Page 30 of Naked

Eye twinkles make her panties fall off

Hunter

“King has a natural gift for understanding cars. He just knows how hard he can push it, even when all the lights and sirens are screaming he’s gone too far.” Tilley was hidden behind aviator sunglasses and a Mantas hat.

We sat on the edge of the Seychelle’s Seafood patio overlooking the water. Dinner was on the way and we were two beers and one appetizer of fried calamari deep. After the most satisfying afternoon of my life we needed sustenance. Lots of it. I swear my balls were empty but if she asked for more I’d find some way to make it happen again.

But even though I couldn’t see her eyes, the non-stop smile on her face told me she was just as happy as I was. “And Stoker?” Now that we’d had a good night of sleep and she’d finally accepted the idea that I wanted all of her, she was a fountain of nonstop information. At present she was updating me on the two Vector Racing drivers, King and Stoker.

“He’s interesting. He has a...a confidence that allows him to be rather placid about some things and outright belligerent about others.”

“Is there a method to his madness?”

She laughed. It was gorgeous. She was gorgeous. “Not really? I suspect it has something to do with his own internal moral compass. He didn’t care at all when he got beat at the finish line in one race, but absolutely lost his shit when another driver clipped his wing and he lost a place in a different race.”

Now this I understood. “Being beaten fair and square is the fun—and frustration—of an athlete. But if it's a fair fight, then it's a fair loss.”

She caught on immediately. “But if someone fights dirty or is incompetent, then it’s a violation he must stand up against. I see.”

I knew I was in the throes of lust. I was fully aware Tilley wasn’t perfect. But she was perfect to me. I hated that anyone had ever made her feel otherwise. The more we bonded physically, the deeper my feelings grew, making it feel more urgent that I strike down these misconceptions before they could do any more damage.

I took a sip of beer and steeled myself to ask the question I wasn’t sure I wanted to know the answer to. “Hey Til?”

“Yeah?”

“Who told you ballplayers don’t date beautiful, smart, non-celebrity women?” It fucking pissed me off that all this time she had such a firm block in place that she couldn’t even begin to conceive that our relationship might be more than friendly. That my attempts at flirting didn’t even register in her mind. That was two years we couldn’t get back.

Not that they were lost. Far from it. We were able to develop a deep and meaningful friendship that I wouldn’t trade for anything. Being this close to a woman I had such a carnal reaction to? It was more than I could have hoped for.

Tilley went still. She didn’t move for at least thirty seconds. Then the fidgeting started. “Well. You know I love sports.”

“Yeah. You’ve mentioned it.” I hoped my smile helped.

“Well in high school I really enjoyed playing, but I hadn’t gotten the memo that I was never going to be good enough to play in college.”

Oh shit.Playing baseball was a fundamental part of who I was. I couldn’t imagine my life without it. Had Tilley felt the same way?

“I have these moments of brilliance where everything justworks, you know? My coordination is great, my speed, agility. I’m unstoppable. But there are times when I can’t seem to walk a straight line without falling on my face.” She shrugged. “To be good, like you, I have to be unstoppable all the time. You know that.”

I worked day and night to be unstoppable. It was why I played fifty-two straight games. “I didn’t realize you wanted to play in college.”

She smiled, but it was the forced, sad kind of smile that caused my own heart to twist and crack. “I love sports so much. The math and statistics obviously intrigue me. It’s why I’m so good at pool. I kept thinking if I just practice harder, longer, more...I’d get past this block.” She shook her head, her focus obviously far away now. “But I couldn’t. And that was made abundantly clear to me by the baseball team.”

I sat up straighter. “Excuse me?”

She kept staring out at the water, then shook herself. “It was one of those out of town games where everyone traveled together. Varsity, junior varsity, baseball, and softball. Big games.”

I remembered those trips well. I, personally, enjoyed the camaraderie of both men’s and women’s teams on the road together. Especially the female part.

“I played the first game and was on fire. I started the second game and was a mess. The guys didn’t have a double header, so they were in the crowd to cheer us on. Everyone saw my meltdown. The guys all had a field day with it. Sure they appreciated my line drive and my home run, but they couldn’t stop laughing about everything I did wrong. Which especially hurt because I had a huge crush on the starting first baseman. For the record, he dropped out of college and never made it to professional baseball.”

“I’ll drink to that.” And for emphasis I gulped down half my beer. “What did the asshole do and can I break his legs?” I honestly didn’t care that this was years ago. It affected my relationship with Tilley now. Leg breaking was totally in order.

“The best revenge is that he’s nobody and I’m a big fucking deal. Even if it is off the field,” she muttered.

“Following what you love sometimes puts you in a different place than you intended, but it always keeps you close.”

Her eyes locked on mine. “That’s beautiful. Who said that?”

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