Page 59 of Fielder's Choice

This doesn’t feel like me. I’m not one to take risks. I’m the girl who sits back and watches life pass her by.

But I’m tired of being that girl.

That’s the girl who wasted six years by sheltering herself from the outside world.

I want to be the girl who makes the first move and kisses the man she can’t stop thinking about.

I want to be the girl who owns up to how much she likes the hot baseball player.

I want to be the girl who’s comfortable enough to give in to her desires, but I don’t think I’m quite to that one yet.

If I ever get to that, though, it’s going to be with Lane Brooks. I have no doubt about that.

When I’m finally clean, I step out of the shower and dry myself off. Lane gave me another T-shirt of his to wear since I didn’t bring any extra clothing with me to this unexpected sleepover. Thankfully, this shirt is longer than the one I wore to bed, so I don’t need to wear my tights again. Honestly, this shirt has to be large on Lane if it’s so big on me—it’s not like I’m short. But that’s benefitting me right now, so I can’t say I really mind.

I use my fingers to brush my hair out, letting it fall to my chest as it drenches the shoulders of the shirt. I walk out of thebathroom and into Lane’s bedroom and head to his door, but I hear laughter as I do.

It sounds like Lane is laughing with somebody in the living room. Is Sage home already? She must be because I can’t think of anybody else who would be here at eight in the morning on a Sunday.

When I step into the hall, though, I recognize the other person’s voice, and it’s very muchnothis daughter. I step softly toward the living room until I see two heads over the back of the sofa.

Sure enough, my brother is sitting right next to Lane.

“Harvey?” I ask, walking out to join them. “What the hell are you doing here?”

“Mom said you didn’t go home last night, and you know how much she worries. I tracked your phone to find you and ease her mind.”

I stare at him. “Do you realize how fucking creepy that is, Harv? What the hell?”

“He’s just looking out for you, Ballerina,” Lane says, turning to face me for the first time since I stepped out here.

I don’t miss the way his eyes leer over my bare legs, and I suddenly feel like I’m on fire. When his eyes meet mine, I can feel the heat coming off of them. I feel like I need another shower. A cold one.

I shake my head to compose myself. “He can look out for me without acting like a stalker,” I chide, padding across the room and plopping into the chair beside them.

“What are you wearing, Liv?” Harvey questions, raising his eyebrow in amusement.

I can feel the blush creeping up my neck and across my cheeks. “I didn’t plan on coming here last night, so I didn’t have any clothing with me. I’m just wearing this until I get ready to go home in a bit.”

“Looks good on you, though,” Lane rasps. The confidence this man has is unbelievable. He’s brazenly flirting with me in front of my brother, who probably hears wedding bells since he’ll want to keep his favorite baseball player in the family.

“Why did you come here last night then if you weren’t planning on it?”

“Oh,” I stammer. “We were at our friends’ surprise engagement party. It was late, so I just came here for the night.”

Lane leans back with his arms spread across the top of the sofa, a smug look on his face. “After she kissed me, that is.”

Harvey stares at me in surprise. “Shewhat?”

I lean forward and pinch the bridge of my nose. “I had no intention of telling him that, Lane.”

“Might as well just get it out of the way now,” he smirks. “He’s going to see me kiss you again before you leave.”

I groan with my head in my hands. “You’re way too honest.”

He shrugs. “No sense in hiding the truth.”

I have to get used to Lane’s openness, but I can’t deny how nice it is for him to confidently express his interest in me.

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