AllFreeNovel
Share Us
The instant I hit that last concrete step, Coach, blue eyes narrowed like he’s bracing for a fight, said, “You’re done.”
I didn’t have it in me to argue. Not this time. So I lowered my head and gave him a small nod.
“Your shoulder’s tight,” he continued, like it hadn’t registered that I’d agreed so easily. “Go see Rory.”
As much as I hated to be pulled from the game, a thrill still raced through me at that last command. As much as I needed ice and some stim, I was most interested in the person who’d be working on me. In a matter of a week, she’d once again become my favorite person on the planet. The three-run homer I’d just added to our two-run lead gave us a nice cushion and had me feeling okay with sitting out for the rest of the game.
I made my way down the long tunnel that led to the locker room with only my girl in mind. We had left things unfinished when she went home, but one look at her, and my world was right again. That instant reaction told me all I needed to know. I stepped into the training room and clicked the door shut behind me.
The quiet sound had her looking up from the clipboard in her hands. She searched me, a crease forming between her brows, and her lips parted. “What?—”
I pinned her to the wall and dropped my mouth to hers, effectively cutting her off and thoroughly devouring her. Had it only been a day? It felt like I’d gone weeks without tasting her. She was the perfect flavor, made just for me. I couldn’t get enough of her lips on mine.
“I fucking miss you,” I mumbled against her mouth.
She pulled back, her eyes wide and her breath coming in hard puffs between us. “We’re not supposed to be doing this.”
“I don’t believe that, and neither do you.”
She huffed and hit me with the cutest glower. She wanted to deny it, but I could see it in her eyes. She couldn’t fight the pull between us either.
I molded my lips to hers again, content to stand here all day and kiss her.
Yeah. Baseball was fun, and I loved my teammates, but when it came to where I wanted to be? There was no contest. I didn’t want to choose, but if I had to, I’d pick Aurora every damn time.
We shouldn’t be doing this. Especially here. But no part of me wanted to push him away. In fact, even as I was telling myself we should stop, I was pulling him closer, pressing my breasts into the thick wall of his chest. What was it about him that was so irresistible?
“Come over tonight,” he muttered against my lips. He tilted his head, taking my mouth deeper. The move caused his hat to fall to the floor.
I raked a hand through the hair at the back of his head. “I can’t.” I shouldn’t. We needed lines. Boundaries. And one obvious one should involve no kissing him in the training room.
When he ran his tongue along my lower lip, I all but melted into him, forgetting all about that specific boundary.
But damn, he’d looked hot strutting in here, still dressed in his pinstripes. He was taller in his cleats, so I had to push up onto to my toes and stretch to wrap my arms around his neck.
The sharp knock had us jumping apart. I banged my hip into the exam table, and Mason took a big step back. He was running a hand over his face when the door opened and Cortney Miller, the team’s GM, came into view.
He looked from Mason to me, then to the baseball cap on the ground between us. The blond giant ducked his head and stepped inside, wearing an unreadable expression.
Was it obvious to him what we had been doing?
A ripple of fear ran through me, taking with it all the desire and elation I’d felt when Mason was kissing me. Subtly, hoping he wouldn’t notice, I pulled on my polo shirt, adjusting it.
“What’s the verdict?” Cortney cocked his head in Mason’s direction before turning toward me. “How bad is it?” His eyes were filled with a curiosity that had to do with more than just Mason’s shoulder.
“Oh. Um…” He’d had me pinned against the wall a moment before Cortney appeared, so it couldn’t be that bad. But I couldn’t say that. “Seems fine. But I haven’t gotten to do a full exam yet.”
“Huh.” He pressed his lips together like he was fighting a smile and cocked a brow as he surveyed us both again.
My knees wobbled under his scrutiny. Oh God. How long had Mason been in here? Probably long enough for me to have checked his freaking shoulder by now. He’d been pulled mid-game, so clearly, there was an issue. But I hadn’t even considered it when he walked through the door.
Cortney bent, grabbed Mason’s hat off the ground, and tossed it to him. “You dropped this.”
Mason caught it. “Thanks.” His expression was one of complete calm. He was breathing easily, and his lips were tipped up just a little, like they always were when he was playing his part as Mason Dumpty, star center fielder. How was it possible for him to be so composed? My heart was beating so hard Cortney could probably hear it from the other side of the room. And Mr. Calm, Cool, and Collected over there just tipped his chin and muttered an easy “thanks.” Ugh.
“Uh,” I said, racking my brain for a reasonable response so I wouldn’t look like a silent idiot. “We were going to try to put some heat on it before I looked at it. He didn’t want me to touch it.”
Cortney’s eyebrow rose even higher, and he turned back to Mason. “Oh?”
