Page 194 of Left on Base

Sometimes stepping up to the plate just means showing up. And tonight, he showed up big.

My phone buzzes and this time Jaxon picks it up. “I’m gonna kill him.”

I laugh and read the messages as Jaxon holds my phone for me.

FORK GUY

jaxon romance is 90% awkward silences and 10% stealing her fries

Also, maybe some heavy breathing???

camdyn you’re the curveball that changed the game

don’t let him strike out

also did you guys eat pizza?

because if not, i’m on my way with extra cheese

I grin, feeling heat creep up my neck. The way Jaxon’s eyes flick to my lips makes my heart hammer. “He’s literally insane.”

I take my phone and type back:

Camdyn

Pizza was devoured

He stole my string cheese too

#romance

Jaxon’s phone buzzes. He reads:

FORK GUY

string cheese theft is the ultimate test of love

you passed

now prepare for the final test

the fork dance

I nearly snort, but the way Jaxon’s eyes darken as they meet mine makes me catch my breath. “Can we turn our phones off now?”

I raise an eyebrow. “What’s the fork dance?”

“Apparently some interpretive ritual he invented,” Jaxon says, voice low and teasing. “Pretty sure it’s some kind of weird mating ritual he learned on Animal Planet.”

We laugh, but the energy between us is electric as I lean into him, my head brushing his shoulder. The city smells like summer and something wild.

Jaxon’s fingers trace lazy patterns on my waist as we lean against the cool metal of the truck. His lips find mine again, soft at first, testing the waters like he’s afraid I might disappear. But I don’t. I pull him closer, fingers in his hair, and suddenly we’re lying down and he’s between my legs. So yeah, he’s hard and leading off third base, trying to steal home.

Just as things start heating up—the kind of heat that makes your skin tingle and your brain forget every carefully rehearsed line—he pulls back, breath hitching.

“We should probably—” His voice is rough, vulnerable, his breathing harsh.

“Nah,” I whisper, heart pounding, and I pull him back, shifting my hips so he grinds into me again. “A little further.”

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