Page 38 of Rounding Third

“I can take you home,” Kevin offers. Him and Cici would be adorable together.

I wonder if the two of them will hit it off. I almost hope they do. I feel bad about Kevin. I kind of used him to get Smithy to make a move and as long as the night goes how I think it will, I won't be looking for a second date.

“That would be great. Smithy, I’ll be in touch with you about next week. Liliana, it was great to see you. We really need to get Macy and Charlie together for a girls’ night out.”

We all say goodbye and Smithy’s hand stays on the small of my back as he leads me out to his SUV. I smirk and shake my head when I think about how he was sitting outside of my apartment.

“What’s happening next week?” I peek up at him as he opens the passenger’s door and holds out a hand to help me in.

“I agreed to go to a charity dinner with Cici. As friends.” He carefully shuts my door then rushes around to his side of the car. As soon as his door is shut and he starts the engine, I smile sweetly at him.

“Is that how you convinced her to crash my date with you?”

“What?” He coughs, choking on his own spit.

“You heard me, Travis.” I arch a brow, daring him to argue with me.

“Yeah, I just wasn’t… expecting that.” He runs a rough hand through his hair, messing it up even more. I smile as I think about how much I prefer his look than Kevin’s polished one. “Listen, I want to discuss this, but I’d rather do it when my attention isn't split between you and the road.”

“We can sit here and talk.”

“We could, but I’d rather talk to you when I don’t have anything separating me from you. Can we talk when we get home?” His eyes are pleading with me to understand. To give him a chance.

“Ok,” I whisper. “Let’s go home.”

It doesn’t take us long to get to Smithy’s house. He pulls right up in front of the door and hops out. He comes around to my side and helps me out, but he doesn’t let go of my hand as we walk to the door or while he unlocks it.

He leads me straight into his bedroom and settles on his bed with his back against the plush headboard.

“C’mon, Sweets. Sit with me.”

I try to climb over him, but he stops me when I'm straddling his lap. My dress is bunched around my thighs, but he doesn’t seem to mind one bit.

“Yeah, I think you should stay just like this,” he murmurs, holding my waist in place.

“Travis,” I say with wide eyes.

“You can move if you really don’t like this, but I’d prefer to talk to you like this.”

I nod my head, unsure of what else to say. I'm not about to tell him I'm exactly where I want to be. I need to know what he’s going to say first.

His eyes slide shut and he takes a deep breath. It’s so weird to see him struggling. He’s normally so in control of himself, even if he’s faking it. To see him this raw and vulnerable, it’s… priceless.

“I agreed to the charity dinner with Cici as a thank you for helping me crash your date,” he says softly, refusing to open his eyes. His hands are resting on the bed next to my knees and his jaw is clenched tightly.

This is painful for him to be so honest with me. I realize what a privilege it is for him to be so real and raw.

“I saw you outside my apartment. I thought I was imagining your car.” I reach forward and toy with the collar of his shirt. I pretend I'm fixing it, but I'm really looking for a reason to touch him.

“Are you mad at me?” He finally opens his eyes and watches me carefully.

“I need you to answer one question before I decide.”

“Am I allowed to change my answer if I don’t like your answer?”

“Nope. So, you better think long and hard before you respond.” I smile, thinking about how adorable his smirk was when he walked over to the table tonight.

“Ok,” he sighs. “Hit me with your question.” He motions for me to continue.

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