Page 53 of One Hot Deal

"Huh?Not sure you're speaking English.As much as I'd love to think I'm Batman, I don't get what a comic book character has to do with cricket."

"Not Batman.The batsman.Listen to how I'm pronouncing it.Bats-min.Not bat-man."

I might take offense at his over-enunciation, but I can tell he's not being snarky.Dominic genuinely wants to get me up to speed with a game I've never seen before, much less played.So, as our tutorial continues, I listen and ask questions only when necessary.Cricket doesn't seem that difficult.I don't need to be an expert, though, since this is a casual match strictly for fun.

The bat is a long, flat piece of wood with a handle.Okay, at least that somewhat resembles a baseball bat, so I can handle that.But when Dominic starts talking about wickets and bails, I know this game is not as much like baseball as I'd hoped.

Shinty would've been a better option for me.I've played that Scottish sport.British sports…not so much.But this is just a game for fun.Doesn't matter if I suck at it.

Once our crash course has ended, I tell Dominic, "You're a great coach.Thanks for all the pointers."

"Glad to help."

"Where do you coach, by the way?Just curious.You mentioned a private school."

He winces a little and shoves his hands into his pants pockets."I coach at a girls' school."

"Nothing wrong with that."

"It's not the most, ah, masculine job for a man who's known as the Dom."

"Don't you like your job anymore?"

He hunches his shoulders."I love it."

"That's great.You shouldn't feel embarrassed about teaching girls.I mean, Dane Dixon used to design sex toys for women, and Hugh makes candy."

"Good point."A slow smile stretches his lips."I should harass Hugh about being a candy maker, shouldn't I?"

"Absolutely."

We head back out onto the big lawn, where the pitch waits for us and our teammates.The wickets have been set up, and I now know those are three stakes, called stumps, that have two crosspieces or bails set on top of them.A wicket stands at each end of the playing area.Our umpire is Evan MacTaggart, a Scot, but everybody agrees he will be fair.Plus, he's played cricket before and knows the rules.

Not sure if the other Scots are well-versed in the ins and outs of cricket.Since they play shinty like it's a death match and rules are something to scoff at, I have a feeling they'll treat cricket the same way.

Before we take the field, every player is given one piece of safety equipment—legguards, which are pads that protect the shins and knees.When Evan asks if players should have gloves and helmets too, the Brits laugh.

Question answered, I guess.

Hugh requests a last-minute change to the player lineup.Callum wants to play on his best friend's team, so he switches to the British side while Luke comes over to the Scottish team.

Now we're ready to play.

As we jog out onto the field, the ladies rush over to kiss their husbands and fiancés.Some of the women get, uh, very affectionate about how they provide moral support to their guys.But when Avery kisses Hugh, I have to turn my head away.No, I do not need to watch my baby sister making out with Lord Sticky, especially since I saw her grabbing his ass right before she did things I refused to watch.

After the other ladies have finished their good luck spectacle, Diana walks up to me.

"You can just tell me good luck," I say."You don't need to feel obligated to—"

She grasps my face with both hands, raises onto her tiptoes, and mashes her lips to mine.With her entire body plastered to mine, I lose the ability to think rationally.That means I wrap my arms around Diana and tug her into me while we ravage each other's mouths like the world is about to explode.

Cheers and cat calls erupt around us.

Diana peels her lips away, but then gives me a quick kiss."Kick their arses, darling."

"You want me to whup your fellow Brits?"

"Of course.I root for my man."

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