Page 33 of All Because of You

And she did. The thought comforted and scared the living daylights out of her.

His eyes followed the contours of her face, landing on her lips, and for a few heartbeats of a moment—one, two—she waited breathlessly for him to cross to her side of the table, to feed the connection she felt between them.

But instead, he looked away, as if studying the long grains of the wooden table. “So, what’s this fun part of our night you keep alluding to?” The tease in his voice sounded forced.

Madison pushed past the disappointment in her heart. “Are you done eating?”

“Yeah.” He polished off the last bite of his meatloaf and stood. “Let’s do this . . . whateverthisis.”

“Go ahead and look in that bag, then.”

He squatted and unzipped the duffel then pulled the sides open to reveal the baseball equipment inside. “Seriously? You play?”

“No.” Ben Baker had been gracious enough to loan her the bag. “But you do.” And she’d wanted to see him in his element—his true element, not the one he’d invented so others would respect him.

“Iusedto play. There’s a difference.” His shoulders slumped as he re-zipped the bag then stood and walked to the edge of the ramada.

She joined him. “It’s still a part of you.” Slipping her hand into his once more, she leaned against him. “And I, for one, want to see that part come out and play. So, come on.”

Madison tugged him toward the bag, which he reluctantly grabbed and hoisted onto his shoulder. Together, they trudged to the well-lit baseball field and got out gloves, a ball, and a bat. A raindrop splatted against Madison’s cheek as she tossed the ball to Evan.

Despite the fact it went high, he jumped and caught it with ease. For a moment, he stood on the pitcher’s mound, his glove in one hand, ball cradled in the other. “I haven’t played since I lost my scholarship, you know.” He sent the ball sailing back to Madison.

It came right to her, but it fell between her willing hands. “I didn’t know that. If you’d rather not . . .”

“No, it’s OK.”

They tossed the ball back and forth in silence, Madison fielding most of the ones he sent her thanks to her inability to catch them. More rain sprinkled from the sky but not enough to chill her, so they kept playing.

Evan hit some balls across the field with the bat, and Madison chased them, laughing at how ridiculous she felt. She had a feeling that the returning grin on Evan’s face meant he was laughing at her too.

She jogged back and deposited the ball into his waiting hand. The whole field smelled of good, clean earth thanks to the rain.

“You want to take a turn batting?”

To tell the truth, she’d started to shiver a bit but wasn’t ready to leave. Here, Evan was so full of life, so . . . himself. The confidence he exuded on the field, holding a bat like a sword, was deliciously appealing.

Aaaand, yep, she’d read one too many romance novels.

Madison cleared her throat. “Um, sure.” She took the offered bat and attempted to stand the way he had—elbows out, rear extended, head cocked. Did she look as dumb as she felt?

“Want some help?”

“Please.”

The rain started falling harder, hitting the dirt with force, but Madison couldn’t move a muscle once Evan was near, guiding her hands. He hesitated then eased closer. “Do you mind?” The husky question rumbled in his throat.

“Please.” The irony of her repeated answer couldn’t have escaped him, but he didn’t say a word, just placed his arms around hers as he positioned them into the right slant. Then his hands crept to her hips, maneuvering her into a much more natural angle.

But instead of moving away, he stayed there, holding her arms from behind her, cradling her against the sudden onslaught of rain. It would be impossible for her to hear his heart beating over the drum of the water slapping the earth. But it seemed like she could.

Then again, maybe that was her own.

“Madison.” One word whispered in her ear, but it was filled with such emotion that she glanced back at him. Rain clouded her vision, keeping her from fully seeing him, but his face was close enough that the warmth of his breath on her cheek sent her heart into a rapid beat. Dropping the bat at their feet, she slowly straightened and turned—right into his embrace—then lifted her hands and traced his cheeks with her fingers.

He leaned into her touch, and as her hand passed over his mouth, he kissed her palm. Slowly, he dragged his lips along the edge of her hand until he reached the tips of her fingers.

Madison inhaled, relishing the feel of his lips against her skin. Her entire body shook—from the cold or the flood of emotion or the pounding of the rain in her ears, who could tell?—but she reveled in this feeling of being alive, of being wanted, of allowing someone close.

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