“What are you doin’ here?” I manage to croak out.
The sight of her in that tight, little outfit first thing in the morning is testing the elasticity of my baseball pants. None. There is no fuckin’ elasticity and my dick is getting painfully hard.
“My number one boy is here.”
“Oh finally, what took ya so long Savvy.”
“Not you Goner,” she says shaking her head. “Plus I gotta be here. think my company is runnin’ this camp, but I could be wrong, no?”
I smile and walk over to her and put a hand above her shoulder on the fence. Her eyes dart down to my lips but then up to my face.
“You got a smart mouth, you know that?”
“Gotta have the brains to match the beauty,” she says crossing her arms over her chest.
I lean my head forward and press my lips to her ear.
‘You sassin’ me might be the hottest fuckin’ thing in this world. I remember very well what that smart mouth is capable of and I bet you do too,” I whisper.
I hear her suck in a breath and smile as I place a soft kiss on her cheek and jog towards the field.
“Here ya go bud, try it on.”
I hand the glove to the small boy and his whole face breaks out into a smile.
“Th...thank you,” he stutters.
He slides the glove on his left hand and examines it like it's the most interesting thing he's ever seen.
“No problem buddy. Why don't you take a couple steps back let's see what you're workin with.”
He nods and jogs a couple feet back. I throw the ball softly to him when I see that he's ready and he catches it effortlessly and throws it right back. It makes a loud thump when it hits my glove and I look up at him, stunned.
“Dang bud, you've done this before haven't ya?”
“Never with a glove, only a tennis ball I found in the park. I used to throw at the wall when they fight and I-”
He stops what he was going to say, pursing his lips. I walk closer to him and toss him the ball high in the air and he gets under it, moving his feet until the ball lands in his glove.
“What's your name buddy?”
“Tucker.”
“Well Tucker, I gotta say, you're one good ball player!”
“Really?” he asks, his genuine smile making one break out on my own face.
“Yeah man! That was awesome. How old are ya?”
“Five.”
“Are you kiddin’ me? You're better than half the kids I coached last camp and they were all sixteen!”
He looks up at me like I'm a superhero and my heart breaks for this kid. God knows what his home life was like before going into the system. I have a strong feeling it isn't something a five-year-old should experience.
“Tell ya what? Let's throw fifty and then enjoy lunch with everyone. Don't wanna burn that arm out, it's gonna be worth a lot one day!”
“Yes sir.”
He jogs back out to right field, a little further this time and we throw for the next half hour. I see Savannah out of the corner of my eye watching us and I glance over my shoulder and wink.
I see Tucker wave at her and question briefly how they know each other. I remember Charlotte mentioning they worked with this orphanage a lot, this is probably who she was talking about. She always did have a soft spot for the abandoned boys.
Chapter 5
Jackson
I walk into the office on Monday at 5 o'clock to pick up Lacey with a bouquet of Azaleas. I walk past reception, and knock on Savannah's door and walk right in. She is sitting behind her desk with her feet up on the side, Charlotte and Lacey in the chairs opposite her.
Her eyes lock on the flowers in my hand and her brows furrow and her gaze hardens towards Charlotte.
“You traitor,” Savannah snaps.
“I am not. He asked a simple question and I answered,” Charlotte snaps back.
All three women get to their feet and I walk over to Savannah, handing her the flowers.
“Thanks for takin’ my little girl under your wing and thank you for that event this weekend. It was a lot of fun.”
“I'm glad you enjoyed it. My little buddy, Tuck, had nothin’ but nice things to say about you,” she smirks crossing her hands over her chest.
“That's your boy, huh? I figured, what are the odds?” I say crossing my own arms over my chest.
Her gaze hardens for a second but then it is gone. We're at a standoff and I smile, shaking my head.
“Well enjoy the rest of your evenin’ ladies.”
I give a wink to both Charlotte and Savannah and motion for Lacey to follow me out.
I briefly hear Savannah scold Charlotte and shut the door behind me with a smile.
***
“Daddy let's go, we're gonna be late. Savannah put me in charge of filin’ today, I wanna get a jump on it!”
I slide down the railing of our two-story house and land with a thump in the foyer.
“I swear Daddy, you're such a little boy sometimes,” Lacey admonishes me.
I laugh and shake my head walking over to put on my sneakers.
“It's faster, plus my legs are sore from practice yesterday. Let's go workin’ girl.“
We stop at the deli on the way in to the office and I grab both Charlotte and Savannah tea and bagels with strawberry cream cheese. I had Lacey be my little spy yesterday, so I could try and break Savannah down a little more. She's so fuckin’ close, I can practically taste her again.
We walk into Double Play and right towards Charlotte's office. Savannah is sitting in the chair opposite Charlotte and she looks up at us, her brows pulled together in confusion.
“I didn't know you were comin’ in too. I thought Linda was gonna drop Lacey today,” Savannah says turning around in her chair.
She is in a bright blue button-down shirt with the top buttons unbuttoned and her curly brown hair falls in waves down her back. She's wearing tight black jeans with black heels and she opted for her glasses today. I feel my dick jump in my pants. Those God damned glasses. Fuck, I'm wearing workout shorts. I feel my dick growing, pulling the fabric tight and I try to nonchalantly put the brown bag in front of me and will my erection to go down.
“I wanted to bring you ladies breakfast. Can't let a pregnant woman starve, right?”
I hand Charlotte the tea and take the bagel out of the bag and hand it to her. She takes it slowly, eyeing me as if I just gave her precious stone.
“Jackson Turner, I don't remember you ever bein’ this damn handsome,” Charlotte quips.
“Charlotte!” Savannah snaps.
“What? The man brought us tea and a sesame bagel with strawberry cream cheese! If you don't bang hi- Ow!”
I see Savannah scowl at Charlotte and she eyes her back.
“You bitch, that hurt,” Charlotte whispers.
“Ready for your big day today filin’?” Savannah says to Lacey, bringing the attention away from the scene that was about to unfold.
I smirk at her attempt, not trying to hide it at all.
“Yes!” Lacey says clapping her hands. “I'm so ready!”
Charlotte opens her bagel and Savannah eyes her one last time before getting up from her chair and walking towards her office. She opens the door slowly and turns back with a nervous expression.
“I uh...I got you a desk. I figured you'd need some space to work once we really started givin’ you the good stuff. Is that okay?” Savannah asks looking at Lacey with uncertainty.
“You...you got me a desk? This is...this is mine?”
Lacey walks over to the desk, running her finger over the top and looking back to Savannah.
“Of course. Do you like it? I wasn't sure what you'd be into, so I just got it to match mine. That way you can sit in on meetings and stuff and have your own place to take notes.”
Lacey runs to Savannah wrapping her in a hug and I see the tension leave Savannah's body. She hugs her back, closing her eyes and leans her cheek on the top of Lacey's he
ad.
“I love it. Thank you,” Lacey whispers.
They break the hug and look up to me.
“I gotta get to practice, I just wanted to bring breakfast. I'll come back closin’ time?”
“Sure, yeah.”
I nod and turn to the leave the room as I feel a small hand wrap around my forearm.
“Thank you, Jackson, for breakfast,” Savannah says.
“No thanks needed princess. Just gotta make sure I feed my girls.”
I wink, knowing that will probably drive her up a wall and turn to leave.
***
I jog through the building aware of the fact that I am a half hour late and curse my ability to block out the world in the weight room.
I've had so much crap on my mind lately; between Lacey and her problems, not knowing where the hell Kat is, my need to bury myself inside Savannah again, I'm all over the damn place.
I jog to the back of the office and hear laughter and stop.
“No, you didn't,” I hear Lacey say through laughter.
“Don't you dare repeat this Lacey Turner!” Savannah scolds.
“I won't, I won't I just...I can't imagine peein’ myself at this age. No matter what.”
“I told you I was petrified. My brother always scared the crap out of me with that damn mask, I was dead asleep! Give me a break girl,” Savannah says breaking off on the last word with another bout of laughter.
I smile at the sound of their happiness and lightly knock on the open door.
“Sorry I'm late. Got a little carried away with the workout.”
Savannah's smile falls as her eyes roam over my body. Her mouth drops open and she grips the side of her desk chair, her knuckles turning white.
“It's okay. We were just talkin’. Everyone's still here anyway. Can I go say bye to Charlie and Gabriel?” Lacey asks getting up from the chair.
“Yeah, sure.”
“Make sure you knock first!” Savannah says quickly.
“Sure thing. See ya tomorrow Sav,” Lacey says reaching over the desk and doing some sort of handshake with Savannah.
Savannah smiles and watches Lacey leave the room and her gaze comes back to me.
“You okay?” I ask her, walking towards her desk.
She spins in her chair away from me, crashing into the wall slightly.
“F..Fine,” she stutters.
I sit on the edge of her desk, crossing my arms and her eyes drop to my biceps.
“If ya like what ya see Savvy, don't be shy about it.”
I curl my arm up, flexing my bicep and smirk at her. I’m fully aware my pump from the lifting session is still in full swing and my bicep is a lot more swollen than normal.
Savannah seems to notice too as she bites her bottom lip and looks up to me.
“I uh...you're sweaty.”
“Ah shit, I'm sorry. I was rushin’ and didn't have time to shower, I probably smell like ass.”
I get off her desk quick and back away towards the door, but her hand stops me. She hops up from her chair and her proximity is so damn close. I can smell her vanilla scent and again my damn dick jumps in my shorts.
“You're fine, you don't smell. You just, you're…”
She looks down and a smirk appears on that beautiful face.
“Hard? Yeah, I know,” I grumble.
I move closer to her caging her against the wall and I lower my voice.
“You finally gonna take me up on that date and do somethin’ about this?” I say, nodding down to my shorts.
“Not interested, Turner,” she says, defiantly looking up at me.
“Oh no?” I say, running my finger down her cheek.
She sucks in a breath and her eyes close. It's such a familiar dance, I wonder briefly if I'll ever be able to get her to break it. I move my mouth centimeters away from hers and study her face. Her glasses are fogging and her lips part, ready for mine to devour them. Oh yeah Jackson, you're close. I back away and walk towards her office door but her protest stops me.
“Jackson Turner! You tease!”
I turn and see her hand on her hip and those suckable lips in a pout.
“You said you ain't interested.”
I shrug my shoulders and walk out of the door, stopping by Gabriel's office in the process.
“Ready to go pumpkin?”
“See y'all tomorrow,” Lacey says, hopping off the desk and walking towards me.
“Jackson hold up. Lace, lemme just talk to your dad for a second.”
She nods and goes in the hallway and I turn to Gabriel.
“What’s up?”
“So, I don't know what’s goin’ on with you and Savannah, but she's a big girl, I get it just...don't hurt her man. She's been through a lot of shit and the last thing she needs, is more of it.”
I slap him on the shoulder and smile.
“I don't plan on it, buddy, don't worry.”
Savannah
I go into the office at 7 the next morning and feel like a boss. I throw my hair up in a bun and get to work, plowing through paperwork, three different phone calls to possible new clients, scheduled 3 different events and managed to squeeze in a video conference call.
Jackson has been such a big distraction I need to take advantage of this work ethic when I have it. His body alone could make me forget my own damn name, and mix that with the familiarity of what that body feels like grinding into mine, it is all too much sometimes. It’s getting harder to say no to him, and honestly, I don’t even remember my reasons anymore. As if on cue, my phone buzzes on my desk next to me.
Jackson: I’m bringing lunch today for OUR DATE. You have to eat and I want to feed you.
Savannah: I’ll say yes to lunch because you’re right, I have to eat. But it is not a date!
Jackson: Grilled chicken panini with dressing on the side? No tomato?
Savannah: How the hell did you remember that.
Jackson: See you soon, date ;)
I let out a frustrated breath and quickly get up from my desk and walk over to my mirror hanging up on my wall. I look over my reflection and debate taking my hair out of my messy bun but hear a knock on my door. Shit.
“Come in,” I say moving back to my desk.
Jackson walks through my door with a brown bag in one hand with a large styrofoam cup in the other.
“If that is the iced tea from the deli in town, I will kiss you Jackson Turner.”
I smell the panini the second he opens the bag and my mouth waters. I see Jackson smile, his eyebrows shoot up on his forehead and he laughs.
“Oh yeah? Pucker up, princess,” he says handing me the cup.
I move my mouth to take the straw between my teeth and Jackson moves his face quickly, my lips landing on the tip of his nose.
“What are you doin’?” I admonish.
“You said you would kiss me. Hell of a first date so far,” he says smirking.
He reaches in the bag for my sandwich and hands it to me, our fingers touching for the briefest of moments, my skin igniting.
“This is not a date Jackson,” I say again, irritation lacing my voice.
“So what would you like to call it then?” he asks amused.
“A friends catching up with old friends lunch.”
I take a big bite of my panini and smile. He shakes his head, planting himself in the chair opposite my desk. He unwraps his footlong sub and it looks miniature in his big paws. I watch his mouth open and his teeth sink into the meaty sandwich and audibly swallow. My eyes trace his tongue as he licks dressing off his lips.
“You gonna eat that sandwich or me?” I hear Jackson quip.
My gaze snaps up and I feel my cheeks heat with embarrassment.
“You...I...I mean thank you, for lunch.”
I snap my mouth shut and focus on my sandwich. Dammit Savannah, you’re a grown ass woman, keep it together.
“So how’s everything been? Killin’ things with Double Play huh?”
“Yeah it’s be
en great,” I respond, grateful for the subject change.
Going, Going, Goner (Double Play Series Book 2) Page 5