Slow Pitch

by Amy Lane

  Tenner’s groan came from deep inside, where their pubic bones touched, and he clenched at Ross’s thighs in desperation.

  “So good,” he managed to say. “God… oh, please… something… something’s gotta—”

  Ross kept Tenner inside him, and lowered his head, touching Tenner’s lips with his own. The movement pulled Tenner about halfway out, and Tenner shuddered at the air on his base.

  “Baby?” Ross asked, his own voice trembling.

  “Yeah?”

  “I’m going to take the blindfold off, and I want you to fuck me.”

  “Thank you, thank you, thank you—”

  He kept his eyes closed as he started to thrust, and the light and the cool air on his face was secondary to the feeling of being invaded while he fucked. Ross let out a cry, as undone as Tenner, and Tenner opened his eyes, still pumping, and saw him, head tilted, back arched, unashamed, riding Tenner proudly, his hand on his own cock for his own pleasure.

  The image seared itself into Tenner’s brain, and the orgasm he’d been holding at bay hit critical mass.

  “Ross, I’ve gotta come!”

  “Good. Keep fucking me as long as you—ah! God! Yes! Yes! Jesus!”

  Ross’s pleasure did him in, his asshole clenching so hard around Tenner’s cock, Tenner saw stars. Climax rushed him, his spine, his lower back, his ass where the dildo was lodged, his cock in that tight, warm grasp. All of it overwhelmed him, blew him apart, split him at the core, and he screamed hoarsely, shoulders coming off the bed as he came and came and came.

  Above him, Ross gave a cry of his own, and Tenner felt the heat and spatter of Ross’s come across his abdomen and chest before Ross fell forward, collapsing on top of him, kissing him hard and long, with so much need, it made Tenner proud of what he could give.

  It took a long time to come down from that, but when he did, his first thought was less than romantic.

  “Ross?”

  “Yeah, baby?”

  “I’ve sort of gotta… you know… bathroom?”

  Ross laughed softly and slid to the side, where he closed his eyes and wiped the come off his chest, tasting it with a self-satisfied smile. “Go. Don’t be embarrassed. That was the hottest moment of my life.”

  Tenner had to kiss him, had to take his mouth, had to take him, if only for a moment. “I love you,” he said, fighting off that urge for the bathroom for just another minute. “I’ve never trusted another soul like I trust you.”

  Ross’s lazy smile went serious, and he opened his eyes. “I won’t ever let you down. I promise. Now go.”

  Tenner made as dignified a retreat as he could manage.

  WALKING OUT the door Wednesday was a relief, and harder than Tenner had imagined. Ross had packed his duffel that morning with a little frown line between his eyes, and Tenner realized he was doing things like looking in the bathroom for his toothbrush, putting it in the duffel, then taking it out again and setting it in the spot it had inhabited for the last week.

  The third time Tenner saw him do this, he grabbed a toothbrush from the closet and put it in Ross’s spot.

  “What are you doing?” Ross asked, zipping his duffel for the umpteenth time.

  “It’s there for Sunday,” Tenner said. They both had work waiting for them, and the odds of them doing more than waving at each other from across two baseball fields on game night were slim.

  “Isn’t Piper here Sunday night?” Ross asked, sounding a little lost.

  “Yeah,” Tenner said, sitting down on the bed and pulling Ross down next to him. “She is. I figure you’ve met Nina—not the best meeting in the world, but you’ve met. She knows. I’ll call her this week, okay?”

  “And tell her what?” And again, he heard that lostness. It was reassuring in a way; Tenner was on uneven ground too.

  “Tell her that you have to leave in two weeks and I don’t want to waste any of that time with you in the guest room.”

  Ross raised his face to Tenner’s and smiled a little. “We can’t have loud sex with your daughter in the house,” he said seriously as if Tenner didn’t know this.

  “Believe it or not, I don’t want you only for the sex.”

  Ross smiled slightly. “It’s the hair, right? I know I’ve got sort of fabulous hair.”

  Ass. Hole. “No, it’s not the hair.”

  “The way I hit a softball? I may be the best player in the league.”

  Tenner laughed in his face. “The league, hah?”

  “Not to brag, but there’s this guy who might take my place on the team when I leave. He may be better.”

  “He just takes batting practice seriously,” Tenner said softly. “Now kiss me, and let’s go downstairs, grab some coffee, and get to work. I’ll see you Sunday as we try to convince my team that they’re not supposed to be afraid of the ball—they’re supposed to catch it.”

  Ross chuckled. “You know, they’re actually getting better.”

  Tenner wrinkled his nose. “That remains to be seen,” he muttered. “We skipped a week, remember? Pat said they lost. Like, the other team never let them get to bat, lost. They timed out. First time it’s happened in the league. My team is going to be the reason the league adopts a mercy rule.”

  “Oh, no!” Ross cracked up as he stood and offered his hand to help Tenner up. “Poor Hanford!”

  Tenner grunted. “Patrick said he was in tears.”

  “Poor kid.” Ross ruffled Tenner’s gelled hair, just to watch him flail. “You know he’s got a crush on you.”

  “Still?” Tenner said. “I mean, at the beginning, sure, but not now, right?”

  Ross laughed some more, and Tenner glared at him, feeling the tiniest bit guilty.

  “He still does, unfortunately. That’s why his sister keeps bringing the kids. He wants you to think of him as good father material for Piper.”

  Tenner almost fell down the stairs. “That’s horrifying,” he said, not laughing with Ross. “You’ve been there from that first day!”

  “Well, yeah,” Ross said gently, “but we haven’t been there as a couple, because Piper was there.”

  “Oh, no.” This felt awful. Huge. Like he’d led that poor kid on and betrayed him in the worst way. “I didn’t mean—”

  “Ten, don’t sweat it. Did you mean it when you said Piper would know this weekend?”

  “Yeah,” Tenner told him.

  “Then we’ll be a couple on Sunday. You might break his heart a little, but you haven’t deliberately hurt him.” Ross went after his hair again and Tenner fended him off. “It’s going to be okay.”

  Tenner nodded. There was nothing he could do about it now. He grabbed his own backpack, his long-neglected laptop inside, and his car keys, and they both reached for their travel cup of coffee.

  It was time to rejoin the rat race.

  Unbroken Circles

  “YOU DON’T look comfortable,” Ross said, trying not to be hurt. He finally had Tenner, dressed up and on a date, but the circumstances weren’t anywhere near what he’d had in mind.

  Friday morning, Nina had called to say Piper wasn’t feeling well—a mild fever, she’d said, a rumbly tummy. Tenner had stopped by after the game on Friday night to check on her, but she’d been sleeping.

  He’d said Nina had been pale and tired too. He’d called that morning, but Nina waved him off and, Tenner had said, told him to go see his boyfriend and get out of her hair.

  “She said that?” Ross asked when Tenner called him Saturday morning. “She told you to go see your boyfriend?”

  “No, I made that part up. Yes, she said that, but I warn you, it didn’t sound like she was happy about it.”

  And Ross could picture that too. “Well, forget her happiness. We are well, we are childfree and it’s Saturday. I’ll be over in an hour. We can catch a movie and go to a grown-up place to eat. Some place they serve beer. It’ll be great.”

  “An hour!” The squeak in Tenner’s voice was gratifying. “I have to shower! Shave! Find somethi
ng to wear—”

  “I’m not taking you to prom, Ten. I said beer, not champagne.”

  “I haven’t been out on a real date with someone I wanted to bang since college,” Tenner said firmly. “Just… just give me a minute.”

  “I’ll give you an hour and you’ll like it. Now go. I need to get dressed myself!”

  The movie had been the best kind of blow-shit-up with attractive leads who kissed at the end, and Tenner hadn’t even blinked when Ross had reached for his hand. And the restaurant was a sweet little hole-in-the-wall in downtown Folsom, the kind of place with only microbrews and local wineries. The appetizer had been oysters in the half shell—sautéed with butter and bread crumbs—and they were waiting for dinner.

  Tenner, who had been attentive and happy for most of the date, was suddenly checking his phone, and Ross remembered—Tenner was a parent. Taking advantage of a free evening was fine, but it was going to come with an underlay of worry, especially since Tenner hadn’t been able to see his daughter that morning.

  “She… she should have texted me back,” Tenner said apologetically. He glanced up from his phone, his forehead furrowed. “I’m sorry, this place is great, but—”

  “But she’s your kid and you’re worried,” Ross said, his own hurt fading. “I get it. Do you want to stop by after dinner?”

  Tenner nodded, that furrow in his forehead not diminishing in the least. “Yeah. I just… this thing hit us like a ton of bricks. I know they were taking prophylactics, but those don’t always work. What if they got the full-strength plague? Nina doesn’t have a Patrick and Desi to keep them in soup and tea, you know?”

  Ross nodded. “Yeah. But she’s got us.” He waved his hand at their waiter, who hurried over. “I’m sorry, his daughter is sick. Is there any way we can get our meal to go?”

  TENNER WAITED a good three minutes after his first knock before letting himself in and gesturing Ross behind him. Most of the lights were off, with the exception of a lamp by the couch, but Ross still got an impression of a spacious, airy room. The floor was littered with dolls and clothes, a Barbie Dreamhouse taking a corner of the room, and Ross’s opinion of Nina rose a little. This was where a little girl could play if she wasn’t feeling good, and the thought of Piper, fretful and sick, going through her doll clothes to try to find the right one twisted his heart.

  But the doll house wasn’t the most important thing—the most important thing was the woman on the couch, covered in blankets, shaking.

  “Tenner?”

  “Oh, honey, what happened?”

  Nina looked awful—face pale, hair a mess, and a large pot on the floor next to her head. Poor baby. Tenner stroked the hair out of her eyes.

  “We were both sick today, and she had to throw up, and then I had to throw up, and I put her to bed after, and….” Two weak tears ran down her nose. “I was going to text you, but I left my phone in the kitchen. I just….” She let out a little hiccup. “It just got bad fast. I wanted to check on Piper. She’s been so quiet….”

  “Here. I’ll go do that. Ross? Could you wait here?”

  “Yeah, sure.” Ross went to the head of the couch and crouched down, placing a tentative hand on Nina’s back and rubbing.

  “That’s sweet,” she mumbled. “God—why’re you guys over here, anyway?”

  “He was worried,” Ross said softly. “He didn’t hear from you. And he knows you’d text him if you were up to it.”

  She sniffled a little more. “This is so nice. I mean… you coming over. Making sure. It’s really sweet.”

  “Well, you did the same for him.”

  She nodded, and more tears came, illness, lowered barriers, whatever. He kept rubbing, because he’d never seen anyone look so bedraggled in his life.

  “But you’re here too and….” She squinted in the lamp light. “You’re both all dressed up. Tenner’s wearing the shirt Piper got him for Christmas. Oh God. You were on a date, and I fucked that all up. I’m sorry. I’m so sorry—”

  “Hey, hey…,” Ross soothed her, rubbing gently, and her eyes had fluttered shut when Tenner came out of the bedroom, Piper bundled in his arms.

  “Ten?” Ross stood up anxiously.

  “Her temp is really high,” Tenner said softly. “I got her to take a meltaway with some water, but I called the advice line, and they said bring her in. I….” He looked at Nina in mute supplication. “I don’t want to leave her alone—”

  And Ross got it. Complicated? Not so much. It was very simple. He leaned over and kissed Tenner’s cheek, relieved when Tenner did nothing more than close his eyes in acceptance.

  “I’ll call Desi and have her bring supplies,” he said. “And maybe get Nina to bed. She can’t be comfortable here.”

  Tenner nodded, his eyes bright. “Thanks. God, thanks so much—”

  “Daddy, is Ross gonna take care of Mommy?”

  Tenner kissed his daughter’s forehead as she lolled on his shoulder. “Yeah, honey. Ross takes care of all of us.”

  “Good. Thanks, Ross.”

  Ross leaned over and gave her his own kiss on the forehead. “Night, sweetpea. Get better, okay?”

  “Yeah.”

  “I’ll take Nina’s car,” Tenner said. “It’s got the car seat, and that way you’re not stuck here.”

  Ross shrugged. “I’ve got nowhere else to be. Now go. Take care of our kid, ‘kay?”

  Tenner nodded earnestly, grabbed a set of keys from a pegboard by the kitchen, and left through the garage door.

  Ross looked down to where Nina had finally fallen asleep and sighed. He was definitely going to need some help here.

  Without hesitation, he pulled out his phone and dialed. “Hey, Desi? You remember when we were sick and you brought me and Ten that amazing tea….”

  BY THE time his sister arrived, he’d managed to get Nina off the couch and into the bathroom, and he was running her a bath.

  “Oh, thank God,” he muttered, opening the door. “She feels like shit, but God, she’s been throwing up all day. I need a woman in there before I start undressing her, or I’ll be the ultimate in creeper.”

  Desi grimaced. Her golden hair was pulled back into a ponytail, and she was wearing sweats and no makeup. Ross got the feeling he’d called her up from a lazy night watching television, and he felt some remorse—Desi and Patrick ran their asses off every day. A lazy night watching television had the same sort of luxury factor for Des and Patrick as going out to a nice restaurant in their best clothes had for Tenner and Ross.

  She must have rung the doorbell with her elbow, because in her arms she had a giant vat of sun tea that looked like it had sat outside that very day.

  “Take this, Ross, before I drop it.”

  Ross grabbed it, and Desi came all the way in, then turned and got the door. “You said Tenner’s got Piper at the ER?”

  Ross nodded. “They were waiting to be seen. He said he’d text me as soon as the doc came and told them what’s up. But Nina’s been sick all day. Thanks so much for coming over. Tenner didn’t want to leave her alone, and I can totally see why.”

  Desi patted Ross’s cheek. “You’re a good egg, kiddo. Let’s go take care of our newest stray.”

  Together, they managed to get Nina undressed and help her into the bath. Desi had her wash her hair for good measure, and by the time she was done, Nina was weak enough for Ross to just wrap her in a towel and carry her to bed. They got her dressed in sweats, and Desi brought in the hair drier and went to work on her hair while Nina sat on the bed, looking exhausted.

  Ross brought her a mug of tea, and she sipped dispiritedly at first, and then she gulped the rest of it down and set the cup aside with a sigh as Desi turned off the drier.

  “I’m going to come back with some crackers and some acetaminophen,” Ross told her, and she nodded, snuggling under the covers. When he got back, she was crying softly into the pillow as Desi sang a song that she used when she put the kids to bed. Ross watched the two of them for a moment
, his heart opening wider than he ever thought it could.

  “Here, sweetheart,” he said when Desi was done. “This’ll help you sleep.”

  Nina ate obediently and washed the medicine down with more tea. “Have you heard from Tenner?” she asked. “How’s Piper?”

  Ross checked his phone. They’ve got her on IV fluids and fever control. They’ll probably let her go in the morning.

  Good—Nina was asking. How you holding up, champ?

  She looks so small.

  Ross touched the screen, his chest aching. Yeah, but she’s too tough to be down for long.

  How’s Nina?

  Pitiful and sad and worried. We’ll take care of her.

  We?

  Called in the big guns, hoss. My sister taught me all the good stuff, remember?

  Tell Desi thank you for me. We owe her and Patrick something huge for the last two weeks.

  I have an idea, Ross typed, but it will have to happen when I come back.

  There was a pause, and Ross realized what he’d just said—and what he’d just asked. Tenner was going to have to believe. He was going to have to commit.

  I’m good for it. Tell me later.

  Will do. Keep us posted. Ross paused, his heart beating in his throat, because this was in print, and this moment—the sick ex-wife, sick kid, plans for the future—was as real as anything he’d ever done. Love you, he typed next. Tell Piper I love her too.

  Love you back. Another pause, with the little thought bubbles, and Ross wondered how many things Tenner typed and erased and typed again. And I will. Later.

  Later.

  Ross sighed and turned to Nina. “Piper’s getting fluids and fever meds. Tenner said they’ll probably release her in the morning, and you two can get better watching cartoons together. How’s that?”