“I do, my sister, Tiffany, is basically my best friend. She’s married to my brother-in-law, Brad, and they also have a little boy, Milo, who is about three.”
“Oh, that sounds like a fun age. My nephew is about nine months old, so still is a little on the innocent side.”
“Milo is a fun little kid. He’s an uncle’s boy, that’s for sure. If I’m around, he won’t listen to anyone but me. It drives my sister and brother-in-law crazy. He’ll sometimes cry for me, which breaks my heart when it happens and we aren’t in town or I can’t go to him.”
“Oh, they live in Indianapolis?” I ask, a little shocked that he has local family. “I didn’t think you were from around here,” I tell him.
“I’m not but it’s been fate, I guess. Brad was offered a job in Indianapolis shortly after he graduated with his MBA, so they packed up and moved here. Then, when I was drafted, it felt like fate was at it again, and again when I was called up to actually play for the big team and not in the minors.”
“Definitely sounds like a lot of fate working in your favor.”
“It really was.”
“Does your sister work, or does she get to stay home with Milo?”
“She’s home with Milo,” he tells me, but the way he says it, I can tell he’s holding something back.
“That’s great! Have they made it to any of the games?”
“A couple, but the evening ones make it a late night for Milo, and they are a bit long for his attention span.”
“I can understand that.” I chuckle. “They’re sometimes long for me.”
“Blasphemy,” he says dramatically. “So, what do you like to do outside of work?”
“I sometimes forget what it’s like to have a life outside of work. When I’m not putting out fires from Friday night shenanigans,” I tell him, giving him a pointed look, “I like to start my weekend off with some yoga. Other than that, the normal things, reading, hanging out with friends and family, traveling.”
“What is number one on your wish list of places to visit next?” he asks.
“Well, that depends on what the trip is for. If I’m looking for an exploration type trip, I’d love to go down to Peru and hike my way around for a week or two, or maybe down to Africa and go out on a safari or go to one of the giraffe sanctuaries. If it’s a relaxation trip, maybe with a lover, then somewhere that we can just lay out on the beach and be in the water. Book a bungalow that’s out over the water, like in Bora Bora. I’d also love to make it up to Alaska at some point and spend a few weeks just exploring.”
“I take it you don’t get to travel as much as you’d like to?” he asks, breaking into my thoughts.
“No, I don’t like to take time off during the season, as that is when I’m busiest. That leaves the off season, and well, that doesn’t leave me with all that much time, and some of the places I’d like to visit need to be visited during the summertime. So, until I either decide that it is okay to take off time during the season, or move on to a different job, I’ll stick to traveling during the off season.”
“I can see how that would be limiting.”
We fall into a bit of comfortable silence, long enough that I open my laptop back up and take care of a handful of emails. Most are simple things I’m able to easily answer.
I sneak a few peeks at Lucas while I work. He’s slipped in his AirPods and has closed his eyes as he leans back in his seat. The man sitting next to me is nothing like the one that showed up a few months ago. He’s like an onion. Has multiple layers and once you peel them back, you realize that he’s not so bad.
Eleven
Lucas
I sit in the hotel bar, the feeling a little déjà vu-ish, however, this time, I’m not worried about getting a call that someone has dropped a bomb and used my name in the mix. The biggest difference, this time, is the fact that Carmen is sitting right next to me. Because we’re in a large booth, her leg is next to my own and as people move about, we occasionally touch. The control it is taking to keep from reaching down and caressing her leg is strong right now.
I watch her as best as I can from the corner of my eye, and use talking to JJ, who’s on the other side of her, as a good excuse to almost always be looking that direction. I watch as she takes sips of her glass of wine. It isn’t lost on me that she’s been nursing the same glass the entire time we’ve been down here.
“You don’t have to hoard your wine, I’m sure they can bring you another glass,” I tease her as she takes yet another small sip.
“Aren’t you just full of jokes.” She smirks at me. “I’ve limited myself to just one glass, I don’t need to wake up with a wine headache tomorrow, plus, I’d like to make it back to my room in one piece.”
“I’ll make sure you make it back in one piece,” I tell her as my eyes scan the parts of her body that I can easily see with the table in my way. I press my knee against her and don’t miss the way her breath hiccups and her skin turns that fucking shade of red I love so much at my touch.
My dick presses against the zipper of my slacks the rest of the time we’re in this damn booth. Carmen doesn’t move her knee from pressing against mine, so I don’t move, either. If anything, we move closer to one another. She’s like a magnetic force and I’m drawn to her.
As some of the other guys start heading toward their rooms for the night, Carmen takes the opportunity to slip from the booth, as well, so I follow her out. “Thanks for letting me crash your evening, boys, but it’s time for me to turn in before I turn into a pumpkin,” she jokes.
“Of course, you’re welcome to join us whenever,” Matt O’Riley tells her.
“I’ll walk you back to your room,” I say only loud enough that Carmen can hear me. “This hotel might have tight security because we’re staying here, but that won’t stop some creep from following you.”
“Thank you,” she says, biting at her bottom lip. I didn’t think that it was possible, but my cock swells a little more. At this point, I’m sure I’ll have an imprint of my zipper for days to come.
I drop a hand to Carmen’s lower back as we walk through the lobby of the hotel and onto a waiting elevator. The entire team is on the twenty-second floor, which requires a key card to get to. Carmen slides her card into the slit before hitting the button. I don’t know if she realizes, but she leans back into my touch. The press of her against me has me wishing I could feel a whole lot more of her body pressed against my own, preferably with less clothing between us.
The elevator ride is quick, and before I know it, we’re exiting and heading down the long hall. She comes to a stop outside room twenty-two-twenty-two. “This is me, thanks for making sure I got back safely.”
I take a step closer, reaching out and tucking a strand of her hair behind her ear. My fingers caress her soft skin, and that feeling from a few minutes ago is back and stronger than ever. I watch her eyes as my fingers caress her skin, she isn’t pushing me away, which I’m taking as a win. I take another step closer, she’s now backed up against her door and I’m mere inches from her. “I’m going to kiss you now, unless you tell me not to,” I whisper, giving her a few seconds to process my words. When she doesn’t protest, my lips cover hers as I pull her in until we’re flush against one another.