Page 27 of Vexing the Viper

I'm screaming and jumping,yelling for King, who just got an amazing out. He turns around and scans the crowd, finding me instantly, a gorgeous smile overtaking his face. A hard elbow hits my stomach, and I wince looking over at Mateo.

"Ow. What was that for?" I inquire, rubbing the ache.

"You're cheering," he deadpans, looking at me.

"Yeah so?"

"You're cheering at a baseball game."

"Yeah, for our roommate. I would cheer for any sport he was playing. Or if it was any other roommate," I lie, knowing I'm only cheering because it's King.

He’s been kicking ass this whole game, and as much as I don't want to admit it, I’ve been so damn interested in what's been going on. It's been a long time since I've sat and watched a baseball game.

King winks at me and we both freeze, neither of us moving. Is he? Is he trying to flirt with me? No, that can't be it.

The umpire blows his whistle, and King turns back around, getting into his stance. The next few innings fly by quickly, theteam's score consistently on the upswing. At this point, I don't see how the other team can come back and win. I've also spent most of the game explaining to Mateo what's going on. All of the information about baseball has come up to the front of my brain and I can't stop it from spewing from my mouth. Mateo knows nothing about the sport, so he is taking in every word, listening contently with a smirk playing on his lips.

I don't know what the smirk is for, but it can't be anything good.

King bends down again, and I can't stop myself from staring at his ass. He's wearing those tight white baseball pants and every time he stands up, his ass flexes, calling out to me. Fuck, what I wouldn't give to be up close and personal with that ass. Each time he throws the ball, the muscles in his arms bulge, and I wish I was closer to see the veins throbbing beneath the skin.

The game ends way too quickly, all of the players rushing out onto the mound and congratulating each other. The people in the stands start to slowly file out while Mateo and I hang back, waiting to greet King. Once enough people have left, we make our way to the field, bypassing other players in our search. I find him at the water jug and I stop short, a shiver running through my body.

King is standing still, his bulky arm stretched upright, pouring water over his body. His white uniform is getting dangerously close to see through, and I wish he would take it off. He shakes his head, the water flying everywhere before his gaze lands on me.

"Hey, you made it!" he exclaims, taking another sip of his water before setting it down.

"Of course, we wouldn't miss it." My voice comes out husky, my vision zeroing in on his shirt. I can't see his nipple piercing, but I know it's there from the little bumps peeking through the fabric.

"We?" King looks around, and it's the first time I notice I’m alone and Mateo is nowhere to be found. Looking toward the dugout, I see he's talking to Sam, and I roll my eyes. His eyes were glued to him the entire game; I don't know why I'm surprised he would beeline for him first.

"Mateo and I were sitting together, but I guess he had other people to say hi to."

"Ah, yes, the something that's going on between them that neither of them will admit to," he jokes, stepping closer to me, goosebumps rising on my arms as I step up to him.

"You played a phenomenal game," I say, reaching out and playfully tapping his chest. There's some type of energy flowing between us, like an invisible string pulling us closer to one another.

"Thanks. I'm glad you could come." His voice comes out gruff, and I bite back the whimper that tries to escape. Did his voice get deeper? Or am I imagining things?

"I'm glad I did." Neither of us says anything else, our eyes never leaving one another. I start to say something else when my dad's voice rings out.

"Nikolai? Is that you?"

Jerking away from King, I turn in a circle, finding my dad a few steps away. "Hey, Dad."

"I thought that was you. But then I was like 'there's no way Nikolai is at a game,' and then I saw you again and had to come say hi. What are you doing here?"

"Heh." Rubbing the back of my neck, I smile awkwardly. I haven't been to one of Dad's games in years. Of course he was going to notice I showed up.

"I invited him and Mateo since they're my roommates. Thought it would be cool for us to get to know one another better." King steps up beside me, close enough I can still feel his heat, but far away enough my body misses his.

"I love that. I haven't seen Nikolai in those stands in a long time." Dad's eyes soften toward me, and I know he's reminiscing on past times when I used to religiously attend every game.

"Well, I need to hit the showers. Thank you, Niko, for coming. Catch you later, Coach." King grabs his gear and heads down the tunnel toward the locker room. I watch him go until I remember I'm standing next to my dad.

"Would you want to grab something to eat?"

"Of course. I can wait here while you finish up your game stuff."

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