The Ninth Inning (The Boys of Baseball #1) - J. Sterling Page 0,74

thing—he was about to come. Suddenly, his tongue was in my mouth, and he was kissing me like I was his air and he needed me to breathe. I dug my nails into his back as he thrust hard inside of me with jerking motions.

When he finished, his breathing labored and his stupid cell phone blaring for us to get up, he said, “Your nails in my back did me in.” He turned off his phone and sat up on my bed.

I laughed. “Really?”

“Oh, yeah. I don’t know why, but that sent me over the edge. So, basically, it’s your fault.”

“My fault for what?” I asked as he pushed up from the bed.

“Your fault that I came and you didn’t.” He leaned down and kissed me again before flipping on the lights.

“Hey!” I complained as he headed into my bathroom.

Unlike Cole, I didn’t come every time we had sex, but there was no point in mentioning that now. He had a bus to catch. The team was heading out of town for a weekend series away.

I was out of bed but still in my pajamas when Cole came out of the bathroom, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand.

“You know that Logan will still be in town,” he said as he grabbed his duffel bag from my bedroom floor and slung it over his broad shoulder.

“I know. You told me already that he isn’t traveling with the team,” I said because Cole had randomly brought up the subject more than a handful of times last night. We walked out of my bedroom and into the living room. “Are you really that worried?”

“I’m not worried. I’m just,” he stumbled, “uncomfortable. I don’t like that he’ll be here and I won’t be. What if he harasses you or bothers you because he knows I’m gone?”

“You’re starting to sound like Lauren,” I teased, hoping to ease his fears because Logan seemed harmless.

“I heard that,” she shouted from her bedroom.

“I can’t even make sure she keeps an eye on you since SHE WON’T BE HERE!” he yelled the last part in her direction.

Lauren was going home this weekend. It was her mom’s birthday, and even though she’d invited me to go with her, I’d declined. I planned on using the distraction-free time to focus on work. Plus, The Long Ones were performing at The Bar again, and I needed to get more live footage and still shots for their socials before graduation.

“I’m going to work and then film the guys on Saturday night, so I’ll be fine.” I reminded him, and that seemed to ease him slightly, but it wasn’t enough.

He reached for my face. “Sorry if I sound a little crazy. I just hate the thought of Logan bothering you when I’m not here to stop him. It’s my job to protect you.”

“It’s your job to hit balls,” I said with a smile. “So, go do that. Don’t worry about me. I’ll be fine.”

“Okay,” he said before giving me a good-bye kiss that erased all others. He reluctantly headed for my front door. “Christina?”

“Mmhmm?” I said, still in a kiss-induced haze as he turned around and smiled.

“I love you.”

My heart stopped, and the haze instantly cleared. I’d been dying to say those three words lately, but I didn’t want to be the first to say them. “I love you too.” I ran into his arms and hopped up, my legs wrapping tightly around his waist as he held me up by my butt. I couldn’t believe we’d just said that to each other, and now, he had to leave.

He put me down and swatted my backside. “Be safe while I’m gone.”

“I will.”

“Love you too.” Lauren stood in her doorway, her cell phone in hand as she smirked at us.

“I’d love you more if you didn’t leave this weekend,” Cole said before leaning down to give me another kiss before closing the door behind him. “Text you when I land.”

When I turned around, Lauren practically squealed before exclaiming, “You’re going to love that I eavesdrop.”

I rolled my eyes. “Why?”

“Because you wouldn’t have these otherwise.” She turned her phone around and handed it to me.

Pictures of me running into Cole’s arms, leaping up, him holding me, and us kissing all flashed past me. She had gotten pictures of the moment we said we loved each other and our immediate reactions after.

“You’re right. I love it. These are amazing. Send them all to me. Print them everywhere. Turn them into wrapping paper,” I suggested