Page 13 of Honey Undone (The Hornets Nest #5)

JENSEN

Are you coming today?

Maybe, work is sort of insane right now.

I wasn’t exactly used to feeling disappointment but for some reason the idea that Adeline wasn’t going to be here today ate at me. My only accomplishment that week was that I had only dreamed of her twice a night… every night.

I had started looking at apartments because waking up to Todd snoring with my dick hard was going to be the reason I snapped. On the team, in class… It wouldn’t matter. I just needed a release and Adeline was making sure I worked for it.

How am I supposed to win without you?

Show off for all the other girls.

I only wanna show off for you.

I sighed, trying to scrub my thoughts of her and focus on the game ahead of us. Winning was the goal, everyone was fighting hard to prove to the entire college circuit that we didn’t need Arlo King to win but it was harder than any of us expected.

We needed this series to stay in the playoffs and it was one of the hardest we had played in a long time, the first six games went into extras.

Both of our teams played the best defense of our lives and every game clocked out with low scores and one win for each of us.

Tonight was the tie breaker. It was now or never.

Maybe later, one thing at a time.

That maybe later was like a rocket had popped off in my chest. I could hear the way her voice hummed it in the back of my head and it made my mouth dry. We would win today's game and I would get Adeline Sarah back beneath me if it killed me.

“Are you planning on doing anything stupid today?” Van double-knotted his shoes and looked up at me with a glare.

“Define stupid?” I flashed him a smile and buttoned up the bottom of my jersey before shoving it in my loose pants. I did up the belt, turning to find him still staring at me with disapproval tight across his usually goofy face.

“You,” Van said, standing up to his full height and towering over me. “You’re the definition.”

“One more outburst and Coach is going to have a stroke,” Josh said from my left.

“That would mean, no more two-a-days for a while,” I offered and both of them shook their heads at me.

“Just behave for one game,” Van warned, holding up a finger, “earn some brownie points with Dean, maybe he’ll take you off the laundry early,” he teased.

The bunt had gotten me on eternal service. I’d been doing laundry since that game and I didn’t see the ending in sight but it was worth it. I’d clean every single piece of clothing in the Nest if it meant giving Adeline my number that day.

“There’s no way I’m letting him off laundry,” Dean grunted in passing, “I got yelled at by Coach for an hour after that game.”

I tried to hide the smile on my face as I brushed my hair under a hat, “I have nothing to lose,” I said to Van who was evidently very sick of my shit but very much interested in finding out what I’d do next.

I stopped him before everyone flooded from the locker room, “hey thanks for suggesting that shop. ”

Van had brought me down to his favorite comic shop on the weekend and I had spent way too much on dice.

I knew less about Dungeons and Dragons than I did about convincing Adeline to go on date with me, but once I started picking out sets…

I couldn’t stop. The top drawer of my dresser at the nest made noise when I opened it and I had enough dice to give her a set once a week until our children put us in a retirement home.

“Yeah man,” he said with a smile, “did she love them?”

“I think so?” I shrugged. She hadn’t said anything, but I watched her confusion when she found the bag with a smile on my face.

She seemed excited but if I knew her, she’d wait to bring it up at a time when she could use it against me.

And oddly, I was okay with that, as long as she was using it against me.

We packed into the concrete hallway shoulder to shoulder and Dean stood in the center of the team staring around at all of us.

“There's no option today but a win. Tonight we prove to Harbor and the rest of the country that we will never be reduced to the skill set of a single player. We’re a team, we’re a family.

Now let’s show them what the fuck that means to us. ”

Everyone cheered and hollered, shoving wildly against each other until our hearts were racing and our blood was pumping through our veins.

Dean gently tapped Josh against the jaw, who was standing clear of the physical contact against the wall, but still offered a few hearty cheers.

With our adrenaline high and our eyes clear on the goal, we all took our spots in the lineup.

Our cleats created a rumble of noise as we all stomped our feet and the stadium above us became a thunderous boom of applause.

“Put it together for your Harbor Hornets!”

The lights in the stadium had already been flickered on for the late game and they buzzed in excitement alongside the crowd. Everyone was ready for a fight.

Philly’s team was already fully immersed in their warm ups, and I could feel the animosity rolling off Dean as we took them in.

“Focus,” Coach barked, a loud clap from his clipboard against the side of the dugout brought us all back from the edge. “No fights today, I don’t give a shit if they say the most heinous crap you’ve ever heard. Beat them on the scoreboard and send them home for good. ”

“Can we kick their asses in the parking lot after the game?” Cael asked, perched over the banister of the dugout with a shit eating grin on his face.

“Win the game and you can do whatever the fuck you want, kid.” Coach stared him down. “But you don’t do it on my field. Understand me?”

“Understood, Coach.” The team erupted.

“Go stretch, you’ve got fifteen.” He snapped and we all jolted into action. Van came up behind me and leaned over against the banister until I could see his face equipped with a goofy, mischievous smile.

“What?” I asked, tightening the straps around my calf.

“Your girl.” His eyes drifted up past the dugout to the seats behind the backstop.

She was facing Cosy with a bright smile on her face, in my fucking jersey looking prettier than I’d ever seen her.

Her dark hair was down around her face in massive, messy waves and all I wanted to do was find out what sound she made when I pulled it.

Focus, Jensen. I said to myself, focus on the game, not the girl.

But the girl… my heart skipped a beat.

The goddamn girl.

“Field,” Dean snapped. “No funny business,” Dean warned, tugging on my collar.

“Yes, Cap,” I said mindlessly, my eyes still on her.

I hated how quickly my concentration on the game disappeared and how quickly my determination to have Adeline appeared. Cosy’s words rattled around in the empty space. Take it.

“He’s going to do something stupid, isn’t he?” Dean’s concern was palpable as I walked out of the dugout to my spot. I carried my cage in my hand, tucking it under my arm as I looked at Adeline in the stands.

The smug look on her face made my dick hard.

“Van,” the desperation was thick as I turned to him and he jogged up behind me, “warm up with Logan for a minute?” I asked.

“Remember when we all said multiple times to behave?” Van said.

“Stall for five minutes and then I‘ll take over,” I all but begged him. “Five minutes! ”

“You’re taking the heat once Coach and Dean see what’s happening.” Van shrugged and turned, getting Josh’s attention to warm up.

I looked back to the stands, inhaling slowly, trying to push down the immense sexual frustration and decided that today was the day I was going to take it.

I hooked my finger at her and she pointed to herself like there was a chance I was talking to anyone else. I nodded, my jaw tight as she shook her head no and her smile grew.

Brat.

“Come here,” I said loudly, “ please?”

Cosy choked on her pop and looked over at Adeline like I had just confessed my feelings instead of asking her to simply come over and talk to me. Cosy nudged Adeline who never broke eye contact urging her to go.

“You’re going to get in trouble again,” she said, leaning forward in her seat.

“It’s important, come here,” I said again, that time she rose from her spot and moved toward the backstop. She leaned against the cage, “I need you to take the jersey off.”

“What?” She laughed.

“I’ll get you a new one but you have to take it off now, it’s not funny anymore,” I said quietly enough that she moved closer just to hear me and she looped her fingers into the cage.

“Bingo,” I whispered under my breath. I wrapped my fingers over hers and felt her tense, trying to move away.

“What time am I picking you up for our date tomorrow?” I asked her loudly.

The grumble that left her was adorable. “Let me go Jensen,” she warned.

“What time,” I said with more force. Commotion came from the dugout as Arlo yelled to Josh questioning why the hell he was warming up with Van.

“You have a game to play, stop it,” she laughed and tried to wiggle away more.

“It’s just stretching, it's fine, I’m already warm,” I said, and shook my head at her. “I’m sorry, I can’t do anything until she agrees to it,” I yelled over my shoulder at Coach and Arlo who both had the look of death on their faces.

“Jensen!” She hissed but the smile on her face was wild with excitement. “You’re being insane, let me go. ”

“Answer the question, Adeline. Everyone is waiting on you, we have a playoff game to win.” I teased her but my voice was demanding, I needed her to tell me when. I had waited long enough.

“You’d delay the entire game over a date?” She scoffed, shaking her head in disbelief as she tried to get her fingers free.

“The game hasn’t started so it's entirely up to you,” I said, lying.

There’s very few boundaries I didn’t cross on a day to day basis, but letting down the guys was never one of them.

If she really wanted to push that far, I’d let her have my surrender but I had to bluff for just a few minutes longer.

“Jensen, I will bench you!” Coach snapped, I could hear the threat on his lips as his clipboard slapped against the concrete.

“It’s not my fault Coach!” I called back, “blame the girl! Listen I can hear Dean Tucker stomping down the foul line to kick my ass so if you don’t agree to a time tomorrow I might be in the hospital…” I laughed wildly when her head snapped to first base.

“He looks mad…” she whispered.

“I like the bones in my body, Adeline. I promise you will too,” I teased and she blushed. “Come on, just save me from the wrath of Hulking and say a time,” I begged her.

“Addy!” Cosy yelled, standing up in her seat. “Just give him a time.”

“Jensen!” Our names were being yelled from every direction as the announcer boomed through the stadium taking note of the commotion happening. Looks like we have a little pre-game Hornets shenanigans happening on home plate!

“Adeline,” I said again.

“Jensen,” she huffed back. “You’re embarrassing yourself.”

“No, you’re embarrassing us ,” I teased her over the sound of everyone screaming. A few of the Philly players had started to loosen up and join in on the yelling. “We’re going to forfeit our only shot at the playoffs because you’re too scared to go on a date with me!”

That scared her enough. I could feel it coursing through her. Luckily she knew as much about baseball as I did rugby. Adeline looked around at the chaos, fans were screaming, Coach was hurling threats, Dean was getting closer.

“You’re in control here,” I told her. “It’s all up to you. ”

She stared me down and I could tell her heart was racing as fast as mine because her throat bobbed and her fingers tightened around the cage.

“Saturday, I’m free all day.”

I instantly let go of her hands, allowing her to step back against her seat almost losing her balance.

“Saturday,” I repeated with a shit eating grin before shoving the cage over my face and turning to the field. “Let’s win a fucking ball game,” I called out with more pride and excitement than I’d ever felt in my entire life and started warmups with Josh.