Page 86 of Make My Heart Malt

“I’m always ready.”

“That’s my girl.” I pitch the ball again and with all her might, she swings. From the pitcher’s mound, I cup myhand on top of my eyes and look into the sky, following the pretend ball. I swing my gaze to Dessa as she stands at home plate. “What are you doing? Run!”

Dessa starts to run, then freezes before throwing the imaginary bat into the dirt. She jogs the baseline toward first base.

“You have to run faster than that!”

“I can’t! I’m wearing three-inch ankle boots!”

With a sudden burst of speed, I dart to the left and close in on her, meeting her halfway to the base. I wrap my arm tightly around her waist, effortlessly twist her around, and hoist her over my shoulder. My arm locks her legs in place against my chest. She laughs in surprise. I continue to run the baseline until my foot lands on the base. Slowly, I lower her to her feet. Her body slides against mine the entire way down. I grab the bill of my cap and flip it around, shoving it back on my head. With both hands, I cup her cheeks, and press a kiss to her soft lips. “First base.” I hoist her over my shoulder again and she giggles as I jog across the field to second base. Once my feet are on the base, I lower her to her feet. I slide one hand to the back of her head and the other around her waist and to her ass. I pull her to me and kiss her, pressing my tongue against the seam of her lips. She opens and moans into my mouth. My tongue curls around hers for a few strokes before I break away.

Her eyelashes flutter open. “Let me guess, third base is next?”

“You’re catching on.” I lift her over my shoulder again. She giggles as I follow the baseline to third. Once I’m on the base, I lower her to the ground.

“And this is third.” She reaches down and cups my dick over my jeans. Softly, she strokes me as my dick strains against the zipper.

I groan. “There’s only one problem. We’re wearing too many clothes.” I slide my hand under the hem of her sweater, and my fingertips trail up her stomach. Her breath hitches when I palm her breast over her lace bra, brushing my thumb over her stiffening nipple.

Her mouth falls open slightly. “If you keep that up, you might just make it home.” A bolt of lightning zigzags across the sky, lighting up the entire field. Both of us tilt our heads up to the sky. “It’s going to rain,” she adds.

A droplet of water splashes onto my forehead. “Or we just have that much electricity between us.”

She laughs. “Would you like some wine with that cheesy pickup line?”

I throw my head back in laughter. “Only if I can lick it off your body.” I nuzzle my nose into her neck and press my lips against her skin under her ear. “Should we take this all the way to home plate?” Another bolt of lightning flashes across the sky.

“Yeah, and we better make it quick.”

I pick her up again. This time she rests her hands on my shoulders and twists her head around so she can see where we’re going. When I’m only a few steps from home plate, I slow my pace. As soon as my foot lands on home, I release my grip, and she slides down my body. Her hands roam my chest and abs, leaving a tingling sensation in their wake as her feet find solid ground on the base. “Look at that, you got a home run.”

“We got a home run.” She stretches on her tippy toes, wraps her hands around my neck, and tugs me down for a kiss just as another bolt of lightning dances across the sky. Seconds later, the roar of thunder echoes over the field. With her lips still pressed to mine, the skies open and rain pours over us. I wrap my arms around her waist, holding her to me, neither of us caring about the rain or gettingwet. The only thing we’re concerned with is each other. Holding each other. Kissing each other. Loving each other. I know without a doubt, I love Dessa. I always have. For the rest of my life, I always will.

She pulls away, her lips a hairsbreadth away from mine. “Should we continue this in the dugout until the rain passes?” I nod. She grabs my hand and leads me toward the third base dugout and through the open gate. Rain pings against the metal roof as it shields us from the downpour. I sit on the steel bench and guide her to straddle my lap. As she sits, I slide my hand along her upper thigh, around her waist, and link my fingers together at the top of her ass. Her arms drape over my shoulders, and I drop my head into the crook of her arm, resting my cheek against her chest.

“I can’t believe they’re selling this place.”

“I know. We’ve had a lot of great memories here. I remember you forcing me to throw pitches to you, even though I had to be like five feet away from the plate so I could throw you a semi-accurate ball.”

My shoulders bounce with laughter. “Are you telling me you didn’t have fun?”

Her fingers play with the wet hair at the back of my neck. “No, I did, mostly because I got to spend time with you.”

“By the end of summer, you were able to throw the ball fifteen feet with pretty good accuracy.”

Her gaze drops to my chest. “We’ve come a long way since then.”

“My biggest regret has been the last ten years without you.” I hold her tighter, afraid to lose her again.

“My biggest regret was not smacking you upside the head and telling you to kiss me at the dock.”

We laugh. “But we can’t live with regrets. We’re herenow and I fully intend to spend the rest of my life with you.” I lift my head and peer up at her. “You’re my everything. You’re all I need.” My thumb brushes against the bare skin on her lower back from where her sweater has ridden up. “I don’t know how I survived ten years without you in my life. I was a shell of a man, only going through the motions. The last four months with you has resuscitated me. You’re the sunshine after the rain, and I’ve had nothing but rain clouds looming over me.” With one hand, I reach up and cup her cheek, forcing her gaze to meet mine. “I love you, Dessa. I’ve loved you for over half my life, and my biggest regret is not telling you sooner.”

She cups my cheek, her thumb brushing over my two-day stubble. “I love you, Garrett. As much as I wish we could rewind and rewrite history, we may not be here without it. Right now, it’s pretty perfect.”

“I know we’ve been keeping it casual, and I haven’t been casual with anyone else.”

Both her palms cover my cheeks, and I lean into her warmth. “Me either,” she murmurs.

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