From Getting Wound Up
A Sapphire Falls/ Love Between the Bases novel
copyright Erin Nicholas and Jennifer Bernard, 2016
As it happened, the next morning Eli’s extreme case of
nerves made it easy to avoid referring to the half-naked incident. When Caitlyn
got out of the shower, fully and carefully dressed, he’d already gone to the
breakfast buffet and tanked up on coffee. He brought her a cup with plenty of
creamers and sugar, as well as a plate of blueberry muffins. She poured creamer
in her coffee while he paced around the room.
“Maybe you should go for a jog,” she suggested.
“Might pull a muscle,” he said tensely. “Or get lost.”
She laughed. “Did you eat anything?”
“Nope. Might throw up.”
“But you drank some coffee?”
“Little bit.” He drummed his fingers on his leg, which
couldn’t seem to stay still. “You ready to go yet? I want to check out the
stadium.”
“Eli.” She walked over to him and put her hands on his
shoulders. She felt the contours of his muscles under the jersey and got
momentarily distracted. The power that lurked in his body was enough to make a
girl weak in the knees. She forced the memory of last night out of her mind. “This
is what you were meant to do. It’s going to be fine. Just believe in yourself.
I believe in you.”
“You do?”
“One hundred percent, without a doubt. Now let’s go,
before your head explodes.”
His reluctant laugh was balm to her soul. At least she
could still make him laugh. At least she could still be his friend. Calm him
down. Be there for him during such a key moment in his life. Maybe that one
brush with nakedness hadn’t ruined everything.
She drove him to the nearby campus of the Kansas City
Community College. The parking lot by the athletic field was already filled
with cars. Young men in baseball uniforms of every variety were making their
way toward the field, armed with gym bags and baseball gloves. She whistled at
the sight.
“How many people come to these tryouts?”
“Doesn’t matter,” said Eli tensely, staring out the
window. “It’s not a competition.”
“It’s not?”
“Nope. It’s not like they’re going to pick the top ten or
something. They only pick the guys they think have the potential to help the
team. Some tryouts, no one gets a call. Most, actually.”
“Really? All these people and no one’s good enough for
them?” Caitlyn pulled into a spot. “Can I watch?”
He shrugged. “It might get kind of boring. Usually the
pitchers go last. Until I get to go, you’ll be watching a bunch of guys run the
sixty-yard dash.”
“Doesn’t sound too bad to me.” Caitlyn gave him a cheeky
wink as she hopped out of the Focus. “They’ll be wearing baseball pants, right?”
He glared at her. Ooh, had she made Eli just the tiniest
bit jealous? Or was it just a general glare based on nerves and tension? She
grinned to herself as he slammed her car door and slung his gym bag over his
shoulder. He definitely looked even crabbier than he had before.
“I think the sign-up is that-away.” She pointed to a long
folding table where a few men in warmup jackets were handing out index cards to
the shifting line of baseball wannabes. “I’ll find a seat on the bleachers. I’ll
be watching, so knock ’em dead.”
She gave him a wave as she headed across the parking lot.
“That’s it?” he called after her. “That’s all I get?”
Turning back, she saw him striding toward her, an intent
focus in his gaze.
“The least you could do is give me a kiss for good luck.”
He swept her into his arms and planted a kiss full on her mouth.
She tasted coffee and five-alarm heat. The shock of it
vibrated all the way to her toes. She didn’t even get a chance to really kiss
him back before he plopped her back down on the pavement.
His blue eyes gleaming, he spun around and headed for the
sign-up line.
She pressed her lips together, still tasting the warm
force of his mouth. Why had he done that? Just to mess with her? Keep her from
ogling hot outfielders?
As soon as she’d caught her breath and found a seat in the
bleachers, she extracted her cell phone and fired off a text.
Seriously? You call that a kiss? Your moves need
work, big shot.
She saw the exact moment when he got the text. He clutched
his chest as if she’d shot him, and pretended to nearly fall to his knees. Then
he texted back.
Challenge accepted.
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