Page 40 of Restricted List

I never step a toe out of line, always following what I’m told to do. And where has that led me?

Pining for one woman for nearly four years because I’m too good to act on my desires.

My physical desires, though, arenotgood. The things I would do to Rory if I could…

But my emotional desires? Those are different. I’ve dated, sure, but I’m not much of a relationship man. But with Rory, it’s different.

I want to hold her close to me. I want to come home to her every night. I want to remind her every day how goddamn beautiful she is so she never forgets.

I want to treat her the way she deserves to be treated and adore her the way she deserves to be adored.

But good guys can still go for what they want, can’t they?

Maybe nice guys don’t always have to finish last…

Rory and I part after we leave the planetarium. And as soon as I get to my apartment, I change right into a pair of athletic shorts and a T-shirt, pull my hair back, and hightail it right to the stadium. My head’s a fucking mess, and a good workout should help me clear it.

I decide to stick with light cardio today, choosing to jog on a treadmill instead of lifting weights. I like to run, and I want to not freeze my ass off when I do it.

Twenty minutes into my run, I hear a voice behind me. “What are you doing here, Pierce?”

I stop the treadmill, grab my towel, and wipe the sweat from my forehead. “Hey, Skip. Just wanted to get a quick workout in.”

“Doesn’t your apartment building have a gym?”

“Not as nice as this one,” I laugh. “I always come here. Is that why you’re here?”

“No,” he replies, “I had to grab something from my office and spotted you in here. Figured I could talk to you for a minute.”

“Is something wrong?” I ask, fear creeping up my spine.

“I don’t know. Rory’s been weird for the past couple of weeks. Do you have any idea why? I know you two are friends.”

“Nope,” I lie. “I haven’t noticed anything. Why do you think she’s being weird?”

“Well,” he says, “when we talked about the champagne shower last week, I mentioned that I didn’t see her in the clubhouse, and she seemed really uncomfortable.”

“You didn’t see her? She was right by Waller.” I figure Eric is a good choice since he was far from Skip during the celebrations. It’s easier to claim Rory was hidden that way.

“Must just be me then. Need new glasses, I guess,” he laughs. “You hear about Waller, though?”

I let out a breath. “Yeah. Can’t believe he’s retiring. He’s been on the Stars since I was a teenager. I’ve loved watching him play.”

“Now, I gotta find a new first baseman. I don’t think Bonner’s ready to do it full-time.”

“You gotta get Ari Morgan then.”

“He plays for the Thunderbirds. I doubt he’ll want to come play for us.”

“Nah, he will. Ari’s one of my oldest friends from the league. His contract just ended this year, and he’s not sure he wants to renew it.”

“Huh,” Skip says. “Definitely gonna consider that then. He’s a hell of a batter. I’ll let you get back to it, though, Cole. I’ll see you for Rory’s birthday in a few weeks.”

“See ya, Skip.”

When he walks out of the gym, I let out a deep breath. It’s hard as hell to act normally around him right now. And I’ll be seeing him again in just a few weeks.

That gives me a few weeks to try to not be so awkward.

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