Page 89 of Unexpected Forever
charley
I can’t thinkof a better way to spend an evening than watching Nate Gentry hit baseballs.
He makes hitting homers look easy—the way his body moves as he follows through on the swing. The play of muscles in his forearms, his calves, and the way his hips move.
It’s like watching a dance full of power and raw masculinity.
The pitching machine spits out another ball and he hits it to the warning track in right field.
He smacks the top of his batting helmet and steps back into the box, gets in his stance, and waits for the ball.
One after the other, he hits most over the fence, but there are some balls littering the infield as well.
When the machine runs out of balls, he walks over to the fence where I’m standing.
I lick my lips, enjoying the view. He’s hot, sweaty, and sexy as hell.
He blows out a breath. “I haven’t hit that many balls in a row in a long time.”
“I’m glad you enjoyed it.” I hand him a bottle of water.
“Thanks.” He takes a long drink before giving me a smile. “You ready to pick up some balls?”
“Oh no, sir. I’ve arranged for that to be taken care of as well.”
He chuckles, shaking his head. “You really did think of everything.”
“It’s what I do.”
“Ready to go home?”
We lock up and head home, butterflies filling my stomach at the seemingly innocent words that mean so much to me but shouldn’t.
The ride home is quiet, and I shift in my seat. Anticipation fills the cabin of the SUV and it’s driving me crazy.
I glance over at him every so often, his face and strong jaw shadowed by the dashboard lights.
What makes a man like Nate “Iceman” Gentry want to stick around in this small town with me? It seems too good to be true.
And in my experience when something is too good to be true, it usually is.
“You’re quiet over there, Firefly. You okay?”
“Yeah, I’m fine. Just tired.”
“Yeah, me too. The travel is starting to catch up with me.” He glances over to me for a moment before looking back at the road. “I enjoyed tonight. Thank you for everything.”
“It wasn’t much, but it’s all I could come up with on short notice.”
He takes my hand in his and kisses the back of it. “It was perfect.”
My breath backs up in my lungs at the touch of his lips on my skin. It doesn’t matter where this man touches me. He leaves me in a puddle every time.
We pull into the driveway and make our way into the house.
In the foyer, I turn to face him, shifting my feet. “Well, I’m going to head to bed.”
His hazel gaze is intent on mine as he leans against the front door, his hand rubbing his chin. “Good night, Charlotte.”
