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I’m not sure he actually heard anything I said after I agreed to him being the catcher today.
“He likes you?” Savannah observes.
I grin, and look toward the bleachers where he’s run off to. “What’s his name?” I ask, distracted.
“Charlie. He’s a great boy, and loves life regardless of being without a family for the past twelve months.”
After a quick glance at Savannah, I turn back and watch Catcher running circles around some of the other boys.
Savannah continues, “At first, everyone thought he was hiding his unhappiness behind the façade of this bubbly child. The thing is, now that time has gone on and he’s been here for a year, they truly believe he is happy…No one really knows his true background and he doesn’t match the description of missing children that have been reported. His DNA is in the system but, so far, nothing. Perhaps this is a better life than the one he was born with.”
I used to see and hear tales like this many times…hell, I’ve been there when kids were picked up when I was a full detective on the force. It used to make me thankful for the parents that I have. Some of the kids would end up back at the station, as they got older, and others would turn out solid, just like I bet Catcher does.
Shaking loose of the thoughts running through my head, I turn to Savannah. “We better get started.”
“Okay. Let me introduce you to Karen. She’s a counselor at Golden Circle.”
Savannah
Watching Jace move around the field has certainly been warming me up this afternoon, although I did have concerns when I realized he’s wearing his prosthesis. He soon showed me that he has recovered as I didn’t see any limp or wince of pain during his coaching.
It’s not just the physical presence of the man, though. It’s the way he is with the children. One or two of them before we arrived at the field, had been adamant that they weren’t going to join in. Now, we’re probably going to have trouble getting them to leave when the game finishes.
Jace has a way of listening to the kids and making each one of them feel special in their own right…and Charlie is the biggest surprise of all because he really can catch. I’ve certainly never seen him run as fast as he has been doing, and he hasn’t missed a ball yet.
And then there is little Tammy, who for the past thirty minutes has been wrapped around Jace. At first she couldn’t take her eyes from him, which I can’t blame her for. As the day went on, she’d gradually been edging closer and closer to him, until he saved her from getting hit in the face with the ball. I think there is some hero-worshipping going on, and Tammy doesn’t appear to be ready to come back to me with the way she’s clinging to Jace. He has her comfortably on his hip while he’s supervising the game and making sure the other kids don’t cheat, and get some of his attention because each one wants Jace’s eyes on them, and his praise.
I wonder what he’s doing now. He has called them all over to him and has them sitting in a horseshoe shape on the field. Before he turns to me, he places Tammy down on the grass with them.
“Savannah, can you help me out over here?”
Silently groaning, I get to my feet and move to where he’s waiting. I feel the eyes of everyone on me and with Jace grinning, my embarrassment grows, and my cheeks flush with what I presume is a lovely shade of pink.
Chuckling, Jace pulls me into him when I get close enough.
I’m now standing in front of him while his hands loosely grip my hips.
“Okay, I noticed some of you are holding the bat slightly wrong,” he tells his audience. “So, with Savannah’s help, I’m going to show you the best way to grip the bat to get the most powerful hit.”
I smile, and feel Jace chuckle behind me, when the kids all nod in agreement.
Jace passes me a bat, and covering my hand with his, slides my hand into the correct hold…and doesn’t let go. He does the same with his other hand, and pressing in close to my back, as in every inch of him is pressing against me, some parts harder than others.
The goose bumps of pleasure that are skirting along my arms, lead straight to my breasts, causing my nipples to harden in pleasure at the feel of him so close. His scent is musky and I’m sure it should be banned, or rebranded with Jace on the packaging.
“See where our hands are? You need to make sure your grip is firm, but your shoulders and arms are loose. If you’re too tight then the bat won’t swing correctly.” Jace waits for everyone to nod. “We’re just going to concentrate on batting for the next thirty minutes, and then I think you all deserve some refreshments.”
The kids start jumping up, and cheering while my whole body is centered on the man who still has me in his arms.
“You’re driving me crazy,” Jace whispers, and with a quick bite to my earlobe, he smacks my ass before he walks off to arrange the kids.
In the meanwhile, I’m left stunned and so desperate to get him alone that I can’t move.
“I want some of that,” Karen laughs. “I so wish you could see your face right now. I’ve known you for a while, and I don’t think I’ve ever seen that look on you before.”
“He’s just…I mean…he’s…um…well, he’s…”
Karen chuckles at my illiterate sentence. “You’ve got it so bad, girl.”
