Chapter 19

Jake

Later that afternoon, as we're standing outside saying goodbye, it's hard to stop smiling. The past twenty-four hours have been such a whirlwind, but I couldn't have asked for a better trip.

I never dreamed things would go the way they did when I first arrived. Honestly, given Jenica's chilly reception when I first showed up, I thought I'd be back at the airport yesterday, changing my ticket for an earlier flight. But I should know by now that the universe always finds a way of reminding you that you are not in charge.

Neither one of us could stop the force of nature that was us and last night sealed that very fact. Not only are we the keeper of each other's secrets, but she is the owner of my heart, and I hers. I know I am. I saw it in her eyes. But I won't push her to admit it just yet. Having her back in my life and knowing she is mine is enough. For now.

"Damn you're beautiful." I tuck a strand of slightly damp hair behind one ear. "How did I get so lucky?"

She blushes and places a hand on my chest. "You need to get your eyes checked."

"No way," I smile. "I have perfect vision and all they see is you."

Not only is Jenica beautiful, smart, and strong, but she is also one hell of a pitcher. She hadn't thrown a pitch in two years and yet she threw with accuracy and power. It was incredible. Not to mention, a massive turn on. I loved baseball, but watching the girl of my dreams not only play it, but love it, too? Shit, it's like winning the lottery of life—twice.

"So," she places her other hand on my chest and looks up. "What happens now?"

"What do you want to happen?" I rub my hands up and down her arms. "We can do this any way you want."

"I don't expect you to do the long distance thing," she presses her nails into my chest. "But I don't want anyone else to have you."

I grin, loving what she just said. "I'm yours, Sparky. I thought I made that clear. But for the record," I cup her face, stroking her cheeks with my thumbs, "the same goes for you. I may be easy going but all bets are off if anyone touches my girl."

She bites down on the inside of her cheek, trying to stop the grin that is so clearly tugging at her lips. "Your girl, huh? Feeling possessive, Hot Shot?"

"Hell yeah." I drop my hands to her hips and lean in. "Your body. Your secrets. Your pleasure. They're mine, no one else's."

Nuzzling her neck she laughs softly as the whiskers of my five o'clock shadow tickle her skin. "What do you want to happen, Sparky? We tell everyone, or we tell no one. It's your call."

"I don't want to lose you," she says without hesitation. "And I don't want those Highland whores looking at you. If they do, I won't just scratch their eyes out, I'll feed them the remains. But this just happened. We deserve some time to ourselves."

"You won't lose me." I pull back and stare into those eyes that are like a clear summer day. "And they can look all they want, but it won't matter. I'm not looking back because I am taken. But the idea of giving us time to enjoy this…I think it's a good one."

I lower my mouth to hers once more and the moan she lets out when I kiss her stirs an ache in my chest. "I don't want to make this difficult," she whispers against my lips. "You have to focus on school and the draft."

"Difficult," I cut her off. The fact her hesitancy is worry for me, not her own reservations, puts me at ease. "Shit, Sparky, you and I are the easiest thing in my life."

A beautiful grin tugs at her lips. "And what about you know who?"

"We will tell them when we're ready. Until then, I am yours, and you are mine, and we will talk every day, just like before. And…" I add, "I'll plug my answering machine back in so I never miss a call from you ever again."

She presses up on her toes and throws her arms around my neck. "Sounds perfect."

Moving my hands under her ass, I pick her up and she wraps her legs around my waist and we kiss again. This time deeper, and longer.

"Fuck this ass," I groan. "I'm going to dream about it every night until I see you again. Speaking of, put in to get the time off work now for Charleston."

"Will do." She flashes me a wicked smile. "My ass can't wait."

I laugh and set her back down, then reach for the car door and climb into the driver's seat. "Do you want me to book you a plane ticket?" I ask after starting car and roll down the window.

"No," she shoves both hands in the back pockets of her jeans. "I can drive."

"You sure? I don't mind."

"I'll be fine," she grips the door with both hands and leans in. "It's not that far."

As the air coming out of the vents changes from warm to cool, I move my hand to the gear shift and get ready to pull away.

"Hey…" She sticks her head inside the car, bringing her face inches from mine. "Do you remember that night at the cave last summer, when you asked me if I liked secrets?"

I drop my hand from the gearshift and move it to the back of her head. "Yeah…"

"Well, guess I do. But only when they're ours." She presses her mouth to mine and kisses me, then slips back through the window. "Call me when you get home."

"You can count on it," I wink. "Maybe call Ellery today? It will make the Spanish Inquisition less painful for me when I get back."

She laughs and blows me a kiss. "I will."

As I pull down the drive and she fades from view, my chest tightens. Cruz is right, I am a sprung fucker. That girl in the rearview mirror is not just special, she is my future. Now, I just need her to get comfortable with the idea because hiding the way I feel about her is going to be not just tough, but damn near impossible.

***

When I finally make it home, I'm starving and need a shower. But before I can eat and wash the travel off me, there is something more important that I have to do.

Dropping my wallet and keys down onto my dresser, I make a beeline for the phone and dial Jenica's number.

"Hey," she picks up on the first ring. "You made it home, okay."

"I did," I confirm, loving the hint of worry I hear in her voice. "Did you talk to Ellery?"

"I did," she exhales. "We talked forever."

"Good," I sit down on the bed and kick off my shoes. "I'm glad to hear it. What did you tell her?"

The line is quiet for a moment, then I hear the screen door in the background open and close. "I told her you fucked me six ways from Sunday."

The heat and candor in her words makes my body ache. "We'll make it seven in Charleston."

"I'm going to hold you to it," she says with a combination of suggestion and sensuality that makes me want to head right back to the airport and take a red eye down to Georgia. "But back to your question, I told her I was fine."

Jenica fills me in on their chat and when she's done, takes a deep breath. "She was poking around for details, so be ready."

"I'm sure she was," I laugh. "Thanks for the heads up. I take it you didn't say anything about your fear of the three of us moving on without you?"

"No," she sighs. "I knew if I did, she'd offer to do something crazy like have me move with her and pay for it and I'm not her responsibility, you know?"

No , I think. You're mine. Now that we are together, Jenica will be with me where I am because I will be the one that makes her dreams come true, no one else.

But I don't say this. Instead, I bite my tongue and let out a murmur of understanding. "Anything you don't want me to say when she asks me how the weekend went?"

"Aside from the obvious?" she asks, her smile practically reaching through the phone. Shit, I miss her already. "No."

"So, I can tell her I know about softball, and college?"

"Mm-hmm," she breathes into the phone. "Why not."

I lay back and close my eyes, listening to the crickets in the background. It's comforting. Soothing. "What are you doing?" I ask softly.

"Not you," she quips. "Sadly."

"We'll have to make up for that when I see you again."

"I'll hold you to it."

"You can hold everything I have, Sparky."

"Oh yeah?" she asks teasingly. "You want to picture me holding you now?"

I sit up, suddenly wide awake. "Which part?"

"What part do you want it to be?"

My dick twitches, as if answering. "The part that wants to be buried inside you right now."

"Well," she drawls, "if you must know, I'd rather have you in my mouth."

"Fuck," I swallow. "Are you trying to kill me?"

"Hell no," she clears her throat. "I want you very much alive, and hungry."

"Oh, I'm hungry," I swallow. "In fact, can I tell you something?"

"Anything, Hot Shot."

"I want you to suck my dick while I'm eating you like Thanksgiving dinner."

"Wow," she laughs.

"That's right. Sixty-nine, Sparky. Your legs on either side of my head, while your luscious ass is right above my face…shit, I'm hard just thinking about it."

"Good god," she puffs out. "Have you always talked this way?"

"Nope," I smile. "Only with you. Like it?"

"Shit, yes."

"Well then…" I lay back on the bed, and shove my hand down my pants, gripping my cock. "How about some more?"

"Whatcha' thinking, Hot Shot?"

I bring my hand up and down my shaft, thinking of her naked under me. "I'm thinking about filling your pussy so full it drips with my come."

"Keep going," she says huskily.

"I am also thinking about you laying on my chest with your legs spread eagle, as I tap that ass while fingering you."

"My god, I'm wet."

"Oh yeah?" There is so much heat between us right now, it practically melts the phone. "Want to take care of it?"

"Yes," she practically whines.

"Okay, then. Touch yourself."

"What?" she rasps.

"Phone sex, what do you think?"

"Don't know," she exhales. "Never really tried it."

"Well," I settle back, "you're in for a treat."

"How many weeks until Charleston?" she asks.

"A few," I reply with a laugh, and give my cock a tug. "What are you wearing?"

"Alright then," she laughs. "Phone sex it is."

***

I'm on the couch upstairs, taking a nap, when Cruz and Ellery make it home the next day. "I'm in here," I call out sleepily when I hear them come through the door. "So don't fuck on the stairs."

Cruz laughs and strolls into the living room, Ellery in tow. "So," she smiles, "I got the full report from Jenica last night. Now it's your turn."

I sit up and scrub my hand down my face. "Don't you need to unpack?"

"Nope." She waves a dismissive hand toward the stairs. "That can wait. This cannot."

I yawn and lean back, stretching my arms overhead. "Flight was good, the drive was fine, and I had a nice home-cooked meal."

"Mm-hmm," she nods. "And?"

"And what?" I drop my arms back down.

"It must have gone well because Jenica told me you stayed over."

"Yeah," I nod. "It's the hospitable thing to do when someone comes all the way down to check on you."

"You didn't have to stay." She comes over and plops down on the couch next to me. "Your return ticket was for that night."

"Yeah, and I fell asleep on the couch after I got there."

"You did?" Her brows push up.

"Yeah, little sis, I did. After spending the night at the airport thanks to my flight being delayed, and the drive when I did finally get there, I was a little wiped."

"Sorry," she smiles sheepishly. "Can I make it up to you with a latte?"

"Yeah," I nod, "you can because airport coffee sucks."

She pushes up and claps. "You got it. Let's go to the kitchen, I want to hear all about your visit."

I look at Cruz and he's watching her with a smile on his face. "Can that wait?"

"What?" She looks at him innocently. "You had me to yourself all weekend. Now, it's time for a little big brother, little sister talk."

"Yeah," he shakes his head, "well this brother wants to take a nice, long shower with his sister."

She rolls her eyes and laughs. It's nice to see the issue that kept them apart for two years is now a joke. It should have been that way all along. They're not related. Their parents met and married after tragedy struck their lives, resulting in Cruz and Ellery living under the same roof for a few years in high school, that's it.

No one batted an eye when in-laws met and fell in love. In fact, I once saw a talk show that said it was more common than people think. Not to mention, the south wasn't the best for side-eyeing relationships that weren't the norm. In fact, wasn't there a passage in the Bible that says something about if your brother dies you're supposed to marry your sister in law, or some shit? I'm not religious, but they are in the south, and well, people in glass houses shouldn't throw stones and all.

Ellery presses up on her toes and gives him a kiss. "I am going to make Jake a latte and we are going to talk. I will be up later."

"Yeah, yeah," he groans.

"Just toss all my clothes into the laundry basket," she adds breezily.

"Alright," he lifts his chin at me. "Talk later brother."

"You want me to bring you something on the way up?" she calls out as he makes his way to the entry.

"Just you," he calls back over his shoulder.

Once Cruz grabs their bags and makes it up the stairs, Ellery heads into the kitchen, and I follow.

"Now," she points to a stool while getting to work at the cappuccino maker. "Tell me how the trip was, really?"

"It was good." I climb onto a stool at the end. "Really."

She looks over, eyeing me curiously. "That's it?"

"What else do you want me to say?"

"Oh, I don't know. Was she glad to see you?"

"Not quite the word I'd use," I laugh.

"What do you mean?" she asks casually while turning her attention back to the machine.

"Well," I lean back, "I show up at her door, unannounced, on the weekend, nonetheless, delivering a message from her best friend…it caught her off guard."

"Off guard." She works the machine like a scientist running tests in a lab.

"Yeah," I shrug with a laugh. "She was surprised to see me."

"That's it? Nothing more?"

"There's nothing more, really. I flew down there, checked on her, and we had a good visit. She's fine, you have nothing to worry about, which you already know because I understand you two talked."

She tilts her head and looks at me over her shoulder. "And you know that, how?"

"She told me," I laugh. "She wanted to make sure I got home okay so I called to let her know that I did."

"Mm-hmm," she smiles.

"What's that…mm-hmm?"

"It means, don't think I didn't notice you moping around here the past few weeks because she was avoiding your calls. And now you two are friends and she is cooking for you and lets you stay over? Sounds to me like it was more than a good visit."

As much as I wish I could tell her she's right, it was more than good, it was fucking great, I am all about keeping this afterglow to myself for a while. After Charleston, however, I have a feeling all bets will be off because Jenica and I want each other too much. There's no way we can be in the same room and not touch, or act like we are less than what we are. I mean, I practically crawled through the phone last night to tear her clothes off.

"Jenica told me that she got a second job," Ellery says, changing the subject. "Between that, the store, and class, she's been pretty tired the past few weeks. But I think something else is going on."

"She has been working hard," I agree, remembering the fatigue in Jenica's eyes when I first arrived.

"I can't put my finger on it," Ellery continues, "but I get the feeling something is up. She sounded good when we talked last night, but I can't help but think something is going on."

"You know," I place my elbow on the counter and rest my head against my fist. "Maybe it's residual anxiety about that body that washed onto shore."

"Mmm," Ellery nods. "Maybe."

The two of us are quiet for a moment, then she spins around and makes her way over to where I'm sitting, placing a latte down on the counter in front of me. "So, Cruz told me about Colorado."

I reach for the cup and take a sip. I'm not surprised she knows—Ellery is Cruz's partner, in every way. "What do you think?" I ask when I set the cup down.

"Well," she taps her nails against the counter. "Sounds like it's pretty unusual."

"It is," I agree.

"They must see something pretty special in your bond. That good ole catcher/pitcher bond is pretty special."

I shake my head and take another sip of my latte. "You're trouble, you know that?"

"I don't have any idea what you are talking about."

I sigh and drop my hand down to the counter. "Ells, I know."

She shrugs as if she doesn't know what I am talking about. "Know what?"

"I know that Jenica played softball. She pitched for me."

She slaps her hand down on the counter and leans in. "She what?"

"I know that's why she's working and going to school at home," I confess. "But man, she shouldn't be. She has an incredible arm. She could have played anywhere. Actually I think she still could if she wanted."

"Really?" Ellery's brows push to her hairline. "But I thought she couldn't throw another pitch."

"She probably couldn't after the injury. But had someone worked with her instead of abandoning her they would have seen her knee is pretty stable."

It makes me angry to think no one has ever had Jenica's back until Ellery came along. My family wasn't rolling in cash, and my coaches and high school counselors had been critical.

My high school coach had been on me since I was a Freshman, pushing me both on the field and off, while my guidance counselor made sure to stay on top of the financial side of things. I was a nationally ranked athlete and had a few offers from different colleges, but when it comes to money, you just never know.

That should have been Jenica's experience, as well. She should have had an entire team of people behind her. Adults whose job it was to see to it that she succeeded. It makes sense she thinks the universe is against her because she'd never experienced otherwise.

Well, not anymore. Last summer when shit went down, I promised Jenica I would always have her back, but things have changed. Yesterday when I woke up with her next to me and felt that pull Cruz talked about that day in the clubhouse, my promise took on a whole new meaning. Baseball has always been my focus but Jenica is now not just part of that future, but my center of gravity. I can't see my life without her.

When I finish my coffee I push up from the stool and rinse out my cup, placing it in the dishwasher. "Thanks for the latte, buddy. It was perfect, as always."

"My pleasure," Ellery smiles. "It was the least I could do. I did drag you out of bed in the middle of the night. Speaking of, I still owe you a pizza."

"Naw, we're good." I rap my knuckle on the counter. "If anything I owe you."

"Oh yeah?" She tilts her head. "For?"

"The Camaro," I wink, and head out of the kitchen and down to my room.

Really, I owe her, for much, much more. Ellery doesn't know it, but she was the universal force that helped bring Jenica and I back together. Had she not asked me to go down there, things might not have turned out the way they had. Ripple effect. Only, one small change didn't only have a big impact, but change my world, and for that, I will have to thank her. And I will. Just as soon as Jenica and I are ready.