Two to Tangle (A Tangle Valley Romance #2) - Melissa Brayden Page 0,41

faced the front as if preparing for a pitch. She felt Gabriella’s gaze on her and that had an effect. On a lot of things.

“It’s here,” Gabriella said, touching Ryan’s hip. Ryan rolled her lips in at the contact. She experienced a recognizable stirring in her lower body, shoved it to the side, and remained still, attempting to listen. Gabriella moved behind Ryan, her body close and her voice quiet. “If you just adjust your hips back a bit, like this, you’ll level more force into your swing. You gotta keep your follow-through, though.”

“Hips back, and more follow-through,” Ryan repeated.

“Let’s see it.”

Ryan blinked, still recovering from the moment prior. Gabriella’s hands on her hips. The heat of her body from behind. “Right. Uh, the swing.” She took a moment to reset her stance, hips back as instructed, and swung through. It was an easy enough fix, and she could see how it added to her momentum.

“Yes. Like that. See?” Gabriella said, clapping. “It’s subtle, but it really will make a difference.”

Ryan grinned, straightening. “I have to point out that you just handed your opponent a much stronger hitter.”

Gabriella pointed at her face, which was steely and focused in a near glare. “Do I look nervous?”

“You look beautiful,” Ryan said without pause. “I’m not sure there’s much you could do to change that.”

Gabriella’s lips parted slightly at the compliment she didn’t seem to expect. It took a moment for her to rebound, and when she did it was with a cheeky grin. “Charmer.”

“No.” She shook her head seriously. “Sometimes I’m charming. Tonight, I’m just me.”

Gabriella looked skyward, and a moment later, Ryan understood why. The first drop of rain hit her arm, the second her shoulder. Gabriella frowned. “Uh-oh. They said showers later tonight, but I thought we had time.” The sentence had barely fled her lips before the heavens opened up in a full-on storm.

“Whoa,” Ryan said, wincing with the assault of huge drops.

Gabriella let out a little scream, followed by a laugh. “Get your stuff! Hurry!” They scrambled with hats and bat bags and gloves. But it was too late to save themselves, and they both knew it. The rain had drenched them in a matter of seconds, and they laughed their way in defeat to the parking lot, hopping into Ryan’s truck for shelter.

With soaked clothes and wet hair and faces, they looked at each other in shock. “That wasn’t supposed to happen,” Gabriella said, still laughing, because what else could they do?

“Oregon for you. Are you as drenched?”

Gabriella nodded, pulling her yellow wet shirt away from her skin as rain pelted the windshield with force. “Beyond.”

“Yeah. Me, too.” She attempted to see through the glass with little success. “I can try and take you to your car, but I’m not sure either of us should drive anywhere until it eases.” The intensity of the rain only seemed to be increasing, providing a lively soundtrack.

Gabriella winced in apology. “I was hoping you’d give me a ride home, actually. I came with my friends.”

“Oh. No problem at all.” Was it wrong that she liked that Gabriella felt like she could count on Ryan for that sort of thing without even having to ask? Because she could. “We should maybe wait a few minutes. See if Mother Nature leaves us a window to escape.”

“Sending her good vibes now.” Gabriella looked over at her. “You played great today,” she said quietly.

Ryan faced her. “You, too. The line drive you caught.” She shook her head, remembering the little hop that had propelled Gabriella into the air and back down again with the ball and the out. Her signature move. “You continue to shock me out there.”

“Why is that?”

“Girls I crush on don’t tend to be such badasses. They’re nice enough and smart enough and amazingly capable people, but you? You dominate everything you set out to do, it seems.”

Gabriella blinked. “You have a crush on me?”

“Please. You know I do.” Then she realized something. She’d insinuated as much but had maybe never said the words out loud.

“I knew you liked to flirt with me. They’re different.”

Ryan exhaled slowly, realizing she was now wading into deeper waters. Didn’t matter. Here went nothing. “Like I said, I think about you a lot. You’re fun to be around, and you call me on all my bullshit.” She laughed. “All of it. You’re friendly and warm and confident and so beautiful that when you walk in a room, the rest of the world stops.” Gabriella hadn’t