Chapter 15

Aurora didn't,in fact, come over after the game. She said she didn't have time since she had to pack for this stupid plane ride. How long could it take to shove shit into a bag? Especially since she wore the same thing every day—black pants and a polo with the Revs logo embroidered on it. Damn, did I love her ass in those pants, and the way her tits pulled on the buttons on the polo was perfection. And she looked great in blue. The image of her helped take away some of the frustration I felt over her absence last night.

But not all of it. And I'd done my best to convince her via whiney texts all evening. There was no reason she couldn't pack a bag, then spend the night at my place.

But the woman refused. And now she was ignoring my last text message in favor of chatting with my teammate.

I glanced down the aisle at where she sat next to the team doctor. She also refused to sit near me. I couldn't argue with that decision. If she was close, I'd want to touch her. I wouldn't maul her on the plane or anything, but if she was next to me, I'd want to hold her hand.

And even that was taking it too far. I sighed. Her job, not mine, would be in jeopardy if we were caught, and that wasn't okay. Nor did it seem fair. I would never ask her to give anything up to be with me. I wanted to make her life better, not be the reason she had to sacrifice. And the way she acted like a skittish rabbit anytime management was around would become an issue if it continued to happen.

But there was no easy fix. I could ask for a trade; my contract had a trade clause in it. But that would more than likely put us at least half a country apart, since I'd have no control over where they would trade me. The thought made my chest ache. Baseball season was long, so if we lived states apart, we'd get two months a year together. What we had might be new, but I already knew that wouldn't be enough for me.

How hard could it be to keep this hidden for a little longer? If we made it through the season, we could go from there. It would give us time to settle into the relationship before making any big decisions. My contract would be up at the end of the year, so I might be a free agent anyway. Then it wouldn't matter. I could try to get to New York or Buffalo, somewhere not too far. Maybe it wasn't worth the stress now. We'd just have to keep our distance when we were at work.

My blood pressure spiked when Bosco stopped and leaned over the seat directly in front of her. He smirked and then said something that caused her to chuckle. Irritation flooded me. What the fuck was he doing making her laugh? The guy was a flirt. With his naturally highlighted hair and dimpled smile, he was always getting the girls, but I didn't remember him flirting with Aurora specifically before now. I gritted my teeth when he leaned farther into her space, and when she ran a hand along the side of his neck, it took everything in me to stay where I was instead of storming over there and throwing him to the floor.

What the hell?

I locked my jaw and gripped my armrests as Bosco finally headed toward me.

"Why were you talking to Aurora?" I stood in the aisle, stopping him before he could sit.

He tipped his head to the side, his brows pulled together. "Rory?"

I gave him a clipped nod, swallowing back a string of questions I wanted to interrogate him with.

"Oh," he said, sliding past me so he could sit in the seat next to mine. "I twisted my neck the other day." He rubbed at the spot between his neck and shoulder where Aurora had touched him. "I was telling her that it felt tight again. If it doesn't loosen up, it's going to affect my swing."

In my periphery, Aurora was heading our way, but I kept my head down. She headed past us to the back of the plane, and I did my best to pretend I didn't notice her presence. When she appeared next to me a moment later, though, it was impossible not to acknowledge her.

She held a heat patch up in front of her. "Can you get up so I can put this on Kyle's neck?"

"No. My head hurts," I said, rubbing at my temple. "Lean over me."

Her tight lips and cocked brow called me on my bullshit, but she didn't argue. As she leaned across me, I breathed in her floral scent and held it in my lungs. If that was as much of her as I could get, then I'd take it.

"Man, you're being a dick today," Kyle said as she adjusted the heat patch on his neck.

I shrugged. I liked her in my space, and being able to slide my finger along the exposed skin of her waist as her shirt rode up from stretching across me was worth the glare she gave me when she stood back up.

"Let me know how it feels when we land, Kyle," she said to Bosco. Then, with another quick glare at me, she turned and headed back to her seat.

"What'd you do to her?" Bosco frowned, looking from Aurora to me. "I think she hates you."

I chuckled. Maybe we had nothing to worry about after all.