Page 104 of Strike Zone

“Can’t wait to see where this is going. Looks kinky.” I place my left hand in hers. She lifts an eyebrow and grins.

“When you pretended to need a tutor all those months ago, you put your hand on top of mine.” She runs her palm over the top of my hand spreading the lotion around. “I couldn’t believe how cracked and abused your hands were. I thought it was all from baseball. I didn’t know.”

Wren uses both of her hands to work the lotion into my knuckles and fingers. They do look like shit after years of baseball and farming. She adds pressure, massaging the overworked joints. After several days of pitching, this feels amazing.

She’s really fucking good at this.

“I didn’t know how hard you worked and everything you carried on your shoulders. I judged you. I’m sorry. I thought you were…a joke.” She bites down on her lip. “I didn’t think you knew how to take anything seriously, including the importance of a good moisturizer.”

She adds more lotion to her hands and works her way up my forearm and to my shoulders. She finds a knot in my pitching arm and massages it with her fingers and knuckles.

“Now I know the truth. You’re the hardest working person I know. You love your family. You carry the world on your shoulders.” She squeezes said shoulders, then slides her hands up my neck and into my hair. “I’m sorry I was so mean to you.”

“I told ya, I like you mean.” I kiss her sweet lips.

Her fingers dig in my scalp and she massages my temples.

“Fuck, birdie. You’re going to have to do this for me every night.” I grip her ass and yank her forward. “So you can reach me better.” I grin as she settles on my dick.

“Yes, this is much better.” She rolls her hips.

“You weren’t exactly my favorite person either,” I say to let her off the hook for forming a bad opinion about me in the beginning.

“And now?”

“And now I’m not sure how I’m going to be able to walk away,” I answer honestly.

It’s the painful truth of it all. The more time I spend with her, the more I want to keep her with me in Alabama. I want her to make the farm her home.

I tuck a piece of hair behind her ear. “I told you months ago, you’re a strange bird, baby,” I say softly.

“That’s not exactly a compliment, Wyatt.” Her glasses slip and I push them up on her nose for her.

“Do you know what strange means?”

“Of course I do. It means weird.”

I shrug my shoulder. “It also means unusual, extraordinary, remarkable. You’ve always been those things to me. Intriguing and unexpected. I’ve fallen in love with you, birdie. Stay with me in Alabama. Start a life with me.” The words tumble out of my mouth. I didn't mean to say all of that at once but she's always made me forget how to use my filter.

Wren doesn’t move. Her hands freeze on my arms. Her eyes glaze over. If it wasn’t for her chest rising and falling, I would think she stopped breathing too.

“You can’t love me. That’s not what this was supposed to be.” She attempts to move off my lap but I hold her in place.

“Maybe not, but it’s what it is. That’s what happened. I’ve fallen in love with you. I want to start a life with you. I want to build a house on the hill with you. I want a tire swing in the tree so I can push you and watch your hair blow in the breeze. And I want you.”

Wren stares at my chest. She's refusing to look me in the eye.

“Say something.” I duck my head to get in her line of sight. “Tell me you don’t feel the same. Tell me you don't want those things too. We both know you'd be lying. I like fighting with you. If you want to go that route, we can. I was never much of a brawler until you gave me something worth fighting for.”

“For the past few days I’ve felt like part of me was missing,” she whispers. “I’d do all the things I usually do. I made my lists. I stuck to my routines. I did everything I could to find some kind of normal but nothing helped. When you aren't around, everything feels wrong. I’m miserable without you. I hate you for that.” She smirks.

“I’m not sorry about that, baby.”

“Didn’t think you would be. I've always told myself that falling in love wasn't for me. I never wanted to do it. That's why this arrangement was perfect for me." She takes a deep breath and wipes at her cheek. I don't like where she is going with this. I grip her tighter than I should. If this is over, I need her to say it.

"I think my way of doing relationships worked because there was never a worthy opponent. No one ever challenged me or pushed me. There was never anything at stake. Not until you. You're right. I do love you. I tried not to. I really did. But it was a wasted effort because I fell in love with you anyway.” Her words are so sweet my heart starts pumping honey into my veins.

“Say it again.”

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