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And it was then she recognized another bonus to watching him play in person: getting to see his incredible ass in those tight uniform pants.
Everything would have been perfect if it hadn’t been for the whispers gradually building in volume behind them.
“Seriously, her? I don’t get it. Think he’s got some kind of weird, fat girl fetish?”
“Oh! I’ve heard of that. Eww, what if he’s one of those guys who gets off on feeding women and watching them get bigger and bigger?”
“If she’s even with him at all. I bet that wasn’t even him on the phone.”
“God, how desperate isthat?”
Fixing her gaze on the scoreboard, she tried to drown out the mocking voices, but each new barb dug its way under her skin until she could barely stand it.
It was high school all over again. And as much as she silently lectured herself that she was a grown ass woman, that words from two bitches she didn’t even know shouldn’t have the power to hurt her, she felt that familiar burning in her gut. That bone-deep shame she’d learned to live with from the first time she’d stepped out of the “Juniors” section and into the “Womens” at a department store, because her hips no longer fit in the pin-straight jeans.
Even twenty years later, the shame had never really faded. She buried it, as deep as she could, but it never went away. She covered it with stylish clothes and perfectly applied makeup, hid it behind a successful business she’d worked her ass off to build.
But it was never enough. And no matter what Austin said, no matter how beautiful he tried to make her feel, she was beginning to think nothing would ever really be enough to rid her of that shame.
“Want me to have them removed?”
Claudia’s quiet question jerked her back to the present and Kit shook her head. “No. Just ignore them. I am.”
“Sweetie, you may be pretending you don’t hear them, but you aren’t ignoring them. Don’t let those groupies ruin this for you. They’re just bitter that you have something they’ll never have.”
“What’s that?”
“They may be able to get into these guy’s beds, they’ll never get into their hearts. Not like you have with Austin.”
“That’s sweet.” Austin might care for her, but she wasn’t stupid enough to think he’d fallen in love with her or anything.
Claudia snorted. “I am not sweet. Look over at the dugout. What do you see?”
Tearing her gaze from the scoreboard, she looked over to the home team’s box. Austin was there, his steady stare locked on her.
“He’s been watching you the whole game. That man adores you, Kit. Don’t forget it.”
“Maybe,” she conceded, unwilling to put too much meaning on the fact she’d caught him looking at her.
“Are you always this stubborn?”
The exasperated tone pulled a giggle from her and Kit felt her muscles loosen. “Maybe.”
“Brat.”
Chapter 13
Austin
Why the hell had he invited them to dinner?
Not that he wasn’t having a good time. Tony’s wife was a little spitfire, and she brought out a sassier side of Kit he normally didn’t see. Not so much that she got herself into trouble, but enough that he’d pulled her aside and whispered a reminder of what happened to naughty girls in her ear.
Unfortunately, the threat seemed to have more of an effect on him than it had on her. Standing in front of the shiny, barely used grill on his back deck, he silently willed his cock to stand down, at least until their guests left.
Would it be rude to pack everyone to-go bags and send them on their way when the food was ready?
At the sound of the glass door sliding open and shut again, he turned, hoping to find Kit had escaped for a few minutes alone. Instead, he found her dad, two beers in hand and a carefully guarded expression on his face.
