Page 9 of Swing and a Little Miss

I nodded back, attempting to be polite yet professional with so many people watching us.

A few minutes later, the game began, and Abby proved to have more than beginner's luck. She had serious skills. And an hour after that, the game wrapped up with us victorious once again. Everyone headed to their cars, but I hung back while Abby changed her shoes in the dugout.

"Hey." I slipped on to the bench beside her. "You were really great out there tonight."

She bumped her shoulder against mine. "I'm great at a lot of things."

"I'm noticing that." I didn’t want to put pressure on her, but I needed to check in before I made any assumptions. "Listen, if you were just teasing me about coming over, that’s cool."

She dropped her foot to the ground and abruptly stood up with her keys dangling from her fingers. "I wasn’t teasing. I’m heading home for a bath…" She grabbed her bag and started walking. “Are you coming?”

Hell yeah I was. “Right behind you, baby girl.” I stepped closer, not touching her but close enough to smell her shampoo. "And feel free to call me Daddy, if the mood strikes."

Her smile spread slowly as she hooked her arm around my elbow and leaned into me. "Depends on what kind of toys you brought."

I chuckled, grateful the mood was still light between us even with the gravity of our topic. It was barely our second date and she was inviting me to her home to give her a bath. That wasn’t something to be taken lightly. But it was clear she felt what I felt,and the trust she’d placed in my care was beyond anything I had ever experienced with anyone before.

“Abby.” I stopped walking before we got to the parking lot.

She looked up at me with innocent eyes. “Yeah?”

I sucked in a deep breath and brushed a stray clump of hair behind her ear. “May I kiss you?”

"Yes, Royce." The vulnerability in her question was real, giving me a glimpse of the woman beneath the workplace confidence she always carried. “Kiss me.”

I pulled her close to my chest and lightly brushed my lips against hers. For a moment, neither of us moved, but then we both pressed tighter together and smashed our mouths to each other. My tongue glided over the seam of her lips, and she opened up to me.

Abby moaned into my mouth and then closed her lips around my tongue, sucking on it before licking inside me, tasting me the way I’d been dying to taste her.

She leaned into my touch for just a moment, then straightened to catch her breath. "We should get going."

“Definitely.” I pressed one last kiss to her mouth and then wrapped my arm behind her as we continued to the parking lot. I just hoped she didn’t live far away. I wouldn’t survive more than a few minutes without her in my arms again.

7

ABBY

Royce followed me up the three flights to my apartment as my keys jangled in my hand. I wasn’t in the habit of bringing men home, and no one ever saw my bedroom. But everything was different with Royce.

None of my regular rules applied with him.

"This is it." I pushed the front door open and stepped to the side. "Nothing fancy."

His eyes scanned the living room and our mismatched collection of IKEA furniture and family hand-me-downs. Royce’s presence immediately filled the space like he was meant to be there. "It's nice."

I laughed. "Is it, though?"

"Your roommate isn't home?" He gestured to the closed doors down the hallway.

"Out of town for the weekend." I kicked off my shoes and reached for his hand. "So, um, do you wanna see my room?" Ifelt like a child bringing home a friend for a playdate, and that was kinda what I was doing.

The words hung between us, loaded with meaning. I knew that my room represented who I really was beneath the grown-up shell I showed at work. But it was time to stop hinting around with Royce. I was laying my cards on the table, and it was up to him to decide what to do with them.

"Lead the way, sweet girl." His eyes were hungry with desire as he squeezed my hand.

My heart crept up my throat with each step closer to my room. I paused with my hand on the knob. "Are you sure you’re ready for this?"

He brushed a strand of hair from my face and his fingertips felt like whispers against my skin. "I know who you are, baby girl. I've been paying attention."

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