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CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

CHEETAH

I plop down on my bed at the hotel. I sucked today. I’ve sucked every day this first week of Spring Training. My mind isn’t here. I need to get it together.

Trey, my roommate, walks in a few minutes later. He’s our third baseman and a truly great ballplayer. He always has been.

He used to play for the New York Bombers but demanded a trade to Philly after he met Gemma. It was a whole big, public thing. Gemma can’t step foot anywhere near the Bombers’ stadium anymore. The fans blame her for losing Trey.

Although he’s a few years older than I am, I’ve known him throughout my entire career, considering we share Tanner as our agent. Even when he lived in New York City, we were close.

He walks over and sits on the foot of my bed. “What the fuck is wrong with you?”

I can’t help but let out a laugh. “Don’t pussyfoot around me, Trey. Say what you mean.”

A small smile forms on his face. “Sorry. You’re uncharacteristically off. What’s happening?”

I sigh. “Kamryn Hart is happening.”

“Ahh. What’s the deal with you two?”

“I thought we were something special, but she basically told me to fuck off the night before we left.”

He scrunches his face. “I’m sorry. That sucks. This isn’t really my area of expertise. Should we call Gemma?”

“My future wife? Sure. I’ll tell her all the things I plan to do to her one day.”

He gives me the finger as he pulls out his phone. Within seconds, his FaceTime is ringing, and Gemma quickly answers. “Hey, baby. I miss you so fucking much.”

Trey smiles in triumph as he gives me the finger again and answers, “I miss you too. How’s Fletch?”

“Sleeping. Finally. He still has a fever. The bedtime routine is rough when he’s cranky.”

Trey’s face falls. “I hate that I’m not there.”

She sighs. “Me too. Anyway, I just sat down to write. I want to get in at least a few thousand words before I masturbate and go to bed.”

I can’t help but let out a laugh.

She yells out, “Trey! I’ve told you a million times to tell me if there are other people around when you call me.”

He scrunches his face. “Sorry. I have Cheetah with me. He’s having girl issues and needs to ask your advice.”

I lean toward the phone to see her gorgeous face. Even tired and disheveled, she’s beautiful. “Hey, sexy. Do you need me to talk you through your masturbation? I can dirty talk like a boss.”

She rolls her eyes. “Trey’s dirty talk lives rent-free in my brain. Now tell me what Kamryn Hart advice you need today.”

“What I really need to know is what has one hundred and twenty-two teeth and holds back a monster? ”

She asks, “Hmm. What?”

“My zipper. You should check him out one day.”

Her big green eyes light up as she giggles. “I like that joke. I’m writing it down for future use.”

I wiggle my eyebrows. “Excellent.”

Her face turns more serious. “Is something up with you and Kam?”

I shrug. “I thought we were doing great, but the night before I left, she wished me well and kicked me to the curb. She said she knows there are lots of girls on the road and encouraged me to imbibe. She was very casual about it like she wasn’t breaking my heart or hers. I told you it was probably coming. Maybe she truly doesn’t give a shit about me.”

Gemma shakes her head. “That’s very contradictory to the way she acts around you.”

“Contradiction? Do you want a contradiction? George Washington had wooden teeth. Wouldn’t that make it a contradiction when he ate beaver?”

She lets out a laugh. “That’s funny, but you’re deflecting. You do it all the time. Stop using humor to deflect having real conversations with people. Perhaps this is why you and Kam are having a communication issue.”

Trey bites back his smile. “Damn. She has your number. It’s so fucking hot when she calls people out on their shit.”

She’s right. I always do that. I nod. “Okay. I promise to be mature…ish.”

Gemma winks at me. “Maturing is realizing that disagreements are better solved with gagging not nagging.”

I chuckle. “I love you, Gemma. Marry me.”

She simply shakes her head, and Trey punches me in the arm. Hard.

Her eyes meet mine. “Back to the subject at hand. It’s difficult to watch the person you care about head out on the road where you know there will be a bevy of willing pussy at every turn.”

Trey and I exchange glances. She’s not wrong.

She continues, “It might have just been a self-defense mechanism. You guys are new and undefined. Did you talk to her about what you would and wouldn’t be doing on the road before then? Did you have the conversation I encouraged you to have with her?”

I shake my head. “No, I didn’t. Maybe I should have. But,” I run my fingers through my hair, “she’s not like most women. She’s kind of like a dude.”

“But she’s not one, Cruz.”

Gemma means business. She rarely calls me Cruz.

“I don’t know, Gem, she was so casual about it. So unaffected. She simply got dressed after we had sex, told me to have a good time, and walked out my door in the middle of the night. I was practically in the fetal position sucking my thumb when she left.”

“She’s kind of a badass. I think I want to base a character on her.”

I nod enthusiastically. “She most definitely is, and you should.”

“She’s totally flipped the tables on you, but I saw you two together in Florida. I think there’s more going on. Have you reached out?”

I shake my head. “No. She didn’t indicate that she wanted me to contact her.”

Gemma rolls her eyes. “Oh, young cub, you still have so much to learn about women. Do me a favor, before you get any weepier, reach out to her. Test the waters and get back to me. I’ll be up for a few more hours.”

I twist my lips. “Okay. I will. Thanks, Gem.”

“My pleasure. Can I ask you for a favor?”

“Anything. ”

“Leave the room so my husband and I can have phone sex without you jerking off in the corner.”

I chuckle as I nod. “Yes, ma’am.”

I step out of the room and into the hallway. Sliding down the wall until I’m seated on the carpeted hallway floor, I pull up my text string with Kamryn and start typing.

Me: Miss me this week?

Kam: New phone. Who ’dis?

She always makes me smile.

Me: It’s a thesaurus salesman. I heard you’re in the market.

Kam: I am! Perfect timing. Not only was my last thesaurus terrible, but it was also terrible.

I laugh out loud at that one. She’s so damn funny. I’m realizing it might be the first time I’ve smiled in a week.

Me: Whatcha up to, Kam bam?

Kam: I’m setting up my new legal research software. I splurged and bought the fancy kind. I need a password for it. Got anything good?

Me: How about mypenis? I use that as my password for everything.

Kam: Just tried it. The program says that it’s not long enough.

I chuckle. She’s always on.

Me: Good one.

Kam: How’s life on the road?

Me: Lonely. I miss you. No one here appreciates my forts.

Kam: Your forts are my happy place.

That makes me feel good.

Me: You’re mine.

Kam: Can I call you?

Me: Of course.

My FaceTime immediately rings, and I answer. I get a knot in my throat from simply seeing her face. Tears immediately well in her eyes. Maybe Gemma was right.

I try to smile through my emotions. “Hey, beautiful.”

She studies the screen. “Where are you?”

“I’m in the hallway of our hotel. Trey and Gemma are having phone sex in our room and I’m giving them privacy.”

“It’s probably hot. I would totally listen while flicking Fiona.”

I fan my face. “It’s extremely hot, and I’ve most definitely cuffed the carrot to them going at it, but she begged me to leave them alone tonight, and I wanted to reach out to you anyway.”

She smiles before her face turns serious. “Kitten?”

“Yep.”

“I’m sorry for how I was on our last night together.”

I simply nod. I can’t tell her that it’s alright. It’s not .

She blows out a breath. “I want to shoot straight with you. I’m trying to work on me a little bit. I won’t ask you to wait for me. I’m not sure I’ll ever be cured. I care about you too much to hold you back.”

“Hold me back from what?”

“Women, sex,” she mumbles, “marriage, family.”

I think I’m starting to understand why she acted the way she did. “What are you doing to work on yourself?”

She twists her lips. “Don’t get all girly on me about it, but I met with Dr. Pearl. In fact, we’ve now had two sessions. You’ll be happy to know that in our second session, she substantiated the fact that I mistreated you. I hope you know it’s only because I care.”

I swallow down my emotions. “I’m so fucking proud of you.”

“You are?”

“I am.”

She bites her lip. “I think I’m proud of myself too. She’s really opened my eyes to a few things. I’m excited to keep talking to her.”

I think I know what Kam needs to hear. “Take your time, babe. I’ll be here. I’m not going anywhere.”

Tears fill her eyes again and she barely croaks out, “You don’t have to wait.”

I trace her face on the screen with my fingers. I wish I could touch her. “Maybe I want to wait.” Because I love you.

“Just know that you don’t have to. I have zero expectations.”

I nod. “Okay. I’ll do my best to bang random chicks when all I really want is to be one of the guys sitting in my room having phone sex with their special girl back home.”

She smiles softly as she stands and appears to prop the phone on something. She then stands in front of the camera and pulls down her sweatpants and panties.

I quickly look around as if someone else can see my phone screen. As if there’s anyone else in the hallway. “What are you doing?”

“You said you wanted phone sex. I’m giving it to you.”

She’s now naked from the waist down. I immediately harden. Grabbing onto myself, I moan, “Fuck, now I have a pink cigar situation.”

She licks her lips suggestively. “Hmm. I wish I could smoke that cigar right now.”

I moan, “Kammm.”

“This is what you wanted.”

“I’m in the hallway, not my room.”

She raises an eyebrow. “I let you fuck me in the ass on a balcony overlooking an entire resort of people in Jamaica. You can stick your hand down your pants in an empty hallway.”

Well…when she puts it like that.

Sliding my hand into my shorts, I instruct, “Toca tu cono rosado. Quiero verte correrte.” Touch your pink pussy. I want to watch you come.