Page 21 of Stolen Bases

“I won’t,” I lie. Given the information beforehand, I still might have kissed Talia. She is too damn irresistible.

I explain everything that went down from start to finish, including the way I got angry at Romero for yelling at Talia and then grabbing her. Red tinges my vision just thinking about his hand wrapped around her upper arm.

“See, nothing happened.”

“You fucking kissed her?”

“Yeah, I kissed her. So what?”

“How was it?” he asks, his voice calm.

I pause, envisioning the kiss again. A smile pulls at my lips as I think about the way she melted into me, letting me take control, and the sweet taste of her in my mouth.

“Fuck,” Eli mumbles, pulling me out of my thoughts.

“What?”

“Dude, you paused for too long. You’re so fucked.”

“Why?”

“Stop asking stupid-ass questions you already know the answer to.”

Okay, fine. I know what he’s hinting at—it’s nothing but trouble, full steam ahead, if I keep going down this road with Talia.

“Tell me to stay the fuck away from Romero’s sister,” I plead.

“It’s a waste of my breath, but fine. Stay the fuck away from Romero’s sister, kid.”

His words are a hollow warning. We both know I’m not going to stay away.

six

Cameron

I wake up thenext morning before my alarm. Not wanting to ride with Nico, like Anson wants, I throw on my workout gear and grab my keys and gym bag. If I get to the training facility early, I can get in a run on the treadmill before team breakfast.

As quietly as I can, I take a pre-made protein shake from the fridge. Out of the corner of my eye, I spot a manilla envelope with Talia’s name scribbled across the front. Ears perked, I glance around, making sure I’m alone before I do the one thing I know I shouldn’t.

I open the envelope and slide the papers out. Inside is a chicken-scratched note from Nico, and some printed-out pieces of paper. Ignoring the note, I glance at the printouts. Each one contains a reservation number for a different activity. There must be ten or more reservations under Talia’s name.

One catches my eye. I chuckle to myself and stuff the papers back where they belong.

Romero thinks he can keep his sister away from me while she’s here. More power to him. As far as I’m concerned, she’s a non-issue.

I have no problem staying the hell away from Talia.

My call with Eli didn’t go as planned, but I still think he’s right. I don’t need the kind of drama in my life that comes with fucking around with a teammate’s sister.

Keep your eyes on the prize.At least, that’s what I keep telling myself.

Sweat drips down my back as I ready my stance on the mound. I’ve been at this for the last thirty minutes, with Turner at my back watching my every move with scrutinizing eyes.

My arm is strong, but between the dissecting eyes and the snarky comments coming from Nico behind the plate, I’m close to snapping.

After walking into the locker room like a king putting on his newly minted crown, he’s been running his mouth all morning. The few rookies on the team ate his cocky shit up, but the rest of us guys who have been around the block are still weary.

Nico isn’t known for getting along with many of his teammates.

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