Page 132 of Hard Hitter

Quinn chuckled at the mention of Jett the Virgin, “Well, I approve, if it matters. He’s a good guy. Probably the nicest guy I know.”

“Good to know,” Zoey nodded. “Not that it’s going to turn into anything.”

“If it helps,” Quinn began, trying to conceal a grin, “he’s practically a horse from the waist down.”

“What?” Zoey arched an eyebrow, appearing somewhat confused, and fully exasperated.

Quinn shrugged. “I always felt bad; he’s got all the equipment but absolutely no game.”

Shaking her head, she rolled her eyes. “Thanks for the warning? Like I said, though, we’re just talking. And he lives across the country, so…”

“Right, of course,” said Quinn.

A new silence settled over them and her phone buzzed again. Another grin, another giggle, and Zoey looked back up at Quinn who was watching intently. “Would you stop staring at me? Go get ready!”

Walking out onto the field for the first time in over a month was like a breath of fresh air. Quinn took his time taking in the familiar scene, breathing in the grass, the clay and sand.

His trainer was waiting for him on the field. It was rare that he was the only one out there, but his teammates were resting and gearing up for their evening game that night, which Quinn was looking forward to, even if he had to watch from the bench.

After giving his trainer a run-down of where he was at in his physical therapy, and that he’d been working on strengthening his rotator cuff and the muscles surrounding his scapula, they got to work. They ran through cardio exercises, and with the Southern California heat, he was drenched in sweat from head to toe by the end of his workout session.

Walking back to the clubhouse locker rooms, he realized just how much he’d missed these kinds of training sessions. His head felt clear, and his body felt awake. Though he’d soon be feeling a lot more awake once he got in the showers. Not that he was complaining, but it was a little frustrating that ever since Rae had made his teenage shower fantasy come true, he couldn’t take a shower without getting hard as fuck. Being in the clubhouse showers made this a hell of a lot more difficult to manage.

Cold shower it is.

Back in the meeting room of the clubhouse, Quinn greeted his teammates as they filed in, giving them back slapping hugs, fist bumps, and awkward left-handed handshakes. Nearly all of them had asked about his arm, and just as many asked about his girlfriend.

“Did you bring your girl back with you?”

“When are we meeting the girlfriend?”

Dean Bennett, the third baseman and Quinn’s closest friend on the team said, “I still can’t believe you’re settling down, man. I give it another month.”

“Ouch! You know I expected more support from you,” Quinn replied, a hand to his chest as though wounded. He was good at pretending. Had he been excited at the prospect of no longer having topretend around these guys? Sure. But if he had to pretend that he and Rae were still fine for a while longer, he would.

“How about that article with all those pictures of your girl with other guys? Was that whole thing photo-shopped? Or did you have to show half the guest list your fightin’ skills?” Rob DiMarco asked, nudging Quinn as he took a seat on the bench next to him.

“Nah, they weren’t photo-shopped,” Quinn replied. “Just guys at the wedding. Rae used to be a total tom-boy, believe it or not. She may not look like it, but she could probably run bases around you assholes all day.”

“With long legs like hers, I definitely believe it,” said Dean, wiggling his eyebrows.

Quinn glared at his friend and made his voice low and threatening, “Watch it.”

Dean chuckled, then asked, “So you really have been friends since you were kids?”

Quinn nodded. “Met when we were seven.”

Dean grinned. “Oh, I can’t fucking wait to hear stories about what you were like as a kid. I hope she’s got some embarrassing ones. Lord knows that ego could use some humbling.”

“All jokes aside,” said Rob, “we really are happy for you. Glad you finally got your girl, Quinn.”

Quinn was only able to give a half-hearted smile and ran his hands through his damp hair anxiously.What were these guys gonna say when they realized he’d only lasted a little over a month in a real relationship?

He caught up with the guys for a while longer until they all turned their attention to the door where the coach was now entering, followed by the athletic training staff and the health director.

The manager addressed the room of men, some sitting, some standing. Quinn was leaning back against a table near the front. “This meeting was called so that we could introduce you all to the newest member of our health staff. As you all know, our former physical therapist got a job with another team, and though we wish him the best, that’s left us without our own traveling PT for the rest of the season. But afterinterviewing several qualified candidates, we have finally landed on a decision.”

The door below the large, blue clubhouse sign swung open, and the man Quinn recognized as the Head Athletic Trainer walked in, followed by-

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