no easy escape from where we were sitting, but every time Kevin opened his mouth, PJ pressed his lips together a bit tighter and the scowl lines on his face grew deeper. He wasn’t amused.
“Kevin,” Clint scolded him. “Let them eat in peace.”
“It was just a suggestion. It’s totally what I would do if I was PJ.” Kevin curled an arm around his plate and tucked in like a trucker on a deadline.
“You mean if you were PJ and you weren’t married,” Clint clarified, although it didn’t seem like he was actually upset. “You need to remember, not everyone is as sex-driven as you.”
“Yeah, and that’s part of the problem with this world,” Kevin argued. “If people focused more on great sex and less on the stupid shit in life, we’d all be happier.”
“Don’t mind him. We’re working on his social skills,” Clint said, a hint of humor in his voice. “PJ, what time’s your flight?”
PJ checked his watch. For some reason, it hadn’t dawned on me that he’d probably be flying out today, too. That reason was likely because any time I thought about him, I was thinking about his dick and his rock-hard chest. The way he moaned when I did something he liked. I seriously needed to get a grip. “Shit, I have to get going. My flight’s in less than two hours.”
“We’re heading that way, too, if you want to share a cab,” Zach offered, wincing when I kicked him under the table. “What the fuck was that for?”
“Sorry, foot slipped,” I responded unapologetically. He glared at me and shrugged. I shook my head, trying to get the point across that I wasn’t up for sharing our cab with PJ.
If we were stuck in close quarters for any length of time, I couldn’t promise I wouldn’t do something stupid like offer him a goodbye hand job in the backseat.
“You know what, thanks for the offer, but I think I’m going to head out now.”
“It really wouldn’t be a problem,” I responded quickly when PJ dropped the napkin onto his plate before pushing it to the center of the table. He probably thought I didn’t want him sharing our cab because of how I’d reacted when Zach suggested it, but that wasn’t it at all. I desperately wanted to spend more time with him, but I didn’t want him assuming I’d told Zach about last night. Which was stupid, really, because how would his mind have jumped to that conclusion from a simple friendly gesture? “If we’re all going to the same place, it seems stupid to spend twice the money.”
“I appreciate it, but I don’t want to rush you. I really do need to get to the airport and check in.” He stood, giving my shoulder a quick squeeze before making the rounds to say goodbye to his friends.
When Clint stood to hug him, there was something more there. It wasn’t the way two buddies said so long, and damn if their familiarity didn’t make me jealous.
Once he was gone, I pushed my plate to the center of the table. Jealousy, regret, and longing had chased away my appetite.
5
Pj
The only reason I was looking forward to the start of spring training was I knew I’d be so busy I wouldn’t have time to obsess over why Nate hadn’t called me. When I was standing in line at the front desk, I realized I should’ve given him my number, but I couldn’t bring myself to walk back into the dining room. If I had, I’d have been subjected to more of Clint and Kevin’s teasing, and I really hadn’t been in the mood for that.
So, I’d done what I thought was the next best thing; I left a message for him at the desk. Unfortunately, now I’d never know if he hadn’t called because he wasn’t interested or if he hadn’t received that note.
When he’d walked away from the party following our little adventure in the elevator, I’d thought it’d be easy to let him go, that I’d never see him again and, eventually, the memories would fade. But then, he and his brother showed up the next morning for breakfast and it took everything I had to not drag him from the dining room up to my hotel room for a hot, sweaty goodbye.
The entire time he’d sat next to me, my fingers twitched in my lap, begging me to reach over and touch him as a way to let him know I was interested in