Page 17 of Embers in the Outfield

“Yeah, the metrics are a little different, but overall, this framework is similar to platforms I’ve worked on in the past. Thank goodness because learning something new with the wedding going on at the same time, I think it would have been a nightmare.”

Ashton looks over to his new wife and kisses her nose. The love these two have for one another feels like nothing I’ve seen before. Actually, scratch that, I have seen it—in my parents long ago.

I snap myself out of my thoughts when the waiter comes by asking if I want coffee. I don’t have it in me to use words and simply nod, thanking him with a whisper. The memory of my parents is taking over my heart and leaving me uneasy as my friends tell us all about their plans for their honeymoon.

Grief is difficult like that. I’m constantly thrown into moments where my mind veers back in time to moments where I felt whole. Now, I just have little glimpses into the life I lost with them.

Ash and Sam begin to veer off into a conversation together while I’m eating some fruit quietly. I feel River’s gaze on me more than I see it. When I look to my right, sure enough, his eyes are trained on me.

“You’re awfully quiet,” he says, his brows furrowed in concentration.

“How did you sleep, River? Any tent issues that kept you up last night?” I chuckle, and an amused expression takes over his face.

He moves closer to me, his voice just above a whisper. “As a matter of fact, I handled my tent issue a few times. It seems once wasn’t enough. How about you? Were all your needs met?”

I instantly feel my panties dampen with the image of River stroking himself, but I keep my gaze on the plate in front of me.

“Oh, with my handy little stallion, my needs are always met.” I wink, hoping to show how unaffected I am by his words.

Luckily, he can’t read minds because he’d soon find out that all I want is a repeat, maybe without the silicone dildo and with the real thing instead.

An easy smile spreads across his face, his attention going back to something Ashton just asked him. My head is in the clouds, my heart racing, thinking about what I am going to do next.

River is lost in a conversation with his best friend, and Sam ran to the restroom, so I pull out my phone and decide to execute the next part of my plan.

I quickly hear the swoosh of the text being sent, and River pulls his phone out, putting his finger up for Ash to hold his thought.

He’s mid-sip of coffee as he unlocks his phone. Then he realizes his mistake because the moment the photo pops up for River to acknowledge, the coffee goes down the wrong pipe, and he’s coughing incessantly. I pat his back while Ashton worries his friend is choking.

River is waving his hands up, hoping to convey the message he’s okay, and I can’t help slapping his back but smiling at him, knowing my photo worked him up.

He finally catches his breath, and he reassures Ash he’s okay. Sam returns to the table, holding out her phone to show something to her new husband. They get lost in a conversation that seems to be an unspoken language between the two of them, and that leaves me to look over at River.

“You play dirty, Skipper.” His choked words don’t match the wicked gleam in his eyes.

“Oh, I assure you I’m squeaky clean in that photo. The only dirty thing present are my thoughts.” I excuse myself, hugging my friends goodbye and wishing them a good honeymoon. I give a little wave to River, who is simply sitting there, speechless, gawking at me.

I know he was worried I was going to freak, but little does he know I don’t back down from a fight, and I most definitely don’t back down from something that might end in orgasms.

I walk to the elevator, feeling a little lighter after my little stunt. I used the opportunity earlier with housekeeping in his room to take the dildo back. But that’s not all I did.

I had gone back to my room, stripped off my clothes except my lace panties, and grabbed my boobs with one hand, ensuring a nipple was being pinched with my thumb and index finger of that hand while the dildo sat right below my navel.

I captioned the photo with, “Looks like my vibrator continues to be the lucky one.”

A laugh slips out as I make my way into the elevator, satisfied I was able to plant a tiny seed and maybe see where this little cat-and-mouse game will lead us next.

CHAPTER 7

River

I’m sittingat the table with the new husband and wife, stunned by the photo Kennedy sent me. I’m trying to veer my thoughts somewhere to help the situation growing in my pants, but I cannot stop visualizing that fucking photo.

My best friend and his bride are looking at one another, talking about their upcoming trip and some things they need to grab before heading to the airport early tomorrow morning. To say I’m just a body sitting across from them is an understatement.

After years of banter between Kennedy and me, it should come as no shock she would send me a taunting photo like that. But something about the gesture still caught me off guard.

I tossed and turned last night—first, for the fact that we crossed a line, and I wasn’t sure if Kennedy would chop my dick off for it or applaud it. Second, because I wasn’t sure where this would lead us. I’m used to many different reactions from Kennedy, but this playful side is one I wasn’t quite prepared for.

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