Page 31 of Crossed Up

The fans absolutely lose it the second I come into view. I feel kind of bad bombarding Lyla like this on our first date, but I’m also looking forward to seeing that adorable blush on her cheeks again.

And if I put a little extra swagger into my step, who’s gonna know but me?

I realize with satisfaction that the girls are, in fact, sitting right behind home plate, which will give Ly a clear view of my ass all game. I make my way over to them, and the closer I get, the more I can see the bright, mildly confused grin taking over my girl’s face.

Her cheeks are flushed pink as she watches me make my way to the only short part of the fencing right next to the home team’s dugout. I see a few players I recognize on my way past and send them a wink, earning me loud laughter and plenty of ribbing.

Hopping the gate, I finally make it to Lyla and crouch at her feet, offering up the flowers first with a sneaky grin. “Heard it was a gorgeous girl’s first baseball game.”

She bats her long, dark eyelashes at me with a way too innocent grin. “Who, me?” she asks with a fake yawn. “Nah, I go to these things all the time. Honestly, this one has been pretty boring so far.”

That pulls a bark of laughter from me. I can tell she’s been spending way too much time with Rhodes’ fiancé if the sudden burst of sass is anything to go by. A crazy idea hits me, and I couldn’t stop my smile from spreading if I tried. “Wanna make it more interesting?”

Lyla raises an eyebrow in question, but she’s still grinning. “What did you have in mind?”

She’s so short when she sits down that I’m still eye level with her while crouching, so I use the angle to my advantage and slide my hand around the back of her neck, gripping firmly. Her smile is wide, like she thinks I’m going to make a joke, but I don’t.

Leaning in so our mouths are nearly brushing, I whisper, “I was thinking something like this.”

And then I kiss her.

You know those disgustingly cheesy movie moments where the main characters kiss for the first time and everything stills around them? Kissing Lyla Taylor is like that.

The roar of thousands of fans and all the constant noise in my head. The fears that I’m not doing enough as a father, brother, and friend, and the overwhelming weariness of everyday life. It all goes silent the second my lips touch hers.

I try to keep it short and sweet since I’m painfully aware more than fifty-thousand people are watching us, but as I go to pull away, she licks her lips, making that sweet tongue brush against my mouth, and for the hundredth time since I met this woman, my control snaps. I yank her mouth back to mine with an intensity I’m confident I’ve never felt for another person.

My tongue invades her mouth, swallowing the breathy gasp that tries to slip from her sinful throat until the cheers and catcalls around us become impossible to ignore. We pull apart, both of us breathing heavily. Her green eyes are glossy and dark with desire, making my cock throb painfully inside the protective cup I have on.

I’m totally going to have an imprint of the damned thing on my dick later, and I don’t even fucking care.

“Wow,” she whispers quietly, her gaze locked on my mouth. Her gaze is locked on my tongue as I lick my lips. Just to let her know she wasn’t imagining it, I roll the ball of my tongue piercing between my teeth as subtly as I can and wink at her when her eyes widen.

Wren is grinning like a menace next to us, and I discreetly flip her off where my angel can’t see. Ly looks just as stunned as I feel, and as much as I want to stay and kiss her some more, I can hear the guys calling my name, and I know I’m probably going to catch a hefty fine for delaying the game.

That kiss was worth every fucking dollar.

14

LYLA

“Sooo,” Wren sings next to me. “How was your first major league game?”

I snort, linking our arms together as we walk down the hall towards the locker room. Apparently, most of the player’s families meet them here after games, and even if I weren’t about to go on a date with the incredibly sexy catcher, I would still be welcome because I’ll usually have Crew.

My smile is wide, and any panic I thought I’d feel is suspiciously absent as I recall the way Aidan effortlessly hopped the fence to get to me. I have to fight the urge to swoon when I think about the kiss—our first kiss. It was nothing short of a movie moment, and with his blond hair and perfect smile, he reminded me of Prince Charming.

Yeah, if Prince Charming had a perfect ass.

Turning to my best friend, I grin. “It was alright, I guess.”

She howls with laughter, pulling the attention of the entire room. Most people just smile or shake their heads, so I’m guessing they’re used to Wren’s brand of boisterous laughter.

“Alright,” she says. “Yeah, I’ll bet getting up close and personal with Aidan’s surprise hardware and getting to stare at your soon-to-be boyfriend’s perfectly toned ass the whole game was such a hardship for you, Ly-bear.”

I snicker and shrug because I can’t even deny it. The tongue piercing was a surprise, alright. A freaking hot one.

I tried really hard to focus on the girls when they tried to explain the rules of the game to me, but then Aidan would catch my eye and wink, or crouch down in those damn pants, or my mind would drift, wondering what that particular piece of jewelry would feel like on other parts of my body. Either way, now I get why some women are so obsessed with baseball players.

---