Page 27 of Nailed at Home Plate

“You said, and I quote:‘You really need to get your head out of your very fine ass and back in the game’.” Sometimes my memory came in handy for things other than reciting movie lines.

Cady’s mouth opened in retort, but nothing slipped from those kissable lips of hers. It pulsed in a gape, much like a fish out of water. That was until her brow furrowed violently. She knew I was right.

“Oh, fuck you.”

“To be honest, I was hoping that’s where we were headed.” The words might have slipped from my mouth of their own accord, but they weren’t a lie. I swallowed dryly, afraid that I overstepped. But the swiftness in which the rosy color hit her cheeks wasthe telltale sign I was onto something. “Shit. Sorry. That was too presumptuous of me.”

Her body went rigid as her eyes finally met mine for only the briefest of moments. The pink in her cheeks went straight to red. Squinting her eyes shut, she shook her head.

“No. Nope. I’m dreaming.”

I couldn’t help but chuckle to myself at her dramatic response. Fuck, my heart was beating a thousand times a minute since she admitted there may be something mutual here. Even with our weeks of spicy animosity.

There was only one thing to do when a person insisted they were dreaming.

I pinched her ass.

Her back arched sharply as her eyes shot open, pressing her breasts into my chest. It was my turn to have my breath catch. But I did prove to her that she wasn’t dreaming.

“Cadence…” I was sure to use her full name instead of the pet name I gave her. It was difficult to keep the tone of my voice level. “As much as you aggravate me to the utter end,” Her eyes guardedly met mine as she looked at me through hooded lashes. “That kiss was…fucking everything. And I’d be lying if I said I haven’t thought about what it would be like to experience some of those dance moves of yours.Horizontally.”

Her jaw dropped once again and all it brought me was a mental picture of those open lips around my cock.Dammit.There was no hope for my body. But I couldn’t take advantage of this woman. We were coworkers first and foremost. Although, I guess it was a little too late now.

“Jamie…” There was a tinge of warning in her breathless voice. At this rate, I was ready to carry her all the way to my penthouse. “You’re just saying that.”

I was taken aback. Sure, I was a major league ball player, but I wasn’t a player in the other sense of the word. My parents raised me right. Hell, I hadn’t even slept with or dated anyone since Vanessa.

That was because I hadn’t met anyone like Cady before.

“What, I’m not allowed to be honest?”

“Well…yes. But…” She let out a rough sigh. “Maybe the reason is because there’s only three, maybe four, layers of fabric between you andpermanentlyattaching me to the wall.” My cock outright twitched as the exact words I was thinking escaped her mouth. “A guy would say anything to make itzerolayers.”

I huffed at her.

While she wasn’t wrong in general, she was wrong about thinking that way about me. Women weren’t a conquest. They weren’t just a place to empty your balls. They were beautiful, fun, deserved to be romanced, with golden copper waves…

“Well, I’m offended.” I was sure to exaggerate my words and might have added a bit of a playful southern drawl to them. “Not all guys are assholes you know.”

“Yeah, well most of the ones I know are. The team excluded.” She grumbled with a huff as she continued to avoid my gaze. Her words brought me back to our conversation last night at the bar. There was no fucking way that I wasn’t going to let Cadybelieve that she was anything less than deserving of anything and everything.

In just the short time I’d been with the team, I could see that she was the damn glue that kept everyone in line and together. The team looked up to her. Respected her. She deserved that in every aspect of her life, both on and off the field.

“Okay…fair. But I’m not one of them.” Squinting my eyes shut, I shook my head to get back on the track of kissing Cady again. Having her in my arms like this just felt so…right. Dangerous. Exciting. “Because, unlike other guys…I have somerules. Decorum if you will.”

“Rules…?” Her eyes went wide before she cocked her head to the side.

“Contrary to your popular belief, I don’t take women home. I have a few stops…beforethat.” Shit, I was babbling but I had to get these boundaries out. This woman made me nervous as fuck. Especially with her steely gaze staring me down from such close proximity.

That pulled one of her patented snorts from her and broke the uneasy tension between us. I wanted to show her that all I had were good intentions. Okay,mostlygood intentions. I didn’t want her to think that I was going to chew her up and spit her out like a mouthful of Big League Chew. Although she was making it really fucking difficult to stick to my rules at the moment with her hips glued to mine with her ass in my hands.

“What, do I need to stop by your lawyer’s office to sign an NDA?”

“What?” I recoiled a bit in surprise before my face twisted in confusion. Who the actual fuck hadshe dated? “What? No.Iuh…have rules. For me. I don’t like rushing into…well, anything.”

“Ain’t that the fucking truth.” I rolled my eyes. “So what are these…rulesyou have?”

This single-handedly had to be the most awkward conversation I’ve ever had in my entire life. Especially with my briefs full of jizz and my cock still thinking we were at “go” time. No matter how flustered and fucking ready I was, this conversation was a firm boundary that I not only had for myself but in respect of whomever I wished to date.

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