Out in the Field (Out in College 4)

“Max came by to say hi,” Sunny intercepted.

“Yeah, um…I should go. I’ll catch you next time, Sunny. See you later, Sarah.”

“Right. I’m sorry I was late. At least Nix was here to keep you company,” Sunny said brightly as she hooked her arm around my elbow and stood on her tip-toes to kiss my cheek.

“Wow. This is cool. I asked you if you guys were together earlier, Sunny.” Sarah grinned. “Why didn’t you say so? Will you be at the game tomorrow?”

“Uh…I don’t know,” Sunny replied.

“Yes,” Phoenix answered, wrapping his arm around his sister’s waist. “I’ll come with you.”

“Good. We’re going out for pizza after. All of us. It’s a huge group date!”

I said an awkward good-bye before heading for the door with Phoenix right behind me.

“Sun, I’m gonna walk Max down to his car and grab a protein powder sample,” he called out.

Sunny knit her brow and mouthed Gross, before shooing him away.

He snickered merrily as he followed me, barefoot, down the hall to the elevator. When the door slid open, I stepped inside the car before pulling him against me. I cradled his head as I molded my lips to his. It was a possessive kind of kiss that might have lacked finesse, but I hoped Phoenix could feel what I was trying to tell him without words. I want you. You’re mine.

I broke for air and rested my forehead on his. “I don’t know what just happened in there, but…”

“Shh. It’s okay. I think you’re going on another date with my sister, though.” He chuckled, sobering quickly when he noticed my expression. “Hey, it was a joke. What’s wrong?”

“Nothing. I just—I don’t know how long we can keep this up. Someone’s gonna figure us out and…”

“Hey, don’t worry. Sunny won’t go to the game and I told you I probably can’t either. I don’t want to mess anything up for you. Maybe we should—”

I put my hand over his mouth and shook my head. “Stop. We’re fine. Come to the game. By yourself or with your sister. We’ll figure the rest out later. Did I tell you I’m proud of you?” I waited for him to nod before sealing my lips over his and smacking his ass. “Good. Now scram. I gotta go.”

“What about my protein powder?” he joked.

He looked debauched as hell. If Sarah couldn’t figure out what we’d been doing, she wasn’t paying attention. His hair was mussed and stuck up a bit on one side and that was definitely a hickey on his neck.

I held the door open and chuckled. “I gave you everything I had, baby.”

Phoenix rolled his eyes. Then he made a heart sign and blew me a kiss.

I pushed the button to the lobby before setting my hand over my heart and stumbling backward like I’d just been shot with an arrow. It was corny and silly, but he laughed. And as the doors slid shut, I wondered if I’d ever work up the courage to say what I was really thinking.

7

There was a buzz in the air before our game the following afternoon. Some of it related to personnel BS I didn’t want to think about while I was on the field. Sky was at shortstop, Johnson was in center field, and Micah was on the bench. And he wasn’t happy. He went from being sullen and withdrawn to straight-up belligerent. He kept a watchful gaze on Sky that mirrored the one Coach Glenn cast between us in his office. Except Micah’s was more hostile than hopeful. The poor guy was eaten alive with jealousy.

Coach had just released a statement to the local press about Sky’s return. No doubt there would be quite a few reporters in the stands to report the “story.” On a slow sports news day at the beginning of April, a talented Division Three athlete’s unexpected return was something to talk about. I almost felt sorry for Sky. The intense scrutiny had to be distracting.

I pushed the excess noise aside and concentrated on my pregame warm-up as our fans filled the stands next to our dugout. I spotted my parents in my periphery when I threw the ball to Sky. My mom waved her arms above her head and yelled, “The dream team is back. Woohoo!” I chuckled at her antics as I caught the ball and shot a begrudging smile at Sky. I had no clue what motivated him or what was going through his head. It wasn’t my business anymore. He wasn’t my lover or even my friend. But if he was my teammate, I had to find a way to treat him with the same respect I gave the other seven guys on the field with us. I didn’t think we’d rekindle the chemistry Coach was hoping to see, but hey, maybe it would be enough to get to the championship.