Getting Wound Up: A Sapphire Falls/ Love Between the Bases Novel-- PART ONE (7 page)

“Hey.”

He set his shot glass down. “Sorry. I just meant—”

“No,” she cut him off. “You need to listen to me right now. You were
good
today, Eli. Really good. The best pitcher out there.”

“You’re biased.”

She nodded. “I am. But that doesn’t matter. You were good whether I wanted you to be or not.”

He searched her eyes. “You really think so?”

“I know so. You were amazing. Not only did you throw well but you were calm and collected, focused, intent. It was very se—
obvious…
that you were giving it your all.”

“It was very se?” he repeated, one eyebrow up.

Dammit. She’d almost said sexy. Because it had been that. It had most definitely been that.

“Obvious,” she repeated. “It was very
obvious
.”

She also became very aware of something she’d been trying to ignore. Her left knee was wedged between
his
knees and her right was pressed between his left leg and the wall. And she didn’t want to move an inch. His legs were solid and warm and she wanted nothing more than to press against even more of his solid, warm parts.

He apparently decided to let her comment go and Caitlyn tried to hold back her relief. If she made it back to Sapphire Falls without making Eli completely, irrevocably aware of her feelings for him, she was treating herself to a mani-pedi, because
that
would be a hell of an accomplishment.

“You really saw R.A. Dickey pitch?” Eli asked a moment later.

Surprised by the question, she nodded. “Really did.”

“Knuckleball’s your favorite pitch?” he asked.

She smiled in spite of the strangeness of the question. “No way, I like the heat best. Fastball right down the middle every time.”

Slowly he grinned. “So you’re not just blowing sunshine up my skirt with all of this talk about the knuckleball.”

“If your knuckleball sucked, I’d tell you.”

He reached over the small table and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.

She’d had no idea that her earlobe was connected to her breasts, but as his finger brushed the lobe, her nipples tightened.

“So you really do think I did okay today?”

“You did
amazingly
today,” she assured him.

“I want to believe it.”

“What can I do to help you believe it?”

“Look me in the eye and tell me something I
didn’t
do well.”

Well, if that’s what he needed… She thought back over the day. But it was tough. The heat from where her knee was pressed between his traveled up her thigh to the spot that had been secretly aching for him ever since bumping into him in the bathroom doorway last night. Then there were those piercing blue eyes boring into hers.

“Okay, third pitch,” she said, replaying it in her mind. “You released too late.”

He nodded. “I did.”

“And on the eighth pitch, you didn’t stride out as far as you should have.”

His eyes narrowed. “Okay.”

“And there was one…” She thought back. “Maybe like twelve, where you—”

“Okay,” Eli cut in. “Got it. I made some mistakes.”

She started shaking her head. “No. You had the best tryout of the day. If they don’t sign you they’re crazy. Because
in spite
of those
minor
things, you were throwing hard and accurate and—”

The waitress arrived with their plates just then.

“I’m going to hit the restroom.”

Eli slid off the stool, his legs tangling with hers for a moment, before he got free and stood.

Caitlyn watched him retreat and felt like a complete failure in the area of cheerleader and general supportive friend.

She picked up a fry and nibbled on it, but her appetite had disappeared. Instead she reached for her second shot and tipped it back. Then she reached for her phone.

A moment later her brother picked up. “Hey, how’d it go?”

“He did great.”

“Sounded like it,” Bryan agreed.

“You heard?”

“We all heard. We were with Chip. I made my famous cheese dip.”

Caitlyn grinned. Of course Sapphire Falls had turned Eli’s tryout into a party. She loved that. This tryout wasn’t just about Eli’s family—it was about everyone who loved him and knew he deserved this.

“Well, he doesn’t think so,” she said.

“You gotta convince him.”

“I’m trying. I was wondering…what would you do if you were here?”

She wasn’t just failing Eli here. Bryan had trusted her to get this done because he couldn’t. He’d told her “You’re my legs, Cait. You gotta get Eli to Kansas City”. She didn’t think her brother actually realized how his words had stabbed her in the heart.

This whole kidnapping plan was Bryan’s idea. It was exactly the kind of thing Bryan loved. He would have made the road trip into some huge adventure and he and Eli and Ty—because of course Ty would have come along—would have gone out on the town tonight and partied and they would have helped Eli forget any doubt about how great he’d done today.

But a truck had crossed the centerline on a mountain road where Ty and Bryan had been biking a little over a year ago, and now Bryan spent part of his time in a wheelchair and all of his time with two legs that didn’t do all of the things he needed and wanted them to do anymore. The spinal cord injury was incomplete and Bryan had come a long way in the sixteen months since he’d been thrown down the side of the mountain, but the fact remained that he’d never be one hundred percent. Coming with Eli to Kansas City would have required the wheelchair. Bryan hated the thing, and in the past couple of months had started simply avoiding things that would make him rely on the chair.

It killed her a little bit each time she watched him do something that was harder than it should be or took longer than it used to.

“I’d take him out and get him drunk and laid,” Bryan said.

Caitlyn felt her stomach flip. Well, they were working on the first and as for the second…

“But that’s probably what I would have done even if he was in a celebratory mood,” Bryan said. “I’m sure there are other options.”

“Well, we’ve each already had two shots of Jäger,” she said. “So you and I are not totally on different pages.”

Bryan chuckled. “Jäger? You? Even after New Year’s?”

Caitlyn made a disgusted sound. “You have to admit that Eli is a better option than Tim for Jäger-kissing.”

She held her breath. What would Bryan say to that? To even the hint that something could happen between her and Eli?

“Very good point,” Bryan replied.

Caitlyn froze. Bryan hadn’t freaked out. He hadn’t laughed that off. He hadn’t said, “I’d fucking kill him.”

She frowned. Wasn’t that what brothers were supposed to say about their friends and sisters hooking up? Bryan didn’t even sound surprised by the idea.

“So take the edge off with the shots and then be the bossy little thing I know you can be. Tell him to knock off the pity party. Tell him he’s awesome. Tell him he did great.”

“Bossy little thing?”

“Yeah, by the way, I’m not missing that while you’re gone.”

“I’m only bossy when you need it.”

“I’m fine.”

She frowned. She wanted to go back to the Eli conversation but couldn’t let this go entirely. “No. You’re not fine. You’re putting on a show for Mom.”

Their mother was
not
handling Bryan’s accident and disability well. At all. She was in deep denial, actually, and Bryan was allowing it—encouraging it even. To the point where he also acted like everything was fine when he was with her. Which meant he faked a lot when their mom was around.

“Just focus on Eli,” Bryan said, sounding very tired suddenly.

But she’d come home to Sapphire Falls to focus on
Bryan
. Her big brother needed help, whether he admitted it or not, and not the “everything’s just fine” approach their mother was taking. Bryan needed
her
. Someone who didn’t have a spouse or kids or a business or even a demanding, challenging job—no matter how much she wanted all of those things.

Another reason for her to stay unattached to Eli. If Eli was going to stay in Sapphire Falls for good and run the hardware store and make his life in his beloved hometown, then maybe.
Maybe
they could get involved. But as long as Eli’s attention and hopes and plans were focused outside of Sapphire Falls, she needed to keep her heart safe. Because she wasn’t going anywhere.

“So after I get him mellow with Jäger and tell him he’s great, then what?” she asked, letting Bryan steer the conversation back to Eli. She’d already done both of those things. She’d love to know what the next step was.

“You’d be surprised how much a strong shot and a beautiful girl’s admiration can do.”

She smiled. “Thanks for the compliment. But come on.”

“Guys love girls who think they’re awesome.”

Her heart did a little skip at the word “love”. “I do, actually, think he’s awesome.”

“I know you do.”

There was something in Bryan’s voice she couldn’t quite put her finger on but that made her sit up a little straighter.

“Have fun,” Bryan said. “Life’s short. You never know what tomorrow might look like.”

She felt her heart squeeze hard. No one knew better than Bryan how an entire life could get turned upside down in a second.

“I love you, Bry,” she said.

“Ditto.”

The moment they disconnected, Caitlyn felt her stool being swiveled. She came face-to-face with Eli.

“Eli, what—”

He cupped the back of her head and covered her mouth with his.

It didn’t last long. At least, it didn’t last long
enough
, in her opinion. But it was…amazing. Yes, that was definitely the word for the day.

“Did you really memorize each of my tryout pitches?” he asked, resting his forehead against hers.

She nodded, unable to speak. Because she’d also memorized the feel of his lips against hers. And she wanted to keep reliving it.

“Thank you,” he said quietly.

“For memorizing them?” she managed to ask.

“For caring.”

She melted a little at that. “I can’t help it.”

She immediately bit her lip. Crap. She had to stop with the slips. On this one she could blame her kiss-muddled brain, but…

Hey, he’d
kissed
her.

“You kissed me,” she said softly, pulling back just enough to look up at him.

“I did.”

She couldn’t help but let her gaze drop to his mouth.

“And I want to do it again.”

Her eyes flew back to his.

“There is really something sexy about you knowing all about pitching and every detail of my tryout and believing in me so adamantly.”

Oh boy, she really wanted to kiss him again. Or have him kiss her. However,
whatever
, it took to get his mouth on hers.

“Then I overheard you talking to Bryan. You really do think I’m amazing. You aren’t just saying that to
me
.”

“I’ve always thought you were amazing,” she said.

He pulled her close and lowered his head. “Yeah, the wanting to kiss you isn’t new either.”

And then he was.

It was so much more than the spontaneous good-luck kiss. It was even more than the one just a minute ago. This one was much more…intentional.

His lips moved over hers slowly, deliberately, as if he was savoring her. After only a few seconds she was clinging to him, his shirt fisted in her hands, her back arching as she tried to get closer.

Caitlyn felt his hand move to the back of her neck, holding her in place as he tasted her, his tongue sliding along her lower lip and then in against her tongue when she sighed.

When he finally lifted his head, she swore that she could still feel his tongue on hers. And in a few other places it hadn’t actually been.

“Whoa,” she breathed out.

He nodded. “Yeah.”

“We should…”

“Stop.”

“Do that again.”

They spoke at the same time and stopped at the same time.

He let go of her and stepped back.

“You think we should stop,” she said, trying not to show just how disappointed she was.

“You think we should keep going?” He looked a little stunned at that.

“I think I need another shot.” She raised her hand and signaled the waitress.

She was definitely going to need another, because she’d just made a life-altering decision. Do or die. All or nothing. Play hard or go home.

Gulp.

* * *

Another shot was such a bad idea. But Eli tipped his head back, swallowing his third dose of Jäger anyway. The tryout was over. It was out of his hands. Nothing he could do. His life was currently in a strange limbo state between what he’d always known and what he’d always dreamed of. Tomorrow his life could change forever. Or not. But for tonight, he was floating between the two worlds.