I shivered when the cool morning air hit my body as we exited. “Holy shit, it’s cold up here. ”
“Yeah. The weather’s a little different than back home. ” He lifted an eyebrow as he led me across the street toward the first row of cars.
I scanned the area looking for the familiar white death trap when he clicked the unlock button on an unfamiliar black Acura. I stopped walking and tilted my head back. “Whose car?”
“My roommate, Tyler’s. He let me borrow it since I’d knew you’d freeze in mine. ”
“Thanks,” I said, moving into the chilly leather seat.
Jack slid his muscular frame into the car and turned to look at me. His face twisted into a sexy smile, his dimples appearing. “I’m so happy you’re here. ”
I felt my cheeks warm with his words. “Me too. Thank you so much for flying me. ”
“Gotta see my girl!” he said with enthusiasm before the engine purred to life.
“So tell me about your new roommates and your place and stuff,” I asked, even though he’d told me a lot of those things before.
“Well, you know we have a house that we rented. We each have our own room. The guys are Tyler, Nick, and Spencer. Tyler’s girlfriend Amanda’s in town too. You’ll like her, she’s cool. And you girls can go to the games together and stuff, so that worked out. ”
“What worked out?” I asked, wanting clarification.
He glanced at me before looking back at the road. “Well, I was sort of going crazy before I knew that Amanda would be here. I didn’t want you going to the field by yourself. I’m not sure if you know this or not, but I really fucking hate leaving you alone. Especially after what happened. ” His tone tightened with irritation.
“Jack. ” I sympathized as I flashed back to the night of the beating.
“I know I have issues. But I can’t let something happen to you again. ” He exhaled through his nose. “So I was happy when Tyler told me that Amanda would be in town. Now you don’t have to be alone. ”
I smiled and rested my hand on his thigh. “Sounds good. ”
Jack pulled the car into the driveway of a gorgeous two-story house. “Jack, this house looks brand new!”
“I told you it’s only a few years old. The guy who owns it has like twelve properties or something. Wait ’til you see the backyard. ” His eyebrows lifted as he smirked.
“I’ve seen the backyard. ” I hinted at the many cell phone pictures he’d sent me.
“Well, wait ’til you see it in person. ”
I walked on the cobblestone pathway to the oversized front door and headed inside, where music blared in an empty room. “Jesus. Sorry, Kitten, I’ll turn it down. ” Jack ran to the stereo and flipped the switch off.
“Hey!” A rowdy voice yelled from a distance and I peered around the wall into the perfectly manicured backyard. Green trees, bushes, and plants surrounded the back side of the pool, making it appear lush and tropical. Earth-colored stones and matching boulders accented the area, bringing out the blue of the water.
One of Jack’s roommates sat floating on a neon pink raft as another tumbled down the built-in slide. “Wow, you were right. It’s much better in person. ”
“And you can’t even see the hot tub from there,” he whispered before running up the stairs. “Come on, Kitten. ”
I followed Jack up before colliding with a girl I assumed was Tyler’s girlfriend Amanda, knocking her twisted hair loose. I watched as the light brown strands fell from the once messy bun, into just…a mess. “I’m sorry! Are you okay?” I asked as I helped her up.
“Yeah. You must be Cassie? I’m Amanda,” she said, grabbing and twisting her hair back into place.
“Nice to meet you. ” I smiled, my tone cordial.
“You too. Okay, I really have to go before I pee my pants. ” She laughed, ran into the bathroom, and slammed the door shut.
*****
The thought of going to my first professional baseball game alone didn’t really appeal to me, so I was thankful Amanda was in town. We arrived at the field, parked, and headed toward the Will Call ticket booth. I gripped my camera tightly as we walked to our seats next to the visitors’ dugout.
The stadium was much larger than the one at Fullton State, but the crowd was similar. There were a lot of families with kids and a ton of girls. When our team was announced, the crowd went wild. And when they broadcasted Tyler’s name, groups of girls screamed and some stood up, showing their jerseys with his number on the back.