Page 51 of Sweet Spot

“Damn right. Kate, we just said we should stop trying to navigate this with our brains. We’re overthinking it all. Yes, there are careers looming over us both and I come with some extra complications—”

I put my hand over his mouth. “Don’t say that. Or at least pick a different word.” I had always, always, had a strong reaction to children being called complications.

Isaac grinned behind my hand. “Exciting additional details.” His words muffled, which made it extra funny. I pulled my hand away and returned it to his neck. “You’re right. That was a bad choice of words. But the fact is I live with my brother, I have a daughter, and my life is different. It was different even without baseball. I’m just saying…we’re both well aware of the stakes. So let’s put those aside. Let’s stop putting them first and put us first.”

It was my nature to analyze everything and look at all the possibilities, but Isaac was right. That was the wrong course of action in matters of the heart. “You’re all wise and confident. That’s usually my role.”

“Well, when I know what I want, I go after it.” He yanked open a drawer and pulled out a shirt.

“And what is it you want?”

He set the shirt on top of the dresser and pushed the drawer closed. “You. Now, let’s get changed for bed.”

“Oh, are we going to bed?”

“Yep. It’s late and we both have long days ahead of us.”

“I should go home.”

“You absolutely should not.”

I searched his gaze. It was warm, amused, and hopeful. “Is that shirt for me?”

“If you want it.”

I absolutely wanted it. I stepped back and held out my arms. “Well?”

To my great satisfaction, Isaac swallowed hard. “You’re going to let me?” His voice broke on the last word.

“I could change in the bathroom if you prefer.”

“No! I mean, don’t do that. Here.” His fingers slid along the hem of my shirt and pushed underneath to my skin. He hissed and froze, looking away. “I don’t understand what touching you does to my brain, but wow.”

I pulled at the front of his shirt and slid my hand underneath, sighing as his warmth hit my palm. “Probably something like what touching you does to me.” I wanted to explode and catch fire at the same time, but also curl into a ball with Isaac wrapped around me. Either would do.

“That’s, ah, some pretty powerful stuff.”

I thought instantly getting along with Isaac was unusual. And it absolutely was. Having that easy going chemistry that flows together right from the start? Rare. But all of that paled in comparison to how completely natural it was to touch him. “Do you ever wonder why? Why now? Why you? What is it that makes this different?”

He let me go to pull his shirt over his head, then took my hand and pressed it to his chest. With his other hand he cupped my cheek, sliding it back to cup the back of my head. “All the damn time. Why now? Why couldn’t I have had you sooner? What was so important that the universe made me wait to meet you?”

I felt myself moving backward as Isaac loomed over me. Heat and desire radiated out of him. Or maybe it was me. It was probably both of us, actually. It was like running on the treadmill, only the elevated heart rate was coming from simply touching Isaac.

“All the years we could have been touching,” he growled.

It was strange to regret something we couldn’t change and had no control over. “We’re touching now.”

“Finally.”

It seemed like self-imposed torture looking back. What was the point of waiting? Of taking anything slow at all? We could have been touching…

The backs of my legs hit the bed and we stood frozen. My hand on his chest, his hand over mine. My other hand on his bare hip. His other hand in my hair. “Feels like we’re standing on a cliff,” I whispered.

“That’s because we are.”

I could try to logic my way through this—claim that we simply had a higher level of physical chemistry than most. Perhaps his pheromones were the perfect combination for mine. It was a chance of chemistry and timing. But logic couldn’t explain how comfortable I was with Isaac, how easily we understood each other, or that he was quickly becoming my favorite person. This wasn’t just good chemistry.

“Don’t hurt me.” I realized that was the only thing holding me back. All this time, from the moment we met, I knew how much I wanted him…and how much he could hurt me because of that.

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