Her shoulders fall, and a dreamy, lovesick look flashes in her eyes. Without a word spoken, she nods, those teeth nibbling on that bottom lip.
“Ella Keaton”—I move my hands up to her cheeks, and I watch her chest rise and fall with a deep breath—“I not only love you, but I have also fallen in love with you.”
Her blue eyes hide behind her eyelids for the briefest of seconds, and when they slide open, they bear contentment and happiness.
“Crosby Lynch.”
My palms press firmer on her cheeks. As I wait to hear these words again, my heart pounds like I’m on top of the first hill of the tallest roller coaster, ready to plunge down.
“Yeah?”
“You are my prince. Just when I’d accepted I’d lost you, you found me and saved me. I love you more than my Skittles.”
I bust out laughing, and Ella’s head falls to my shoulder as she is in her own fit of laughter.
Ella would never share her Skittles at the movies—or any other time. It was a running joke that she might have loved me but never more than her Skittles.
She pulls back, resting her forehead on mine. Her hands graze along my cheeks. “I love you.” Her voice is tender, laced with the love she’s proclaiming. “I never want to be apart from you again.”
She smashes her lips to mine, and my hands entwine in her long dark hair as I deepen the kiss.
“Never. I’ll never leave,” I murmur through the rush of kisses to her mouth.
“We should go,” she says, her hands inching up my stomach.
“We should.” My own fingers explore up her T-shirt, cupping her breasts through her lacy bra.
She arches her back. They are still the most sensitive part of her body.
She breaks the kiss, and her lips move down my jaw, sprinkling the shortest kisses to my skin.
“Crosby,” she purrs.
I really wish we could continue this, but there’s a little Coach Lipton screaming on my shoulder.
Her hand travels down my abs before cupping my balls and then rubbing down the length of me.
Shit, Coach Lipton needs to bother someone else.
My eyes close, and my head falls back to the headrest as I relish having her hand on me.
I cover her hand with mine, only resulting in a groan from me as the pressure is already building. “I need to make it to practice.”
Her whole body collapses on top of me. “I know.”
“I’d rather stay in this truck with you, but if I’m late, he won’t let me start the scrimmage game this week.”
“Always a ballplayer,” she teases before sucking my earlobe into her mouth. She lets it out with a pop. “I’ll be waiting for you afterward.”
“No, no. You’re coming to practice with me. Remember how hot you used to get from watching me play?”
“Used to?” She climbs off my lap, situating her shirt and bra into position. “Still,” she confirms.
Now, there’s no choice.
“It’s settled then. You’re coming.”
I move the seat back up and turn the key in the ignition. “After practice, I’ll be carrying you up to my room.”
Her whole body shivers. “You won’t have to carry, I’ll beat you up those stairs.”
By the time I pull into the field, I grab my bag, kiss Ella, and run off to the locker room.
“Ten minutes.” Coach Deacon, our third base coach, taps his watch. “If you’re late, you’re benched.”
Brax eyes me and then Ella, raising his eyebrows in question. “Aw, Coach, give him a break. He finally got some,” Brax says.
I pick up a ball that must have gotten away from one of them and throw it directly at him. He catches it right before it breaks his nose, and he laughs at my attempt.
I run into the locker room, stripping on the way down the hallway. Changing my clothes in record time, I pull out my bat bag and head back to the field, meeting Coach Lipton in the hallway as he’s on his way out the doors.
“Lynch,” he says, “cutting it close.”
I nod, lowering my hat. “Sorry, sir.”
“As long as you beat me to that field, you have nothing to be sorry for. But I’m glad I ran into you because I received a call today.”
“Yeah, I got the reminder about the newspaper article.”
He places his hands on his hips and shakes his head. “This is something else.”
“What?”
“From the coach at Bradley. They want to do a charity game.”
“Sounds good. Bradley’s pretty good, and it will give us more