Page 23 of Curveball

I bring her to our table and introduce her to my teammates. I simply say her name, not that she’s my little sister’s best friend. It occurs to me that I don’t think I’ve ever introduced her to anyone as anything other than Arizona’s friend before.

The waitress approaches and we order drinks. Fortunately, a table of professional baseball players garners top-notch service.

There’s only one available chair at the table. I sit and start to pull Ripley onto my lap, but she pulls back. “Stop. I’m too big for that.”

I’m stronger than she is, so I overpower her and pull her to sit on my lap, whispering in her ear, “I seem to remember a time when you very much enjoyed sitting on my lap.”

She bites her lip as her cheeks flush at the memory. There’s that lip bite I remember well. It’s more of a lip-dragging. It stirs something in me. I want to suck on that lip.

I squeeze her close and maneuver her so that my leg is snugly between hers. It’s under the table and very dark in here, so no one else can see it, but she looks back at me with a look of warning. I smile innocently.

Our drinks arrive, and we’re chatting with my friends. Her friend Emily is sitting with Drew as they shamelessly make out at the table.

I’m happy to have Ripley in my arms again as I take liberties with my hands. I love her curvy, womanly body. She’s so voluptuous.

I inhale her hair. Her smell is intoxicating to me.

“Tell me about college.”

She smiles as if remembering. “We had the best four years. Arizona and I lived with two other girls on the team, twins Bailey and Kamryn Hart. Kamryn is the craziest person I’ve ever met.”

I let out a laugh. “I’ve heard about her antics. Arizona talks about them all the time.”

She nods. “Crazy but amazing. I miss all of them, especially your sister. This month is the longest she and I have ever been apart since the day we met.”

“I love your friendship. I envied it at times. It’s not easy to find truly trustworthy people. You two have that.”

“We do. I love her like a sister. I’d do anything in the world for her.”

I can’t help but smile at the sincerity with which she loves Arizona.

She continues, “As you know, we won two national championships. It should have been three. I’m sorry you missed them. I know Arizona wished you could have been there.”

“I couldn’t come with my schedule. Your games were on the same days as ours. I watched most of them on television though. Sometimes I snuck my phone into the bullpen to watch during our games. You’ve had a greatcareer. I love seeing you play. Both of you. I feel, in part, responsible.”

She aimlessly runs her fingers through my hair. “You were. You always let us play with the older boys. It made both of us better.”

Countless women love playing with my hair, but for some reason, when Ripley does it, it drives me wild. It’s worth the harassment I’ve endured from teammates through the years about it just to have her fingers in it again. Her touch sends electricity running through my body, and she doesn’t even realize it. Though I’m hard as a rock under her. She must feel that.

“What about you, Quincy? How are things? She worries about you. You’re so tight-lipped. You never come home. It’s always her flying here for visits. Why not the other way around?”

I shrug. “I fly in and out for a holiday now and then. Besides her, I have nothing to come home to.”

“What about your parents?”

“They’re busy. They never made time for us. Why should I make time for them?”

“That’s not totally true.”

“They’ve never once come to watch me play. With my first big contract, I offered to help them retire. They said no. I then offered to pay for a manager to give them more opportunities to see Arizona and I play. Again, they declined. I’m over it. I’m over them. My sister was the only thing I had tying me to our hometown. She doesn’t live there anymore. I have no reason to ever go back.”

I see a moment of hurt flash in her face before she steels herself. “They’re good, hard-working people. Cut them some slack.”

“I don’t want to talk about my parents.”

“Fine.” She sighs. “How do you like it here in Houston?”

“It’s not bad. I’m not totally enamored with this city, but the guys are a good group. We have fun. Make sure you go to the rodeo. It’s a life experience no one should miss.”

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