“Good.” She must have sensed my hesitation because she quickly added, “I promise it’ll be worth it.”
A crack of the bat had us both looking up, just in time to see a foul ball heading straight toward us.
People around us squealed with excitement, and Dani jumped to her feet. I, on the other hand, sat frozen, paralyzed with equal parts shock and fear. Before I could even think about getting up, or at the very least protecting my face, a brown leather mitt landed directly in my lap, followed almost immediately by the smack of a ball. The sound rang out through the stands, mingling with the crowd’s uproarious cheers.
“Hey, blondie.”
My eyes zeroed in on the man with his hand in my lap. The same man who had dominated my thoughts, fantasies, and dreams for weeks.
“Hi.” I coughed.
His mouth shifted into an ear-splitting grin, and that was when I realized that I was staring up at him with my mouth open.
He rolled the mitt over, dumping the game ball out in my hands.
“Don’t say I never gave you anything.”
Soren
Spring Training: Week Two
“Okay, be honest.” A collective mix of groans and snickers rang out through the locker room when Roman dropped his towel. “Who drew Winnie the Pooh on my ass last night?”
Yesterday, while I had been balls deep in Clarke’s pussy, a few of the guys had gone out to celebrate Bennett’s birthday, one that had lasted well into the wee hours of the morning and, apparently, ended with drunken doodling.Wait a minute . . .
Upon closer inspection of Roman’s caramel-toned behind, I choked back a laugh. “Hate to break it to you, but that shit looks permanent.”
“Excuse me?” he hissed, his eyes wide as saucers.
“Dude, the lines are still raised. I know fresh ink when I see it.” I held my arms out in front of me. I could practically see the steam rolling off his body. “Don’t blame me. I wasn’t there.”
“You fuckers tattooed a pantsless cartoon bear on my ass?!”
Bennett finished buttoning his slacks. “Dude, you disappeared after the third round of shots with that Australian couple. I’d say you did that to yourself.”
“And how is it that you’re just noticing now?” Tuck asked.
Roman rolled his eyes and covered back up. “I’m sorry. I don’t spend all my free time oglingmyass. I’m not Pink.”
Our pitcher’s head popped out of his locker. “I resent that. It’s not my problem you don’t have a healthy relationship with your body.”
I shook my head and slid my arms into my blazer. Even though it was only Spring Training, management still expected us to wear our finest before and after the game. That meant no jeans, no T-shirts, no breathable fabrics. Didn’t matter. The ride back to the hotel was air-conditioned, so I only had to survive the walk to and from the bus.
“By the way,” Diaz said loud enough to make heads swivel in his direction. “We’re on for M&M night at seven.”
“What’s playing?” Wes asked, surprising me.
Of all my teammates, Wes was probably the biggest mystery to me. He didn’t go out with the rest of us, and he sat in the back during team meetings. Hell, I didn’t even know where he lived. It was clear that he preferred to keep his personal life separate from his work life. I, of all people, couldn’t fault him for that.
“Dazed and Confused.I’ll text everybody the address.”
Fuck, that meant my plans with Clarke would have to wait. Too bad, too. We’d been making steady progress on her list this week. I guessed I could bend her over a couch—item number five—another time.
Bennett sat down beside me to tie his shoes, an exceptionally shiny pair of loafers that looked like they had never been worn. Maybe they hadn’t. Until this week’s games, I’d never seen Bennett in anything but Nikes.
“So, how was your night?” I asked him. “Happy birthday, by the way.”
“It was alright.” He hesitated before adding, “I’m not big on birthdays.”
