Page 54 of Nailed at Home Plate

“Told you so.”

“Oh, come off it, Tiff. You could have given me at least a full minute before you rubbed your smug shit in my face.”

“I’m sure that’s not the only thing being rubbed in your face.” I made a strangled noise before I chucked a mini disco ball from the prop closet in her direction. She let out a squeal and ducked out of the way. I heard it tink across the concrete. “Hey! At least I didn’t say ‘dick’.”

“If you want to have a raunchy conversation about this serious situation then you should have cornered me via text message like a normal person.”

“And miss watching you sweat out the interrogation? Absolutely not.”

“You really need to get out more. I can’t be your only form of entertainment.”

“Nah I have dirty books, remember?” I let out a snort as she retrieved the discarded disco ball. Tiffiny had distracted me from my mission in the closet. Whatever that was. I couldn’t rightfully remember. Eventalkingabout Jamie fucked me up. “Speaking of book boyfriends,” Tiffiny’s voice dropped to a hush as she straightened her spine, attempting to look innocent.

Tossing the ball into the abyss of the cluttered room, I leaned around the door to see Jamie and the guys heading in our direction. Now that Tiffiny knew my little spicy secret, I wasn’t sure if I could keep a poker face around everyone at once.

“Please, don’t say anything.” I hissed at her. “If this gets out, I’ll be in shit so deep it will be up to my eyeballs.” Tiffiny rolled her eyes.

“Why the hell would I say anything? You’re the only sane person here. I’d bite off my left hand to keep you here. But…” Her eyes darted to the approaching group of players. “It is rather fun to watch you squirm–”

“Hey Tiffiny,” Ender interrupted our whisper fight as he curiously glanced between the two of us. His eyes lingered on my best friend a bit too long to not arouse suspicion. My eyes narrowed as I watched Tiffiny suddenly take the hot seat.

“Ugh, doesn’t my brother teach you manners along with pitches?” Tiffiny grumbled under her breath. “Cadence is here. You should say hello to her too.”

I narrowed my eyes to judgy slits. Something was super odd about how she’d been acting around Ender lately. Ender was one of the sweeter, more level-headed of the guys. This was the second outburst I’d witnessed. Maybe she was giving me so much shit because she was just trying to deflect?

Ender was cute. Like the boy next door, kind of cute. Always had a soft smile on his face. He was the opposite of the tall, dark, tattooed, looming hunks from her dark romances that Tiffiny read religiously. Maybe he pissed her off more than normal?

The rest of the guys played along with Tiffiny’s demand. They all said hello to me in unison. Their voices vibrated off the walls and I cringed at the off-key singsong of my name. I was trying my best to focus on the uneven air between Tiffiny and Ender, but I was distracted by the feel of Jamie’s gaze hot on my skin.

With a laugh, the guys headed off to the lockers. Glancing over to my friend, she and Ender werehaving some sort of heated conversation, but I couldn’t hear it over the commotion of the guys.

A hand appreciatively cupped my ass, sending me up on my toes in surprise. I choked on my sharp inhale before turning to look at the offender.

My racing heart calmed down for the surprise but ramped back up when I realized that it was Jamie who copped a feel. Not that I should be shocked, but my crush just went out of his way to feel me up.In public.

“Is Tiffiny always that mean? And I thought you were testy when we first met.” Jamie murmured in my ear. I could hear the smile in his tone as my skin prickled with goosebumps beneath his warm breath. His hand didn’t move from its spot on my butt. Which was fine, we were technically alone for the time being.

“I believe you’re going to have to define ‘mean’. Tiffiny has different levels of it. Now that you mention it, these last few weeks it seems that her anger is all stemming either towards, or from, Ender.” It was then I chanced a glance up at Jamie. I could see his sweaty skin prickled with his five o’clock shadow. There was some red field dirt flecked across each strand. “Has Ender been acting weird too?”

“I don’t think so? But I don’t know the guys like you do. Except now I know a hell of a lot more than I ever wanted to. None of them seem to have a filter.”

I snorted in laughter. “It took you that long to figure that out?”

“No, just stating the obvious so we can commiserate in our mutual misery.”

“Jamie Rheems,” I breathed out, rather impressed. “You’ve said some pretty hot shit, but that might be the hottest thing you’ve ever said.” Jamie’slaugh was loud, causing me to glance around and see that Tiffiny and Ender had disappeared. So, for the moment, we were alone.

“Hmm, that sounds like a challenge.” He also realized we’d been left to our own devices. Jamie’s hands slithered down my sides to hook into the belt loops of my skinny jeans. “A challenge to see if I canoutdomyself.”

“Your place or mine tonight?” I shot right back. He didn’t have to ask me twice.

“Yours. I haven’t had a chance to look at that leg on my bed.”

I bit my bottom lip, stifling a laugh as I reminisced about the fun we had last night after the game. Things had gotten so wild that his mattress went all cockeyed in the middle of it. We had to finish each other off on his bedroom floor. Sleeping in a not-broken bed tonight sounded ideal.

“Eww, you guys are gross.” Tiffiny’s voice cut through our simmering sexual tension. I grumbled as Jamie stepped away from me. Where the fuck did she come from? “If you’re gonna do that kind of gross shit in public, at least find a closed room. Preferably behind a door that locks.”

Jamie had said far filthier things to me and yet he was the one blushing like a priest in an adult toy shop. He shot Tiffiny a wary eye before glancing at me.

---