The Winner Takes All (Complete Collection)

7. Here’s Your Reward

7

HERE’S YOUR REWARD

Gunnar

I dig in at the plate, take a few practice swings, then get in the box. It’s the seventh inning, and I’m hitless so far against the Chicago Sharks.

And that is not okay.

First, this is my goddamn job—to play hard and go all out, every day. I don’t aim for average. I aim for the upper deck. Baseball lets me take care of my family. But even beyond that, this sport means sanity to me. Baseball got me through the toughest of times when I was younger.

Now, as a major leaguer, I want to be someone my teammates can depend on. For a long time after my dad died, I didn’t have many people I could rely on. I don’t want my guys to ever worry about that with me.

But there’s one more reason I’m pissed about my performance. And it bugs the shit out of me that it’s the one at the top of my mind.

Rafe.

My mind leaps to him again as I adjust my batting glove. I want him to know what I can do on the field and at the plate. I want to impress that sexy motherfucker. I wonder if he’s watching me from the comfort of his office, studying my moves.

And that is distracting AF.

Time to shove Rafe out of my head. I zone in on the pitcher. Hildebrand has annihilated me in the past, but I think I’ve got his number now. Thanks to Declan, I know how to hit his heat. Dig in at the plate. Wait for my pitch. Focus.

And when I crowd the plate the slightest bit, he fires off a fastball. I swing hard, connecting with a loud crack.

The ball soars down the right-field line, arcing, taunting me near the foul line... and it’s fair.

Hell yes.

That is how you turn a game around.

I run to first, joy ringing in my ears and mixing with the cheers of the crowd. There is nothing quite like whacking a ball out of the park, and this one flies free, up, up, and beyond the fences. I punch the air as I round the base, smacking the first base coach’s outstretched palm. As I pass second, I know how I want to celebrate.

There’s no way to know if Rafe is watching the game live. Is he streaming it at his office? Or listening to the broadcast as he works that fine body of his at a private gym?

I’ll take that chance. It’s too perfect a way to send him a message. He might like to order me around. I might even dig his commands. But I like to play too.

When my feet touch home plate, I blow a kiss to the stands, then finish it off with a wink.

We win the game two innings later, and I high-five my teammates then head off the field, hoping a reporter calls me over.

Sure enough, as I near the dugout, Erin Madison waves a mic at me. “Gunnar, I’d love a quick post-game interview,” she says from her spot at the edge of the field.

“Absolutely,” I say, as if this wasn’t my plan all along. The blonde reporter fires off a few standard questions about the game, and I answer them all.

Then she gives a professional smile—curious and inviting, but not inappropriate. “And I have to ask, was the kiss for anyone in particular? Is there a special someone here in the stands today for the Dragons third baseman?”

I flash her a friendly grin. “C’mon, Erin. That was for all the fans. They are my loves, and I’m crazy for them. I adore every Dragon fan madly.”

She lifts a suspicious brow. “I’ve no doubt you do love your fans, but I’m not sure I buy that it was a kiss for everyone .”

“What?” I ask with humor and some cheek. “You think it was for someone in particular?”

“It seemed... pointed,” she says, then puts the mic in my face and waits.

I’m quiet for a beat, indulging in a long, sensual sigh, then I look away from her and straight into the camera. “If you’re watching, you know who that wink was for.” I turn back to Erin. “What can I say? I hit like a dragon, and I flirt like... me.”

She laughs and wraps up, and I thank her before I take off, bounding down the steps of the dugout.

My phone beeps as I make my way through the corridor to the locker room, and I check the screen, feeling smug.

Rafe: No, Gunnar, you flirt like an all-star. And imagine my private thrill when I knew that kiss and wink were for me. The reward I’m getting soon... is also for me. Once I receive it, perhaps I’ll give you one.

Gunnar: Question. Why don’t I get the reward? I’m the one who hit the home run.

Rafe: Because you want to please me. That’s your reward. Pleasing me.

I stop in my tracks, a sharp, hot bolt of pleasure shooting down my spine. Is that what I want? The thought of pleasing him gets me wildly hot. Turns me on in all new ways.

That’s what Rafe seems to do—unlock new parts of my desire. How is that possible when all we’ve done is kiss and grind?

Questions spin in my mind. What does he want? How far does he plan to take this flirtation? Where are we going with this attraction? And will it fuck up my bet with the guys?

It won’t. As long as I don’t fall .

I can avoid falling. But can I avoid wanting ?

Wicked fantasies unfurl on the tail end of those questions, visions of Rafe doing unholy things to my body. I want, oh hell, do I want.

My thumbs fly across the phone’s screen.

Gunnar: How can you tell what I want?

I genuinely want to know how he’s figured me out already. As I near the locker room, the corridor seems unnaturally silent. My footsteps echo and my heart pounds in my ears. I want his reply so badly. When my phone beeps, I pounce on his message.

Rafe: The way you moved your body against mine. That’s how I could tell. But enough questions. We had a deal. I want what I want, Gunnar. And you want it too. Your reward is... arousing me. Do it, and do it fucking soon.

I sizzle at reading his message. I close my eyes and set my palm against the concrete wall to steady myself and settle my rocketing desires. But I can’t leave him hanging, so I obey.

Gunnar: You’ll get it in an hour.

In the locker room, I count the seconds—one by one, minute by minute—as my teammates get dressed and trickle out for the night. When I have the place nearly to myself, I go into the shower, get in a stall, shut the door, and turn on my phone.

God bless waterproof phones and covers. Rafe will get a whole lot more than a photo. And then I’m going to collect a reward from him.