Page 121 of Wild Pitch
“Who said that?” I can’t suppress the little shiver that the grave timbre of his voice causes with just those words. He shifts his hands to slide up my arms and behind my shoulders, until they’re splayed at my back and pushing me closer.
I open my mouth to respond but that’s precisely when the two women walk out of the restroom, chitchatting about something wedding related. Impulsively, I use my hands to cover Cade’s mouth while they pass, and I feel his lips stretch into a smile against the palm of my hand.
And here I am, jealous of my own hand.
Once the coast feels clear, I start moving my hands until Cade grabs hold of one again, the one against his mouth, and he presses a deliberate kiss into my palm.
My breath hitches.
“This is what I wanted to talk about.” His thighs push against mine and next thing I know, he’s walking me backward into a wall. My back flips on a light switch and I blink hard against the harsh white lighting, but at least thanks to that I now know we’re in a cleaning storage room.
“Cade,” I whisper. “We can’t be here. Staff will kick us out of the bar when they find us.”
“So you think we’ll be here long?” His eyebrows rise and he gives me a hot little smirk.
I splutter. “Well, no—I mean—It’s just?—”
I freeze when he leans down, but it’s not to kiss me. His lips brush the shell of my ear as he whispers, “Relax. I actually got permission from the bar owner to be here.” Then he flips the light off again, leans an arm against the wall behind me, and…
Doesn’t move.
He doesn’t need to know that this is making my mouth water or anything, if that’s what he’s targeting, and it feels more imperative than ever that I teach him a lesson.
My hands search in the narrow space between us for the waistband of his jeans. I find the belt loops and pull him to me. “Talk, you said?”
“Ngh.”
“Those aren’t words, Cowboy.”
His snort brushes my hair, but just when I think I won the game, he turns his face and softly, tortuously, scrapes his teeth around the upper part of my ear. The violent shudder that leads me to hide against his chest confirms who won.
Chuckling, Cade cinches his arms around me, this time in a hug that feels ever so sweet in comparison. I sigh into his T-shirt and bring my arms around his waist, settling my cheek against his heart and drinking in the scent of aftershave on his clean skin. A day’s worth of travel among noisy, stinky men makes this so worth it.
Too soon he starts pulling away, and the areas of my body no longer in contact with his feel cold. As I collapse back against the wall, Cade leans his arm on it again to look down at me.
“So, we need to talk, darlin’.”
“So you said,” I grumble, annoyed that I’m no longer wrapped around him like velcro.
“About that kiss…” he starts but the silence stretches for too long.
“Don’t tell me you regret it,” I blurt out.
I catch the silhouette of his head tilting. “Not for a second. I’ve been trying really hard to not do it again right here and now.”
I would definitely not mind that, but… “Then?”
“Did you see the guy sitting two chairs away from you at the bar?”
“Huh?” My nose scrunches up in confusion at the abrupt topic change. “What guy and why does he matter right now?”
“He matters very much.” Cade’s voice is soft, serious, increasing my confusion. “He’s been checking you out all night, trying to gather his nerve to talk to you.”
I shake my head. “In case it’s not obvious because it’s way too dark in here, I’m going to verbalize that I’m confused as hell.”
“Hope, do you know how freaking annoying it feels to see guys salivating over you and not knowing if I should try to protect you—if I even have the right—or if I should tell you to go for it because I’m supposed to be your dating coach, but actually feeling greener than The Hulk on the inside?”
I suck in air. “Jealous?”
