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  She turns around to say something, but I crush my body to hers and back her against the wall of the house before she can get one word out. My lips find hers instantly, the passion with which I need her startles me but urges me on when I feel her reciprocate it.

  Her hands roam my chest and shoulders before wrapping around my back and pulling me into her. Our tongues fight against each other in a seductive manner, the wetness and heat from our kiss makes me harder than I’ve been all night. I push my erection into her so she can see what she does to me, which makes her moan beneath my mouth as we continue to ravage one another.

  This kiss is hotter and heavier than the one at the beach. There’s no fear holding us back, just primal urge and desperation. I kiss Danielle like she’s my last meal and I’ll never taste her again. She’s teased me all day and now I’m showing her what her flirtatious behavior has done to me.

  Finally, I break away, although my dick is telling me to keep going. I lean my forehead down to hers again as we both struggle to catch our breaths.

  “I had a really, REALLY great time with you today, Danielle,” I manage to say in exasperation.

  She laughs beneath me, the jumping of her chest against mine from her laugh makes me chuckle too.

  “I couldn’t tell,” she teases. “I did too, Jake. It was so amazing, I don’t want it to end.”

  “We’ll see each other again soon, okay?” I lean back to look in her eyes and reassure her. I want this. I want her. I just need her to be patient.

  “Okay,” she nods before pressing her lips to mine in one more soft and close-mouthed kiss.

  “Goodnight, Jake,” she whispers as she turns to unlock the door and steps inside.

  “Goodnight, Danielle,” I whisper back, just as she shuts the door.

  I make my way down the driveway and back in my truck, firing her up and rushing home to relieve the tension in my shorts.

  I can’t believe I just went on a date with a fan---a girl who’s watched baseball her entire life and wants nothing more from me than just me.

  I can’t wait to see where this goes, but for now, I’ve revisit today over and over. It was a good day, indeed.

  Chapter 18

  Jake

  “Come on, Jake!”

  Danielle is running at full speed ahead of me, giving me a spectacular view of her ass as she looks over her shoulder and smiles mischievously, but I’m struggling to keep up with her. It must be the off-season because there’s no way she could beat me when I’m in peak physical condition.

  “Where are we going?” I call out after her, the air burning in my lungs as I try to catch up to her, but still can’t close the gap.

  “You’ll never catch me, Jake.” She whispers, and suddenly, the look on her face changes from a mile-wide grin to panic-stricken.

  “Don’t follow me, Jake. Leave me alone, please!” She’s breathless but still moving faster than a bullet out of a gun, and I feel my own panic take over.

  “What do you mean, Dani?”

  Dani. I’ve never called her that before, but I shake it off as I realize she’s pulling away from me, her legs moving as fast as lightning.

  “Dani! Please! Slow down, let’s talk about this!”

  I’m pleading with her but she just keeps shaking her head, tears now streaming down her face.

  “NO! I can’t. Let me go, Jake!”

  I reach out for her, my fingers failing to grasp her arm as I start to fall….

  “Fuck!”

  I wake up in a panic, unaware of where I am and why I’m breathing like I just ran a marathon, and then my dream comes back to me. It was the same one from the other night, and now I feel like having the same dream twice is going to fuck with my head more than necessary.

  We’ve only been on one date, so why am I dreaming that Danielle is running away from me already? The scary thing is, I had this dream a few nights ago before I even took her out.

  I try to reason with myself that it was just a dream, but subconsciously, I wonder if my mind is trying to warn me away.

  I swing my legs over the edge of the bed and brace my elbows on my thighs, holding my head in place while I get my breathing back under control. The surge of adrenaline from the fight my mind was going through is evident in my body now.

  I’ve only known this girl for a little over a month and she’s already fucking with my brain. Hell, she did the first night I saw her. And I don’t know if that’s a good thing or a bad thing.

  I hop in the shower and decide to reminisce about our date yesterday instead of reliving my nightmare, which hands down, was the best date I’ve ever been on.

  This girl has me tongue-tied and mesmerized. I felt like I was hanging out with my best friend, but I also had to control myself from devouring her when we touched. She’s smart, funny, honest, caring, and has me feeling things I didn’t know were possible this early on.

  I can’t believe that given the circumstances in which we’ve met that she turned out to be so incredible. I’ve heard horror stories of players who date girls who seem normal at first and then flip a switch. But I don’t get that feeling from Danielle. She was so transparent and quirky, I can’t help but feel I got to see the real her yesterday.

  After I’m ready, I hop in my truck---which still smells like her---and make my way over to the stadium to get ready for tonight’s game. We play at home tonight and then we’re on the road for five days. The thought of leaving now makes my chest tight, knowing I’ll have to wait a while before I get to see Danielle face to face. Holy shit, I already feel whipped.

  “Hey, lover boy!” Rocky greets me as I enter the clubhouse.

  “Hey, Rocky. How was your day off?” I ask as I pull out my clothes from my duffle bag.

  “I saw my mom and brothers down in San Diego. She was thrilled to have me home and cook for me. You know, those Mexican momma’s can put on a feast. I swear, I gained ten pounds yesterday from all the food I consumed,” he laughs while patting his stomach. “But I see you had a particularly interesting day…”

  I narrow my brow at him. “What do you mean?”

  He pulls out his phone and clicks around for a minute before he shows me a picture of Danielle and me at the Irvine Spectrum where I’m holding her and kissing the top of her head.

  Fuck.

  At least I was smart and didn’t kiss her on the lips like I wanted to, and at least it’s not a picture of us at the beach where I actually kissed her.

  “Shit. What site is that on?” I peer at his phone closely, but he swipes it away too fast.

  “Does it matter? I told you, bro, you gotta be careful.”

  “I was. I mean, at least you can’t see her face in the picture.”

  “Yeah, but it’s only a matter of time before people find out who she is. This is going to rock both of your worlds. I hope she’s worth it.”

  I glare over at him, feeling a sudden surge of anger and defensiveness. “She is, dude. I can’t believe it, but after yesterday, I know without a doubt that she’s worth it.”

  Rocky stares at me blankly before he shakes his head at me. “Shit bro, you’re falling for her already, aren’t you?”

  I nod. He doesn’t need to know the extent of it or the details from yesterday that made my dick hard, yet also made me think I can’t live without this woman now that I’ve met her.

  “I can’t believe it. The girl from the stands? You actually got a normal one?”

  I laugh, breaking the seriousness of the conversation before. “Yeah, she’s real… one-hundred percent. She’s amazing.”

  “Damn. Does she have a friend?” Rocky teases, but he genuinely looks interested.

  “Yeah, she does. But let me figure my shit out first please before I go trying to be a matchmaker.”

  He pats me on the shoulder before making his way over to his locker next to me. “No problem. Just…”

  “Be careful. Yeah, I know.”

  We change into workout attire and make our way to the film r
oom with the rest of the team. Coach goes over our game plan for today before releasing us to warm up and get in the zone.

  Before I leave my phone alone for the rest of the evening, I fire off a text to Danielle.

  Me: Hi beautiful. I know I just saw you yesterday, but I was wondering if after the game tonight I could stop by to see you before we hit the road for a few days? I don’t think I can go that long without kissing you again.

  She responds almost immediately.

  Danielle: I agree. See you later tonight. Look for me in the stands.

  Me: I always do.

  I grab my earphones and silence my phone from distractions, listening to my playlist to pump me up so later tonight I can play ball.

  Chapter 19

  Dani

  It’s not like I’ve never watched Jake play baseball before, but this is the first game where I’ve watched him and I know what his hands and lips feel like on me. Call me crazy, but it makes me more nervous.

  My mind has been replaying our date yesterday repeatedly and I’m pretty sure my lips are permanently formed into a smile now. As Rachel from FRIENDS would say, it looks like I slept with a hanger in my mouth.

  Naturally, this morning I was bombarded with question after question from Gramps and Conner about our date. I offered up the general details, but kept the private ones for myself---like the way his hand felt in mine when we walked, the feel of his lips on mine when we kissed, the way his eyes saw into the depths of my soul when we looked at each other, and the way he devoured me on our front porch last night.

  Goosebumps cover my skin as I reflect on that kiss, the one that made me so wet I had to ease the ache between my legs before I drifted off to sleep last night. And now, I get to watch my man do his thing---play baseball as his life depends on it---all the while thinking about kissing him again later on tonight.

  “Great night for a game,” Gramps declares in his seat on the other side of Conner. Conner, as usual, is stuffing his face full of popcorn while wearing his hat that Jake gave him yesterday. I tried to convince him not to since Jake signed it, but he was adamant that it would be disrespectful not to wear it after he gave it to him. He swears he will only wear it this once, so I opted to wear Dad’s hat tonight, the one Conner usually wears.

  “It really is. A little warmer than yesterday,” I state, thinking back to the chill of the breeze yesterday and the long cream-colored sweater that Jake bought me to keep me warm. That sweater has quickly become my favorite article of clothing.

  The Rays take the field just as Lochlin comes traipsing down the stairs and plops down in her seat.

  “I made it,” she huffs out while brushing her hair from her face. Her tips are orange today, appropriate for the game to match the colors of the Rays’ uniforms.

  “Barely,” I tease her as she settles in and then turns to me.

  “So, how did yesterday go?” She leans into me so we can talk between the two of us. “I expected a phone call first thing this morning, but much to my disappointment, my phone remained quiet,” she chastises me while waving her phone in front of me.

  I look over my shoulder at Conner and Gramps, who are fixated on the game, but then I gaze out onto the field to see Jake staring up at me, waiting for me to acknowledge him. I offer him the small wave of my fingers I have since that first time, and he smiles wide.

  Then I look up and notice my face on the jumbotron, along with Lochlin, Conner, and Gramps. Conner waves his hands emphatically while Gramps smiles big and Lochlin blows a kiss to the camera. I, however, tuck my head down, pulling my hat low on my face.

  Shit.

  Jake turns to look at the screen, then twists back to me and shrugs, which makes me chuckle. Well, I guess the cat’s out of the bag. That didn’t take long.

  The game starts just moments later as Lochlin begins her inquisition again.

  “Well, looks like things just got interesting,” she jokes while taking a sip of her soda I bought for her.

  “No kidding. But to answer your earlier question, yesterday was amazing. SO much more than I thought it could be. He’s… I’m…”

  “Damn, girl. You’ve got it bad, don’t you?”

  I laugh. “Yeah. I’ll fill you in more later without prying ears and eyes all around us,” I say while looking far and wide at the surrounding crowd. “But all I can say is, spending time with him yesterday was so much better than texting.”

  “I bet. Tell me this at least… did he kiss you?”

  All I do is turn to her and lock our eyes, signaling my answer without words, to which she chuckles and starts to fan herself.

  “It was indescribable, Loch,” I whisper as I focus back on the game.

  The jumbotron finds me in the crowd five more times during the game, quickly reminding me that my anonymity is abruptly coming to an end, particularly when Jake locks eyes with me after his home run at the top of the fourth inning.

  The Rays pull off the win, five to two, and the four of us exit quickly before people and reporters can come up to us with questions and snap pictures.

  We manage to make it to the car, but not before a group of people start taking pictures of us as we climb in.

  “Jesus, is this what happens when you date Jake Calhoun?” Conner asks as we drive off.

  “I guess. Sorry guys,” I apologize from the front seat as Gramps coasts along the road towards our home.

  “Dani, you have nothing to apologize for. You knew this was a possibility going into this with him. The question is, are you sure you can handle it? Because it will only get worse, my dear.”

  “Believe me, the fact of having to deal with the media is the one thing that plays devil’s advocate in my mind, Gramps. But I really like him, and I know he feels the same way. I just keep reminding myself to take it one day at a time.”

  “That’s the attitude, my girl. If you feel he’s worth it, just be patient. Conner and I will keep our heads down too, and everything will be just fine,” he assures me, resting his hand on my thigh and giving it a little squeeze. I turn to him and smile, even though on the inside, my stomach is in knots.

  Once we get home, Gramps and Conner get ready for bed, but I stay up to wait for Jake. He sent me a text when he was on his way, so I decide to wait on the front porch for him. When I see his truck turn the corner, my heart jumps frantically in my chest and my whole body gets hot with anticipation.

  He pulls in the driveway and exits his truck, striding up to me with purpose.

  “Hi,” I greet him with a smile, but he crushes his mouth to mine before he can respond just like he did last night.

  I get lost in him, the feel of his muscular arms beneath my fingers, his hands woven in my hair, his lips claiming every inch of mine. His tongue finds mine and we moan simultaneously, the heat burning hot between us.

  I could kiss this man forever, never coming up for air. He owns my body and coaxes me to relent to him, to which I’ll do willingly. I trust him. I like him. I’m falling for him and I barely know him. The thought is frightening, yet exhilarating.

  He holds me possessively as he continues to kiss me relentlessly, one hand gripping my hip, the other on my head. He pushes himself into me and I feel the thick outline of his erection, the feeling sending a spike of arousal to my core. It’s been so long since I’ve had sex, and I can only imagine how incredible it would be with him if it’s this explosive when we kiss.

  He slows the kiss down before pulling away and looking deeply into my eyes.

  “Hi,” he says back finally, making me smile wide at him.

  “What a greeting,” I joke as he brushes my hair from my face.

  “Every time I saw your face tonight, that was all I could think about. Are you okay?”

  “Yeah, I’m fine. More than fine actually after that kiss,” I tease. “Why wouldn’t I be okay?”

  He stares down at me before pulling me to sit with him on the bench where I was waiting for him before.

  “The attention that was on y
ou tonight. And the pictures on the internet today. So much for keeping this quiet for a while,” he sighs.

  “Oh, that. Yeah, the jumbotron found me very interesting, but what pictures are you talking about?”

  I rack my brain, not coming up with anything. Jake fumbles with his phone for a minute before showing me a picture of us at the mall yesterday.

  “Oh. Yeah, I didn’t know about that.”

  “I’m sorry, Danielle,” while shoving his phone back in his pocket. “I know this was what we were trying to avoid, but unfortunately it was bound to happen. I just didn’t think it would happen this quickly.”

  “Me too. But hey, it’s part of the gig, right? We’ll just take it one day at a time. That’s all we can do.”

  His eyes penetrate mine before he reaches out to cup my face again.

  “How did I find you?” He whispers, making me close my eyes and take a deep breath. I feel the same way about him. How did I end up here?

  “Just lucky I guess,” I say as I open my eyes and give him a sly grin.

  “I won’t see you until next weekend at the earliest,” he says while still holding my face.

  “I know, but it actually works out well, for me at least,” I chuckle. “This week I have my finals, so not having you here as a distraction will be best,” I wink at him.

  I’m rewarded with a small laugh from him. “Well, I’m glad it works out then. So when I do get you alone again, you’ll be a college graduate?”

  “Almost. My graduation is on the 20th.”

  “I have a game that night in San Francisco.”

  “I know. But don’t worry, it’s not like I expected you to be there,” I say casually while looking away.

  He pulls my head back to face him. “I’d be there if I could, Danielle.”

  And my heart melts a bit more for him. “Well, that means a lot.”

  He leans in to kiss me again, a soft brush of our lips and melding of our skin before he declares he must get going.