Page 82 of The Third Baseman

“Make sure you keep your hands off my friend,” I growled at Coffee Douche.

Throwing a wink to Marnie, I sprinted back to the club, newly energized and much happier than I’d been when I left.

Threatening people really put a pep in my step.

12

MARNIE

Fourteen years ago - March

“You know, by the time you’re done at M.I.T., I’ll be in the starting nine for The Dodgers, on my way to being the best third baseman ever. Tell me about what you’re going to study again.”

Jupiter cast aside the book on the solar system and smirked at me in the lopsided way that made me feel like I was sitting on a firework; crackling hot, and ready to explode. “I already told you a million times.”

“I know,” he leaned up and kissed my nose, “but I like hearing you talk about it. It makes me feel smarter just by hearing you being smart. You never know, maybe I’ll get to N.A.S.A. too, if baseball doesn’t work out.”

His smile widened when I giggled; it wrapped around my heart and squeezed. I couldn’t imagine a day I’d ever get enough of it. There’d been more than a handful of mornings over the past two months where I’d woken up and convinced myself I was still dreaming.

“Okay…” I put down my book on astrophysics, and propped myself back on my elbows.

We were on the plinth; we’d taken to coming every lunchbreak or free period we could, and because it was a slightly dirty, cold wooden platform, I’d taken to packing blankets in my backpack to make it cozier.

Jupiter was lying by my side; I stretched out my legs next to his, and even though I was slightly higher up on the blanket, my feet still only reached halfway up his legs, especially when he scooped them up and shifted one of his big thighs underneath.

I hoped I’d I never get used to the sensation of his skin against mine, especially when his fingers stroked up and down my calves, setting off a delicious squirming in my belly. I’d thought they were magic fingers after I’d discovered what they could do, but then I learned what his tongue was capable of.

I didn’t know it could get better… I was wrong.

Every touch supercharged my skin, slowly driving me crazy as my body bent to his will. I wasn’t even sure my body belonged to me anymore from the way it reacted whenever it was within a hundred yards of him, because since the first time we came up here – every time we were up here – he showed me exactly how he owned me.

I wanted his hands everywhere.

I wanted to feel him everywhere.

Jupiter Reeves had taken residence in my head – which turned to mush – and my heart – which flip-flopped – every time I saw him.

And it was only getting more pronounced.

Is this what falling in love feels like?

“Star, what are you staring at? Tell me what Boston will be like.” His long boy lashes fluttered as he blinked at me, waiting. He was so beautiful, like a meteor shower bursting across the sky.

I opened my mouth to say something, but closed it instead.

“What’s wrong?”

I sat up, reaching out to push my fingers through his thick hair. The spring sunshine had brought more of his freckles out, like the stars at an indigo twilight.

“Marnie, what? What’s wrong?” His brow furrowed with concern, only relaxing slightly when I smiled.

“Nothing’s wrong, Jupe. It’s good, it’s all good. I was just thinking how happy I am.”

He inched up, his smile capturing mine while his hands scraped roughly through my hair, desperate to get to me. I tasted the Dr. Pepper he’d been drinking, or maybe it was the cherry LifeSavers he’d become addicted to; whatever it was, it tingled along my tongue as his tangled against mine.

I let out a soft moan and moved back; it was too hard to concentrate when he was touching me, and I needed to get this out properly.

I’d been thinking about it for weeks.

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