Slanting my mouth over hers, I whispered the most honest words I could in that moment, “I’ve fallen for you.”
Her eyes watered as I stripped her out of her dress and shed my clothes. I kissed her tears away as I pushed inside the warmth of her body. It was reckless and dangerous, but I didn’t care. For just that moment, I wanted to be stupid. I wanted to feel her, because it was the only thing that made sense. It was the only thing that felt right.
With LANCO’s “Born to Love You” playing softly in the background through the speakers of my truck, the moon and stars shining down on us, the river flowing feet away, I laid claim to her for what I was afraid would be the last time.
I cocooned Hannah with my body as she sat between my legs on the tailgate of my truck, her small figure draped in nothing but my shirt. Her mouth opened with a half-yawn, half-sigh. We had only a few hours left before the sun would start to rise, and a few hours after that she’d be on a plane back to Seattle.
“You aren’t falling asleep on me, are you?” I rocked her body back and forth teasingly. We’d made a pact that we’d stay awake for the rest of the night, making the most of our last few hours together.
She sighed with a smile, rolling her head that was resting on my shoulder to the side to look up at me. “It’s not my fault. It’s the wine’s. And because we aren’t moving. And because of you.”
“Me?”
“Yes.” She snuggled farther into my arms, and I squeezed her tighter. “You’re too comfortable.”
I kissed the top of her head. “All right. I have an idea.”
“Hmm?” she asked sleepily.
Part of me wanted to just let her fall asleep in my arms. I’d be just as happy to watch her sleep.
“How do you feel about playing a little baseball?”
“It sounds horrible.”
My chest shook with my chuckle, jarring her a little as it did. “Come on, it’ll be fun,” I said, nudging her forward as I slid out from behind her.
I jumped down from the tailgate and opened the back door of the extended cab, pulling out the bucket of baseballs, my bat, and the portable pitching machine I kept in there. I grabbed one of my caps, turning it backwards on my head. I dug through my backseat for another. Finding one on the floorboard, I picked it up, dusting it off.
I walked around to the back of the truck again, finding Hannah curled up in a ball on her side, laying on the end of the tailgate, her eyes closed. I lowered the equipment to the ground before brushing aside a piece of hair that was blocking the view of her beautiful face.
Her eyes fluttered open and she smiled up at me. “I’m awake,” she mumbled.
My throat grew thick as I wet my dry mouth. She had no idea how much she had this small-town boy wrapped around her finger. “We can sleep if you want, Han.”
“No!” She sat up abruptly. “No, I’m awake. Promise.” She glanced down at the equipment sitting on the ground at my feet. “Let’s play ball!” she yelled, pumping a fist in the air.
I shook my head with a laugh, grabbing her hands to pull her off the truck. “All right, blondie. Let’s see what kind of swing you’ve got.”
With her hand wrapped up in mine, I guided her through the field, making sure to get us as far away from my truck as possible. It may have been a work truck, but it was the only one I had, and I didn’t need any extra dents or a cracked windshield.
I found as level of a spot as possible, setting the pitching machine down before loading it up with baseballs and slowing down the speed of the pitch to make sure it was set for a beginner.
“So how does this work?” Hannah asked.
I glanced up at where she stood opposite me with nothing on but that damn shirt and her sandals, her body leaning to the side as she supported herself with her hand on the bat. Her hair was a wild mess from our roll in the grass. Her eyes beamed with her smile. It was the sexiest damn thing I’d ever seen.
My cock throbbed, restrained by only my jeans. I pushed the dirty thoughts running through my head to the background, so I didn’t end up taking her fast and hard in the grass again. I picked up the extra baseball hat and strode toward her, the sun slowly starting to peek over the horizon in the distance.
“First,” I said, stopping in front of her as she straightened to her full height, “every baseball player needs a hat.”
I brushed her hair behind her shoulders before pulling the hat snug over her head. Those big eyes stared up at me, and I couldn’t help but drop a quick kiss on her lips.
“Now what?” she breathed, her chest heaving a little faster.
Damn.
This was going to be tougher than I thought. If it hadn’t been for the fact that I knew a ball was about to come flying our way, I might have given in and let my dick win.
I stepped around to her backside, positioning her so her ass was tucked into my crotch. She wiggled it a little, no doubt feeling my hard-on, and I nipped at her ear for her little stunt. She laughed, using her shoulder to help shield her ear from my attack.
“Behave,” I warned with a hint of humor.
Starting at her shoulders, I slid my hands down the smooth skin of her arms, feeling it bristle with goosebumps as I went. A cocky grin twitched on my lips as I lifted her arms with the bat in her hands. Leaning forward, I pressed into her back to help get her into a batting position.
Her breathing increased with my racing heart as I held her close, bringing the bat up higher and behind us, preparing for our first swing.
“I’ve never played before.”
“Don’t worry. Just relax, sweetheart, and breathe. I’ll guide you on the first few swings until you get the feel for it.”
She nodded her head as she nibbled on her bottom lip.
I waited for the wind up of the machine’s arm, letting me know it was getting ready to throw. A split second later the ball released. With years of practice and instinct, my body acted on reflex with a perfectly timed swing, connecting the bat with the ball. A loud crack echoed through the air as it cut through the sky and into the distance.
Hannah squealed, releasing the bat and jumping into my arms. “I hit it! I hit it!”
With the bat still in one hand, I laughed, holding her with my other arm around her waist as she dotted kisses all over my face.
“Oh my gosh, that was so much fun!” She was still bouncing on her toes as she grabbed the bat from my hands. “I want to do it again.”
“Good, because we only have a few more seconds before another one comes flying at us.”
I settled behind her again, giving her little tips and advice as we got back into position. She nodded her head along with all my instructions, fully focused on hitting another ball. We hit a few more balls together before she had the confidence to try one on her own.
I reloaded the machine before jogging back over to her, inspecting her stance. I prowled around her, running my hand up her bare thighs and under her shirt, giving her firm ass a little squeeze and a slap. “Looking good, batter.”
“Stop,” she demanded, glaring playfully at me. “You’re distracting me.”
I chuckled at the serious expression that instantly overtook her face as she readied herself again. I stepped off to the side, hoping she remembered to hold onto the bat. The ball came spiraling through the air and she swung, completely missing it.