Page 162 of Restricted List

“Made better by the fact that you’re batting .425 right now. Goddamn, man. You’re making the rest of us look bad.”

I throw my head back and laugh. “Step it up, Morgan. We’ve got a long season ahead of us.”

Ari smiles. “I like it in New York. I hated being in Atlanta.”

“You just like that there’s a new pool of people you haven’t fucked yet.”

“Oh, that’s part of it,” he chuckles. “I haven’t slept in my own bed since we got back from Spring Training. But I like the atmosphere here, too. I like how Skip manages the team.”

“Yeah, he’s a great manager.” I take a deep breath and let it out.

Ari turns more serious now. “He hasn’t figured it out yet?”

I shake my head. “Thankfully, no. But it can’t be long. He knows it’s someone on the team.”

“Fuck,” he mutters. “What’s going to happen when he finds out?”

“In my career? I have no fucking idea. For my relationship? Absolutely nothing. He can think and say whatever he wants, but I love his daughter, and he won’t change that.”

“I take back what I said about Lovesick Cole being gross,” he says with a light laugh. “Love looks good on you, man. You seem really fucking happy.”

“I am,” I smile. “Even with us having to hide that we’re together, I’ve never been happier. Rory is so fucking amazing.”

“I’m glad she’s worth it then. I like her. She’s fun. And she likes to give you shit, and we all know that’s my favorite pastime.”

I roll my eyes. “No wonder you two get along so well,” I gripe. “Can’t wait to give you shit with your future girl.”

Ari scoffs. “Fat fucking chance of that happening, Pierce. I don’t do serious. I’m not going to change that for anyone.”

I can’t help but tease him. “Who knows? Maybe Lucia will be single again one day.”

“You’re fucking kidding, right? I don’t evenlikeLucia. I’m sure as fuck not going to love her.”

“You read romance novels still, right? Isn’t enemies to lovers a really popular trope?”

“She’s not my enemy; we just don’t like each other. Also, you’re the only one that knows about the romance novels, dick,” he chides under his breath. “I have a reputation I’d like to uphold.”

“As if any of the guys would actually care.”

“Doesn’t matter. I just read them to get ideas. When you read men written by women, you learnexactlywhat women want. Makes the sex so much better.”

“You’re shameless,” I laugh.

“You say ‘shameless,’” he smirks, straightening the glasses perched on the bridge of his nose. “I say ’giving the women what they want.’”

“And what they want is Ari Morgan?” I cock my eyebrow at him.

“It’s my name they’re screaming, so yeah, I’d say so.”

All I can do is shake my head at Ari’s confidence.

He’s probably not wrong. He always had women falling at his feet when we were in Kansas.

To be honest, I did, too.

And I loved it then.

But the idea of acting like that today is unimaginable now that I finally have the woman I’ve always dreamed of finding.

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