Page 31 of Stalked By the Third Baseman

“I wanted you to kiss me, too. But that night, I knew there could never be anyone I loved more than you.”

“I love you, Cal.”

“I love you, bat boy,” she whispered. Her eyes drifted to my lips, and I knew what she was thinking because I was thinking the same damn thing. She wanted me to kiss her, and I wanted to do that, too.

“I should take you on a date,” I whispered into her ear, not missing the way her skin flared into gooseflesh.

“A date.” She pulled back, a soft smile on her face. “Roxie says we’ve been on a million of them over the years. Maybe she’s right?” Callie shrugged.

“I know I never wanted any one of those nights to end,” I rasped honestly. Her eyes lit up, changing color from amber to green, and I knew there was no holding back from the inevitable.

An official first date would have to wait.

I’d make it up to her.

There were years of pent-up need between us, and I knew until we found some kind of relief, neither of us was going to be able to think straight. There was a sparkle in her eyes that told me she agreed with what I was thinking without having to say a word.

“You liked being chased.” It wasn’t a question but a statement.

“Only by you,” Callie still responded. Only by you. Those words were going to play on a goddamn loop in my head until the day I died.

“Good, ladybug, that’s good. Because I’m going to chase you for a lifetime.” Her eyes widened, not with fear but crystal-clear excitement.

“You have a ten-second head start. Run towards the baseball field,” I ordered, knowing that no one would be there at this time of night.

“What?”

“Ten, nine, eight—“ I started to count, and she shook her head and started to run. I watched her disappear onto the trail, the soft sound of her feet hitting the ground getting farther and farther away.

I finished counting and started to jog slowly, knowing exactly what I wanted. This was going to be both our first time, and there was something I had always fantasied about after years of playing ball and looking out at the bleachers to see her there cheering me on.

I slowed down the moment she was within view. She had stopped running the moment she spotted some students walking by her, but it didn’t mean she was moving slowly. No, my girl was power-walking exactly where I’d told her to.

Good girl, I thought to myself. I started walking, too. Following her. Keeping my eyes on her. Every step she took, every sway of her hips in that dress was going to get her fucked. Hard.

I rolled my neck and tried to relax my body. I couldn’t do that. I couldn’t catch up to her on the field and drag her under the bleachers like a goddamn monster.

Not for our first time.

The animal thing inside me sneered, wanting so much more, and I wasn’t sure if I could do sweet and slow for the first time. I swallowed and felt myself smile like a damn Cheshire cat. The plan in my head about what I was going to do to Callie, the way I was going to make her whimper my name, morphed into something else as I reminded myself I played third base for a reason.

TEN

CALLIE

Iknew he caught up to me a second before his arms wrapped around my waist and he pulled me into his body. Adam’s face moved to the side of my neck before he audibly took in a deep breath.

“Fuck, you smell good. You always smell so damn good, ladybug.” He groaned, the depth of his voice making goose bumps come to life all over my body.

“Adam,” I sighed softly, not afraid of giving him too much of my weight.

“You do. Like apples and cinnamon sugar and something I know is all you,” he mumbled, pressing his lips to my neck, nuzzling the fabric of my dress down with his nose to press his mouth on my shoulder.

“Adam. Please.”

“Please what, ladybug?” The timbre in his voice made my knees weak. “What do you need?”

“More,” I answered. This was crazy! We hadn’t even kissed yet, but I wanted him all over me more than I wanted to breathe. He turned me slowly, and my breath hitched in my throat.