Page 39 of Totally Opposed

“I guess I’m just luckier than you. Probably means my team is, too.”

“Have you checked the score? We’re leading, you know.”

“Not for long,” I say, and then Tim hits the ball and I take off, rounding third and sprinting for home. Tim is right behind me, his hit soaring high into the crowd.

“Bloody brilliant, mate,” Tim laughs, slapping me on the shoulder as we walk back to the dugout. “That should score us some points with the GM.”

Every game, the guys are all trying to put on the best show they can, not just for the crowd, but for the GM, Bart Erricson. To show him that we deserve to be here. That we deserve to stay in the league next year. As much as I know Alan and I play with everything we have, every single time we step onto the field, I can understand, if the guys knew about us, that they might think we were taking it easy on each other out here.

“Woooo, Tim, you were amazing. Can I get an autograph?” a tall guy wearing a Funky Monkey jersey calls, leaning over the rail.

“Sure thing, mate,” Tim replies, jogging over. “The jersey looks good on you,” Tim says, signing something and handing it back. To say this guy’s face went from zero to flaming red in two seconds would be downplaying it.

Tim doesn’t appear to notice and jogs back to where I’m waiting.

“Think you made his whole week,” I say, nodding towards where the guy is still watching us, smiling wide and clutching the paper in his hands.

“Any day I get asked for an autograph is a great day for me. Everyone is always falling over Pat and John with their pretty boy Hollywood looks.”

“Well, that guy was not looking at anyone but you. Wasn’t half bad looking himself, too.”

Tim glances back towards the rail and sends a smile to the fan before we take our seats with the rest of the team.

***

“We’ll get you next time,” Alan says as he strips off my shirt on our way to the bedroom. “I hate that we shower in the locker room. I was looking forward to cleaning you off.”

“Make me all dirty again and then you can clean me with your tongue,” I reply, and his eyes go a little wide at the thought and he strips off his shirt, too. “Umm, so I was meaning to ask you…”

“You can ask me anything as long as you’re taking off your pants while you do it.”

I undo the top button of them, then pause. “Did you tell your friends about this…us?”

His tanned face starts to take on a more red undertone.

“Shit, who said something?” he asks, walking to the window before turning to face me. “It was Harry, wasn’t it? When you were at bat. Is that why you missed the first pitch?”

“So they know?”

He rubs the back of his neck with one hand, but bending his arm that way makes his bicep bulge, and now I forget why I was even asking the question, and I reach over and slide my fingers over the perfect curve of his muscle.

“They don’t care, I mean, not really,” he says, and I’m not so sure I believe him. It’s not like we would be the first guys in the league to hook up, but the last time, it didn’t end exactly well,and with talk of the only keeping one team next year growing, I can’t imagine they are cool with us getting involved. Not that we would let it affect our game. We will always go for the win, no matter what.

I loop my arms around his waist.

“I don’t care that they know if you are okay with them knowing,” I say, and his hands cup my face, the rough pads of his fingers brushing against the soft skin by my ears and sending a swarm of butterflies swirling through my gut. Alan grew up on a ranch and his hands hold the memories of that time in every line and scar. The feel of them as they glide over my body brings every nerve alive.

“It’s only my friends that know, not the whole team, and they won’t tell anyone if we don’t want to make this…us…what we are, public.”

“The public are the ones that will be the least surprised. Did you see the comments on that last intro video we did? Dennis cast us as star-crossed lovers and the fans are eating it up.”

“So you aren’t mad that they know?”

I kiss him. His mouth welcomes mine as one hand slips behind my neck, and I let out a soft moan before I pull away.

“I’m okay with them knowing about us, but maybe we should talk about what we actually are.”

“What do you want us to be?” he asks and all the blood in my body rushes to my face.

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