AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Cammie swung and missed.
Hunter called out, “Strike one.”
“You got this, Cammie,” I cheered.
“Knees soft, elbow up,” Ben told her before focusing on Hunter again. They went through some silent argument about what pitch they were going to do, with Ben shaking his head and Hunter offering a different option with his fingers. Finally, they agreed on the pitch, and Ben straightened his glove by his stomach. He wound up and threw another lob at Cammie. I was starting to think the secret signal business and exaggerated windup were just for fun.
Hunter seemed to be enjoying the show, and I was, too. Standing on first with Ben facing away from me, I could easily observe his ass on display as he went through his windup. I fanned myself with my glove. I should probably have been paying more attention to the batter.
The crack of the bat sounded, and the ball rolled toward Ben. I panicked, trying to remember what I was supposed to be doing. Oh, right. Covering first. I stood with one foot on the bag and stretched toward Ben just as he threw it.
All I had to do was catch it. Thankfully, Ben went easy on me and threw a soft but accurate ball into my glove a second after I felt Cammie cross the bag.
“Safe,” Hunter called out.
I high-fived Cammie. “Nice hit.”
“Who’s up next?” Ben asked, as if it weren’t obvious.
“Me.” Hunter indicated himself with a hand on his chest.
Ben looked around. “But who’s going to be the catcher? Cammie?”
“I want to run the bases,” Cammie said stubbornly.
Ben’s gaze moved to me.
“I don’t really know what I’m doing,” I said reluctantly as I walked toward home plate.
“It’s easy. Five fingers is a slider, four is a knuckleball, three is a screwball, two is a curveball, and one is a fastball.” Hunter demonstrated the signs as he went through them.
I crouched down. “Are you sure about that? All the pitches looked the same.”
“Hey, no trash talk from the catcher,” Ben called from the mound.
It was light and fun, and I found myself enjoying the moment, even though I’d never played baseball and had no idea what I was doing.
I signaled for a fastball, and with one nod from Ben, he went through his windup. It was sexy from my angle. His cap curved just so over his forehead, the muscles of his arms bulging and flexing as he went through the motions. I was so distracted by what his body was doing that I barely registered the ball coming toward me much faster than it had seemed when I stood on first base.
Hunter swung, hitting the ball between first and second. I stood, watching Ben chase after the ball, but Hunter made it to first before Ben snagged it.
“Nice hit, buddy.” Ben walked over to first, fist-bumping him.
Then Ben moved to stand in front of me. “I think we need a new pitcher. Two batters, two hits.”
My whole body heated at his flirtatious expression. I looked around at the empty field. “But there’s no one else.”
Ben handed me the ball with a smile. “Pitch to me?”
I slowly shook my head. “Oh, you don’t want me doing that.”
“Come on. It will be fun. I’ll show you what to do.” Ben took off for the mound, and I followed at a slower pace. My heartbeat gradually picked up as I neared. Just how was Ben going to show me what to do?
“Stand here like this.” Ben demonstrated his stance.
I moved to stand in front of him, trying to mimic the pose as best I could. His heat was to my back, and his presence made it difficult to concentrate on my form.
“Like this.” Ben’s arms came around me, and he put my hands where he wanted them. I sucked in a breath, getting a lung full of Ben’s scent: coffee beans, leather, and a hint of masculine spice.
