Wild Pitch (All Aces #3)

Chapter 1

KYLIE

Iarrived at the airport with barely enough time to catch the red-eye flight back to Boston.

The last-minute stop at Goodwill to donate almost everything I owned took longer than planned.

I chose to move back to Boston for a fresh start, and keeping mementos from college didn’t fit the new life I had mapped out.

I briefly considered staying in Washington, but I accepted when the Massachusetts Department of Public Health offered me an entry-level position as an epidemiologist in Boston. Washington was beautiful and had a lot to offer, but it didn’t have my family.

My mom was a nurse, so I had plenty of exposure to healthcare systems, and this was most likely why I’d always had a side obsession with diseases.

She also provided a foundation for disease prevention and infection control.

But I loved numbers and data more than interacting with and treating sick people.

I was hooked when I discovered I could play an active role in controlling the spread of disease without becoming a doctor or nurse.

So, I had my dream job. I was closer to my family, and I lived within fifteen minutes of my brand-new nephew, Crew. I would have sacrificed almost anything for this opportunity.

I checked my phone before boarding and confirmed that Kelsey would still be available to pick me up at Logan Airport when I landed first thing in the morning.

Although I dreaded the first few days back while adjusting to the time change, I couldn’t wait to finally hold Crew.

I hadn’t been able to make it back in March when he was born, and so up until now, I had only ever seen him on FaceTime.

Thank God for FaceTime. When I chose the University of Washington, the decision was driven by the full-ride scholarship I received to play soccer.

During the last game of my senior year, right as I was about to score, I heard a pop when my ACL tore. My soccer career was over, but during my recovery, I was accepted to the master’s program. I loved living on the West Coast, but when my sister got pregnant with my nephew, I yearned to help her.

I boarded the flight and cringed. I found myself stuck in the middle seat.

Ugh, I hated the middle seat, but after getting distracted packing up my apartment, I had forgotten to check in for the flight home.

This was the last seat left where I didn’t have to pay up, and I hated paying extra for comfort.

When I found my row, both neighbors had already taken their seats, and I had to say “excuse me” twice before the woman in the aisle looked up at me and moved. Her huff when I pointed out that she was sitting on my seatbelt got the attention of the man seated by the window.

Oh my. Can a man be beautiful? I wanted to drown in his warm brown eyes, and the crinkle at the corner, followed by a quick wink and nod at the woman. I was relieved that he’d charmed her, but slightly jealous he’d given her that smile. And she smiled back at him just before giving me a dirty look.

“Here, let me help,” he said, sliding over as far as he could towards the window as he lifted the armrest so I could store my personal items under the seat.

It was then that I realized I had already lost the armrest negotiation with the witch at the end of the row. Didn’t everyone know that the middle row got both armrests? It was the only benefit to sitting in the middle seat, and she had stolen it from me.

I had finally settled and fastened my seatbelt when I remembered my book was still in my backpack. Of course, the hot guy next to me also bent down to search his bag at the same time, and yep, our heads collided.

“Sorry,” he said, immediately taking responsibility.

We negotiated access to our backpacks by taking turns, and my eyes wandered to the book in his hand. Huh.

I held up my copy of Mistborn, the first book in Branden Sanderson’s series, and he sheepishly showed his copy of the same book.

“Looks like you’re further along than I am,” I said. “I’ve been holding off starting this series. I heard the Cosmere can get intense, and every book gets longer and longer.”

He chuckled, the sound coming out more like a deep rumble. “I travel a lot for work and can’t sleep on planes, no matter how late we’re flying. My goal is to go right through the series this summer.”

“That’s ambitious. I love a good fantasy series, but I usually end up reading a palate cleanser between each book,” I said, grateful that I hadn’t been reading one of those palate cleansers today.

I felt no shame in some of my smuttier reads, but I wasn’t comfortable talking about those choices with good-looking men on planes.

I checked his left hand, and while I didn’t see a telltale gold band, I thought I saw an indentation from where one had been not too long ago.

Sigh. Did he slip his ring into his pocket when I sat down?

Was he one of those businessmen who traveled and picked up women while his wife and family waited for him at home?

I never understood why men would bother getting married only to cheat.

I shook my head, feeling disappointed. At what?

Did I really think that the universe would put me next to a handsome and eligible man?

No, I tended only to attract unavailable men or women.

They were either physically or emotionally unavailable, though the tease of a man next to me was definitely par for the course.

The universe again dangled candy in front of my face, and I couldn’t have it.

I attempted to immerse myself in my book, but my eyes kept wandering to the stranger to my left. When he rolled back the cover of his paperback after cracking the spine, I gasped.

His eyes shot to mine.

“Everything okay?” He asked.

“It was. Until you ruined your book. Why’d you have to go and crack the spine like that? Please don’t tell me you keep your place by folding the corner.”

“How else would I mark my place?” His brows arched, and the corner of his mouth ticked up in amusement.

“Um, there are so many better ways that don’t involve absolutely destroying the integrity of the book.

Have you ever heard of a bookmark?” I asked, holding up my bookmark that proclaimed I like my books dirty and my MMCs well hung.

My face grew red as I dug through the seatback pocket for a distraction.

“Or even this is better.” I held up the barf bag and shook it in his face. Hopefully, before he had a chance to read and absorb the words on my favorite bookmark, the one Kendra had sent me after she bought it from a small Etsy seller.

He laughed again, and the rich rumble of his voice vibrated through me.

“I’ve always been a bit of a destroyer of books. When I finish reading, it’s as if I’ve gone to battle right along with the characters.”

I shook my head, unable to wipe the smile from my face. Again, just my luck that I’d meet a man so incredibly easy to talk to, and he’d be married. Of course, if he were married and an experienced cheater, I probably couldn’t trust my reaction to him.

“Where are you headed…?” He finished with a question, looking for me to provide my name.

“I’m Kylie, I’m moving back to Boston. I just graduated from my Master’s program, and I’m headed home. And you?”

“I was out west finalizing my divorce.” He shrugged.

My eyes darted to the indentation on his finger once more and then connected with his. What was the emotion I saw in his eyes? Hurt? Regret? Or maybe even a hint of relief.

“That sounds like a hell of a story,” I said.

“It certainly is, but I have a very good friend who warned me that you don’t tell a woman you’re interested in about your divorce story right out of the chute.”

Oh. Damn. I’ve never had a man be this open and honest with his interest. But then again, this guy probably had at least ten years on any of the people I’d dated.

“No, probably don’t want to share that story before you’ve even given this woman your name,” I said with a grin.

He shook his head. A wry smile showcased a dimple that somehow went perfectly with the dark stubble, contrasting the rugged look with boyish charm.

“Real smooth, huh?” He asked before holding his hand out in greeting. “Luc Lecompte. I’m sorry, I’m a little out of practice.”

I took his hand, not expecting to feel a shock when our skin connected, and pulled it back sharply. He also looked down at his hand, and no, that wasn’t static, and yes, we both felt it.

Our neighbor, likely tired of listening to us, sighed heavily, heaving herself in her seat. We both stifled a laugh and then promptly returned to ignoring her existence.

“What do you do that requires you to travel for work so often?” I asked, curious to learn more about him.

“I work for the Minutemen, and I travel with the team during the season,” he said.

“So, you’re support staff?” I asked. Growing up in Boston, we lived and breathed for the Minutemen. My father would have disowned me if I dared to cheer for another team.

“You could say that. The schedule is partially the reason for my divorce.” He looked down at his hands. “Sorry, I somehow brought it up again. I swear I’ve moved on. The papers might have only just been finalized, but it ended more than a year ago.”

I nodded and smiled at him in an attempt to reassure him. “It’s okay, I’ll still give you my number.”

And now he positively beamed as he handed me his phone. I created the contact and put an airplane emoji beside my first name.

“Can you please?” Our aisle seat neighbor asked with an eye roll. She’d had enough of our chatter.

We both picked up our books and resumed reading.

At some point during the flight, I’d fallen asleep on Luc’s shoulder.

I woke up when we landed to find that I’d curled into him while I slept, my arm draped across his lower abdomen, dangerously close to his fly, and yep, I’d drooled.

Judging from the dazed look on his face, he’d also fallen asleep.

“I thought you said you don’t sleep on airplanes?” I asked.

“I don’t. Or I never have before,” he said, eyes wide with confusion.

When we stood to deplane, he bent to help with my backpack.

“My sister is picking me up, and she’s got an infant, so I don’t want to keep her waiting too long. As soon as we get off, I’m gonna fly to see her. But you have my number?”

“I do,” he said, gently reaching to push a few strands of hair off my face and tuck them behind my ear. And yup, my eyes dropped to his mouth. How the hell was I thinking about kissing this man, morning breath and all, in the middle of a crowded airplane?

And just before I did something insanely stupid, the line to deplane suddenly started to move.

I looked back at him briefly before I took off, “Bye, Luc,” I mouthed