Page 35 of Convincing the Catcher

“Well, what do you think! Should we post it now?” She practically bounces in her seat. “I’ll post it on mine and add you as a collaborator.” She lifts her brows. “You know, to really seal this whole … we are besties deal.”

“Still can’t believe you got the badass part,” I say, pretending to be annoyed, even though I know damn well she is way more of a baddie than my ass will ever be. “But, fine … post it, Catch. Let’s give people a laugh.”

“Already done.” She giggles, holding the phone out to show me her feed. “It was too good not to share. Even though I’ll be honest, Pam did not seem like a fan.”

“That’s okay, Paul was enough of one for the both of them,” I deadpan. “He asked me what Tripp’s favorite color was.”

“Yeah … that was a little odd.” She covers her mouth, fighting back laughter. “He was obsessed with your stepdad. So, I guess we should be thanking Tripp because if it wasn’t for him, who knows if he would have even agreed to doing it.”

“If it got him out of alone time with Pam, I’m going to go ahead and say he still would have,” I tell her honestly because Paul was a happy guy. Pam? Not so much.

She looks at her phone again. “Already a bunch of likes.” She yawns. “Told you people would love it.”

I’m silent for a moment, wishing that this night wasn’t already over. As pathetic as it sounds, it went by too fast.

“Well, I guess we’ll head back to campus then.” I say the sentence, but it’s more of a question. I don’t really care that I have a five a.m. practice. If she wanted to stay out all night, I’d do it with a fucking smile.

“Yeah, I guess so,” she answers, bobbing her head up and down. “I’m sure we both have early mornings.”

Reluctantly, I shift the truck out of park and pull away from the curb, bummed to have to take her home but thankful that we at least get thirty minutes of driving together.

Thirty-five if I drive like an old grandpa … which I fully intend on doing.

When we get back to the road we both live on, Eagle Way, I park my truck in front of The Tower and kill the engine. I know our night is about to come to an end, and it sucks, but at least parking here gives me a few extra minutes with her when I walk her home. I’ve liked having Harley riding shotgun tonight. Actually, I’ve liked everything about the past few hours.

“Well, thanks for a great date,” she says, smirking. “Though I have to tell you, that pasta was to die for, but I’m not sure if it was worth the amount of money you dropped on yourself for me to bid on you …”

“Well, Catch, that may be true, but also, what other date would give you such a flawless injection? I mean, you’ve got to admit, I totally killed it.”

“That is true,” she agrees. “I guess if it doesn’t work out in baseball, you can always be a phlebotomist.”

I grimace. “Fuck no. That’s like … blood. I would be passed out on the floor after my first patient.”

Laughing lightly, she pushes her door open, making the lights in the cab of my truck come on. We both hop out, and she waves politely.

“Thanks again for dinner,” she says, taking a few steps backward, like I’m really going to let her walk back to The Nest after dark. If anything, me parking by The Tower was a strategic decision to set myself up for a little more time with her.

“Look, Catch,” I say, following her, “you may live like, five houses down, and you may have more muscle than a lot of the dudes I’ve played with, but I’m walking you home.”

Still walking backward, she laughs, shaking her head. “I can literally see The Nest from here, Cane. I think I’ll be okay. No bogeyman out tonight.”

“Even if there were, I’m sure you’d fuck him up,” I say honestly.

When she simply stares at me, narrowing her eyes, I shrug. “Look, entertain me and just let me walk you home, all right? My mom would kick my ass if I didn’t at least walk you to your porch.”

Once I’m beside her, she turns, facing forward. “Wouldn’t have taken you for such a gentleman, Hale,” she murmurs, glancing over at me.

“I’m not always a gentleman, trust me,” I say before I can stop myself.

Images of all the ways I’d show her that flash through my mind …

Stopping on the fantasy of me shoving her down to her knees on this sidewalk and telling her to open those pretty lips.

My cock twitches, and I shift around, thankful for how dark it is out right now. I’m not supposed to be thinking of her that way, but every single time I take a shower or when I watched her sip from her straw, wrapping her lips around it with her eyes on me, that’s exactly what the fuck is on my mind.

We reach The Nest, and she walks along the pathway, stopping on the first step of the porch before she turns toward me.

“Thank you, Cane,” she whispers, the moonlight dancing in her beautiful, big eyes. I may not be able to see the color right now, but I already know how green they are because I think I’ve got them memorized. “Not just for dinner, but also for just …” She pauses, biting her cheek. “For following the rules. For not flirting—” She breathes out a near-silent laugh. “I mean, aside from the auction night.”