Page 42 of Sweet Spot

There were parts of Isaac I couldn’t get a read on until tonight. Until just this moment. He was a man who kept himself fully contained to survive. I didn’t know the details or his reasons, but I knew the signs. To make his life work he compartmentalized the important parts: Rosie, family, and work. There was no box for Isaac because until now those three things had taken up all the space.

This man standing in front of me, touching me, wild for me, was just Isaac. And I wanted him desperately. “I need it to live, too.”

He groaned, screwed his eyes shut again, and dug his fingers into my hips. Then they flew open, hotter and even more intense, and he kissed me all over again.

14

Kate

“Do you want to come in and meet everyone?” Since Jeri lived two streets over from Isaac, he walked with me to her house.

He eyed the door. Laughter erupted in the house. “Another time. I have a big day tomorrow.”

“Oh yeah? Something important going on?” I teased. Having his hand in mine felt really, really good.

“Oh not much. Just the biggest day of my career.”

That surprised me. “Even bigger than your debut? Or winning Rookie of the Year?”

He nodded slowly. “Those were big days. My first day was a dream come true, but it was the dream of a boy. This is my life. My real life. And tomorrow is the first step into it. I’ve got big shoes to fill.”

It probably weighed on the whole team. No one expects a team to win back-to-back championships, but the fans always hope it will happen anyway. I turned to face him, taking his other hand in mine. “You’re the captain. They love you. And they’re very talented. Just play baseball.”

He chuckled low in his throat and gave my hands a squeeze. “You’re good at this stuff. I might have to fire the team’s Mental Performance Coach and hire you instead.”

A second job suggestion? I was racking them up these days. “Go get some sleep, Cap.”

“Good night, Doc.” He pulled me to him and dropped one last, fairly chaste, kiss on my lips. “Sleep well.”

I punched in the code and opened the door, then turned back to wave at Isaac. He rocked on his feet and waved back, then disappeared into the night. When I stepped into the living room I was met with a sight I was not prepared for. There, on the television screen, was a still image of Isaac kissing me on the sidewalk. It was grainy and dark, but also clear as a bell.

“You were watching us?”

“The whole time!” Jeri yelled out, slapping her knee. “You’re kissing the coach!” she sang.

The girls all joined in, making up a dance to go along with it. Mei slipped around the dance party. “So? How did it go? Looks pretty good from here.”

I got excited all over again remembering the night…and how it ended. “It was good.”

“That’s seriously the beach bum?” Jeri yelled. “He cleans up nice.”

“He’s got a brother.”

She made a face and gagged. “No thank you!”

“He’s got a brother,” I said in a lower voice to Mei.

“I’m good. I find my own dates, thank you.”

“Tell us about him!” Ryan clapped, her long blonde ponytail dancing. Annalise Ryan was a striker for the Tangerines. Her teammates all called her Ryan, which worked out for the best when Anna Sanchez joined the team this year.

I threw myself dramatically on the couch. “What is this? A musical? Is this the part where I spill all the juicy details and you make it into a song?”

“Tell me more! Tell me more!” Ryan chanted.

I wasn’t surprised. Ryan could run circles around just about anybody, but she also loved musicals, romance novels, and rom coms. On an obsessive level.

“First of all. This is a secret. I don’t need anyone spreading rumors about the new manager of the Mantas.”

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