Page 11 of Praising the Pitcher

Her shoulders move up and down. “I don’t know,” she answers softly, but a thoughtful expression fills her face. “Well, when I was little and my dad was away on a business trip, if I was feeling down, my mom would take me swimming.” Suddenly, her cheeks heat, and she looks away. “But that’s dumb. Obviously, we’re not going to go swimming.”

“Why not?” I ask. “NEU has a pretty sick pool, and there’s a whirlpool too.” I grin when her eyes finally lift to mine again. “Get your swimsuit, and I’ll stop at my dorm on the way to the pool and grab my trunks. We’re going swimming, damn it.”

Her hands clasp together as she nods subtly and looks toward the house. Panic crosses her face, though she does a good job at keeping her body relaxed. Right away, I know she doesn’t want to go back inside, and I feel like a dick for suggesting it to begin with.

“What drawer are they in?” I ask, reaching my hand for the door.

“What?” she whispers, her eyes widening.

“Your swimsuits. What drawer are they in?”

She chews on her bottom lip, no doubt debating if she really wants me in her room, looking through her drawers. I wouldn’t blame her if she didn’t, but I also don’t want to force her to go back inside The Nest so soon.

“Top left,” she eventually says.

“I’ll be quick,” I promise, pushing the door open, but I stop and look at her once more. “Don’t worry, Smoke. I’m not a panty sniffer or anything like that.”

At first, she looks mortified, but after a few seconds, she cracks the smallest smile and seemingly relaxes a bit. “Good to know.”

“Be right back.” I hop out of the truck and run inside.

And if I see her bra and panties, I need to do my best not to think about what she looks like in them …

GIGI

I look down at the three bathing suits Noah grabbed and frown.

“You brought all the ones I have,” I say, though it’s more of a question because why would he bring all of them when I just need one?

He backs out of the driveway before driving down the road.

“Well, one of them looks like a training bathing suit. I’m guessing you wear that when you’re swimming laps. The other looks similar but felt less constrictive and more comfortable.” He glances over at me for a second, smirking. “And the third is your … sexy girl bikini. It’s still got the tags on, so I’m guessing you aren’t someone who goes and hangs out by a pool or at the beach in the summer, and you haven’t had any use for it.”

Not saying a word, I think back to when I bought it six months ago. I was with Haven and Harley, and they were buying bikinis and made me try a few on. They told me my butt looked way too good not to buy it, so even though I’d never bought a bikini before, I did.

Growing up, I only had athletic swimsuits because, aside from when my dad was away and my mom took me swimming, going to the pool meant getting a workout in. I didn’t do it for fun; I did it to stay in shape.

“So, which one will it be today?” he drawls, a grin laced in his voice. “I mean, I know which one I’d like it to be, but I’m not trying to set your creeper alarms off.”

I look forward to the road in front of me. I may read a lot of romance books, but when it comes to flirting, I don’t have a clue what I’m doing, and I’m also not very good at knowing when someone else is flirting with me.

“Which one w-was that?” I half stutter, surprising myself with what I just asked.

“Gigi, I don’t think you should have to even ask that,” he returns playfully. “Obviously the one that’s skimpier, but you’d be a smoke show in any of them.”

My cheeks are on fire now, and my hands are starting to sweat. Noah King isn’t just my friend’s brother, he’s also the campus playboy. Even just a freshman, his name has gotten around that he’s nothing but a good time.

Luckily, he pulls over and parks in front of a large building that houses athletes. I have no doubt that next year, he’ll live on the same street as I do because he’ll be in The Tower or maybe The Lookout.

“Wanna come in?” he asks, and even though I don’t really want to be alone, I shake my head. If anyone in the dorms saw me going into his room, the rumor mill would be turning. My dad is a major donor at NEU. He’s around campus weekly, and the last thing I need is for him to think I’m sneaking around with someone because, until my softball career is over, he’s forbidden it.

“You sure?” he asks, holding my gaze.

“Yeah, I don’t really want the entire campus to think I’m one of your hookups,” I blurt out. “I’ll wait right here.”

Maybe I’m imagining it, but I swear his grin falls slightly for a moment before he nods his head.

“All right, I’ll be right back. Don’t worry, I’ll pick my skimpiest suit too.”