year younger, like most of the pitching roster. Our other outfielders, Colton Ashford and Jace Sawyer, are both twenty-six. The married players—who got to go home to their families instead of being subjected to the electronically mutilated Selena song blasting through the speakers—are in their late twenties and early thirties, but still several years younger than me.
“I’m good here. Thanks.” I lean back against the booth seat, casually dangling my alcohol-free beer over the top as if my shoulders don’t ache.
My teammates don’t even look tired with the way they’re bouncing around like untrained puppies. The chorus ofboosatmy response quickly fades when a group of women in barely there dresses join us. I avert my gaze when one of them stands directly in front of me. I don’t want to be witness to her eventual wardrobe malfunction since her dress looks like it’s held together with dental floss.
“Hey, there,” she coos. “Mind if I join you?”
I cough hard into my fist before meeting her gaze. “I’m a little under the weather. I’d keep your distance so you don’t catch my cold.”
Though I’m not fond of lying, I really don’t want this kind of attention tonight. Actually, I never want this kind of attention anymore. When I’d been young, stupid, and lonely in a new city with only my teammates to talk to, I often said yes. That was before I understood that these kinds of women only care about my money and status. After a few heartbreaks, I decided it was easier to be single.
“You can sit on me, sweetheart,” Aaron slurs, flopping onto the other side of the wrap-around booth and patting his knee.
I shoot to my feet. If I’m within striking distance of Aaron when he slobbers over another woman like he didn’t just break Kenzie’s heart, I’m not going to be able to restrain myself. And then I’m going to end up with a suspension and potential assault charges.
“Where are you going?” Tenny chases after me as I stalk toward the main club area.
“Home.” I growl the word.
Tenny’s brows bunch together at my moody response, reminding me that I’m never like this with my teammates. I’m always the one keeping everyone together, the uplifter, the friendly guy. We don’t have team captains in baseball, but in any other sport, that’d be my role.
Before I can correct myself, he punches me playfully in the shoulder. “I get it. Gotta rest up. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
I reach the bouncers before realizing my phone is face-down on the table. With an annoyed huff, I turn around, politely pushing my way through the crowd to the roped-off VIP section. Most of the guys are dancing with the women, oblivious to my return.
Good.I just need to grab my phone and get out of here.
Aaron’s back is to me, but just as I move to slip past him, his words make me pause.
