Chapter 17
SEVENTEEN
Watching Damien was like a masterclass in athleticism. The man moved like no other, surpassing even the younger guys on the field. Yet, when he made that last play, he got up slower than before, walking like he’d hurt himself when he knocked out the runner.
Panic swelled in my chest, wishing there was some way to check in on him from up in our seats.
But he wouldn’t have his phone until the game ended, and there wasn’t anyone to ask without setting off my friends’ alarm bells.
Even though Ollie knew something happened with Damien last night, I refused to tell her anything.
The moment I opened my mouth to ask about him, she’d see right through me.
From the second I left his bed this morning, I’d wanted to crawl back into it, getting more of that delicious pleasure only Damien had ever provided.
Being with him was easy—almost too easy.
He made me laugh, made me more confident, made me want to discover new sides of myself I’d been too shy ever to discuss in the past.
Which was a big problem.
My time with Damien was supposed to be only a night or two, but his touch turned into an obsession—a decade-long itch I’d been dying to scratch.
We might have only spent a couple of nights together, but I was already getting attached.
Crap. I should’ve known my soft heart would be too weak to handle him.
Even though I tried to keep feelings out of it, they’d started creeping in, making me read too much into our nights together.
This was sex. Nothing more.
As Emilia cheered on the Hawks’ batter, Hadley turned toward me. “You okay, Bri? You’re looking a little green.”
Ollie arched her eyebrow from Emilia’s other side. As she took in my expression, she smirked then turned back to watch the game. I glanced over at Hadley. “Yeah, all good. We went out and had a couple of drinks last night, and it’s taking its toll today.”
Unease settled in my stomach. I hated lying to Hadley, especially when she’d confided in me when things started heating up with Cam.
Even though their relationship was a little unconventional, those two were meant to be.
When they tried to deny it, they fell for each other fast and hard.
It was only a matter of time until Cam asked her to be his wife.
That would never be the path for Damien and me.
We were ships in the night, spending a few brief moments together before we returned to our true destinations.
Give it a week or two, and Damien would be back scouring the clubs for his next supermodel while I’d return to my world of romance novels and quiet nights alone.
And that was what I wanted. At least, what I should've wanted.
So why did the idea of Damien with anyone else make my heart race?
The sound of the roaring crowd ripped me from my thoughts.
I glanced up at the screen and saw Damien heading out to the base, a cocky grin written on his face.
The man oozed swagger, like the legends of old Hollywood, but with his gruff facial hair and arms covered with tattoos, he looked more like the stereotypical bad boy.
The pitcher sized him up and tried to look menacing as Damien settled at the plate.
God, the intensity made me squirm in my seat, and I had nothing riding on the game.
I could only imagine how he felt down on the field, knowing thousands of fans held their breath, waiting to see what their favorite player would do.
I sucked in a sharp breath at the first pitch, watching as the blur of the ball approached Damien. The umpire’s ‘strike’ reached all the way up to the stands, and I winced. Hadley grabbed my hand. “Getting into the game, huh?”
“Yeah,” I chuckled. “It’s much more intense when you know the guys on the field.”
Hadley’s head snapped in my direction. “Have you been talking to Damien?”
“What?” I shook my head. “No, of course not. I haven’t seen him since he drove me back to the hotel in Dallas.”
Great. Now I’d gone from evading the truth to downright lying to my friend. Luckily, Hadley didn’t seem to pick up on my deception; she just turned back to watch the next pitch. “Damien’s smart. He won’t risk swinging at a sloppy pitch.”
We all stopped talking as the pitcher released the ball, silent as Damien swung the bat.
Another strike. One more to go. His smirk fell from his face, replaced by fierce determination.
Now, my thighs clenched for an entirely different reason.
Cocky, funny Damien was one thing, but this intense, smoldering version?
I wanted to climb down from the stands and mount him right then and there, hoping he’d be just as intense as he claimed me.
Images of climbing on top of Damien filled my mind as the third pitch rang out, followed by the audible crack of the bat making contact.
Most of the crowd kept their eyes on it, watching with bated breath to see where it would inevitably land.
But my gaze never left Damien as he ran through the bases, too distracted by him to even cheer.
When the ball landed in the outfield, it was too late—Damien was already rounding into second base, the previous players scurrying across home.
The shortstop tossed the ball back to the pitcher, who scowled at the scoreboard before pounding the ball into his glove.
Damien started to slink off the base, but the pitcher turned over his shoulder, glaring at him.
It was enough to stay Damien but not enough to wipe the smirk from his lips.
When the pitcher turned back to the next batter, Damien turned, as if he sensed my eyes digging into the back of his skull.
His face shifted when he spotted me in the stands, and my heart leaped into my chest at the adoration reflected at me.
Over. This is over.
Except Damien’s expression told me he wasn’t letting it go that easily.
“Are you sure I should be back here?”
I paced the small hall, trying not to overthink my decision to follow Ollie to the family and friends area. While everyone else had someone waiting on the other side of the locker room, I had no reason to be down here.
Even though I’d slept in Damien’s bed last night, we didn’t have a relationship. We weren’t together—hell, we’d barely become friends.
And I needed to remember that.
No matter what happened last night or how I felt during the game, it didn’t change our situation. We’d used each other a couple of times; that was it. No emotions, no feelings. Just sex with no strings.
Too bad standing down here, I felt like a puppet, attached to Damien with so many strings, I couldn’t even control my own movements.
Hadley chuckled at my side. “Of course you should be here. You’re part of our crew.
Cam made sure to get you on the list so you could hang with Ollie and me.
” She paused, turning to look down the hall where Emilia was chatting with some of the other kids.
“I swear, that girl’s going to turn out just like Cam.
She’s already begging to join one of the softball leagues with the middle schoolers. ”
Before I could answer, the door to the locker room swung open, and I jumped, terrified Damien had come out.
God, I needed to get it together, needed to find the best way to put distance back between us.
No matter what my heart wanted, I wasn’t ready for anything more.
Honestly, the world’s most perfect man could walk in front of me right now, and it would be useless.
My heart wasn’t ready to get back out there, not when I was still recovering from my divorce.
The last time I'd let my heart call the shots, I’d ended up alone, with nothing to show for the past ten years of my life.
That thought sobered me, and I tucked those pesky little feelings into a tightly locked box. By the time Damien came out of the locker room, my mask was back in place, hiding all the thoughts that had raided my mind over the past few hours.
He ignored everyone else in the room, instead heading straight toward me.
Instinct told me to run into his arms, to wrap myself around him and tell him how proud I was of him.
But fear rooted me to the spot; I only offered a slight smile.
Hadley stepped in between us, wrapping her arms around his waist. “Awesome game, Ramos.”
“Thanks, Hads.” He smiled at her words, but his eyes remained on me. Despite the inches separating us, his gaze was like a caress, cascading down my body until I sensed it in my toes. “Good to see you at a game, Brianna. What did you think?”
Every instinct screamed out for me to praise him, to tell him how mesmerizing he was out on the field. Even after a decade of playing, his joy was evident, even way out in the stands.
Instead, I said, “It was fine. You played well.”
The corner of his lip quirked up, finding my dismissal amusing for some reason. “Guess we have to step our game up. Can’t have our fans saying we’re just playing fine.”
Hadley’s eyes bounced back and forth between us, as if trying to figure out what was going on.
Join the club, Hadley. Even though this man had seen me at my most vulnerable, right now, my walls were made of reinforced titanium.
I shook my head, turning toward her and edging Damien out of the conversation.
Reaching out to hug her, I said, “I’m going to catch up with Ollie. Are you good?”
“Yeah,” Hadley drawled, looking over her shoulder at Damien.
His presence still burned at my back, but I couldn’t turn around.
I couldn’t keep up this act any longer. My mind might be made up about Damien, but the rest of my body had a vastly different reaction.
The scent of his masculine body wash filled my nose, the heat of his imposing frame pressed against my skin.
I glanced over my shoulder, giving Damien a nod without meeting his gaze. “Good to see you again, Damien.”
“You too, Ms. Sideris,” he responded, his voice taking on that deep tone I loved so much. Shivers scattered along my skin, and from the laugh on his lips, Damien knew exactly how I’d reacted to his words.
By the time I exited the hall, my heartbeat had returned to normal, finally able to take a deep breath now that I was out of Damien’s presence. Our lines were there for a reason—one I needed to remember.