Page 75 of Left on Base

Jesus Christ, someone confiscate my vocal cords before I embarrass myself further.

But Jaxon’s smile returns, softer, and his fingers brush against mine “accidentally.” “I don’t deserve you, girl.”

You really don’t, you beautiful idiot.

But here the fuck I am anyway.

I shift my weight, hyper-aware of how close we’re standing. “Everyone makes mistakes, Jax.”

“Yeah, but I’ve made more than most.” There’s something heavy in his voice, like he’s trying to warn me away.

Fat chance. I’ve tried staying away. It lasted about as long as my attempt at giving up coffee. Speaking of which, I toss my watery remains in the trash, using the moment to collect myself.

The sun has shifted, casting long shadows across the campus lawn. His blue eyes catch the light when he looks at me, and I see that familiar mix of desire and hesitation that makes my skin tingle.

“What time do you have to be at the field?” I ask, desperate to think about something besides the way his t-shirt pulls across his shoulders. They’re playing WSU again tonight, and while I should probably skip it to rest for tomorrow’s early bus ride, we both know I’ll end up in the stands anyway.

“Two or three.” His eyes haven’t left my face.

“Ah.” Real eloquent.

The playful smirk I know too well tugs at his mouth. “Got time for me?”

My heart definitely doesn’t flutter at that. Nope. Not at all. “You’re with me now, aren’t you?”

“Mmm.” He steps closer, arm sliding around my waist like it belongs there. Maybe it does. “You know what I mean.”

Oh, I do. God help me.

CHAPTER 13

PICKLE

JAXON

The occurrence when the defense chases after a baserunner caught in-between bases.

What the fuck am I doing? Why can’t I stop myself from wanting her? Probably because nothing that feels this good could ever be wrong. And damn, Camdyn makes me feel so good.

I haven’t seen Camdyn much this week. She was in California, then Utah, and I was bouncing around Texas, Utah, Oregon, and now, finally, home again. For a few nights, anyway. My mind keeps drifting to the last time I saw her—the way she looked at me. I overthink every look, every touch, every second of silence between us.

“What the fuck?” I slam the keys again. The screen is still black. “It’s not doing anything. This damn thing never works.”

I’m so not in the mood for this shit today, and the last place I want to be when the sun is out is stuck in a damn classroom.

Jameson looks up from his phone at the computer screen, then at me like I’ve disappointed him. “It’s not even on, genius.”

“Bro, what?” I check the screen and the start button on the side. “It’s not?”

“Nah, man.” He glances down at his phone. “The light would be green.”

He’s right. It’s not on. This is what happens when you’re running on three hours of sleep in college. “Oh.”

“Yo, you talk to King today?” He flips his phone around in his hand.

“No. Why?”

“He came into class today covered in blood.”

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