Winning With Him (Men of Summer #2) by Lauren Blakely

* * *



Declan: I’m going to ride all your rides.





* * *



Grant: First choice?





* * *



Declan: That’s cruel. How can I pick? But if I have to, I’ve got a reel playing in my head of you and me sixty-nining.





* * *



Grant: It’s like we share a dirty brain sometimes.





* * *



Declan: Why not? We share plenty of other organs.





* * *



Grant: By the way, do you see how I’m running solo? I’d suggest you do the same. As in, you better not find a new workout partner when you go to Tampa.





* * *



He sends me back a gif of Robert Downey Jr. rolling his eyes.



* * *



Grant: I definitely deserved that.





* * *



Declan: You did.





* * *



I return to my audio book as I run, a smile sneaking across my face at the realization that not once have I wanted to throw my phone at the wall. I definitely don’t want to chuck it a few mornings later when I wake up to a hilariously adorable text from my favorite Comet.



* * *



Declan: Question. What does one wear clubbing?



* * *



Laughing, I write back.



* * *



Grant: Dude, are you planning your outfit for a date three months—no, more than three months from now?





* * *



Declan: Evidently.





* * *



Grant: I love it! You keep that up and you’ll be upgraded to the Platinum Gay Card in no time.





* * *



That earns me another eye-rolling gif. I reply with my best fashion tip.



* * *



Grant: Honestly, I want to grind against you no matter what you’ve got on. But jeans and a tight shirt that show off your smoking hot bod are enough for me. Why are you asking?





* * *



Declan: Just figuring I’ll need to work through my dancing issues in therapy too. Might as well get started now.





* * *



I crack up, loving this new self-deprecating side of him. Most of all, I love that he’s showing it to me.



* * *



Grant: For the record, I can’t wait to go dancing with you. And if dancing isn’t your thing, I’ll lead. All you’ll have to do is just move with me. I’ll make it nice and easy.





* * *



Declan: It’s not my thing, but I do want to go with you. I can tell it’ll make you happy.





* * *



Grant: It will make me so happy to dance with you.





* * *



Declan: That is all I need to know. I’m there.





* * *



A few days later, the position players arrive for training. Once the whole team is here, we convince the rookies that Crosby can do the triple lift. Sullivan, Miguel, Chance, and I cover them in ketchup and baby powder, and for the first time in six years I don’t feel a pang in my heart during this ritual.

Our manager appears, parks his hands on his hips, and laughs his ass off. “All right, gentlemen, and I use that term loosely, get your asses to work. Rookies, hit the showers.”

The rookies rush to the locker room while the troublemakers among us head to the dugout to put our condiment weapons away.

“Remember when that was us?” Sullivan asks.

“How could I forget?” I certainly can’t, but I can enjoy that memory now that it’s good again.

Better than good.

That’s life with Declan in it.

My life was good before. Hell, my life was great.

Now, it’s even better.





That night, Declan calls for no reason. “Just wanted to hear your voice,” he says.

“That’s the best reason to call.”

I tell him about the triple lift, and he laughs. “Maybe I’ll get that going here too. Tucker and Brady would get a kick out of it,” he says. “You’d think by now the word would get out and spoil the prank.”

“Or maybe the rookies keep quiet so they can keep up the tradition when they’re the veterans.”

Declan chuckles again, faint and fond. “I can still picture the way you were smiling that day,” he says.

“You might have had something to do with my mood.”

“Let’s keep that up.”

“Works for me.”





When I hit my first home run of spring training, my guy texts me a surprise that night.



* * *



Declan: Let’s play a game. Every time you get a hit, I’ll send you your favorite kind of selfie. You in?





* * *



Grant: All in.





* * *



Declan: Great, here you go.





* * *



The image loads as I walk from the shower into the living area of my hotel suite. The shot is so damn sexy I have to grab hold of the wall so I don’t fall over. It’s Declan unsnapping his jeans, pushing down his boxer briefs, and sliding his hand down his hard length.