Page 42 of Wandering Closer

Before Thoren can respond, a player moves in front of me, holding out his hand. “Nice to meet you, Lily. I’m Case, number nine. Watch me out there, and I might just hit a home run for you. Stick around after the game and I’ll give you my real number,” he winks.

I shake his hand, smiling kindly, “Nice to meet you. I have plans after the game, thanks though.” I lean further into Thoren’s side, his hand on my lower back flexing. I’m all for a little harmless taunting, but Thoren’s anxiety is palpable. Part of me wants him to claim me as his right here and now, but the other part of me loves that he’s allowing me to make my own choices.

“Case,” Thoren nods to the man still in front of us. “Wanna get your boys in check? They will talk to her with respect or they won’t be talking at all.”

Case’s laugh is loud, catching the attention of those around us. “Yes sir,” he mock salutes. “It’s your brother’s fault.”

“Hey, hey now, all I said was that Lily is single and to be respectful,” River turns to the rest of the room, speaking loudly. “Which we will need to cover the parameters of being respectful again.”

There are groans around the room and I hear more than one muttered, “sorry, dad.” I try to hide my chuckle at how River commands the group. Seeing Thoren in protective mode is hot, and watching his brother be a menace is fun. I want to push myself to be more bold, but now I want Thoren to be thebold one. I want to poke him until he brings out the side that straddled me this morning, telling me how often he strokes his cock to thoughts of me.

River leads us out of a side door into another hall and points us to the exit that leads to the stadium seats. He pulls out his phone and takes a quick selfie with the three of us before slipping it back into his pocket. He hands Thoren two tickets with our seat numbers and pulls him in for a bro hug. I don’t miss a whispered exchange between them, but it’s not loud enough to hear.

River pulls me into a hug next, squeezing me tight. “Sorry about the guys. It’s just too fun riling him up. Take care of him, Lily. He’s a good man,” he whispers in my ear.

“I will,” I mutter before stepping out of his embrace. “Thank you for everything, River. Better make some big plays today or I might make my next book about hockey again.”

He groans, “Get out of here, trouble. You two have fun.” With that, he disappears back into the locker room, leaving Thoren and I alone in the hall.

I turn to Thoren, trying to plaster an innocent look on my face. “Do you think Case will really give me his number?”

THOREN

What did she just say? There’s no way I heard her right. Not after last night or this morning. This sweet, shy woman did not just ask that. I was going to wait until we got home, with a nice home cooked meal and candles, to ask her to be my girlfriend. Was it cheesy, and maybe a little elementary? Probably, but Lily deserves to have all the stops pulled out for her.

There’s no way in hell I’m waiting now though. I stalk her like she’s my prey, crowding her until her back is flush with thewall. “Lily, if I didn’t make myself clear enough before, I’m sorry. Let me make it very clear now. You are beautiful, kind, selfless, funny, strong, and I could go on forever. I like everything about you, and I’ve become a man obsessed. I had a whole speech planned to tell you every little thing about you that has captivated me, but you are pushing my buttons,” I put one hand under her chin, drawing her face even closer to mine, the other hand landing on the wall above her head to hold me up.

“I will be patient if you still aren’t ready, but I want you to be mine. I want to care for you, cherish you, and support you. I will be everything you need, but I will not stand around and let another man have my girl. If you keep pushing me, I will bend you over my knee and spank that perfect ass raw. Am I clear enough now?”

Lily’s chin slowly lowers as she nods, her chest heaving against mine. “Good,” I continue. “Will you be my girlfriend, Lily?”

She barely gets out a whispered “yes” before my mouth crashes down on hers. I part her lips with mine, licking her sweet taste from her lips before sliding my tongue in. My hand moves to stroke her jaw as her soft lips follow my lead. The kiss with her last night felt unlike any kiss I’ve had before, but this one? This one is even better because this stunning woman in front of me agreed to be mine.

There’s a commotion somewhere behind us that I try to ignore until the whistles and cheers start. A mix of catcalls, “get some,” and a very familiar sounding “that’s my brother!” has me pulling back from Lily. Children, the whole lot of them. Her cheeks are flushed, her pupils blown, and her lips swollen from the kiss. I don’t want anyone else seeing her like this, so keeping my body poised in front of hers, I turn to see the locker room door open with half of the team trying to look out of it at us.

Lily’s light giggle pulls my attention back to her, and I can’t help but shake my head at my brother’s antics. “I’m sorry,” I whisper to her, but she just shrugs and leans into my chest.

“Alright, show’s over,” I hear my brother say, and with the closing of a door, silence sweeps the hallway again. I wrap my arms around Lily’s small frame, letting our breaths even out and will my throbbing dick to stand down.

When it’s half on board, I reach down, making a quick adjustment before taking her hand. “Shall we go get some snacks before we find our seats?”

Unsurprisingly, River got us some of the best seats in the house. Our seats are directly behind home plate, allowing us a perfect view of the game. I know for some, baseball can be a slow game, but Lily stays engaged the whole time. She asks questions about each throw, and cheers every time one of the Rainiers takes a base. For a little payback, she even heckled River every time he was up at bat.

My favorite part though, was when Case did indeed hit a home run, he pointed at Lily and winked as he tagged in at home plate. She smiled at him, then turned to me and gave me a soft kiss. Her claiming of me, in front of my brother’s entire team, settled something in me. She truly wanted me, and not a stepping stone to more.

Around the end of the ninth inning, my phone pings.

Bros and Hoe Group Chat

River :

*selfie of River Thoren and Lily*

River :

You’re missing out Jake.

Jake :

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