Page 44 of Embers in the Outfield

The fact that I still hold his attention after seeing me naked at least a dozen times makes me bold. I do a little shake of my ass, and he seems mesmerized.

“How about you finish your dinner, and I take you home?” he asks as he slaps my ass.

I simply nod my head, realizing that in just a short amount of time of seeing River in this new light, I like his use of home instead of saying my home. Something about that brings a flutter to my heart, and I’m opening my eyes to the fact this guy is climbing over those walls I’ve built, and I’m not sure I’m mad about it. Honestly, I may not be strong enough to keep this from becoming deeper.

CHAPTER 19

Kennedy

“Why haven’tI seen you in these yet?” River says, tossing the skimpy lingerie at me, hoping to get me out of my sour mood.

River and I have been doing whatever River and I are doing for a few months now. I thought this casual sex of ours would have run its course by now, but here we are, still finding ways to get together whenever we can.

“Okay, crotchless panties? Are you fucking with me now?” he gripes, still sifting through my drawers.

“Do you mind, River? Why are you even going through my things?” I ask, not even remembering how we got to this point where he’s going through my things.

“Because you said you wanted to relax in the community hot tub. You pointed at your dresser to grab something for you to put on, and now I can’t even focus anymore. There’s lace everywhere in here. What the fuck, Skipper? You’re holding out on me!” He continues his complaints while I had already forgotten about the hot tub request.

Honestly, my mind is mush right now. My issues with Brett Henry have only gotten worse. I’ve held off, hoping those belowme would take care of it, but now the more I see things unfolding, it will soon be my shit to clean up.

I rub my temples, hoping it dissolves some of the tension I’m feeling. River chooses that exact moment to look over and catches me trying to absolve myself of this stress.

“Hey, get out of your head. You’re supposed to be getting ready to go sit in a hot tub and let me rub your muscles… maybe rub a couple of other things.” He waggles his eyebrows, and I can’t help the chuckle that escapes.

“I know, I know. I’m shit company tonight though. I would need a million hot tubs to rid me of the crap mood that this player is putting me in right now. Ugh!”

I let my body fall back onto my bed, the frustration not dissipating even after so much work trying to make this problem go away. So far, no matter what I say to the people surrounding the great Brett Henry, no one is slapping this nonsense behavior out of him.

All of a sudden, I open my eyes and sit straight up. “I got it! Wanna get away?”

A gleam of mischief crosses his face, and I already know he’s down to do something outside the city with me.

* * *

River blasts the music in his truck as we make our way up to Maine. It’s my favorite impromptu getaway, and luckily, River was game to join me. We both have the weekend off; well, I’m never fully unplugged as the president of a baseball franchise, but I can do my work remotely for the next forty-eight hours. The team is on a string of away games, so I don’t need to be physically there to watch any games at the stadium.

This is exactly what I need. I let my hand move through the air as we speed down the highway. It reminds me of the summers I would spend with my aunt and uncle, driving our way up through the States, feeling like time was standing still and my heart was soaring.

I will admit that this happiness running through me is unexpected, especially after going back to New York a few weeks back. There is so much pain I buried there that risked resurfacing, yet I didn’t bolt in the opposite direction when he asked me on that trip with him.

If I’m being completely transparent, River is unexpected. I’ve always been aware that River is up for an adventure, but I’ve gotten a window into this softer side of him. And that side is finding ways of latching onto my heart, and it’s getting harder to turn a blind eye toward it.

We’ve been on opposite sides of the playing field for so long that for years, I thought that’s all I’d see of River. I thought that was the only side he would grant me. Obviously, I did the same, giving him the pieces of me that were tough and rigid. But when I spend more time with him, I see myself thawing that icy exterior just to let him get a little closer.

Part of me has to keep reminding myself that this isn’t forever. This isn’t part of the deal, where we move toward something deeper together.

But sometimes, much like the moments we are sharing together now, I feel like our connection runs deeper. But it feels like the lines are blurring, the pen bleeding through the paper, and I’m not too sure I’m upset about it. I sort of like whatever we’ve got going on.

I like feeling my smile grow as his brightens when we see one another in a room. I welcome the interaction, not just from being attracted to this man but because he brings out a side of me that feels good and free. I feel like I’m whole when he’s with me,and all the things that keep me prickly around the edges simply disappear the longer we keep finding ways to connect on this new level we’ve discovered together.

He moves his hand off the wheel to touch my knee. I feel myself react to his touch, and he squeezes my thigh, almost like he can sense his touch turns me on, even with such simplicity.

“Where’s your mind at, Skip?” He turns to me and throws that sexy smile my way.

“It’s at peace, that’s where it is, Riv.” I continue to move my hand through the air, making waves with the way my hand glides with the force.

“I get that. I truly get that, Kennedy,” he says, and right then, it feels like we have this force bringing us together that’s deeper than anything we ever expected.

---