Page 29

29

STETSON

The suspense was killing me.

Having to sit through this game was killing me.

We were crushing the Mayflowers. To give them their credit, they’d kept us on our toes for those first games; they’d made us work for it. But they’d burned themselves out. Now, in the final game, they didn’t have the energy to keep up.

Luckily for everyone else, I did.

Things calmed down in the tabloid world after Barrett’s press conference. We had the odd person who didn’t quite understand and of course there was always the handful who refused to accept it no matter what, but we didn’t let it stop us. After Barrett kissed me in front of what was essentially the entire world, I felt unstoppable. Levi offered to split his time between Georgia and New York, but Barrett insisted that he stay with me. He said one way or another, he would be joining us in Atlanta soon enough. I only hoped that it would be on the field, and not in the stands.

Not knowing either way was going to make me combust.

It was the seventh inning stretch, but the last thing I wanted to do was rest. We’d already debriefed, and energy simmered through my veins. I paced in the hallway outside the clubhouse. I think I was the only person in that entire stadium that didn’t want a break. The first game of the playoffs started a race, and I didn’t want my feet to stop moving until I crossed the finish line.

On what must have been my hundredth path across the narrow hallway, I crashed face-first into a hard chest. “Easy, tiger.”

I hummed. That low rumble was exactly what I needed. I wrapped my arms around Levi and leaned into his embrace. The soft fabric of his light knit sweater caressed my cheek. “Hi, Daddy.”

He pressed a kiss to my hair. “Why aren’t you inside resting?”

“Because I don’t want to!” I whined, cringing at the tone of my own voice. All it was missing was a foot stomp and it would be a full-blown temper tantrum. “I want to get back out there.”

Levi chuckled, vibrating my cheek. Okay, maybe I could stand to chill out for a second. So long as it was in that precise spot and no one dared to move me. “Well, we can’t all be Energizer bunnies, can we?”

“I’m not that bad.” But I smiled anyway. I could be, and everyone knew it. I tipped my head back and rested my chin on Levi’s sternum. “Have you heard— mmph.”

Levi silenced me with his mouth. I sighed into the kiss, folding instantly. Damn it, the man was just too good. “I told you that we wouldn’t tell you until after the game, little one.”

That meant that he knew. Another whine. “But?—”

“No buts.” Levi threaded his fingers through the damp hair at my nape. My stomach flipped. It was like he couldn’t resist getting his hands on me, no matter how disgusting I was. “The three of us agreed on this for a reason. You need to be giving it your all out there.”

I scoffed. “We’ve— mm. ”

If Levi thought cutting me off with kisses was a way to teach me a lesson, then he had another thing coming. I fisted his sweater in my hands, tugging him closer. For those few moments, we were the only two people in the world. Our lips separated with a smack that rang out in the quiet hallway. “Don’t jinx yourself, Stetson,” he whispered.

My eyes fluttered open to deep brown swirling pools of melted chocolate that I could easily get lost in. “What were we talking about?”

The corner of Levi’s mouth curled upward. He opened his mouth, but a commotion behind us had him changing his tune. “It’s time to kick some ass, baby.” He pressed one more passionate kiss to my lips, and after the hollers and wolf whistles from the rest of the team, he took a step back. “Good luck.”

I hated to see Levi go but damn I loved watching him leave. Most of the team filtered around me in the tunnel, so I stayed in place and admired how Levi’s jeans hugged his perfect ass and muscular thighs.

“Ready for this baby ?”

I cringed, a grimy hand clenching the back of my neck. Harrison.

“Ew!” I knocked his grubby fingers away from me. “Call me that again and I’ll carve you up and display you on my porch for Halloween.”

He walked backward out of the hall, crooking a brow at me. “Promises, promises, little one . Next time you jack off in the showers, make sure the clubhouse is empty first”

That had me taking off after him. “You eavesdropping asshole!”

Harrison’s eyes widened, and I chased him right out of the tunnel and onto the field.

* * *

Those Mayflowers were going down.

By the later half of the seventh inning, we’d gotten under their skin. The stress was evident on their faces. We were up by three, and that number didn’t budge until the ninth. I was on the pitcher’s mound, and it was up to me to strike out this batter. Once I did, we were through to the World Series.

The guy stepped up to bat, trying like hell not to make eye contact with me. He lost in the end, though, because he simply had no other choice. If he had any chance of taking this home for his team, he had to look at me. Anyone else would have missed the signs, but I didn’t get to be the league’s top pick by being just anyone. I noticed. There was a slight tremble in his hands. He was unsteady in his stance and when our eyes met, his Adam’s apple bobbed up and down. I bit my tongue to keep myself from grinning.

I had this game in the bag.

Three strikes, and I was home free.

I inhaled deeply through my nose, wound up, and pitched.

Strike one.

The guy shook it off and returned to his position. The ball came back to me, and I watched closely for the catcher’s call. It was all I could do to keep myself from smirking.

Wind up, and pitch.

Strike two.

A chorus of groans from the Mayflowers’s fans echoed through the stadium. Thrashers fans began chanting, trying like hell to distract the poor guy in the batter’s box. The catcher called out, and I shook my head. That was way too easy.

But he was determined. He called for the same move, and I could see the annoyance in his posture. I gritted my teeth, considered it, then told him no again.

There was no way I’d strike the guy out with such an easy throw.

But when he directed for a third time, I knew I’d lost the battle. It was either give in, or hold up the game. I rotated the ball in my hand, meeting the batter’s eyes once more. My gut twisted. I knew this was a bad call. We still had room to work with if it ended in a hit, but we were so close.

Shaking it off, I wound up and pitched before I second-guessed myself too much.

And the crack of that bat made me feel sick.

The batter seemed frozen in place, almost as if he didn’t expect to hit it. It took more than a few shouts to get him moving.

I whipped around to see where the ball ended up: left field. The outfielder tossed it to second base, who sent it flying to first—a little too late.

The batter rounded first, beelining to second. The ball flew through the air, and I couldn’t bear to watch. I closed my eyes, losing myself to the roar of the crowd. The stadium fell quiet. Seconds seemed to stretch into minutes as the umpire studied their call. When nothing happened, I slowly pried my eyes open. Our second baseman crouched over the opposing team’s player. I couldn’t see anyone’s faces, only enough to notice that the batter had slid into second, but no one could be sure what happened—even the umpire.

My stomach sank as he called for a review. Our player helped the batter to his feet, and the umpire went to the sidelines to replay the cameras. I stood with bated breath, unable to meet anyone’s eyes. The announcers talked, but their voices were muffled in my ears.

Everything after that seemed to move in slow motion.

The umpire turned around and walked onto the field.

Was this taking as long as I thought it was?

He raised his arm, shoulder-height, and made a fist with his hand. I swayed, lightheaded.

Then he punched forward. “Out!”

The roar from the stands combined with the shouts from my teammates was deafening. I’d done it. We’d done it. We were playing the fucking World Series. I found Levi behind home plate. He seemed to stand out in the crowd, brown eyes shining like diamonds. Those large hands clapped together, and a proud smile curled his lips.

I went through the obligatory celebrations with the team, but the only thing I truly wanted to do was call Barrett.

The energy in the place was something else. Some players swept tears away, pretending that they’d never been there in the first place. Others prayed, thanking their respective deities. I sat in my chair, leg bouncing a mile a minute. I was disgusting, in desperate need of a shower, but I was rooted to my spot. Typically, we’d be rushing to find the results of the other games. Either that, or the coaches would have come in and told us. But given the circumstances surrounding me and a certain catcher, no one did anything.

Surprisingly, outside of the quiet celebrations, it seemed to be like a typical game. Maybe for some of the more seasoned players, it was. But not for me. I felt like my heart was going to explode.

Finally, Levi walked through the doors. As usual, business came first when we were at work, and he made his rounds to congratulate his players. By the time he got to me, I was practically vibrating in my seat. Although instead of telling me what I wanted to know, he extended his hand. I didn’t hesitate to take it, but I wondered what the hell he was doing. “What’s?—”

“Shh.” Levi pressed a finger to my lips. “Just trust me.”

He tugged me to my feet, keeping quiet as we walked through the hall, passed under the tunnel, and back onto the field. Considering the noise that had been reverberating through the place all night, it was eerily quiet. The stands were nearly deserted. The only people to be found were the cleaners. Levi led me past home plate and to the middle of the field. On top of the pitcher’s mound, he gripped my jaw tight in both hands. “I am so fucking proud of you,” he said, right before crushing my lips in a toe-curling kiss.

Unable to find the energy to care about where we were, I melted into him. I held him close, spearing my tongue through his lips. All too soon, he pulled away and reached into his pocket. Confused, I whimpered and leaned in again. Levi stopped me with a hand on my chest, pulling his phone out. I watched as he scrolled, then put the phone on speaker. The ringing seemed to echo through the empty stadium and finally, Barrett answered. “Is he there?”

Levi smiled, eyes on me. “Yeah, Bear. He’s here.”

Silence, and my heart thudded in my chest. What the hell was going on?

“Killer game, Rookie. I’ll see you on the field.”