Page 81 of The Third Baseman

I pulled her out of sight, hiding her behind the wide trunk. Except for the brief second when I’d found her on the floor of her hotel room, this was the closest I’d been to her. I held my breath, expecting her to push me away.

Instead, her pulse ratcheted up. Her eyes flashed as she searched my face; big, and wide, and pleading. Those eyes were all I’d seen for the past three days, and when she dropped them it felt like I was witnessing an eclipse.

I softly tipped up her chin so she could see me, see for real how sorry I was. How desperately I wanted to fix my fuck up.

“He asked me, Jupe. That’s all,” she whispered.

My heart thumped. I took a step in, stealing the rest of the air between us as I caged my body around hers. “You haven’t called me Jupe since we were kids.”

Careful not to scratch her with my callused fingers, I used my knuckle to stroke along her jaw. Her skin was still as soft as I remembered, and my dick showed no care for how inappropriate it was to have a boner in the middle of a park on a Wednesday afternoon.

Her breath was kicking in bursts when I brushed my thumb along her lower lip, tugging on it ever-so-slightly. Every cell in my body wanted to capture it between my own, especially when she glanced up at me, green eyes flashing like night flares.

Now,nowshe was looking at me like she used to look at me.

I swallowed hard, trying to ignore my dick twitching and focus on the task at hand. I was so close I was breathing the air she expelled.

“I’ll ask you, Star. I’ll ask you whatever you want. I’ll give you whatever you want, but right now…” I moved my thumb and replaced it with my lips; the softest graze, the most gentle of presses – but only a taste; not even the briefest slip of my tongue against hers. She so was addictive, once I got started I’d never stop, especially when she began quivering. “I’m sorry. I’m so fucking sorry for hurting you. This week, when we were kids… every single time.”

“Jupe... seeing you again…” Her eyes filled with tears, and my stomach plunged. “I’m trying my best.”

Every one of my muscles tensed. What had I done to her? And I didn’t just mean this week.

I wiped away the spillage. “Don’t cry, Marn, please. It fucking kills me. Don’t cry. We can be friends. Whatever you want, we can be. I’m so fucking sorry I was such a dick. Now, then. In the future.”

For some reason that made her cry harder, so I cupped both sides of her cheeks.

“It’s okay. I promise, it’s okay. Do what you need to do. I’ll give you the space, and I’ll be waiting when you’re ready. However long it takes.” Her trembling jaw punched me right in the gut. “Just don’t ask me to stop believing in us. I can’t do that.”

She sniffed so I took the sleeve of my jersey and gently wiped her runny nose, just as a loud throat clearing told me my time was up.

“Everything okay here?” Coffee Douche asked.

I tore my eyes away from Marnie. Jesus, no wonder he was behaving like Ace. He looked about the same age, and way out of Marnie’s league.

Fuck, even I was out of her league.

“Everything’s fine.”

He didn’t fool me with the fake gasp. In fact, I’d have had more respect for him if he’d come straight out and admitted that was why he’d interrupted in the first place.

“Shit, you’re Jupiter Reeves. Holy Shit!” He bounced around like his brain was about to explode. “Can I get a selfie?”

And this was where my reputation for being an asshole came in handy. I peered at Marnie, my eyebrow raised, but she looked at her feet to hide her tears. She had yet to experience the Jupiter known to the public, though she’d definitely seen me being an asshole.

“Nope.”

“Dude, come on, it’ll just take a second,” he whined, holding his phone up. “I gotta show my friends. They’ll never believe it…”

“Move that any closer to me and I’ll break it,” I snarled, my eyes still trained on Marnie.

He recoiled, muttering “dick” and something about The Dodgers under his breath, but he now had a story for his friends – he’d called the great Jupiter Reeves a dick.

Unfortunately, he didn’t leave us in peace like I was hoping. I guessed that was my cue, and Marnie now had some explaining to do.

Ignoring him, I leaned over and kissed her damp cheek, low enough to also catch the corner of her mouth. “See you later, Star. You know where to find me when you’re ready.”

She blushed, slowly biting her lip as her fingers ran back and forth over them. Forcing myself to look away took every fiber of self-control I had.

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