Page 78 of Make My Heart Malt

When we arrive at my apartment to drop off Dessa’s belongings, I give her the real greeting I wanted to give her at the airport, which involved me stripping her out of her clothes and burying my face between her legs. I’m pretty sure she forgave me for my sign after the two orgasms I gave her.

After we're dressed again, I take her to my favorite gastro pub in town. We grab a seat on the outside patio. I order a Cubano sandwich, while Dessa orders the black bean and brown rice burger. We share a plate of Korean cauliflower.

“So, on top of your place in Seattle, you also pay for an apartment in Sedona?”

“I do. It’s more comfortable than a hotel room for two months. I get my own space with my own things. Plus, two of my buddies are in the same building, so it’s nice.” The server drops off our drinks. I swallow a gulp of my beer while Dessa sips her Arizona spiked tea.

She crosses her leg over her knee. “What do you do with it for the other ten months of the year?”

“Wilcox, Salter, and I hired someone to handle sublets for us. With all of us being in the same building, it makes it easier.”

“That’s really smart.”

I take a sip of my beer. “Have you talked to Georgia lately?”

She cuts a piece of cauliflower in half with her fork. “She texted me to say it was over between her and Tony. I didn’t want to pry for details. I figured if she wanted me to know, she’d tell me.” She stabs the cauliflower with her fork and puts it in her mouth.

“I get that. Fucking Tony. I can’t believe he did that.” Isit up and rest my elbows on the table. “I mean, I can. I just figured he would have grown up by now. You can’t play puppet master with people’s lives. Even though he likes to try.” I pluck a piece of cauliflower off the plate and pop it in my mouth.

“Maybe when I'm back in Harbor Highlands, I’ll call Georgia to check on her and see how she’s doing. Invite her over for drinks or something.”

“I bet she could use a friend right now.” I reach over and place my hand on her thigh, running my thumb back and forth over the thin fabric of her leggings.

“Yeah. She doesn’t have anyone. We can bond over how much of an asshole Tony is.” She half smiles. “We could make little voodoo dolls or something.”

“Remind me not to piss you off.” I squeeze her leg and wink. The server delivers the rest of our meal, and we chat about my spring training schedule.

When we’re finished, Dessa leans against her chair. “That was so good. You might have to roll me out of here.” She rests a hand on her stomach.

“But you have to carry me out of here first.”

She laughs. “Like I could carry you. What is that?” She points off into the distance. “The tall fence.”

I follow her finger. “That’s a batting cage.”

She turns to me, brows pinched together. “They still have those?”

“They do. Want to go hit some balls?”

Her eyes light up. “Yes!”

I pay for our meal, and we stroll around the block to Strike Zone. The setup for these batting cages is a little different from most. They have different tiers from beginner to expert. We opted for the expert with a sliding net, so we can either have a pitcher behind a net or use a pitching machine. Since this is for fun, I opt to pitch theballs to Dessa. Once I'm in position behind the net, I tilt my head at Dessa on the plate. Her feet are too close together, and her hand position is wrong. I drop my arm to my side. “What are you doing?”

“Getting ready to hit the ball.”

“No. You’re not. Your stance is all wrong.”

The bat drops to her side. “What’s wrong with my stance?”

“Everything.” I toss the ball to the ground and jog toward her. I position myself behind her. “For one, your feet are too close together.” I rest my hand on her hip and slide it down the side of her thigh until I reach the back of her knee. With her help, I slide her foot out. “Your feet need to be about shoulder width apart.” I slowly drag my hand up her side.

She glances over her shoulder and wiggles her ass against my dick. “Like that?”

A guttural groan escapes me. My head falls back as I stare up into the sky, willing all the blood in my body to head north again. “Yeah, something like that.”

She twists to face me, and her head bumps into the brim of my hat. I lift it and turn it backwards.

Her tongue peeks out, wetting her bottom lip. “I don’t know why, but it’s hot when you wear your cap like that.”

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