Short Stop to Love Read online

  Jeremy didn’t say anything. She continued, “You thought you should tell me here? Now?”

  Her arm swept to show the stadium and all the people in it. “You couldn’t tell me when we were together in Seattle?”

  She took a deep breath and tried to rein in her emotions before she continued. “We need to talk about this later, but I’m glad to see you.”

  Jeremy stepped closer. “Can I greet you properly now?”

  “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you,” he whispered in her ear as they hugged.

  “I’m not happy at this being sprung on me,” she said, narrowing her eyes at him.

  Jeremy nodded. “I understand. We’ll talk later?”

  Keri nodded and tilted her head up to him, indicating she wanted a kiss. Jeremy met her halfway, pressing a light kiss to her lips. That wasn’t enough for Keri, so she pulled him closer to her and deepened the kiss, opening her mouth to tangle her tongue with his. She poured her anger and frustration into that kiss, trying to tell him what she was feeling.

  Jeremy groaned and leaned his forehead against hers.

  “I would love to continue this, but getting an erection while wearing a cup and jockstrap doesn’t sound pleasant,” he whispered.

  Keri burst into laughter, picturing the situation he might find himself in if they continued. With a light peck on the lips, she stepped back.

  “Glass!”

  They all turned to the field where a man with vibrant red hair was standing with his hands on his hips.

  “Are you done with happy hour?” he shouted.

  Troy coughed, covering a laugh, and Jeremy’s ears turned pink.

  “I have to run. I’ll be up to bat soon. Wait for me here after the game?”

  He jogged back toward the field, gracefully hopping over the railing. Now that she knew it was Jeremy she was checking out, she shamelessly watched his ass as he got back into position.

  Troy poked her. “You sitting back down?”

  Keri moved back to her seat, taking a sip of the beer she’d purchased from one of the roaming drink vendors and leveled her stare at Troy, making him squirm. “So, you were uncomfortable earlier because you knew I’d be surprised?”

  Troy nodded. “Yeah, he swore me to secrecy. I told him he should just tell you or take you to the stadium or something. But, he swore this was the best way to do it.”

  Keri eyed Troy, making him shift more in his seat. “I don’t agree with how this went down, but I understand not saying anything. It wasn’t your place. Thank you for bringing me.”

  “That’s it?” Troy asked, looking surprised.

  “Yes, that’s all. I’ll talk to Jeremy later. He’ll get a bigger earful, don’t you worry.”

  Troy laughed. “To be a fly on the wall.”

  Keri shrugged and turned her attention back to the field. She honed in on Jeremy, watching as he fielded the ball and threw it around the bases. She didn’t know a lot of specifics about baseball, only what her dad imparted on her as a child, but even she could tell that Jeremy was a good player. He seemed to have a feeling for where the ball was going and acted accordingly.

  He jogged off the field and into the dugout. A few minutes later, he came out with a wooden bat tucked under his arm while he pulled his batting gloves on. Once they were secured, he gripped the bat, adjusting his grip a few times before he got into his batting stance. He took a few practice swings, adjusting himself as needed, before he started to swing at imaginary balls. Keri found herself wishing his clothing was just a bit tighter so she could see his muscles bunch and move with every swing he took. She wondered if she could ask him to demonstrate his batting stance with just his boxers on. She then promptly blushed at the thought.

  She shook herself out of her daydream, realizing she was dangerously close to drooling. Jeremy stepped into the batter’s box, talking over his shoulder to someone just outside the batting practice net. The pitcher lobbed a throw in and Jeremy hit a grounder towards third base. He set himself up again and another throw was lobbed. It continued in this vein for about five minutes before he tossed his bat to the side and jogged to first base.

  He stood there taking his batting gloves off and tucking them into his back pocket. Eventually, he jogged to second, staying there another few moments before heading to third. He then jogged off the field and back into the dugout. He didn’t reappear and Keri turned her attention to the rest of the field. As she watched, everything that was out for batting practice was moved away and the field cleared.

  Fingers snapped in front of her face and she flinched.

  “Hey! Stop drooling!” Joann snorted.

  Keri glared at her.

  “Wipe your mouth.”

  Keri quickly ran her hand over her mouth. Not finding anything, she lightly hit Joann on the arm.

  “Rude!”

  “You were staring. It was creepy.”

  “It’s not creepy if it’s your boyfriend.”

  “It is if you’re looking at him like he’s a buffet.”

  Keri rolled her eyes and turned back to the field.

  “I can’t help that my boyfriend is so hot that I can’t look away.”

  “You and the rest of the population it seems…” Joann muttered.

  Keri glanced around and noticed what Joann meant. Women watched Jeremy on the field. If her looks were covetous, theirs were worse.

  “Ignore them,” Troy said.

  “What?”

  “Ignore them. Jeremy always has.”

  “Uh…” Keri wasn’t sure what to say.

  “Most of ‘em are ball bunnies. They come hoping to, well, hit it out of the park, if you know what I mean.”

  Keri’s eyes widened as she finally understood what he meant.

  “So, they’re here for…them?

  “Yep. Jeremy’s never been into that type of thing. Can’t stand them actually.”

  “Oh.”

  He didn’t know it, but those words made her feel better. The game started and passed in a blur of fly balls and hits.

  Keri waited as the stadium cleared, glancing around constantly as she waited for Jeremy to join them. She finally saw him walking towards them and jumped up to meet him halfway. He was freshly showered, his hair still damp. “You were amazing,” Keri said, beaming at him.

  “I was?”

  “I know I don’t know a lot about baseball, but you looked so good out there.”

  Jeremy laughed. “So, I was amazing because I looked good?”

  Keri nodded vigorously. She didn’t reveal just how much it turned her on to watch him out there. Jeremy slung his arm around her shoulder and waited for Joann and Troy to join them.

  “Good job, bro! That grounder you fielded to turn a double was amazing!”

  “Thanks. I’ve been working on my hitting…”

  Keri tuned the two men out. She had no desire to listen to them rehash every play on the field.

  “Dinner?” Jeremy asked them once they were in the parking lot.

  “I could eat,” Troy said, rubbing his belly.

  Keri glanced at Jeremy before turning to look at Joann and quirking a brow at her.

  Joann smirked, giving a small nod before she turned to Troy. “Why don’t we do something? I’m sure Keri and Jeremy would like to be alone for a little while.”

  Troy followed Joann as she pulled him towards the parked SUV. Jeremy looked down at Keri. “Dinner?”

  Keri smiled. “I’d love to.”

  He led her to his car, a sleek gray-colored sports car.

  “This is some car!” Keri said as Jeremy opened her door for her.

  He smiled and said, “It’s a Lamborghini Huracán. It’s one of the first things I bought myself when I hit the big leagues.”

  Keri admired the interior as Jeremy moved to his side of the car, gracefully sliding into the driver’s seat and starting it.

  As he pulled out, he asked, “Anything in particular you’d like for dinner?”

  “Nope, I’m
good with whatever.”

  A few minutes later, Jeremy was parked outside a restaurant that boasted pizza and wings. Jeremy told Keri to wait as he moved around the car to open the door for her. She smiled and took his proffered hand to help her out, holding onto it as they walked in. It wasn’t packed and they were seated quickly.

  Their waiter stopped at the table. Keri stifled a giggle at the starstruck look on the boy’s face. He stared at Jeremy as they placed their drink orders and scurried away after.

  Once the teen was out of earshot, she looked at Jeremy. “I think you shocked the poor boy.”

  “You get used to it, I guess. That happens a lot here.”

  The teen dropped their drinks off and took their food order before disappearing again. Jeremy cleared his throat and shifted in his seat. “So, how upset with me are you?”

  Keri fidgeted with her napkin as she considered her words. “Pretty upset. While I could have figured it out, I don’t get why you didn’t tell me.”

  Jeremy frowned and took a sip of his drink. “I’m not sure I have a good excuse.”

  “Try.”

  “Well…it was nice knowing someone that didn’t know me as a baseball player. You knew me as Jeremy. Just Jeremy.”

  Keri stared at Jeremy flatly, feeling her annoyance rise. “That doesn’t make it better. I like you. A lot. But I feel like you’ve hidden a big part of yourself from me. I thought you were a regular guy that wanted to give back. Did you not want me to know?”

  Jeremy grimaced and rubbed his hand over his head. “It’s not that I didn’t want you to know. It’s just…” he stopped talking for a few moments before continuing to say, “It was nice that you didn’t recognize me. I felt…normal. I haven’t felt that way in a long time, not since high school.”

  “And that makes it okay to not share this part of yourself with me? We’ve known each other for over a year! Not once have you mentioned this part of your life! All those times you couldn’t come because of ‘business,’ was it because you had a game?”

  Jeremy nodded and Keri scoffed.

  “I get that you’re a private person. But you kept a large part of yourself away from me for over a year. That concerns me. Is there anything else you’re keeping from me?”

  Emotions fought their way up Keri’s throat, threatening to overflow. She couldn’t believe the deceit.

  Jeremy shook his head vigorously. “You know everything else there is to know about me.”

  Keri sighed. “I just…I don’t know if I can trust you.”

  “Trust me?” Jeremy asked, panicked.

  “Yes, trust you. I shared so much with you about my past. I thought you did the same. Instead, you chose to hide this entire aspect of your life from me.”

  “I…didn’t think about it like that.”

  Keri resisted the urge to roll her eyes. Of course he didn’t think about it like that. He didn’t consider her feelings at all it seemed.

  “How did you think this would go?”

  “Telling you?”

  Keri nodded.

  “Well, I expected you to be mad, but I thought we’d move on quickly.”

  “Move on quickly? What did that look like in your mind?”

  “Well…I…um…I guess I didn’t think that far ahead.”

  They lapsed into silence for a few moments before Keri said, “I’m not happy you didn’t trust me enough to at least tell me what your full-time job was. I can understand why you didn’t say anything, but that doesn’t make it right.”

  Jeremy opened his mouth and she shook her head. “I just want you to promise you won’t do something like this again. You have to tell me everything, no matter how small. This doesn’t work if we don’t communicate.”

  Jeremy smiled wanly. “I can live with that.”

  Keri suddenly thought about the advertisement she saw with Jeremy in it the other day. He chuckled and he furrowed his brow at her. “What?”

  She laughed harder. “I was just thinking how I saw you on TV the other day dressed in full baseball gear! How did I not even put that together?”

  “I’m surprised you didn’t.”

  “I feel pretty stupid now that I know the truth,” she told him, taking a sip of her water. “It’s so obvious now. And, I’ve seen you on the side of bus stops and city buses. I seriously must’ve been living under a rock.”

  Jeremy laughed. Their food arrived and the next few minutes were silent as they started eating.

  “So, tell me how you started playing baseball.”

  Jeremy chewed what was in his mouth and looked thoughtful. “Well, I was six. Because of the stuff with my birth mother, it was hard for me to develop relationships with my new family. I’d watch Mom and Dad play with Troy and Emily and want to join in, but didn’t know how to do it.”

  “Wait, question,” Keri interjected, “Troy and Emily? They were already there?”

  “Yeah. They’re the biological children of my parents. I was adopted when Emily was two.”

  “Oh, I thought you were all adopted.”

  “When you meet my parents, you’ll see they both resemble them. I’m definitely the odd man out.”

  Keri nodded. “Ok, continue.”

  “My dad came home with a baseball glove and a baseball. He took me outside. Helped me put it on and showed me how to throw the ball.”

  Jeremy paused and smiled with a faraway look in his eyes. “That was one of the best days. He was so patient with me. I couldn’t throw it to him. It went straight to the ground each time, but he still helped me each time.”

  Jeremy shook himself and cleared his throat. “From there, we played catch each day. I eventually grasped how to throw and bat. I was signed up for t-ball and worked my way up from there. I actually still have my first glove.”

  “You do?”

  “Yeah. It’s beat to hell, but it represents one of the happiest times of my life.”

  Keri smiled. “That’s sweet.”

  They lapsed back into silence and Keri turned her attention back to her food. Keri closed her eyes in appreciation of the calzone she was eating, enjoying the mix of cheese, crust, and pepperoni. She opened her eyes to see Jeremy smirking at her.

  “What?” she asked.

  “Nothing. You were just making orgasmic noises over there. I had to double-check you were eating and not having sex.”

  Keri coughed at his words, blushing as his meaning became apparent. She took a sip of water. “Well, I can assure you I was eating. I sound completely different during sex. Maybe you’ll find out someday.”

  It was Jeremy’s turn to cough and take a healthy sip of his beer to clear his throat.

  “Well, maybe I’ll find out soon,” he said once he had control of himself.

  “Maybe.”

  Keri moved her leg and brushed against Jeremy’s under the table. He jerked and looked at her. She fluttered her eyelashes. “Something wrong?”

  “Nope.”

  His attention back on his food, she moved her leg higher, rubbing against his leg the entire way. She wanted to look at him, but she was trying to be nonchalant and didn’t want to give the game away.

  She felt a hand on her ankle, stopping her upward movement.

  “Everything okay?” she asked, meeting Jeremy’s dark eyes.

  He audibly gulped. “Great.”

  A few moments later, he released her ankle, but she didn’t move her leg. She then slowly pulled it back down his leg and to her side. He looked worked up enough that she didn’t want to push him further, especially with their waiter coming to the table with their check.

  They eyed each other as Jeremy paid the bill. Keri could feel the sexual tension crackling between the two of them as they walked to his car. A quick glance at Jeremy’s crotch area confirmed his arousal. She was proud she had that effect on him.

  Once in the car, Keri felt like she was being stifled. She shifted in her seat, rubbing her thighs together to try and quell the sudden ache she felt between them. She
remembered how Jeremy looked in his uniform earlier and thought he looked just as delicious now. That coupled with his ease of driving his car had desire coursing through her body. They exchanged glances out of the corner of their eyes and Jeremy’s hands tightened on the steering wheel. His nostrils flared as he continued to drive.

  She was thankful when they pulled up to the hotel and were out of the car. She felt like she would combust or jump him at any moment. She needed the space. The elevator wasn’t much better than the car. They stood on opposite sides of the car and stared at each other. Their eyes raked over the others body. Hers lingered on his arms and groin while his lingered on her chest and legs. By the time the doors opened on her floor, she thought Jeremy was about to pounce on her.

  He followed her to her door. She turned to face him. “I’d invite you in, but you have practice tomorrow morning don’t you?”

  “Yeah. I have to be there at eight. I should be done by lunch though, if you’d like to get together?”

  “I’d like that. Want me to meet you somewhere?”

  “Nope. I’ll text you when I’m done so you know when to expect me. I’m picking you up.”

  Keri nodded. Jeremy’s eyes darted down to her lips before meeting her eyes again. She held her breath as he leaned in closer, pausing a hair’s breadth away from her. His breath fanned across her lips. After a few seconds, he leaned forward and pressed his lips to hers. He cupped her cheeks and groaned low in his throat. Keri found herself grasping his forearms as the kiss deepened.

  After a few moments, he ripped himself away from her and stepped back.

  “If I don’t leave now, I’m not leaving.”

  Keri nodded and he kissed her lightly before moving back down the hall to the elevator.

  “Later,” he said over his shoulder before he turned the corner.

  Disappointment settled as he moved from sight. She understood he couldn’t stay, but that didn’t mean she couldn’t wish for him to stay longer.

  CHAPTER FIVE

  Keri

  Keri spent the following morning lazing around her room with Joann. Troy left early that morning and hadn’t been back since.

  “So, are you going to Google him?” Joann asked as she flipped through a magazine.

  “Yep, something I should have done a while ago.”