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“A drive?” She poses it as a question.
I jump off the tailgate and close it. Reaching for her hand, I guide her to the passenger door and open it for her. I wait for her to get situated before closing her door and rushing to the other side. I slide in behind the wheel and look over at her. “You look good in that seat,” I tell her.
She smiles. “Yeah, the leather really sets the backdrop.”
“You’re beautiful, Larissa. You don’t need a backdrop.” She swallows hard, and I want to lean over and kiss the column of her neck. Instead, I start the truck and pull out of the lot.
“So, where are we going?” she asks.
“I have an idea.” I’m evasive in my answer. I want to take her to my house, but I know we’re not there yet. Instead, I’m taking her to my second home. The drive is quiet, but not uncomfortably so.
“We’re going to the stadium?” she asks as we pull into the lot.
“We are. I wanted to share this with you.” She doesn’t say anything to that, not that I expected her to. Larissa analyzes everything. She just needs a little time to catch up to where I am. At the moment, I want nothing more than to spend as much time with her and her daughter as possible. I was raised with the mindset that family is everything. I grew up watching my uncles, my dad’s brothers, fall hard and fast with the loves of their lives, and it’s as if a light is switched on. The light is on and shining brightly down on Larissa.
Parking my truck in my reserved spot, I climb out and rush to her door.
“You sure we’re allowed to be here?” She glances around the empty parking lot.
“I’m sure.” Taking her hand in mine, I lead her to the players’ entrance gate. Pulling out my key, I make quick work of unlocking the gate and pulling her through.
“You have a key?”
“I do.” I grin. I don’t tell her that I had to come back last week to get my gear that I left and had to swing by coach’s house to get his extra key and have yet to give it back. Making sure the gate is secure behind us, I lead her down the dimly lit hallway. Her hand clutches onto mine. On instinct, I release her hand and place my arm over her shoulders, holding her next to me.
“It’s so quiet,” she says in awe.
“Yeah, it’s a lot different after hours.” I lead her out onto the field that’s lit only from the lights of the surrounding city and the night sky. I don’t stop until we reach the outfield.
“Wow,” she whispers, looking up at the stars.
Her head is tilted toward the night sky, and her hair is cascading down her back. I step close, invading her space. When she lifts her head, our eyes collide and our breaths mingle. “You’re beautiful, Larissa.” My hand reaches up to cup her cheek. Her hand grips my wrist, and I hesitate just long enough for her to push me away. She doesn’t. Closing the space between us, I press my lips to hers. I have to fight to keep it slow, to not devour her.
“East,” she whimpers.
“Yeah, baby?”
“What are we doing?”
“I’m kissing you.” I trail my lips down her jaw.
“But why?”
“Because I can’t not kiss you,” I say, kissing her just below her ear before pulling away. Sitting down in the middle of the outfield, I tug on her hand and motion for her to sit between my legs. She hesitates but eventually takes her place nestled between my thighs, her back to my chest. Immediately, I wrap my arms around her and bury my face in her neck. “Tell me what I have to do?”
“What do you mean?”
“What do I have to do for you to give us… give this a chance?”
“Why me?”
“Besides the fact that my body prickles with awareness anytime you’re near? How about the fact that you’re not impressed with my career or the fact that I’m a Monroe? You make me work for your attention. I haven’t stopped thinking about you since the day I met you.”
“I’m a single mom, busting my ass to make ends meet. You don’t need that baggage.”
“Can I tell you a story?”
“Yeah,” she whispers.
“One day there was this ten-year-old little boy name Easton. His father was a bad guy, a crooked cop, heavy into drugs who no longer wanted his family. Easton and his mom started over on their own. They were doing fine on their own, but one day that all changed. A man, a good man, fell in love with his mother, fell in love with him. That man changed their lives for the better. He loved them both as if they’d always been his. He brought them a family—brothers, sisters, uncles, aunts, cousins, and grandparents. Suddenly Easton and his mom were more than doing fine. They were great.”
