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She was all ready to be awful at softball and look cute doing it.
Troy came over to her and laid his hand lightly on her waist. He leaned down close to her and whispered, “Damn, girl. I never realized how sexy a jersey could be.”
Mission accomplished.
She gave him a wink and leaned in closer. “Play your cards right, big boy, maybe you’ll get to first base.”
The energy between them changed when she said that. A smoldering heat drifted into Troy’s eyes and Alison’s heart beat deeper and faster. She trembled all over and couldn’t seem to catch her breath.
For all of her worrying about making a fool of herself in front of the entire town, Troy included, at that moment she forgot that anyone else in the world existed other than the two of them.
It was magic.
“Okay, you two. Get a room.”
Mila’s teasing voice broke the spell, and Alison turned to look at her. She had to laugh at the impish expression on the girl’s face. She clearly liked the idea of Alison and her brother being together…and Alison definitely didn’t disagree.
Ella, who had settled into a seat on the bleachers two rows down, turned and reached into the soft-sided cooler she’d brought with her. She pulled out two icy water bottles and handed one to Alison and the other to Troy. “You two need to cool down a little,” she said with a wink.
Alison shook her head. “I don’t think we were being very subtle,” she said wryly.
Troy shrugged. “There’s nothing subtle about how I feel.”
Her eyes widened at his words. That he’d be so straightforward, and even in front of other people, took her aback. It wasn’t how she was used to communicating. In her world, it was all inferences and innuendos.
She couldn’t lie, though. Looking at Troy now, at the direct stare he was leveling at her, one that was full of both desire and intention, she had to admit that the straightforward approach definitely had its advantages.
She raised the dripping bottle to her face and rubbed it lightly over her forehead and cheeks, hoping to bring the heat level down a little. They were in public, after all. She found to her surprise, though, that she wasn’t blushing. Not even a little bit.
Huh. It seemed to her like she’d spent the entire time she’d known Troy in a pretty much constant red-cheeked state. So what was different now?
She glanced around the softball park. At Troy. At Ella. At Mila. Then it hit her.
She’d been blushing all this time because Troy put her off-balance. He pushed her out of her comfort zone, into the unknown, a space where she felt unsure of herself and her reactions. She liked that space, no doubt about it. It was exciting, and boundary-pushing, and thrilling.
But, here, at the softball park surrounded by her new friends, and Troy, and Troy’s little sister—it was different. It was cozy, and homey, and somehow familiar even though she’d never been here before.
It was a community, and she was fast becoming a part of it. And as thrilling as being outside of her comfort zone was, she was pretty sure she liked this feeling even more.
“Hey, here come the guys!”
Alison turned at Gen’s voice, then saw what she was looking at. Walking across the field toward them were three good-looking men. She knew immediately who they were– Troy’s brothers. It wasn’t hard to tell. The four of them were like variations on a theme.
“Be warned– don’t take anything they might say seriously,” Troy leaned down and told her under his breath.
She looked up at him, alarmed. “Why? Don’t you think they’re going to like me?”
“Oh, yeah. They’re gonna think you’re great. It’s just that each of them, in their own way, is far more impressed with their own sense of humor than they should be.”
She smiled. “Apparently it’s a family trait.”
He laughed. “Good burn. Okay. I can see I was wrong for worrying. Clearly you can hold your own.”
Just then, the three men reached them, and Ella, Gen and Abby walked over as well, completing the little group.
Each of the brothers kissed and hugged their respective significant others, and then Troy took care of the introductions. “Alison, I’d like to introduce you to my brothers. This guy over here, the one attached at the hip to Ella, is Donovan.”
Donovan shook her hand. “Nice to meet you, Alison.”
