Page 28 of Rounding Third

She has on a tiny crop top. It’s barely able to contain the swell of her breasts and it’s making me wish I had the balls to take this further tonight.

“Is this ok?” She frowns down at her shirt as I continue to stare at her. I’ve never seen her dressed like this. “Maybe I should borrow one of your shirts. This is what I was going to wear to bed at home and when you texted, I just threw a sweatshirt on over this…”

“It’s fine,” I mumble, trying to control the emotions spreading through my body. I want her so badly.

“Are you sure? I don’t mind changing if you don’t mind me stealing one of your shirts.”

“You’re always free to steal my shirts, but you look amazing in what you’re wearing.” I scrub a hand down my face and try to keep my hands to myself. I'm not sure it will be possible tonight.

“Why do you look mad then?”

“I'm not mad, Sweets. I’ve just… I’ve never seen you dressed like this before and I’ve always known you were hot, but this is some next level shit.”

“Umm… thanks?” Her brows furrow together as her cheeks heat with embarrassment, making her look even sexier.

I'm not used to women being shy around me. Sure, some women pretend to be, but they’re just playing a part. Most of them have no problem walking up to me and telling me exactly what they want from me. I'm not exactly attracted to that. I want Liliana. I want the woman who will blush faster than you can blink and isn't sure how to accept a compliment.

After climbing into bed next to me, she turns on her side and faces away. I plaster my chest against her back and wrap my arm around her, settling my hand on her stomach. I spread out my fingers so I'm covering her entire abdomen. I want so badly to slip my fingers under the bottom of her crop top, but I don’t want to push things too far.

“What’d you do today, Sweets?” I murmur against her hair.

“I went shopping with Winnie.”

“For anything in particular or just for something to do?” I ask, showing her I care about her and what she does. I want her to know I'm listening to what she says too.

“I needed an outfit for my date,” she says softly. I can hear the hesitation in her voice. She doesn’t want to talk to me about thisand I'm not sure if it’s because she doesn’t want to upset me or if she isn't comfortable talking to me about it.

There’s no way she hasn’t picked up on how I don’t want her going on this date. Liliana pays attention to everything and I'm sure she saw the way I clenched my jaw when she first told me about it.

Her fingers brush over my arm and move up and down my forearm. She knows I'm not happy even though she can't see my face. I wish I could be excited for her, but I can't.

“Oh. Did you find anything nice?” I swallow hard to keep my anger and frustration out of my voice.

“Winnie made me buy a black dress. She says every woman needs a little black dress in their closet.”

“How little is this dress?” I can't keep the growl out of my voice this time. The thought of her walking around in a dress that doesn’t cover enough skin makes me want to lock her in my house and never let her leave.

“Oh, stop it.” She swats at my arm and snuggles further into my hold. “It’s just one date.”

I tug her a little closer, but don’t say another word. There’s nothing I can say. Nothing I can do at this moment. I need to wait. The only way I can convince her I'm the right man for her is to show her.

I won't stop until I can prove I'm the correct man for her.

Chapter 13

Smithy

The closer and closer I get to Liliana going on her date, the worse my attitude gets. I need to figure out a way to keep her from going on this date, but I don’t know how.

My head is down and my attention is anywhere other than walking into work. I should be focusing on work and preparing to start practice, but I can't do it.

“Hey, Smithy! How are you? I haven’t seen you in a while.” Cici smiles as she walks down the hallway towards the parking lot.

Being Cord’s twin sister, Cici has hung out with us a lot over the years. She’s really sweet and nice to talk to. She looks like a clone of her mom and if she has any other dad, I’d be shocked she’s still single. Having Owen Powell as your father probably makes things difficult. The man has no filter and doesn’t have a problem speaking his mind. He’s the most intimidating person I’ve ever met and I know for a fact I’d never want to deal with him as my girlfriend’s dad.

Cord being her brother probably doesn’t help either. He can be intense when he wants to, especially when he’s being protectiveof his sister. The two are really close and I know she’d want any man she dated to get along with Cord too.

“Hey, what are you doing here?”

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