Page 36 of Double Play
“You know you’re staring pretty hard over there,” he murmurs.
“I’m scouting,” I answer coolly.
“Scouting what? My ass?”
He does have a phenomenal ass.
Glancing down and taking it in, I sigh. “Among other things.”
His laugh is quiet, almost lost under the noise of warm-ups.
“Dre,” he warns, but it’s not really a warning. It’s more of an invitation.
I step closer and knock the bill of my hat against his, watching the way the motion lands. The way his body loosens, just a fraction, like being seen isn’t the end of the world.
“Ready to kick some ass?” I ask.
Jackson’s eyes flick to the stands, then back to me.
“Yeah,” he says. “I’m ready.”
The dugout ischaos in the best way. Guys yelling, shooting the shit, slapping helmets, adjusting gloves, and throwing sunflower seeds like we have an endless supply. Music thumps faintly from a speaker somebody definitely isn’t allowed to have down here, and Coach pretends he doesn’t hear it because winning cures all sins.
Kai’s leaning against the railing, jaw tight, eyes scanning the crowd like he’s looking for threats. More like he’s looking for Steve. He’s protective in a way that’s almost feral now. Isla’s in a suite with security posted nearby, and Kai still looks like he’d bite through steel if someone breathed wrong in her direction.
Gael sits on the bench tying his cleats, calm as ever, like impending fatherhood has turned him into a man who can handle anything as long as he gets eight hours of sleep and someone doesn’t touch his woman.
Brooks and Mike are going back and forth over something, and Sean is shooting off a quick text while the coach's back is turned. And Jackson is right beside me, shoulder-to-shoulder, not trying to create distance.
That alone changes the temperature of the world.
Kai looks over, his eyes sweeping us, and then he smirks like he’s been waiting for this exact moment.
“Look at you two,” he says, loud enough for half the dugout to hear. “Finally acting like a couple instead of two idiots doing gymnastics around their feelings.”
Jackson flips him off without looking, a grin already on his face. “Mind your business.”
The smile that breaks over Kai’s face is sharp. “You’re literally my business, dude. You’re both my best friends, and now you’re dating. That’s… a business merger.”
“More like a hostile takeover.” Gael snorts.
Brooks leans in, elbows on the bench behind us. “Can I be a shareholder? I demand benefits.”
“Oh my God, will everyone just shut up?” Jackson says, but he’s smiling, and the sound of it makes my chest feel too full.
Kai points at the center of Jackson's chest and says, “No making out in the dugout. If I can’t have my wife in here, you two can’t be pregaming for later.”
Jackson’s ears go pink immediately.
I lean toward him, mouth close to his ear. “Your ears are red.”
“Stop,” he whispers, but he’s laughing.
Brooks makes a dramatic gagging sound. “Disgusting. Romance. In my dugout.”
“Bro… don’t even go there.” Kai’s eyes drift from Brooks to Mike, then back to Brooks. “Really… don’t.”
“You got something to say, Vaughn? Say it.”
