Spring Training

by KB Winters

  Claire frowned at me. It was obvious that she thought I was deranged. “Why must you always be so practical?”

  Jay laughed and dropped an arm around my shoulders. “She’s always been like that.”

  I smiled at him. “What do you think I should do? Time for a little brotherly advice.”

  “If you love him, then I think you should go for it. I mean, what’s the worst that could happen?”

  “That’s it? That’s your advice?”

  He laughed and pulled me into his side for a quick embrace. “Yep! Thing is, Jo, I trust you have your head on straight. Look at everything you’ve accomplished since moving up here? Was I worried at first? Hell yeah. But you’ve proven time and time again that you can take care of yourself. I’m not too worried about you, baby sis.”

  Tears pricked at my eyes. It was one of the sweetest things Jay had ever said to me. I dropped my head against his shoulder for a moment. “Thanks, Jay.”

  Claire was still considering me with a careful eye and I could see the wheels turning. I hadn’t actually answered her question.

  Thankfully, the game started, and I was let off the hot seat as everyone in the box turned their attention to the flat screens. I used a pair of binoculars to get a better look at the field. Trey wasn’t out there yet. Coach would probably hold him back until the bases were loaded and line him up for one of his trademark smashes.

  And Trey didn’t disappoint. Cody Wright kicked ass on the pitcher’s mound and after he got the other team out, Trey took over cleaning up at the bases. I watched intently, almost as anxious as long-time fans. I might be a new fan, but every inch of me was invested in the outcome. I wanted Trey to take the team to the finals. It would be a nice “f you” to all the haters and media that had shit on him for the past few years. He was primed and ready for a massive comeback, and I would be the girl in the stands, cheering my ass off, and watching him bring it home for the team, the city, and even more importantly, for himself.

  My family and friends all locked into the game and watched as the Warriors took over and flattened the hungry—and higher seeded—team.

  When the final inning started, the game was essentially over, but I held on, breath baited, every muscle tensed until the very last play. Only then did I shoot to my feet and holler. “They won! The Warriors are going to the finals!”

  Champagne flowed and everyone cheered. As I glanced around at everyone’s face, I realized the only thing missing was Trey standing by my side. I hurried to drink my glass of champagne and then raced off to find my man.

  Chapter Thirty-Two

  Josie

  “Okay, we’re here, so just tell me!” I squirmed in my seat as Trey’s truck came to a stop. I reached up to tug at the blindfold around my eyes but Trey lightly slapped my hand away.

  “You’re impossible.”

  “Hey, that’s my line.”

  He chuckled. “Well after tonight, I think you’ve stolen the title.”

  I huffed, feigning irritation, but I couldn’t stop smiling. Trey and I had both been ‘working our nuts off’ to use his phrasing, and finally, by some miracle, managed to have a night off together. He teased me endlessly about some surprise plan he’d cooked up, but no matter how hard I tried, he wouldn’t budge on giving up any of the details. I’d even tried withholding sex. Although, that had only lasted about five minutes, Trey can be extremely persuasive with the right motivation.

  Trey’s door opened and a moment later, mine did as well. He guided me out of the car and took me by the arm. “Aren’t you worried that someone is going to get a picture of us like this? What would the gossip mags say if they had a pic of you leading some blindfolded woman away into the night?”

  Trey chuckled. “I’m not too worried about it. We’re not in a place where paparazzi or fans are likely to pop out from behind a bush.”

  “Hmmm.” I tapped my finger against my lips. “Had to be at night time, no people around, and I’m blindfolded. This isn’t something kinky is it?” I asked, even as a thrill went through me at the glimmer of a chance that it was something dark and dirty.

  Trey wrapped his arm tighter around my waist. “Maybe a little…”

  I laughed and leaned into him. It felt so good just to be together. After the story about the senator ran, the media backlash was like a tidal wave. I made a lot of friends and new connections—but there were some enemies too. Michael Arlington was probably chief among them. But, as long as he left my father out of it, I didn’t care. I was just glad Daddy wasn’t in on his shenanigans. Trey and the Warriors had made it into the finals, even beating out his old team on their way to the top, but hadn’t clenched the trophy. However, while Trey and the rest of the team were upset for a few weeks, they rallied and promised to hit it even harder next season. The Warriors had made it farther than they had in over a decade and had a steady line up to make the rest of the league quiver in anticipation of what would be waiting for them on opening day.

  At first, Trey had gone into a little bit of a slump. We’d seen each other as often as possible, but I was spending a lot of time traveling the country, doing an assignment for the station on a new tech corporation that was taking the business world by storm. I’d scored an interview with the CEO and CFO. Trey called often while I was on the road, but had felt a little distant to me. At first, I’d worried that he wanted out. That the idea of domesticity was wearing thin and as he began the house hunt for us, he was having second thoughts. Turned out, he was just upset about the loss, and needed a little space to himself.

  Since then, things had snapped back into place, and we were getting close to settling on a large, six-bedroom home just outside the city limits. It screamed married life, but neither Trey nor I had let that scare us out of putting in an offer. I tried to convince Trey to let me chip in for the down payment, but he very gallantly refused. Something about him taking care of ‘his woman’ not the other way around.

  “Is it a house?” I asked, the idea suddenly popping into my mind. Maybe we were in the underground lot for a swanky condo. We’d gone back and forth on looking for something inside the city or outside. The house we’d put an offer in on was beyond the limits, but close enough that Trey’s commute to the practice facility, and mine to the station wouldn’t be too beastly.

  “No, it’s not a house. Now, stop fishing.” Trey said, his tone light and teasing. He was obviously very happy with his little game.

  I pouted but didn’t ask anything else. He wasn’t going to give up the goods.

  As we walked, I turned my attention to the ground under my heels. Asphalt. We were definitely in a parking lot somewhere. I couldn’t hear much more than the distant hum of traffic. Were we at the private air strip? Was Trey flying me to some exotic locale for a vacation? If so, had he cleared it with Mr. Jones? After my huge story, he’d be an idiot to fire me. But still…I was treading carefully until I built up more seniority. Even worse than never getting my foot in the door, would be to squander my hard work and become the journalistic equivalent to a one hit wonder.

  Trey grabbed a hold of my shoulders and stopped me. “Okay, one sec.”

  The sound of a door opening caught my ear and I cocked my head, trying to place the sound. Were we at a school? It sounded like the kind of door on a gym or cafeteria. Trey propelled me forward again and we walked for a long time over what sounded like concrete. Finally, we stopped, and Trey reached behind my head to tug loose the black, silky blindfold he’d placed on my head before we left my house.

  I blinked a few times as my vision cleared and I adjusted to the new, bright lights. “The stadium?” I glanced up at Trey. “What are we doing here?”

  “I’ll show you,” he replied, grinning as he reached for my hand.

  “Should I be scared?”

  Trey chuckled. “No. It’s a good surprise.”

  He led the way to center field where an old-fashioned picnic basket and blanket were laid out. There were candles and an ice bucket with champagne c
hilling. “What’s all this?” I said, gawking at the romantic scene. It was like being a contestant on The Bachelor with a hot guy, perfect, private setting, and all the fairy tale touches. Only, instead of having some production assistant to thank, it was all done by Trey. Oh, and I didn’t have to knock twenty other bitches on their asses to get my chance with him.

  He was already mine.

  “I thought we needed a change up. Come on, sit. I got all your faves.”

  “Trey, this is so sweet.”

  He waited for me to take my seat, cross-legged, on the blanket before he sat beside me. He leaned over, a flicker of mischief shining in his dark eyes. “Confession time, I’ve always thought it would be super fuckin’ hot to get it on in the middle of the field.”

  I laughed. “So, that’s the kinky part you promised.”

  Trey grinned. “I can’t help myself when I’m with you. You know that, baby.”

  I kissed him just long enough to let him know that I wasn’t completely opposed to his scandalous suggestion. “We’ll see where the night leads. How many bottles of bubbly you got squirreled away?”

  Trey laughed and popped the top on the chilled bottle. “Just the one, so we’re gonna have to make the most of it.” He poured two glasses and then raised his in a toast. “To the most beautiful girl in the world.”

  My cheeks warmed as I clinked my glass to his. “To the sweetest badass in the world.”

  “Ha! Thanks. I think…”

  I lifted my glass to my lips, lingering over the fizzing bubbles as they tickled my nose. It was high dollar champagne and I was going to enjoy every sip. “This is really good.”

  “Glad you like.” Trey reclined back onto his forearms and my eyes ran down his body. He was wearing a fitted tee shirt and every muscle was outlined as the fabric stretched over his torso. He sipped his own champagne, staring off into space as I admired him. When he brought his eyes back to mine, he caught me staring at his abs and chuckled. “Damn, girl. You’re just as horny as I am.”

  I giggled, but didn’t deny his accusation. “Are we really all alone?” I asked, glancing over each shoulder in turn.

  “Sure are.”

  “Hmmm. In that case…maybe we should talk a little more about this center field fantasy of yours.” I leaned forward on my knees and walked my fingers up Trey’s stomach.

  His eyebrows shot up and he pounced on the opportunity. He captured my fingers with his and brought them to his lips. He pressed his mouth against the open palm of my hand and suggestively ran his tongue in little circles, keeping his eyes locked on mine. I shuddered at the flush of sensations and melted against him. He released my hand and applied his lips to mine in the kind of deep, breathless kiss that always made my heart race and my thighs clench together.

  “Trey,” I breathed, as he released my mouth and dragged his lips along my neck. He pushed my recently cut locks out of the way and I dropped my head back to give him a better angle. As he teased my earlobe, he lifted the edge of my shirt up and over my skin. He ran his fingers along my belly and then up, to the silky cups over my breasts. My nipples went hard under his sure touch, and I shuddered when he twisted and teased the sensitive buds.

  “Let’s get this out of the way,” he said, tugging the tee off over my head. He set it aside and then pulled his own shirt off as well. I smiled, loving the way he looked as well as the way it felt when our skin was up against each other. It didn’t seem to matter how often Trey and I made love. I had the same rush of heat and excitement every single time. But, something about being out in the open, with the night air dancing around our skin made it even hotter. “Damn, baby, you look so fuckin’ sexy.” He raked his eyes over my new bra, following the swelled curves over the cups and the lace that wrapped around my back. I shook my shorter hair back, feeling the ends tickle my shoulders. “I like the haircut. Did I tell you that?”

  “You did,” I replied, smiling warmly at him.

  Trey kissed me again, this time more desperate and urgent. Heat built up between my thighs as the kiss deepened, and I started wishing his tongue was working its way down between my legs. His fingers worked the button on my jeans as his tongue continued to conquer my mouth. We broke apart only long enough for him to pull them from my legs. He left the panties on but slipped a finger beneath and teased my dripping wet pussy. I gasped when he tugged the fabric away and plunged two fingers deep inside of me. I lay back on the blanket and looked up into his eyes as he worked in and out of me, teasing my g-spot until I was breathless and panting his name.

  Trey dropped down onto his elbow as he fingered me and whispered into my ear, his voice a low growl, “Baby, I want you to come for me so hard you see the stars with your eyes closed.”

  I moaned and nodded, my eyes squeezed tight. Trey thrust his fingers in deeper and circled my clit with his thumb. My hands dug into the blankets and the ground beneath until I felt myself coming unhinged. The orgasm ripped through me like an earthquake and I tore my hands from the blanket and reached for Trey’s shoulders. He stilled his fingers inside of me, waiting for my shudders and shivers to subside before he pulled away and stripped off his own jeans.

  Without waiting for him to finish stripping, I straddled his lean hips, pulled my ruined panties aside, and slid down onto his cock, working each inch slowly, until he filled me completely. Trey groaned as I rocked my hips back and forth, stretching around his thick shaft. “Fuck! Trey!”

  “Yeah, baby. Fuck me like that. Let me see those beautiful eyes.”

  I met his stare, dark and intense, and let his hands guide my hips until we were moving in a frenzied dance there in the middle of the baseball diamond. Trey sat up and I wrapped my legs around him, and he pulsed his hips up, entering me deeper and harder, until I was clinging to the edge of release again.

  My nails dug into Trey’s back as he brought me right back to the height of pleasure again, and I moaned out his name as he came inside of me. I followed him, every fiber clinging to him, as we rode the wave out together. When he finally sagged back to the blanket, I lay down against his chest, my face nuzzling the solid, sweat covered muscles. When we both got our breath back again, I rolled off of him, but remained by his side as we lay together, staring up at the sky. For a long time, neither one of us said anything. There wasn’t a need for words. The sound of our hearts beating like crazy was enough.

  After a while, Trey pulled some of the fruit from the picnic basket and we munched on it and talked about the house hunt and my day at work, slipping right back into what normal, everyday couples discuss over dinner, as though we weren’t sitting, practically naked, in the middle of a major sports arena. I didn’t have my phone on me, but I knew it was getting late. As if on cue, an alarm sounded and Trey reached for the cellphone in the pocket of his discarded jeans. “We should probably get going,” Trey said, after consulting the phone. He pushed up from his place beside me on the blanket. “The security guy that I paid to stay away will have to do his sweep eventually.”

  “Trey!” I gasped and began to scramble to get back into my clothes and Trey laughed. “You didn’t tell me that part!”

  “You worry too much, baby. I wasn’t going to let him walk in on us. Have some faith.”

  I shot him a look as I tugged on my tee shirt.

  When we were both dressed, and Trey had the empty champagne bottle and glasses stashed away, he retrieved something from the bottom of the basket and handed it to me. “Oh, I almost forgot. I brought you a little something.”

  I took the box from him. It was small and white and looked vaguely familiar. “Wait, I recognize this box.” I lifted the lid and smiled down at the busted up baseball that Trey had arranged to have delivered to my hotel room after he hit the home runs I’d challenged him to after the night we met in the bar. “What’s this doing here?” I’d thought it was home, packed away with some other memorabilia that I’d collected over the last months with Trey: movie stubs, jewelry he’d given me, plane tickets, postcards, and lov
e letters he’d sent or left on my bed before heading out to an away game.

  Trey smiled up at me and stroked a hand down my back. “You remember that night we met at the bar?”

  I nodded fervently. “Of course I do.”

  “That was the day that I fell in love with you, Josie. Right there outside your hotel room.”

  Tears pricked at my eyes. “You did?”

  “I’ve been waiting for the right time to tell you. I didn’t wanna scare you off. But you’ve had my heart for quite a while now, baby. That night, the way you smiled and didn’t put up with any of my bullshit. You knocked me right on my ass and I loved every minute of it. But then, that final line, where you teased me and said that only hitting one homer in your honor wasn’t good enough coming from a grand slam champ. Damn, girl. That got me. I knew you were everything I wanted and more. So much more.”

  “That’s sweet, Trey. I love you too.”

  Trey reached over and cupped my face. He tugged me gently to him and kissed me softly. Heat flared in my belly and I wanted him all over again. When he broke apart, I pressed my fingertips to my lips, memorizing his kiss.

  “Open it,” he said, glancing down at the box that was still resting in my hand.

  I opened the lid and lifted the battered ball out of the box. “I thought you already gave me the ball?”

  He nodded. “If you’ll recall, I hit three homers that day.” He paused, giving me his cocky smile. “I gave you the ball from the second one. The first one was snatched up by an eager fan. This ball…” he dropped his attention to the box in my hands. “This is the third one. When I hit this one out of the stands, all I was thinking about was you. How much I couldn’t wait to leave the damn game and see you again.”