Page 29 of The Catcher

And of course the whole ritual had to begin again. Right shoe-left shoe-tap-tap-tap. Then the next pitch was in the dirt, again.

The stadium was pounding and pulsing with energy now, and I could feel the shaking as the fans drummed on their chairs. Tanner didn’t appear to be affected. Right shoe-left shoe-tap-tap-tap. His big shoulders squared up carefully at the plate. I could see the opposing coach waiting twitchily on the side. One more pitch and they could put the game away without having to use another relief pitcher.

I felt the blood rushing to my ears. If he swung at something stupid again, the stadium was going to be out for his blood.Oh please, I begged to any available deities.Just let him walk. Let someone else be on the hook for the loss.

I wanted to look away, but I forced my eyes to stay on the field.

And I thought I could tell what the closer was going to throw,good lord, not a motherfucking fastball, he could never hit those, but it was right across the plate and Tanner connected. I felt the collective intake in the stadium as the ball lifted in the air, but it wasn’t evenclose, clearing the fence by several rows. And then I heard a rush of sound as the stadium exploded.

Of course Tanner couldn’t run around the bases like a normal person, watching the homerun just that bit longer than was necessary and then flipping his bat.

But the home crowd ate it up with a spoon, pounding on their seats. The noise rang in my ears. Kenji hit home plate, then Steak, and finally Alex, immediately turning to high-five Tanner. The rest of the team and trainers streamed out onto the field too, and I saw Tre lugging the big container of Gatorade. The stadium was so loud I felt like the noise was reverberating through my ribcage.

I tried to think about it dispassionately. This was going to make my job a hell of a lot easier. This town would tolerate any amount of jackass behavior if you were good at baseball. And hitting the game-winning grand slam against their hated rivals constituted being good at baseball.

Tanner was so tall that it was easy to spot him in the jostling, jumping team. He broke free from the guys, shaking the Gatorade droplets out of his hair with a laugh, and I saw him turn toward the dugout. I looked down quickly before he could meet my eyes, my fingers moving blindly over the tablet, the stats blurring in my vision.

I wasn’t sure if I could hear him calling me, but I retreated back further into the dugout.

Tanner had an on-field interview after the game, with Genevieve, the same stunning auburn-haired sports reporter, and I was annoyed to find I was wondering if he was going to fuck her. Suddenly I felt ridiculously overdressed and stuffy in my collared shirt and pearl buttons. I gathered up my things to go, but Miguel tapped me on the shoulder as I went to leave.

“Tanner said to stay here, he has to tell you something,” he said, smiling cheerfully at me and moving down the hallway to the locker room.

I gritted my teeth. Miguel was too sweet to know what this meant. And now I was supposed tocome and goat Tanner Courtenay’s pleasure, too. I leaned against the wall of the dugout, flicking through Tanner’s stats on the tablet, highlighting the better ones, seeing how today’s game had improved them. A walk and a walk off grand slam. Not too bad.

I didn’t look at Tanner as he stepped down into the dugout, even when he threw his bat aggressively in the corner. I didn’t know what he was going to do but I didn’t expect him to come up to me and close his fingers around my throat, loosely caging me but making sure I felt the threat.

The tablet dropped from my fingers and I was forced to look up into his angry eyes.

“I didn’t see you look at me,” Tanner said, and I knew what he was referring to. “I want to see your eyes onmeduring the game.”

“Iwaslooking at you,” I gasped, trying to keep from panicking. Tanner’s fingers weren’t tightening on me, I could breathe easily, but hecouldbe tightening them,couldbe making it hard to breathe.

I couldn’t help reaching my hands up to his, trying to pull him off me. His lip curved up contemptuously. “Afraid I’ll choke you, baby doll?”

“No,” I said, trying to be braver than I was.

He moved his hand to my chin, his fingers biting down so hard that my jaw ached. He stepped closer to me, and I felt the hard edge of his hip digging into me.

“Keep your eyes on me,” he said warningly.

Then he bent his head and kissed me. I was shocked and frozen, all the heat rushing from my angry face down through my body. His kiss wasn’t soft and tender, but hard and demanding. One hand was on my chin, trapping me in place, the other tightening on my waist. He stepped so close that it felt likea new force field, coiled danger right in front of me. He smelled like salt and tang and masculine power. I could feel the tips of his cleats crowding me.

His tongue was at the entrance to my mouth, demanding admittance, and I shook my head. He didn’t like that, and I felt a growl erupt from his chest. He moved a hand from my waist and placed it over my nose, cutting off my air supply. I felt a quick, shattering panic, then I gasped, opening my mouth wide to get air in.

Tanner immediately forced his tongue in my mouth, letting my nose go to cup my face with both big hands. His hands felt dirty and gritty on my face.

I complained against his mouth, trying to pull away.

“You’re a psycho,” I gasped.

“Don’t make me do it again,” he growled, shoving me against the wall of the dugout, so I reluctantly opened my mouth for his tongue, and he tangled it against mine with a groan that was frightening. I could feel the hard length of his cock pressed against me, closer and then harder as he kissed me, his hands tightening possessively on me.

“I want your mouth open,” he said warningly. “And your cunt open,” he added, reaching one big hand down to my skirt, ripping at it and hitching it up to run hard fingers up my trembling flesh. It wasn’t gentle and he wasn’t trying to turn me on. He was reminding me that he had the power to do whatever he wanted to me. He plunged his fingers harshly into my pussy, then slapped my lips with the wet fingers. “So don’t close yourself off to me,ever.”

I thought for a terrifying moment he was going to fuck me in the empty dugout, but then I heard Lou’s voice calling for Tanner, and he let me reluctantly go.

“Did you do what I told you?” he asked harshly, moving down the hall for his team meeting.

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