Rounding the Bases by Jaqueline Snowe
Chapter Seven
Sarah
I’d misheard him. It was the only explanation.
“Hm, what?”
“Sarah, can I kiss you?” he asked again, teasing my mouth with his thumb that felt like a bolt of lightning electrifying all my nerves at once. It overwhelmed me and my super-cool response was to stare at him, open-mouthed, a little dumbstruck.
“Me?” I managed to say after an obscene amount of time.
“Yes. Most definitely you.” He answered so easily, like my question was the simplest question I could ask him. “Your red lips have been driving me crazy all goddamn night.”
“But I groped you,” I blurted out, hating myself immediately after. It had the reverse effect on him, though. He lowered his gaze to my mouth and raised one eyebrow, indicating that he was waiting for my answer. “Kess,” I said, like an idiot. “Yes, kiss me. That’s what I tried to say, but it combined into one word and—”
He brought his lips to mine and it was the softest, tenderest kiss I had ever experienced in my entire life. There was no hurry, just touch—the sound of the band playing faded into the background and everything about the moment was seared into my mind. The warmth of his mouth, the rough way his facial hair tickled the edges of the kiss, how his hand moved from my face to my neck, and oh, shit. He nibbled on my bottom lip and a wave of lust so powerful hit me that I grabbed his hair and pulled him closer.
“Mm, Blue Bell,” he muttered between kissing me. Mm… That one syllable was more intimate and sexy than anything I had heard. It felt like he meant it. Mm. I wanted to keep that word and tattoo it on my heart.
Mm.I made him mm.
He pulled back, breaking our embrace, and had a wild look in his hazel eyes. I recognized it, since my insides were like wildfire. If I’d thought he was sexy before, it increased when he reached over and wiped under my mouth. “I smudged your lipstick. Sorry, Blue.”
“Worth it.” I stood, knocking my hip into the table, causing him to reach out and place a hand on my side. It almost made me whimper. Almost. “I’ll run to the restroom and fix it.”
“You’re not running because of our kiss, right?”
His hesitation and weird lack of confidence pleased me, and I reached out with a newfound boldness and ruffled his hair. “No. I imagine my mouth looks like clown make-up. If we’re going to be photographed, I can’t look like Bozo’s wife, Bozana.”
“That’s not a real name.”
“I know! I made it up! Now, let me fix my lips due to your kissing.” I pointed at him and ran off toward the entrance where I saw a narrow hallway leading toward the ladies’ rooms. My limbs shook from the impact of what had just happened, but the sight of my mouth made me gasp. The red was everywhere.
“Dammit.” Megan had convinced me that red matte lipstick was something I could pull off, and it had given me a layer of confidence. However, it was not ideal for kissing and I was hoping we would be doing more of that. My pulse raced at the thought of doing more with Brigham and I wetted a paper towel to pat my neck. The Phoenix heat was brutal, but the venue was cool enough that I shouldn’t be this overheated.
His lips. They’re the culprit.
I cleaned off the smudged lipstick and gave myself a once-over in the mirror. Maybe it was the permanent blush on my face, but I liked how I looked. Someone entered and I masked my goofy expression. I couldn’t have some stranger thinking I was a stone-cold weirdo talking to myself. I nodded at her and tried to leave, but she stopped at the door, holding one arm out onto the frame so I would have to duck under it to leave. “Do you mind?” I asked, feeling awkward as hell.
“You’re here with Brigham Monaghan.”
“Yes. That is his name.” My body went on high alert. The woman’s words were piercing and her tone didn’t sit right with me.
“You aren’t exactly his type. What’s your play? Getting inside scoop to sell to the press, or are you settling some bet?” She looked me up and down and winced when she saw my face. “Sorry, sweetie. No offense, you just aren’t the usual glam super-model he brings to these things.”
I swallowed to help my dry mouth. “Do you have a point to this conversation, or are you here to try to make me feel bad?”
She frowned and handed me a card. “If you’re willing to talk, call me. I wasn’t trying to play the mean-girl act. Sorry it came across that way. You’re cute and I love your blue hair. I follow the Los Soles guys, and let’s face it, Brigham is the talk of the town and you show up here…with him. Kissing. No one knows who you are and gossip spreads like wildfire.”
I stared at the simple cream business card. Kayla Brandy. Sports writer. “You’re a journalist?”
“You’re not in the game,” she said, laughing and giving me a genuine smile. “It’s refreshing to see someone not use the J word without a sneer or sarcasm. Maybe I get why you’re here. Anyway, I’m on the clock every second and I forget to be human sometimes. Enjoy your night.” With that, she moved her arm and motioned for me to pass.
What a weird situation.She wasn’t trying to insult me, but did, but she also was kind at the end? I shook my head and made my way back to the table, where two other men sat next to Brigham. Both were large and handsome. They had to be famous weightlifters or something. That’s a sport, right?
“Blue Bell, hey,” Brigham said, standing and putting a hand on the small of my back. “There are two of my teammates and friends. Gideon and Bummy.”
“Oh, that is the most interesting and odd name,” I said, unfiltered, as I shook Bummy’s hand. He chuckled and my face flushed.
“My name is Brooks, but that’s been my nickname since junior high.”
“Ah, that’s better. My name is Sarah Bell Blue, so you can imagine the absurd nicknames I’ve endured in my lifetime.” I sat back down next to Brigham and noted his warm expression as he studied my face. The business card was still in my left hand and I set it on the table.
Gideon, who had hair the color of midnight, took a large sip of beer and narrowed his eyes at me. I mirrored the gesture and after a couple of seconds, he laughed. “Sarah, Brigs here was saying you met in his place.”
“Yes. I’m dog sitting for another eleven weeks across the hall from him.”
“Convenient.” Gideon’s stare turned dark and his attention dropped to the card on the table. “You happen to get this job right after all the shit went down, and you have the card of fucking Kayla Brandy?”
“What?” Bummy sucked in a breath, his once kind face turning sour. “Brigham, don’t be an idiot. This is clearly a setup to get more information, dude. What do you want us to do?”
Their words were harsh and my heart beat faster as their meaning took hold. They thought I was a threat? To Brigham? The guy who’d kissed me and ruined every other potential first kiss I would ever have? I turned to stare at Brigham, whose face paled as he studied the journalist’s card in Gideon’s hands.
“Woah, woah,” I said, setting my fingers on the tablecloth to prevent my trembles from showing. “You are all wrong. So wrong, my god.”
“Enlighten us, then, Sarah,” Gideon snapped.
“Dude, I appreciate you looking out for me, but watch your tone with her,” Brigham said, doing the super-hot thing of dragging my chair closer to him. “I don’t like the timing of this shit either, but I’m willing to hear her out. Blue Bell, I’m sorry my friends are assholes.”
That made me feel better about the situation. “It’s nice you have people standing up and looking out for you. You never said what happened in your sports ball world, but it’s reassuring to know you do have people on your team.” I reached over and patted his hand, forgetting about the audience or that his teammates had accused me of essentially being a tabloid spy.
He grinned, dropped his gaze to my mouth for a second and took my hand so our fingers were intertwined. “I never thought about it like that. Thank you.”
I squeezed his hand and braved to look back up at his friends. I attempted to make my face look tough. “I got the job with Mr. Alexandre because his younger brother had me watch his exotic fish for a month and I managed to save them all when the place caught fire. It was great for my pet-sitting reputation. Secondly, this Kayla person you seem to know cornered me in the bathroom and said some not-so-nice things, and shoved the card into my hand. I was so dizzy from kissing Brigham that I floated back here and didn’t realize the severity of the situation. And thirdly, if you didn’t pick it up yet because you are sports ballers who’ve gotten hit in the head too many times, I don’t even know what you do! Or what happened with Brigham! So don’t call me an uncover tabloid hussy spy. I have zero mean parts in my body. Zero. The meanest thing I’ve done was not put a shopping cart back once because it was raining and I was hungover.”
Gideon waited one second before bursting into laughter, Bummy following suit. My chest heaved from my little outburst, but Brigham leaned over and pressed a kiss on my forehead, somehow making the entire situation better. I leaned into him, breathed in his woodsy cologne and scowled at his teammates. “You boys done?”
“Yes, we are,” Bummy said, amusement and pride coming from his eyes. “Sorry we were so wrong, man.”
“Don’t apologize to me,” Brigham said.
“You’re right. I’m better than that.” Bummy’s face turned serious. “Sarah, I’m sorry we assumed the worst.”
“I am too. The world we live in…distrust is easy and necessary,” Gideon added. “You seem all right.”
“You don’t know me yet, but opinions can change.”
Whatever distrust was there evaporated and they hung around for dinner and dessert, laughing and sharing stories about their shenanigans. I liked how they laughed and made fun of Brigham, much like Megan and Ethan did with me. He had good friends who cared about him, and I decided I didn’t care they’d accused me. They had good intentions, and while a part of me worried exactly what had happened with Brigham, I wasn’t brave enough to ask. It was his story to tell and he would when he was ready.
“Hey, let’s walk around,” Brigham said an hour or so later. “We can network.”
“Oh, let’s!” I stood and he took my hand right away, tucking my thumb on the inside of my palm and placing his over it. It felt protective and my nerves danced again. He led us around the venue. We passed some tables with information on how to donate money to the rescue shelters, a booth where all proceeds went to the HALO foundation, and to a photobooth with fun props. I stopped and stared at a group of friends who wore silly glasses and hats with boas and fake mustaches, and Brigham followed my stare.
“Come on, let’s get in line.”
“Wait, really?” I asked, gleeful at the thought of doing something so goofy. “What would you wear?”
“You decide for me.” He smiled down at me and I had the urge to kiss him again. He must’ve read my mind, because he dipped low and pressed his perfect lips to mine. He made the same heart-stopping mm sound when he pulled back and I almost turned into a puddle. “I wanted to make sure it was as good as I remembered.”
“Most definitely was, uh-huh,” I responded, sounding like an idiot.
His answering chuckle made my stomach swoop and he brought our conjoined hands up to his mouth and pressed a kiss on the back of mine. “You mentioned that Kayla cornered you in the bathroom and said some hurtful things. Do you mind telling me so I can replace them with nice things?”
“You’re a charmer, Brigham. You are. It’s dangerous.”
“You’re cute, but please don’t avoid the question.”
We moved up one in line once the friends left and a couple got ready for their silly photoshoot. I took a deep breath and chose to look at the hanging tea lights instead of his face. “She assumed I was with you to get inside information or for some bet…because I’m not the type of woman you usually bring to these things.”
The lines around his lips tightened and he looked annoyed. “You don’t believe that, right?”
“That I’m here for insider sports ball trading or as a bet? No. I don’t. But I’m also under no illusions that I’m your normal…‘date’.” I finger quoted the word.
He sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose as he waited a few beats to respond. “There are a couple of reasons why you are different from what you think you’re referring to when you say date.” He paused and gave me a serious look. “To start, you don’t give a shit about what I do. That’s a first for me. Second, you made desserts for a grumpy, unhappy man who did not deserve them. Third, you are full of joy, and I have to say, it is just about the sexiest thing a woman can wear.”
“Joy,” I repeated, sounding a little breathless. “Joy is sexy.”
“Yes.” He bit down on his bottom lip and pulled me close to him again. “Plus, you stood up to my friends and they are jackasses. That was hot.”
I snorted and felt charmed all the way to my toes. “Oh. This answer is unexpected.”
“Good. I like surprising you.” He rubbed his hands up and down my arms and the air seemed thicker between us. Heavier. Charged with chemistry and lust and want on both ends, and I had no idea what to do with it.
I’d made out with a few guys, let a couple get to second and a half base, but Brigham oozed sexual prowess and the nerves changed to worry. There was no way I could keep up with him. It wasn’t possible. I pulled back a bit and he drew his eyebrows together, but the lady yelled for us to get ready. The escape was welcome and I grabbed all the props I could. The top hat, the beads, the large glasses and the fake pet bird. “Ready.”
“Wow, if I thought you were sexy before…” he teased, putting on a hot pink boa, a sailor hat and a necklace with a large clock on it. “Let’s do this!”
I laughed at his goofiness, because that I could handle. The lustful eyes, though… My insides squirmed. We posed in four different shots as the photobooth took pictures. We stood back to back, then cheek to cheek, posed with a normal smile, and one where I stuck out my tongue. We each got a printout of the four pictures and the image made me inexplicably happy. “This will so go on my fridge.”
“I was just thinking that.” He put his arm around me and carefully put the strips into the inside pocket of his suit jacket. “Now let’s go network, Blue Bell. Then we can head back to our apartment, where I want to kiss you more.”
