Page 20 of Nailed at Home Plate

“But…they aren’t line dancing now.” I nervously glanced over to the dance floor which was no longer a pulsing crowd of dancers who were mostly going in the same direction.

“It’s fine. I’ll get you warmed up. I think you might like what I have in mind.” There was a quick smirk that played at the corner of her mouth.

Jeezus fuck.

With words like that, compounded with my alcoholic buzz already going, it took every damn molecule within my body to not pull her petite body against mine. Instead of giving in, I concentrated with all my might on the familiar pop hit pulsing through the speakers next to the DJ. “I’ve got to get something through that thick skull of yours before both of us end up on the streets.”

That pulled me out of my lust-filled haze. I bristled at the warning. Both? What did she mean by that? Because it wasn’t like I would end up on the actual streets, just the metaphorical one. The one without a job doing what I loved. But what did she mean bybothof us?

With new beers in hand, some of the guys on the team followed after us and found dance partners of their own. In some instances, numerous ones. But they actually liked dancing. Considering that about ninety percent of the people in the bar were drunk enough to be oblivious to my god-awful dance moves, it was now or never. Because she was right. If I didn’t fall into step with the Sillys, I’d be out of the franchise. And no other team would want a washed-up catcher with a shit batting average.

“...Fine.”

Cady leaned in and grabbed my hands. Being this close to her left me blessed with the heady aroma of something that was distinctlyher. Something floral and outdoorsy. Fresh cut grass maybe? The woman was on the ballfield almost as much as we were. The scent was delicious and made me dizzy for a second. Or was it the alcohol? With a grin, she tugged me into the middle of the now-crowded dance floor.

“Since you can’t seem to understand dance from a technical standpoint, you’ll have to look at dancing as something else entirely.” She spoke over the noise of the room as she pulled me to her. On the one hand, I was reluctant to give in but on the other, it gave me an innocent excuse to see just how well she fit against me. “Something more like…a workout.” Her words were breathless with excitement as her hands guided me into position.

On second thought, this close proximity wasn’t going to be good for another dancing lesson. Especially when my dick seemed to have a mind of its own with this woman.

“Yeah, an annoying workout,” I grumbled, doing my best to suppress all the heated thoughts that were swimming in my brain with her this close. My one hand slipped into hers as she guided the other to her waist.

Her hands on my body were more of a hindrance instead of any measure of help. It was taking every ounce of mental capacity to ignore how close she was. There were parts of her body that were so close to being slotted right against the parts of mine that craved her the most.

“No.” Her eyes shot up to mine as she grabbed ahold of my hesitant hips, smashing hers against them. That shut me the fuck up. If only my cock would do the same. Unfortunately, the move had theoppositeeffect on my dick. “Anotherkind of workout.” The liquored seductive tone of her voice had my entire body paying rapt attention. “Considering you’re rather popular among the ladies, Iknowyou have the ability. You’re just being stubborn about it.”

Holy fuck she did not just say what I think she said. I couldn’t decide if I was more annoyed with the fact that she insinuated that I slept around or the fact that she was adamant about reenacting the moves of fucking, but with our clothes on.

“But that…that’s not…” I couldn’t bring myself to admit it out loud. I was too flustered with the veiled remarks. Cady avoided my gaze as she busied herself making minor adjustments to my hands.

“If you really think about it, being intimate is just a dance. Ahorizontalone.” She insisted, even though I had a difficult time understanding how she could compare dancing to sex. “When you rise to the ballsof your feet…” She demonstrated with practiced ease, and it sent the curves of her body into the hard notches of mine like a finely weathered baseball glove around a baseball. “And press forward with a rock of your hips…”

The way her body met mine made my breath catch in my throat from surprise. I’d done some semblance of dancing before with women. Mostly just absentminded, off-beat swaying. But this? This was an unspoken invitation to join her body in something that I’d already been thinking about. As much as I didn’t want to admit it to myself.

The rocking of her hips was by far my favorite part. Despite us being fully clothed and standing upright in the middle of a noisy bar, her body was almost emulating the moves of sex.

“Cady…” I tried to swallow back the strain in my voice, but it was to no avail. The woman was all action, as always. There was no stopping her. But did I really want to?

“Shh…” She huffed out with her eyes closed. For a moment I could drink her in, from head to toe. Admire every smile line, every freckle. I watched in wonderment as she focused. “Shut up and dance with me.” She breathed out, continuing the motions without pause. Despite the volume of the world around us, I could only hear her. Between her hands and her hips gyrating in their hypnotic motions, I couldn’t help but arch my body towards hers in reply.

I was rewarded with a delicious hum and a soft little smile that played across her lips. She was difficult to say no to. Honestly, Cady didn’t seem to everletme say no.

“Dance is an expression of your body. Don’t think about it, listen to the music and let your body do the talking.” She teased as one eye opened to gaze back at me. “Thinking about it like sex might motivate you on the field a bit.”

I choked on my inhale. It was one thing to emulate the act of sex with her, but it was another thing to hear the word uttered from that mouth of hers. The little noise that absentmindedly escaped my throat brought on a cock of her brow. For fucks sake I needed a distraction. Maybe if I focused all my concentration on what she just said, before the sex part, I might be able to not only dance but forget it was my coach whose body I was molded against.

Pressing my lips into a fine line, I gave in to her demands. My hands settled on her hips and pulled her back in close. A puff of air left her all at once. Her delightful reactions spurred me on. Maybe it was time I took her by surprise. To show her, that despite my attitude, I’d been listening to every stupid little thing she taught me. Probably with more intensity than any of my other coaches ever got out of me.

“Let me lead, you follow. Do what I do. Or do whatever comes naturally. Go along with the music as best you can.” The words left her mouth in a breathy huff. She pulled me off in a direction without a second glance back. It was as if she had eyes on the back of her head. Or maybe it was just her tipsy nature which lived dangerously and hoped for the best.

My hips echoed hers to the firm beat of the song. It had pep to it. Which made it easier to follow along and fall into step with. Not that I had anythinganywhere near the correct beat, but I was close enough.

Spreading my fingers, I found myself sliding my hand from her waist, up the curve of her back, as I added a bit more oomph to the sway of my hips. I slid it up so high that the tips of my fingers brushed against the strap of her bra. I had to grit my teeth to ignore the sensation. Fuck, now I needed yetanotherdistraction.

In an anxious panic, I grabbed both of her hands. I pulled her in and swept her up in my arms. I was blessed with a noise of surprise from her. It was all the encouragement I needed. With a subtle adjustment of our bodies, I spun her in place for a few rotations before managing to glide us both around the room and not step on anyone’s toes. It wasn’t quite a traditional dance style, but Cady didn’t seem to have any complaints about it. In fact, she wasgrinning.

As much as I didn’t want to admit it to her, she was right. Once I let down my stony walls, the music did something. Maybe it was the alcohol. Or maybe it was the warmth of Cady’s body meeting mine curve for curve, move for move, that inspired me.

Being close to her was rare over these past few weeks, but now I could study the lovely curve of her face. Her golden copper hair shimmered, even in the dim lighting of the bar. Despite the overall sunny disposition of Cady, her eyes were an intriguing contradiction of gray and blue.

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