Page 44 of Single Glance

I burst up, fearing the worst. Was this a mistake? Did having me in here trigger some kind of internal alarm, and now he needed to get some space? Past anxieties made my heart stutter an uneven beat, hating how sitting in his bed alone sliced open past wounds. Luckily, it only lasted for a couple more seconds. The bathroom door opened, andsteam billowed out into the rest of the room. Cam stepped out, running a towel through his damp hair, already dressed in his travel uniform of a suit and a collared shirt. The dark gray material clung to Cam’s muscles, and it made my thighs ache, cursing the boundaries we’d put into place last night.

“Not fair,” I grumbled, tucking myself back under the covers. “You shouldn’t get to look like that first thing in the morning.”

“Can’t help being this handsome, menace.” Despite already being dressed, Cam slid back into bed next to me. As his arms wrapped around my waist and pulled me against him, he groaned. “Fuck, Hads. Having you in here is the best kind of torture.”

“Why is that?” I pulled the blankets to my chin.

“You pressed up against me all night? Knowing I couldn’t make you feel good?” His nose trailed along the column of my neck. “Took everything in me to hold back.”

“Thank you.” I shifted to face him. I reached up and brushed some of his hair away from his brow. “For listening to me. But if it’s too hard?—”

“Don’t finish that sentence.” Cam leaned down and kissed me softly. “Told you last night, I want you in here with me.” I was about to lean into the kiss, tempted to throw my rules out the window, when his phone rang on the end table. “Shit.” He dropped his head onto my shoulder. “That’s Damien. He offered to pick me up and drive me to the airport.”

“Leaving already?” His schedule was hectic, even more than I ever thought it would be when I first saw the game line-up. There was little downtime, only a day or two between series, and most of the time, he was traveling to the next city with the team. He workedso hard. I wanted nothing more than for Cam to achieve his dreams, to become one of the best players in the league. However, constantly watching him leave was also getting harder, especially when he’d be gone for a long stretch like this one. I plastered a smile on my face, forcing away any lingering doubts.

“Yeah,” he said. “Gotta be in LA for the game tonight. But I’ll be back on Friday afternoon.”

I nodded, trying to ignore the ache in my chest. Despite the newness of our relationship, it was like he took a piece of me with him when he walked out the door, but I refused to let that show on my face. “Be safe, sarge.”

“I will, menace.” He leaned down and kissed me one more time. His hand darted up to my hair, holding me close for a few more seconds. “Fuck, Hadley,” he whispered against my skin. “This is harder than I thought.”

“I know what you mean,” I said. “Normally, I’d revel in you leaving for four days, but now, it’s like torture.”

He nodded, pressing another kiss to my forehead. “I’m going to call you guys tonight. Do me a favor—sleep in here? It helps knowing you’re waiting in my bed.”

My throat dried at his request. The idea of going back to Victoria’s room never crossed my mind. Even though Cam wasn’t here, I wanted to be in his space, to hold on to his presence despite us being states apart. I swallowed, trying to force away the knot forming in the back of my throat. “I can do that.”

He leaned down and pressed his lips to mine, long and luxurious, like we had all the time in the world. And maybe we would—when the season was done. But for now, his team depended on him.

“Go,” I insisted, pushing on his chest. “The sooner you leave, the sooner you come home to us.”

He grinned back at me. “I like the sound of that—coming home to you.”

“Go. Go. GO!”I screamed at the television, not caring how loud I’d gotten. It was the second game of the series, and LA had clinched the first win. Now, the Hawks were battling hard for the second game. Cam had played most of the first seven innings and was doing incredibly well in the outfield, despite his initial concerns.

Over the past few hours, the living room had transformed into a miniature version of the stadium. Snacks and hard seltzers filled the coffee table, and we’d all worn our favorite Hawks jerseys. The game was blaring on the television in the center of the room, and we’d jumped to our feet during the last inning, unable to sit with all the anticipation coursing through our veins. Even Brianna, who only came for moral support, was getting into the game, screaming almost as loud as me when LA’s outfielder dropped the ball.

We waited with bated breath as the ball flew through the air, trying to beat Damien’s speed, but it was no match. After meeting Damien twice, I never would have guessed what a beast he was on the field. The man raced toward the base, his legs moving faster than should have been humanly possible, and dove just as the second baseman’s mitt stretched out to catch the ball. As he turned to tag Damien, he slid right into the base, looking up at the umpire for the final call.

“Safe!”

The entire room erupted, almost eclipsing the announcer, when Damien stood and dusted off his pants at second base, leaving only first open for thenext batter. The score was close, but the Hawks built a ton of momentum in this inning. If they did well, it would be LA's game to lose.

“Okay, boys. Just a couple more runs, and you’ve got this on lock.” I took a sip of my drink. “Get some runs before we get to the end of the batting order.”

“Hadley, I’m like a proud momma duck right now.” Ollie smirked as she settled back on the couch. “Considering you didn’t know a ref from an ump a month ago, you sound like a seasoned pro.”

“That’s because my daddy’s teaching her.” Emilia smiled next to her. She looked adorable in her bedazzled Hawks’ jersey, the Seda on the back now sparkling with small rhinestones. We’d just finished it an hour before the game, and she insisted on wearing it every single time her daddy played.

“Love that!” Ollie squealed as she jumped out from the couch. She looked over at Brianna. “You want another drink?”

Brianna looked down at the almost-empty can in her hands. “Oh, I’m not sure. Todd might get upset if I have more than one.”

“Because he doesn’t like you driving after drinking?” I asked. “There’s a lot of game left. You’re more than welcome to crash here if you’re not sober enough to head home.”

Brianna shook her head. “Nothing like that. I’d never risk drinking and driving. He just doesn’t like it when I go out, especially if alcohol’s involved.”

“Todd sounds like a barrel of laughs,” I muttered to myself, but as soon as the batter started walking up to the plate, I shushed everyone. “Oh my God, Cam’s up! Emilia—Daddy’s up!”

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