Warrior king, p.26
In Her Own League: the new sports romance from Liz Tomforde, page 26
“A dress.”
“And what color is this dress?”
Amusement dances in her eyes. “Why are you asking?”
“I don’t know. Trying to mentally prepare myself, I suppose. Trying to give myself the best shot at controlling my future reaction when we’re surrounded by our coworkers later tonight. But I have a feeling that no matter which dress you choose, it’s going to make it awfully hard for me to stay away like you’re expecting me to.”
A blush warms her cheeks. “Don’t say stuff like that.”
“Why not?
“Because I like it too much.”
I like you too much.
“I . . .” She hesitates again. “I also wanted to come by and say thank you.”
My brows pinch. “For what?”
Reese exhales a sigh as if she’s got a whole list for me. “For that.” She nods toward the field. “For letting me stay with you the other night. For taking care of me all week. With the press too. It made everything feel a whole lot less isolating knowing I had you in my corner. So, thank you.”
I truly don’t think I’ll ever get over this sharp woman being soft with me.
“Of course. We’re on the same team, Reese.”
But we both know it’s more than that.
She pushes off the desk, crossing the few feet to the door before closing it.
“You take care of everyone.” The way she says it is done slowly and seductively, and the statement is punctuated by the click of the lock bolting into place. “But who takes care of you?”
Blood instantly rushes to my cock, imagining her being the one to. Because that look in her eye is telling me that’s exactly what she’s offering.
She slowly makes her way to me, standing between my spread legs.
Reese bends forward, hands on either side of me, anchored on the back of the couch. I look up as she looms over me, her mouth teasingly close to mine, but not quite close enough.
“Are you offering, Reese?”
Her lower lip slips between her teeth as she nods to tell me yes.
Fuck. Me.
She reaches up and behind me, the silk from her top brushing over my beard, her soft feminine scent invading my nose, and I swear I’m about to lose it.
Behind me, Reese drops the blinds to my office window, hiding us completely.
“Let me take care of you, Em.”
We’re very clearly about to cross a line and I can’t seem to find a fuck to give about that anymore.
She slinks down my body, lips dragging over my jaw and down my neck before dropping to my chest.
“How are you going to do that for me?”
“By making you feel good.” Lips run down my abdomen, the beat in my chest picking up speed the closer she gets to my cock. “You’re stressed. I can tell.”
“Yeah,” I exhale, head dropping to the back of the couch. “I am.”
“Because of me.”
“No.”
“Yes,” she argues. “So let me be the one to fix it for you.”
Reese drops to her knees between my spread legs, and it steals all my breath away.
She’s fucking perfect and stunning and willing. But I also know what a big deal it is for her to put herself in a vulnerable position, here of all places. Where she’s usually in charge. Where she doesn’t want to appear weak.
But she’s still got all the power, even from her knees.
“You are”—my breathing is already labored—“so beautiful down there.”
She preens under the praise, a smile ghosting her lips when she runs them over the front of my jeans. Right over my cock.
“Fuck, Reese.”
Her hands smooth up my thighs and I don’t think I’ve ever been more ready for something in my life. I want her. I fucking need her.
Unable to tear my eyes off her, I unclasp my watch, tossing it onto the couch next to me so it doesn’t get tangled in her hair when I wrap it in a fist.
Then I sink into the couch, drape my arms across the back of it, and spread my legs wider.
I’m mesmerized by her fingers toying with my zipper. Those pretty pink nails that are going to be wrapped around me soon enough. Mesmerized by the way she can’t tear her eyes off the bulge in my pants.
“You’re going to be good for me, aren’t you?”
“Yes.” She nods eagerly, a cheeky smile on her lips. “Just don’t fall in love with me after this.”
I rumble a contemplative sound. “Don’t tell me what to do.”
Reese runs her palm over my covered cock before reaching into my boxers and stroking it behind the fabric.
I drop my head back, eyes closed, concentrating on not coming from having her soft skin wrapped around my shaft.
“You feel good,” I sigh.
“Do you think it’ll fit?”
Oh, she’s fucking with me right now. She has to be. She’s going to make me come before I’ve had her lips around me because the last thing I’m thinking about fitting into is her mouth.
I crack my eyes open, looking down at her over the bridge of my nose.
Reese is wearing this too-satisfied smirk as she leans her cheek to rest against my thigh, her fist still tugging in long strokes behind my boxers.
It’s innocent and seductive all at the same time. That push and pull, the constant teasing between us, is still evident here.
I sit forward, scooping my palm under her cheek to help her sit up before I use one hand to bracket her entire jaw.
“Let’s check.”
Holding her firm, I use my other hand to run two fingers over her lips. Breaking past the barrier, I push them through the seam and stroke them over her tongue.
Reese moans around my fingers as I work them into her mouth, all the way to the back of her throat, and when they meet resistance, she doesn’t fight it. She doesn’t flinch or gag.
“You like having something back there, don’t you?”
She nods around me, ocean eyes blown out with need. Then she sucks my fingers as a preview, and I just know I’m going to lose it when I get to see them replaced by my cock.
I push my fingers in and out, letting her stroke them with her tongue, all the while she’s still tugging and twisting me in her fist.
“Oh, you’re going to suck me so well, aren’t you?”
She nods again, her mouth too occupied to speak. But then she pulls my hand out, spits on my two fingers, and slowly wraps her lips around them again.
My jaw is hanging all the way open.
So much for not falling in love with her.
I groan. “You’re not going to just be good for me, are you? You’re going to go ahead and be perfect, huh?”
Using my other hand, I push my boxers and jeans down, lifting my hips to get them past my ass. My cock stands proudly out in the open in my office with Reese’s hand wrapped around it.
It’s dirty. A bit depraved. And I would happily lose my job for this moment right now.
“You’re so perfect.” I run my hand through her hair before gripping those silky straight strands in my fist. “But I want to see you dirty.”
Leaning forward, she places a soft kiss on the head of my cock.
I let go of her hair and let her do her thing.
Arms draped wide on the back of the couch again, I look down and watch her through hooded eyes.
“Do you know how much I appreciate you?” she asks before placing another kiss. “You’re so good to me.” Using the tip of her tongue, she runs it over the slit. “I’m not sure you realize just how much I adore you.”
“Fuck.”
The words. Sweet and heartfelt.
Her mouth. Hot and sinful. And so fucking talented.
She looks up at me through her lashes. “I think about you all the time, Em. Do you know that?”
With that, she slips her lips over my shaft and takes me all the way in.
I can’t tell what’s going to make me come first. Her honest confessions or the way her warm, wet mouth is sucking me so perfectly.
“Oh God,” I groan, eyes screwed shut for only a second. But once I’ve regained a bit of composure, I open them again so I can watch her work. “I think about you all the time, Reese. When I’m with you. When I’m not with you. All the fucking time.”
She hums around my length, bobbing her head before taking me deeper.
She is pure heaven.
Not only does she feel unreal, but it’s hard to believe this is happening after all the times she told me it wouldn’t. Harder still to believe some of the words that are coming out of her mouth after the way we started off.
She’s so eager as she takes me, but also so calm. Like she has nowhere else she’d rather be and all the time in the world to make this last.
Reese moans and I almost lose it right there.
Bucking my hips, she takes me to the back of her throat and swallows around my tip.
“I’m going to come,” I hardly push out past gritted teeth, wrapping a fist around her hair to keep it out of my view.
That declaration ignites a fire in her eyes. Bright blue, just like the hottest part of a flame. She wraps her lips around me tighter then runs her tongue around the head, fully determined to make me live up to my promise.
“You like that, Reese? You like knowing that you’re going to make me come while we’re at work?”
She rumbles this satisfied sound that shoots a vibration straight through my cock.
“You’re so good,” I encourage. “So perfect for me.” With my palm on the back of her head, I gently push her down as I lift my hips. “You can take it.” I move in and out of her mouth, keeping her exactly where I need her. “There you go.”
Releasing my hold, I let her breathe and the self-satisfied smile she wears as she pops off my dick for a moment is enough to end me.
She strokes me in her hand, still regaining her breath. “Please give it to me.”
“Yeah. You want it?”
She nods impatiently, kissing the tip of my dick again. My throbbing, eager, going-to-come-all-over-her-lips-if-she-does-that-again dick.
“Are you going to let me come in your mouth? Swallow it for me?”
“Is that where you want to finish?”
Fucking hell, this woman. Asking me where I want to finish.
“This time, yes.” I lean forward, tugging her chin to me until I can place a kiss on that talented mouth. “But just know that if we weren’t at work and if your makeup didn’t look so pretty today, I’d be painting your face with my cum instead of the back of your throat.”
Her lips drop open, and I take that as an opportunity to guide her mouth back down around me.
Her fervent sucking in combination of her hand twisting around the base sends me right over the edge of my orgasm.
I don’t have time to give her a warning, but it’s clear she already knows it’s coming by the way she grips my thigh and steadies herself in place. Pleasure zips down my spine, curling around my hips until I’m coming down her throat.
Blinding bliss with Reese’s blonde hair twined around my fingers and her mouth wrapped around my cock. My hips chase the high until I’m fully spent, falling back on the couch behind me.
Heavy hooded eyes look down to watch as she slips off, mouth full of my release.
Reese stares up at me, swallows it all, then hums like it’s the best thing she’s ever had in her mouth.
“Good God,” I exhale through hard-earned breaths. “How?”
How are you real?
How are you interested in me?
How can I make you mine?
She simply smiles at my rhetorical question.
“Come here.” I tuck myself back into my pants as I pull her onto my lap. Holding her to me, I kiss her, tasting myself on her lips. “You expect me to stay away from you tonight after that?”
“I believe in you.”
“I’m a much weaker man than you give me credit for.”
She drops her smiling mouth to mine again, this time in a slow, sweeping kiss. It’s patient in the way she takes her time. There’s longing in the way her tongue slides against my own. There’s care in the way she strokes her fingers through my beard.
There’s no wondering whether she likes me. I know Reese likes me. But the question is, does she want me the way I want her? Because I’m pretty sure I’m willing to put everything on the line for a real shot with this woman.
When she pulls back, I slip her hair behind her ear, running my thumb over her earrings. “Is this the part when you tell me that can’t happen again?”
Reese huffs a small laugh. “Exactly.”
I hum. “Maybe one day I’ll start believing you.”
30
Reese
“All right, you two.” The photographer holds his camera up. “We need a photo. This will be frame-worthy. The previous team owner and the current one.”
I slip an arm around my grandfather as we pose together, getting our picture taken. Maybe it’ll be one that I’ll add to the walls during my own retirement party one day.
The photographer smiles at the screen on his camera. “Perfect.” Then he moves on to take more photos of more party guests, snapping his way through the venue.
I glance around the room again, taking it all in. “Denise did a hell of a job.”
My grandfather looks around with me.
We have an event space at the stadium, and it was only right that his retirement party took place here. So many of his previous players, coaches, and staff have shown up to help him bid farewell to this part of his life, and the whole night just feels really special.
One man’s entire life’s work in one room.
There’s a dance floor in the center and a live band on a small makeshift stage. Multiple open bars are set up along the perimeter of the space, and the remaining walls are covered in photo collages, showcasing all the previous teams and memories my grandfather has made in this exact building.
“This is really something, isn’t it, Reese’s Pieces?” His voice goes thick. “I can’t believe so many people showed up.”
His emotion is evident, but how could it not be? I gained my love of this game and this career choice from him. He was the embodiment of “choose a job you love, and you’ll never have to work a day in your life.”
I run a hand across his back. “You deserve for people to show up.”
I scan the room once again, recognizing so many faces from the past. And of course, plenty of ones from the present.
Our entire current roster is here, all suited up, because, like me, my grandfather enjoys the fancier parts of life.
The lighting is dim and moody. Cocktail tables are peppered throughout the space, as are plush couches for mingling. The food was divine, and it’s clear that no expense was spared.
It’s been special to spend tonight with my grandfather, but I’d be lying if I said that was the only reason I’ve been glued to his side. My self-control is utterly lacking as of late, so much so that I don’t know what I’d do if I didn’t attach myself by a metaphorical leash.
My attention drifts to the dance floor, snagging on the source of my lack of restraint.
Emmett is wearing this sweet, almost wistful expression as he looks down at his daughter. It’s a tender moment, the two of them dancing together, and I’m unable to tear my eyes away from him. It’s been my issue all night. We’ve successfully avoided each other for hours, but that doesn’t mean I haven’t looked.
Miller says something to him that causes Emmett’s head to fall back in laughter and I can’t help but smile at his contagious joy. He looks good when he’s happy. He looks good, period.
“Arthur!” Scott calls out, drawing my attention away from the dance floor as he and the rest of the advisory board circle around my grandfather. “It is so good to see you. You’re looking great.”
My grandfather beams at the five men. “Thank you all so much for coming. It means so much to me.”
“We wouldn’t miss it for the world,” Phil says.
“How have you all been? How’s it going with my Reese? Giving her some good advice, I hope.”
“Great advice.” Scott puts his hand on my grandfather’s shoulder in a chummy but slimy way. “Just waiting for her to take it.”
My attention drifts to Ed, and he meets my eye, telling me he’s thinking the same damn thing as me.
My grandfather looks around the group of men suspiciously. “What do you mean?”
“He’s kidding.” Phil laughs. “We’re glad to be working with her. She’s really . . . doing her own thing. Making this team hers.”
Again, Ed and I share a look, silently calling out that bullshit.
“As she should.” My grandfather beams with pride because he doesn’t pick up on the nuance of their statements. He has no idea that four of the five members of his previous advisory board are furious with the direction I’m taking my team and think I should step down as Acting President of Baseball Operations.
I’m also not going to go run to him and tattle. I can handle myself just fine.
Ed gives me a squeeze on the arm as I excuse myself.
For the first time tonight, I’m alone without the safety net of company. I instantly feel the heat of Emmett’s attention, the same way I have most of the night. Glancing back in the direction of the dance floor, I find him and Miller walking off as the song ends.
But as I assumed, he’s watching me.
He looks stunning tonight. Fitted black suit, white shirt unbuttoned near his throat, and a perfectly trimmed beard leading to a bit of salt around his temples. It’s not often I get to see him without his baseball hat, but it’s a lovely change to witness his face without the shadow of a brim covering it.
Then you add those black lines webbing over his hands, falling out past the cuffs of his suit and starkly contrasting the rest of his look tonight, and I’m just kind of done for.
His lips are a bit too full but perfect all the same, especially when they fight the smile he shouldn’t be sending me from across the room.
Emmett joins a group of his players, and I turn my attention back to the bar.
Grab a drink. Reattach myself to my grandfather. Those are the only two things I’m allowed to do.
“A glass of red, please,” I request from the bartender, and as he’s pouring it, my phone dings in my clutch.
“And what color is this dress?”
Amusement dances in her eyes. “Why are you asking?”
“I don’t know. Trying to mentally prepare myself, I suppose. Trying to give myself the best shot at controlling my future reaction when we’re surrounded by our coworkers later tonight. But I have a feeling that no matter which dress you choose, it’s going to make it awfully hard for me to stay away like you’re expecting me to.”
A blush warms her cheeks. “Don’t say stuff like that.”
“Why not?
“Because I like it too much.”
I like you too much.
“I . . .” She hesitates again. “I also wanted to come by and say thank you.”
My brows pinch. “For what?”
Reese exhales a sigh as if she’s got a whole list for me. “For that.” She nods toward the field. “For letting me stay with you the other night. For taking care of me all week. With the press too. It made everything feel a whole lot less isolating knowing I had you in my corner. So, thank you.”
I truly don’t think I’ll ever get over this sharp woman being soft with me.
“Of course. We’re on the same team, Reese.”
But we both know it’s more than that.
She pushes off the desk, crossing the few feet to the door before closing it.
“You take care of everyone.” The way she says it is done slowly and seductively, and the statement is punctuated by the click of the lock bolting into place. “But who takes care of you?”
Blood instantly rushes to my cock, imagining her being the one to. Because that look in her eye is telling me that’s exactly what she’s offering.
She slowly makes her way to me, standing between my spread legs.
Reese bends forward, hands on either side of me, anchored on the back of the couch. I look up as she looms over me, her mouth teasingly close to mine, but not quite close enough.
“Are you offering, Reese?”
Her lower lip slips between her teeth as she nods to tell me yes.
Fuck. Me.
She reaches up and behind me, the silk from her top brushing over my beard, her soft feminine scent invading my nose, and I swear I’m about to lose it.
Behind me, Reese drops the blinds to my office window, hiding us completely.
“Let me take care of you, Em.”
We’re very clearly about to cross a line and I can’t seem to find a fuck to give about that anymore.
She slinks down my body, lips dragging over my jaw and down my neck before dropping to my chest.
“How are you going to do that for me?”
“By making you feel good.” Lips run down my abdomen, the beat in my chest picking up speed the closer she gets to my cock. “You’re stressed. I can tell.”
“Yeah,” I exhale, head dropping to the back of the couch. “I am.”
“Because of me.”
“No.”
“Yes,” she argues. “So let me be the one to fix it for you.”
Reese drops to her knees between my spread legs, and it steals all my breath away.
She’s fucking perfect and stunning and willing. But I also know what a big deal it is for her to put herself in a vulnerable position, here of all places. Where she’s usually in charge. Where she doesn’t want to appear weak.
But she’s still got all the power, even from her knees.
“You are”—my breathing is already labored—“so beautiful down there.”
She preens under the praise, a smile ghosting her lips when she runs them over the front of my jeans. Right over my cock.
“Fuck, Reese.”
Her hands smooth up my thighs and I don’t think I’ve ever been more ready for something in my life. I want her. I fucking need her.
Unable to tear my eyes off her, I unclasp my watch, tossing it onto the couch next to me so it doesn’t get tangled in her hair when I wrap it in a fist.
Then I sink into the couch, drape my arms across the back of it, and spread my legs wider.
I’m mesmerized by her fingers toying with my zipper. Those pretty pink nails that are going to be wrapped around me soon enough. Mesmerized by the way she can’t tear her eyes off the bulge in my pants.
“You’re going to be good for me, aren’t you?”
“Yes.” She nods eagerly, a cheeky smile on her lips. “Just don’t fall in love with me after this.”
I rumble a contemplative sound. “Don’t tell me what to do.”
Reese runs her palm over my covered cock before reaching into my boxers and stroking it behind the fabric.
I drop my head back, eyes closed, concentrating on not coming from having her soft skin wrapped around my shaft.
“You feel good,” I sigh.
“Do you think it’ll fit?”
Oh, she’s fucking with me right now. She has to be. She’s going to make me come before I’ve had her lips around me because the last thing I’m thinking about fitting into is her mouth.
I crack my eyes open, looking down at her over the bridge of my nose.
Reese is wearing this too-satisfied smirk as she leans her cheek to rest against my thigh, her fist still tugging in long strokes behind my boxers.
It’s innocent and seductive all at the same time. That push and pull, the constant teasing between us, is still evident here.
I sit forward, scooping my palm under her cheek to help her sit up before I use one hand to bracket her entire jaw.
“Let’s check.”
Holding her firm, I use my other hand to run two fingers over her lips. Breaking past the barrier, I push them through the seam and stroke them over her tongue.
Reese moans around my fingers as I work them into her mouth, all the way to the back of her throat, and when they meet resistance, she doesn’t fight it. She doesn’t flinch or gag.
“You like having something back there, don’t you?”
She nods around me, ocean eyes blown out with need. Then she sucks my fingers as a preview, and I just know I’m going to lose it when I get to see them replaced by my cock.
I push my fingers in and out, letting her stroke them with her tongue, all the while she’s still tugging and twisting me in her fist.
“Oh, you’re going to suck me so well, aren’t you?”
She nods again, her mouth too occupied to speak. But then she pulls my hand out, spits on my two fingers, and slowly wraps her lips around them again.
My jaw is hanging all the way open.
So much for not falling in love with her.
I groan. “You’re not going to just be good for me, are you? You’re going to go ahead and be perfect, huh?”
Using my other hand, I push my boxers and jeans down, lifting my hips to get them past my ass. My cock stands proudly out in the open in my office with Reese’s hand wrapped around it.
It’s dirty. A bit depraved. And I would happily lose my job for this moment right now.
“You’re so perfect.” I run my hand through her hair before gripping those silky straight strands in my fist. “But I want to see you dirty.”
Leaning forward, she places a soft kiss on the head of my cock.
I let go of her hair and let her do her thing.
Arms draped wide on the back of the couch again, I look down and watch her through hooded eyes.
“Do you know how much I appreciate you?” she asks before placing another kiss. “You’re so good to me.” Using the tip of her tongue, she runs it over the slit. “I’m not sure you realize just how much I adore you.”
“Fuck.”
The words. Sweet and heartfelt.
Her mouth. Hot and sinful. And so fucking talented.
She looks up at me through her lashes. “I think about you all the time, Em. Do you know that?”
With that, she slips her lips over my shaft and takes me all the way in.
I can’t tell what’s going to make me come first. Her honest confessions or the way her warm, wet mouth is sucking me so perfectly.
“Oh God,” I groan, eyes screwed shut for only a second. But once I’ve regained a bit of composure, I open them again so I can watch her work. “I think about you all the time, Reese. When I’m with you. When I’m not with you. All the fucking time.”
She hums around my length, bobbing her head before taking me deeper.
She is pure heaven.
Not only does she feel unreal, but it’s hard to believe this is happening after all the times she told me it wouldn’t. Harder still to believe some of the words that are coming out of her mouth after the way we started off.
She’s so eager as she takes me, but also so calm. Like she has nowhere else she’d rather be and all the time in the world to make this last.
Reese moans and I almost lose it right there.
Bucking my hips, she takes me to the back of her throat and swallows around my tip.
“I’m going to come,” I hardly push out past gritted teeth, wrapping a fist around her hair to keep it out of my view.
That declaration ignites a fire in her eyes. Bright blue, just like the hottest part of a flame. She wraps her lips around me tighter then runs her tongue around the head, fully determined to make me live up to my promise.
“You like that, Reese? You like knowing that you’re going to make me come while we’re at work?”
She rumbles this satisfied sound that shoots a vibration straight through my cock.
“You’re so good,” I encourage. “So perfect for me.” With my palm on the back of her head, I gently push her down as I lift my hips. “You can take it.” I move in and out of her mouth, keeping her exactly where I need her. “There you go.”
Releasing my hold, I let her breathe and the self-satisfied smile she wears as she pops off my dick for a moment is enough to end me.
She strokes me in her hand, still regaining her breath. “Please give it to me.”
“Yeah. You want it?”
She nods impatiently, kissing the tip of my dick again. My throbbing, eager, going-to-come-all-over-her-lips-if-she-does-that-again dick.
“Are you going to let me come in your mouth? Swallow it for me?”
“Is that where you want to finish?”
Fucking hell, this woman. Asking me where I want to finish.
“This time, yes.” I lean forward, tugging her chin to me until I can place a kiss on that talented mouth. “But just know that if we weren’t at work and if your makeup didn’t look so pretty today, I’d be painting your face with my cum instead of the back of your throat.”
Her lips drop open, and I take that as an opportunity to guide her mouth back down around me.
Her fervent sucking in combination of her hand twisting around the base sends me right over the edge of my orgasm.
I don’t have time to give her a warning, but it’s clear she already knows it’s coming by the way she grips my thigh and steadies herself in place. Pleasure zips down my spine, curling around my hips until I’m coming down her throat.
Blinding bliss with Reese’s blonde hair twined around my fingers and her mouth wrapped around my cock. My hips chase the high until I’m fully spent, falling back on the couch behind me.
Heavy hooded eyes look down to watch as she slips off, mouth full of my release.
Reese stares up at me, swallows it all, then hums like it’s the best thing she’s ever had in her mouth.
“Good God,” I exhale through hard-earned breaths. “How?”
How are you real?
How are you interested in me?
How can I make you mine?
She simply smiles at my rhetorical question.
“Come here.” I tuck myself back into my pants as I pull her onto my lap. Holding her to me, I kiss her, tasting myself on her lips. “You expect me to stay away from you tonight after that?”
“I believe in you.”
“I’m a much weaker man than you give me credit for.”
She drops her smiling mouth to mine again, this time in a slow, sweeping kiss. It’s patient in the way she takes her time. There’s longing in the way her tongue slides against my own. There’s care in the way she strokes her fingers through my beard.
There’s no wondering whether she likes me. I know Reese likes me. But the question is, does she want me the way I want her? Because I’m pretty sure I’m willing to put everything on the line for a real shot with this woman.
When she pulls back, I slip her hair behind her ear, running my thumb over her earrings. “Is this the part when you tell me that can’t happen again?”
Reese huffs a small laugh. “Exactly.”
I hum. “Maybe one day I’ll start believing you.”
30
Reese
“All right, you two.” The photographer holds his camera up. “We need a photo. This will be frame-worthy. The previous team owner and the current one.”
I slip an arm around my grandfather as we pose together, getting our picture taken. Maybe it’ll be one that I’ll add to the walls during my own retirement party one day.
The photographer smiles at the screen on his camera. “Perfect.” Then he moves on to take more photos of more party guests, snapping his way through the venue.
I glance around the room again, taking it all in. “Denise did a hell of a job.”
My grandfather looks around with me.
We have an event space at the stadium, and it was only right that his retirement party took place here. So many of his previous players, coaches, and staff have shown up to help him bid farewell to this part of his life, and the whole night just feels really special.
One man’s entire life’s work in one room.
There’s a dance floor in the center and a live band on a small makeshift stage. Multiple open bars are set up along the perimeter of the space, and the remaining walls are covered in photo collages, showcasing all the previous teams and memories my grandfather has made in this exact building.
“This is really something, isn’t it, Reese’s Pieces?” His voice goes thick. “I can’t believe so many people showed up.”
His emotion is evident, but how could it not be? I gained my love of this game and this career choice from him. He was the embodiment of “choose a job you love, and you’ll never have to work a day in your life.”
I run a hand across his back. “You deserve for people to show up.”
I scan the room once again, recognizing so many faces from the past. And of course, plenty of ones from the present.
Our entire current roster is here, all suited up, because, like me, my grandfather enjoys the fancier parts of life.
The lighting is dim and moody. Cocktail tables are peppered throughout the space, as are plush couches for mingling. The food was divine, and it’s clear that no expense was spared.
It’s been special to spend tonight with my grandfather, but I’d be lying if I said that was the only reason I’ve been glued to his side. My self-control is utterly lacking as of late, so much so that I don’t know what I’d do if I didn’t attach myself by a metaphorical leash.
My attention drifts to the dance floor, snagging on the source of my lack of restraint.
Emmett is wearing this sweet, almost wistful expression as he looks down at his daughter. It’s a tender moment, the two of them dancing together, and I’m unable to tear my eyes away from him. It’s been my issue all night. We’ve successfully avoided each other for hours, but that doesn’t mean I haven’t looked.
Miller says something to him that causes Emmett’s head to fall back in laughter and I can’t help but smile at his contagious joy. He looks good when he’s happy. He looks good, period.
“Arthur!” Scott calls out, drawing my attention away from the dance floor as he and the rest of the advisory board circle around my grandfather. “It is so good to see you. You’re looking great.”
My grandfather beams at the five men. “Thank you all so much for coming. It means so much to me.”
“We wouldn’t miss it for the world,” Phil says.
“How have you all been? How’s it going with my Reese? Giving her some good advice, I hope.”
“Great advice.” Scott puts his hand on my grandfather’s shoulder in a chummy but slimy way. “Just waiting for her to take it.”
My attention drifts to Ed, and he meets my eye, telling me he’s thinking the same damn thing as me.
My grandfather looks around the group of men suspiciously. “What do you mean?”
“He’s kidding.” Phil laughs. “We’re glad to be working with her. She’s really . . . doing her own thing. Making this team hers.”
Again, Ed and I share a look, silently calling out that bullshit.
“As she should.” My grandfather beams with pride because he doesn’t pick up on the nuance of their statements. He has no idea that four of the five members of his previous advisory board are furious with the direction I’m taking my team and think I should step down as Acting President of Baseball Operations.
I’m also not going to go run to him and tattle. I can handle myself just fine.
Ed gives me a squeeze on the arm as I excuse myself.
For the first time tonight, I’m alone without the safety net of company. I instantly feel the heat of Emmett’s attention, the same way I have most of the night. Glancing back in the direction of the dance floor, I find him and Miller walking off as the song ends.
But as I assumed, he’s watching me.
He looks stunning tonight. Fitted black suit, white shirt unbuttoned near his throat, and a perfectly trimmed beard leading to a bit of salt around his temples. It’s not often I get to see him without his baseball hat, but it’s a lovely change to witness his face without the shadow of a brim covering it.
Then you add those black lines webbing over his hands, falling out past the cuffs of his suit and starkly contrasting the rest of his look tonight, and I’m just kind of done for.
His lips are a bit too full but perfect all the same, especially when they fight the smile he shouldn’t be sending me from across the room.
Emmett joins a group of his players, and I turn my attention back to the bar.
Grab a drink. Reattach myself to my grandfather. Those are the only two things I’m allowed to do.
“A glass of red, please,” I request from the bartender, and as he’s pouring it, my phone dings in my clutch.
