Swing and a Kiss: Carolina Waves Series Book 4

by Tina Gallagher

  Closing the distance between us with three short steps, I placed my hands on her waist and pulled her close.

  “You look beautiful.”

  She simultaneously scrunched her nose and patted her hair. I reached up and took her hand in mine then lifted it to my mouth to kiss the center of her palm before placing it flat over my chest.

  “I’m sure it makes me some kind of misogynistic asshole, but I love it when you wear my shirts. But besides that, you always look beautiful.”

  Biting her lip, she looked straight at my chest before meeting my gaze again.

  “Thank you.”

  I gave her a quick kiss, making sure to keep it short so things didn't get out of control.

  “As for today, we can do whatever you want. It really doesn’t matter to me as long as

  we’re together.”

  “Have you eaten?”

  “No.”

  “Why don’t we run to the diner for a quick breakfast then come back here and…” Her eyes shifted from me toward her bedroom. “Hang out.”

  “Hanging out sounds great.” I kissed her forehead.

  “I’m gonna go change.” She shifted out of my embrace. “I’ll be right back.”

  I walked into the living room to sit on the couch to wait but got sidetracked by the pictures on the mantle. I’d noticed the family photos when I was here before but didn’t want to gawk at them. Now that I’m alone, I can check them out.

  They’re a mix of posed professional shots and candids of Jeremy at various ages. Over on the end table, there’s a family portrait of the three of them. I can’t say who Jeremy looks like because Karen and Jason can pass for brother and sister. No wonder she and Chloe look so much alike.

  Karen and I haven’t talked about Jason too much. I mean, part of me feels like I should know about him but another part thinks it might be creepy for us to spend our time together discussing her late husband.

  “That’s the last family portrait that was taken before Jason died.”

  I turned and found Karen standing across the room, wearing an orange sundress. She’d taken her hair down and it flowed over her shoulders.

  “Sorry, I didn’t mean to snoop. I started looking at the pictures of Jeremy and just kept going.”

  “No, it’s fine. I mean, they are on display.” She let out a nervous chuckle and shifted her gaze from me to the pictures. “I guess we’ve never really talked about Jason.” Looking me in the eye again, she said, “This is all new to me. I’m not really sure exactly what’s appropriate, how much to share.”

  “Karen, this is all new to me, too.” I crossed the room, needing to be closer to her. “And I don’t think anything is right, wrong, or appropriate. I want to know whatever you want to share. But please don’t feel like you can’t talk about Jason. He was a huge part of your life and he’s Jeremy’s father.”

  I was totally surprised when she wrapped her arms around my waist and hugged me tight.

  “Thank you. You really are too good to be true.”

  Resting her chin on my chest, she looked up and gave me the sweetest smile. And at that moment, something happened to me. A warmth flowed through me and my chest tightened, then it felt like my heart skidded to a halt and started really beating for the first time.

  Karen

  * * *

  I set the bag of food on the coffee table.

  “I’m gonna take a quick shower,” Jeremy said and ran off toward his room.

  I went into the kitchen to get drinks, plates, and utensils then returned to the living room. Sitting on the floor between the couch and coffee table, I set out the Chinese food containers then picked up the remote and turned on the game.

  It’s opening night for the Waves and I breathed a sigh of relief this morning when Dale texted and let me know he’d made it to Myrtle Beach. He waited until last minute to leave and I was so worried something was going to happen and he wouldn’t make it back in time. But despite that, I was so happy he’d stayed in town to spend the day with me.

  Jeremy ran into the living room and sat next to me, looking squeaky clean. He quickly filled his plate and dug into the food.

  “I’m so hungry,” he said in-between bites.

  “I guess so.”

  Of course, it had been three hours since he ate and nowadays that’s like a lifetime to his teenage appetite. He picked up the remote and turned up the volume while I filled my plate.

  “Cool. Cal is in the booth tonight.”

  I looked at the TV and saw Cal Chase’s face on the screen next to the regular Waves announcer, Jay Glasser. Jeremy and I met him at a couple of the first games we had attended but he got hurt and then retired so I don’t know him very well.

  The national anthem ended and the camera focused on the starting pitcher, Chris Russell. I’d sat next to his girlfriend Ivy at a few games but never met him, although Jeremy has.

  I’ve been watching Waves games for years but after meeting the players and having spent time with them, it’s different. I feel more connected and invested, especially to one player in particular.

  Jeremy cheered as the first batter struck out.

  “Rusty looks awesome this year,” he said as he added more sweet and sour chicken to his plate. “Remember he struggled the first half of last season, but he figured it out by the end. And now—Yes!” He cheered and banged his fist on the table as with just one more pitch thrown, the Waves had their second out as the batter hit the ball right at Jack Reagan. He didn’t even have to move to catch it. “Anyway, now he looks better than ever.”

  The next batter stepped up to the plate. Rusty threw the first pitch in for a strike but then just barely missed the zone the next three times. Cal and Jay discussed how close the pitches were and whether or not they should have been strikes while the camera stayed on Rusty as he stood at the back of the mound rubbing the ball between his hands.

  Finally, he stepped back on the rubber and went into his windup and fired a fastball right down the middle. The batter swung and popped it up. The camera panned to Dale as he tracked the ball toward the stands. I watched, fascinated, as he navigated the foul territory and stopped next to the wall and caught the ball for the third out. He smiled then turned and tossed it to a little boy in the second row.

  “It was so great of Monte to stay and hang out with us yesterday,” Jeremy said.

  “Yeah, it was.”

  “You really like him, don’t you?”

  I looked over and saw my son’s eyes looking serious as they studied me.

  “I really do.”

  “Good. Because he really likes you and I really like him too.”

  The commercial break ended and Jeremy turned his attention back to the game. Of course, my attention was still on what he’d said and brought my thoughts back to yesterday. The three of us did have a great time together but it was before that, when it was just the two of us, that was really special.

  We went to breakfast and ended up sharing stories, me about Jason and him about his parents and grandparents. You’d think that our libidos would have been killed after that topic, but when we came back to the house, we’d gone at it like teenagers. Three times. The last time had been in the shower and I was amazed at how effortlessly he’d held me against the wall.

  After we got cleaned up, we went to pick Jeremy up at practice and we all went out to dinner, then came back to the house to watch a movie. He stayed later than I’d expected considering his flight was leaving at five o’clock, but I appreciated the extra time with him.

  I really will miss him. We’ve gotten really close in six short weeks and yesterday something shifted bringing it to a whole other level.

  After Jason died, I never thought I’d fall in love again, but now I’m pretty sure that’s not true.

  Chapter 24

  Dale

  * * *

  I got off the plane, exhausted but excited to see Karen. Through the years I’ve watched various teammates rush from one location to anot
her just to spend an extra few hours with wives, girlfriends, or family, but never thought I’d be one of them.

  Yet here I am rushing to meet my girlfriend at the gate.

  My girlfriend.

  That’s another thing I thought I’d never do. I’ve spent time with a lot of women, but never felt enough of a connection with even one of them to introduce them by anything other than their name. But I refer to Karen as my girlfriend, to anyone who will listen.

  Speaking of…

  There she is standing at the end of the gate waiting for me. She smiled and waved when she spotted me and I had to fight the urge to push the couple in front of me out of the way so I could rush toward her.

  Finally they shuffled out of my way and I jogged toward Karen, pulled her into my arms, and kissed her.

  “I’ve missed you so much,” I said when we pulled apart. Slinging my arm around her shoulders, I led her toward the exit.

  “Don’t you have any bags?”

  I kissed the top of her head. “Nope. I have clothes at the condo.”

  “Is that where we’re heading?”

  “I have five hours before I have to be at the stadium. What would you like to do?”

  She flashed a wicked smile and I threw my head back and laughed as we walked through the automatic doors toward the parking lot.

  “Then to the condo it is.”

  The fifteen-minute drive seemed to take forever but she finally turned into the parking garage of my complex. She remembered the code and keyed it in, then drove through the garage and pulled into my spot.

  I jumped out of the car, jogged around to her side, grabbed her hand, and pulled her toward the elevator. We stepped inside and I pushed her against the wall and lowered my mouth to hers. She twisted her hands into my hair and kissed me back, echoing my desperation.

  The elevator came to a stop and I dragged my mouth from hers then led her down the hall to my condo.

  As we stepped inside, she launched herself at me. Cupping her ass, I picked her up and walked to the bedroom with her clinging to me, our mouths devouring each other. I held her close to me and lowered her onto the bed before resting on top of her. Groaning against her mouth, I pulled back, panting.

  “Two weeks is too long,” I said, kissing my way down her neck. “It’s great getting to see you on FaceTime, but I miss touching you.”

  I ran my hands down her body then back up again, cherishing every dip and curve before settling on her breast.

  “I missed you so much,” she said, repeating what I’d said to her at the airport.

  I pressed my lips to hers and took small tastes, nibbling and licking before opening my mouth fully and taking hers in a tongue-tangling kiss. Karen gave as good as she got, meeting my tongue stroke for stroke. Her legs wrapped around my waist and she shifted forward, whimpering as she ground herself against my erection.

  The woman drives me insane.

  Shifting back, I dragged my shirt over my head and tossed it behind me. Karen reached up and ran her hands up and down my chest before settling on the button of my shorts. After popping it through the buttonhole, she carefully lowered the zipper then cupped me through my briefs.

  “Why don’t we get you undressed before you start doing that?”

  She smiled then held her arms up so I could pull off her shirt. I removed her shorts and panties in one sweep. Stepping back off the bed, I dropped my shorts and briefs and crawled back onto the bed.

  I lowered my mouth to hers again then rested my hands on either side of her head. I couldn’t get enough of her lips, her tongue, and the hot sweetness of her mouth. But I wanted more. Grazing my hand down her stomach, I moved lower still and slipped a finger into her slick heat and groaned deep in my chest. She’s so wet. I added a second finger and groaned again as she tightened around me.

  Dragging my mouth from hers, I shifted back and looked down at her. She looked so beautiful lying in my bed wearing just a pale blue bra, writhing as I fucked her with my fingers.

  “You feel so amazing. I can’t wait to be inside you.”

  “So what are you waiting for?”

  She whimpered as I slowly removed my fingers and shifted off the bed. I opened the nightstand drawer and pulled out a condom then climbed back into bed. Handing the foil packet to her, I rested back against the pillows.

  Karen smiled as though I just handed her a winning lottery ticket and ripped it open. Moving onto her knees next to me, she wrapped her hand around the head and slowly rolled the condom down my shaft. By the time she had me fully sheathed, I was panting.

  I wrapped my hands around her waist.

  “Come here.”

  She shifted her leg to straddle me. I reached around and unhooked her bra as she thrust forward, pulling me into her wet heat. We both moaned as she slid down my length until I filled her completely.

  I leaned forward to lick and suck her nipple into a tight peak before moving to give the other one the same treatment. Karen moved against me and my self-control eroded with each long, slow stroke. She grabbed onto my shoulder and picked up the pace, grinding herself against me with each forward thrust.

  Resting back against the pillows, I moved my hands down to cup her ass, pulling her closer as she rode me faster and faster. She panted my name and fell forward, dragging her nipples against my chest as she moved up and down and back and forth.

  Her movements became more and more frantic and she dug her fingers into my chest, holding me close. She let out a long, low groan and her head dropped to my shoulder as I felt the first ripples of her orgasm. I thrust my hips up to move in time with hers, then kept up the rhythm when she couldn’t until I followed her over the edge.

  Karen

  * * *

  Four days flew by and while Dale spent every possible second with us, it wasn’t enough.

  “I miss you already,” I said as we cuddled in my bed.

  He’d come over for breakfast and drove Jeremy to school then came back and gave me three mind-blowing orgasms. It’s a perfect start to a day that will end with him catching a late flight to the west coast for a ten-day stint.

  “I know.” He kissed my forehead. “Did you figure out if you can come up to Myrtle Beach next month?”

  “So far, it looks good. Right now, Jeremy doesn’t have anything going on. He’s out of school and has a break in baseball.”

  “Have you mentioned it to him?”

  “Yes, and he’s excited.”

  “I’ll be home for eight days, but you know you can stay at the house as long as you want, right?”

  I traced my index finger up and down his six pack abs.

  “I appreciate that.”

  He pulled me closer. “I kind of like the idea of the two of you there.”

  “Tell me about it.”

  “My house?” I nodded. “I just bought it a couple years ago. It’s right on the beach, not too far from Cal’s place. It has four bedrooms, each with its own bathroom. Three of them are upstairs and the fourth is downstairs. That’s the one Penny uses when she stays with me. There’s also a rec room and living area down there. Upstairs, it has a big deck off the living room that looks out over the ocean. There’s a pool and hot tub, too.”

  “It sounds amazing.”

  He shifted me onto the pillow and rolled to his side to face me.

  “I understand that you and Jeremy have your own lives here, but I’m serious about you staying in Myrtle Beach as long as possible. Consider it a vacation.” He tucked my hair behind my ear and stroked his finger down my cheek. “I know my life is crazy and this schedule isn’t easy. It means a lot that you’re willing to put up with all this just to be with me.”

  “You’re definitely worth it.”

  He stared into my eyes for what seemed like forever then he spoke.

  “This thing between us, it’s pretty special, isn’t it?”

  I swallowed the lump in my throat and nodded. “It is.”

  He took in a short breath and let it o
ut on a sigh.

  “I’ve never done this before so I need you to tell me if I screw up somehow.”

  “So far you’re doing great.”

  “Yeah?” An adorable smile spread across his face.

  “Yeah.” I kissed the tip of his nose then his lips before pulling back to look at him again. “Honestly, you’re pretty perfect.”

  “As much as I appreciate that, I know it’s not totally true.”

  “How about you’re perfect for me?”

  “That I agree with one hundred percent.”

  He placed his mouth over mine and shifted until he covered my body with his. And for the second time this morning, we made slow, sweet love.

  I dozed off as he spooned me from behind and I thought I heard him whisper “I love you” but figured I must be dreaming.

  Chapter 25

  Dale

  * * *

  I drank in the sight of Karen through my computer screen, wishing I was lying next to her instead of three thousand miles away.

  “Sorry it’s so late.”

  “You can’t control how long a game goes.”

  “I could have if I hit the ball in the ninth instead of stranding the go-ahead run on second base.”

  She laughed and shook her head, then snuggled farther into the pillow.

  “You got a hit every other time you batted and had two RBIs.”

  I love the fact that she watches my games. It’s better when she’s actually in the stands, but beggars can’t be choosers.

  “But at least we pulled it off in the end. Even if it did take thirteen innings.” She chuckled then tried, unsuccessfully, to hold in a yawn. “I’m sorry. I’ll let you get to sleep.”

  “No, it’s fine. I’m okay for a little while longer.”

  “Well before you totally fade, I wanted to ask you something.”

  “What’s that?”

  “You know I talked to Jeremy earlier and he told me about his game.” She nodded. “I was wondering if you’d be willing to video his games so I can actually see what he’s doing.”