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“Don’t worry, I programmed it to slow pitch. It can’t hurt you.”
“I beg to differ.” My pale skin doesn’t just give me the gift of instant sunburn when exposed to a single ray of light. Noooo, genetics also blessed me with the ability to bruise like a peach.
“I’ll be right beside you,” Liam says.
Somehow, this seems even more dangerous.
“Okay, step up to the plate,” Liam instructs.
I do as he asks.
“Now, grip the bat here and here.” He points, then hands me the bat.
I try to recreate his hand position.
“Closer together. Down a little with your right hand,” he offers.
I slide my hand down the bat.
“More like this…” He steps close to me—like, sexy pine forest flooding my senses close—and this time, I don’t resist inhaling his warm, clean skin. My heart speeds double time.
He places a hand on top of mine, and drags it down a little. I forget to inhale.
“Yeah, you got it,” he murmurs, and all I can think is that I might as well have stepped into a romcom movie. Just call me J Lo, or Reese Witherspoon, or one of the actresses in a movie where the tall, hot hero teaches a girl to wield a bat. I’ve never been a fan of the whole “girl is hopeless at sports but a big strong man shows her how it’s done” thing.
But now? I finally understand why the scene is so cliché. There’s something so hot, so intimate, about having Liam’s arms wrapped around me like this, his torso grazing my back.
Reminds me of another time we were in this exact position…
Breathe, Annie, breathe!I remind myself frantically. Sirens are going off in my head. We are well and truly in the danger zone.
I should step away. But dammit, he smells so good! Maybe just a few more seconds of lingering…
“Lift the bat and move it backwards. Yup, keeping that elbow up.” Liam moves his hand from my mine and drags it past my wrist, up my bare forearm, and to my elbow. He presses lightly where he wants me to angle my arm higher.
A line of fire follows in the wake of his fingers.
Holy moly double cannoli with extra chocolate chips.
He’s touching my elbow. My freakingelbow.
Who knew elbows were a turn-on? Not me.
“Good, good.” His voice drops a couple notches in a way that makes me wonder if he, too, could be affected by the feeling of his palm on my bare skin.
Surely not. We’re in a public place; there are children here, for crying out loud.
And he’s my BOSS.
The hefty reminder strikes me like a slap to the face, and I lurch forward, out of his grip. Just in time for the first ball to come shooting out of the machine.
It flies through the air and… hits me square in the stomach.
“Ooof!” I groan as I fall to my knees, coughing and spluttering.
“Annie!” Liam is right behind me, kneeling in the dirt. “Annie? Are you okay?”
“Yes,” I wheeze. “Just a bit… winded.”
