Page 99 of Curveball

She leans her head on my shoulder. “I figured you’d be emotional. Shortly after Arizona left for the airport, I did too. I needed to make sure you were okay.”

I press my lips to her head, taking in her scent. “I’m better now that you’re here.”

Without any conversation, we both move our hands and intertwine our fingers.

She soothingly rubs her thumb over mine. “How’s Layton?”

I blow out a breath. “He’s living the nightmare of every ballplayer. Arizona seems to have a soothing influence over him though.”

“How was she?”

“Upset when she arrived, but she got it together for him by the time he woke up. I’m starving. Are you hungry?”

She shrugs. “I suppose.”

I stand and pull her up. “Come on. I’ll feed you.”

I grab her suitcase, and we walk inside straight to my kitchen. I open my refrigerator and she giggles at its contents. “Condiments, beer, pickles, and fresh strawberries? Tell me you’re a bachelor without telling me you’re a bachelor. Except for the fresh strawberries. That’s odd.”

“I always have fresh strawberries. They remind me of you.”

I lift her onto the kitchen island. She screeches when I do. “Stop. You have to pitch in two days. You’ll pull a muscle.”

I roll my eyes as I retrieve the bowl of strawberriesand situate myself between her legs. I grab a berry and start tracing her lips with it.

“Taste it. There’s an Amish farmer’s market a few blocks away. They have the best strawberries I’ve ever had in my life. I go there every week. And you know I cook, we’ve just been on the road and busy with the playoffs, so I haven’t lately.”

Her pink tongue slides out and licks around her lips. “Umm. Good.”

“That’s what you taste like to me.” I feed it into her mouth. “Take a bite.”

She does, and a little juice dribbles down her chin. I bend forward and slowly lick it off.

“Yum. Definitely what you taste like.”

I run my hands up her thighs and move my lips slowly toward hers in case she wants to stop me. But she doesn’t.

She threads her fingers through my hair and meets me halfway. Just before our lips meet, she breathes, “Will this feeling ever go away?”

I don’t know if it means she wants it to go away or doesn’t want it to go away. I’m not sure how I feel about it either, though June’s words have been weighing heavy on me. For now, in this moment, I need her, and I think she needs me too.

Our lips meet. Like every time they do, it’s a reminder of how incredible it feels to intimately connect with her like this. How soothing it is for me.

My late-night visit with her a few weeks ago was limited to kissing. I don’t know if she’ll allow more now, but she quickly answers that question, whispering, “Take what you need.” It’s barely audible, but I’m pretty sure she adds, “One last time.”

“What I need is to devour every inch of you.”

She squirms on the island as she nods her head. I don’t need to touch her to know she wants me every bit as much as I want her.

I make quick work of her shirt and bra, taking in her heavy tits. They suddenly seem bigger, fuller, but it must be my imagination.

I grab another strawberry and circle her nipples with it before lapping them with my tongue. “You taste so good.”

She locks her ankles around my waist and rubs herself against my hardened cock. “I need you.”

I know the feeling. Nodding my head in agreement, I gently push her back on the kitchen island. “Enjoy the ride, Shortcake.”

About a minuteafter Ripley leaves in the morning, there’s a knock at my door. I wonder if she forgot something. When I open it, I see Blanche.

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