Spring Training

by Stacey Lynn Rhodes

  “Nah, we got them all inside.”

  “We? You didn’t make Aaron help, did you? Not with a bad shoulder.” She winced.

  Emery had the grace to look guilty. “I had no idea about that at the time. And he offered,” he defended.

  “Okay, well, we’ll need to be sure to do something nice for him. Maybe take him out to dinner tonight.”

  “Sure. That’s a great idea, Ma. Some of the guys were saying that the burgers at this sports bar about ten minutes from here are really good.”

  Teri raised an eyebrow. “Burgers at a sports bar, huh? Is this meal for him or for you?”

  “Hey, he’s a guy. He has to like burgers, right?” Emery gave her a lopsided grin and she pursed her lips.

  “Fine. Burgers it is, though from the looks of the fridge, he’s a bit more serious about his nutrition than some people I know.”

  “Know and love,” he teased.

  “Yeah,” she agreed and leaned forward to ruffle his damp hair. “This mop. I swear. I should cut your hair while I’m here.”

  “Ma! Come on…”

  “Hard to field the ball when you have hair hanging in your face.”

  “That’s what a hat’s for.”

  Teri laughed. “Not exactly, but okay. Have it your way, Sasquatch.” She rose from the couch and stretched her back, slightly stiff from the drive. “Let’s take a look at your room and see what needs doing.”

  “Um…I have a better idea. Why don’t I show you around? We’ll go for a drive and I’ll take you past the stadium, the grocery store, stuff like that.”

  Obviously, from his diversion tactic, his room was a mess, but she wasn’t in the mood for a fight, and damned if she was going to do all the work while he bitched about unpacking on his last day off. “Okay, you win. But I will need a place to crash while I’m here, even if it’s the couch, so we’re going to have to tackle it sooner or later,” she warned.

  “Of course.” His angelic smile at having got his way morphed into a more genuine one as he gave her an unexpected hug. “I’m glad to have you here, Ma.”

  Teri swallowed against the sudden lump in her throat. Emery wasn’t nearly as demonstrative as Alex, and was far more independent lately. It was beyond nice to actually hear that from her distractible son.

  Rather than answer, she hugged him back. Maybe this would be a positive experience and place for him after all.

  Chapter Three

  “Hey, Brighton!” Emery yelled over the din of the pub, gesturing to a trio of players Aaron recognized from the team.

  Aaron, Teri and Emery had lingered for hours over dinner at the sports bar Emery had chosen for their meal out, and while Emery had only had one beer in front of his mom during dinner, Aaron knew that the group approaching were among the wilder guys on the team, which most likely spelled the end of Em’s restraint. He shook his head. Had he ever been that young and stupid?

  Easy answer—no way. He had been too grateful to get the shot at professional ball to screw it up.

  Emery slung an arm around Teri in an easy, familiar manner as the guys boisterously greeted them, pulling up chairs around their table. Aaron envied their close relationship, so different from his upbringing.

  “This is Teri,” Emery introduced her to the guys joining them.

  “Very nice, Dusky. But she looks too classy for the likes of you.” Chet Brighton leaned across the table, reaching for Teri’s hand. “How about you forget about Emery here, and let me buy you a drink?”

  The sight of the player’s hand about to touch Teri’s set off a clamor of anger in Aaron, but before he could react, Teri withdrew her hand to a safe distance as Emery spoke up.

  “What the hell, Chet? She’s my freaking mom. Get your paws off her.”

  The other two guys were laughing hysterically as Chet backed off, scowling at Emery for a moment before turning the charm back on. “Fine by me. I like older women, and I’ll even forgive you for having this joker for a son. I’m sure you did all you could in raising him.” He sent a practiced, smoldering look her way that had Aaron rolling his eyes.

  Teri gave a sweet smile. “Nice to meet you, Chet. If I see any desperate older women, I’ll definitely send them your way.” She turned to Aaron and Emery. “Are you guys ready to head home?”

  Amused by her deft manner at putting the kid in his place, Aaron glanced from Teri to Emery.

  Mitch Williams protested, “Hey, it’s early. You guys aren’t calling it a night already? We’re on our way to The Billboard—they have a live DJ tonight.”

  “C’mon, Ma,” Emery encouraged. “You know you want to go dancing.” He nudged her playfully.

  Aaron and Teri locked gazes, and he shrugged, wanting to leave the decision up to her since he was their ride home. He really wasn’t up for a night of babysitting this motley crew, but had to admit the idea of seeing Teri moving on the dance floor held undeniable appeal. Her sparkling eyes searched his for a long moment before she turned to her son.

  “Okay, but remember I turn into a pumpkin at midnight.”

  * * * *

  The Billboard was warm and packed. Aaron wedged his way up to the bar while the other players disappeared into the crowd and Teri and Emery headed straight onto the dance floor. He ordered a bottle of water then took it to a vacant spot along the railing surrounding the dance area. With the height of the players, he was able to immediately spot Emery and, less visibly, Teri among the gyrating forms. He slid along the rail, trying for a better view.

  There.

  Teri was lost in the rhythm, swiveling and swaying with the music. Aaron’s mouth went dry as he ran his gaze down her slender back to those curvaceous, circling hips, effortlessly keeping the beat as she danced in front of Emery. They moved around, and now Aaron had a look at her joyous face, laughing up at her son.

  Suddenly, her eyes lowered from Emery’s face and locked on Aaron’s gaze from across the room. If anything, her smile got wider and his pulse leaped as she crooked her finger to beckon him. He was sure the gesture was meant to be convivial rather than sexual, but his increasingly interested body made its own interpretation. Without conscious thought, he set down his water and threaded his way through the crowd, receiving a few blatant touches and even more looks. Aaron disregarded them all, completely focused on Teri, and he began to dance as he reached the pair.

  Aaron loved to dance and it was easy to give himself over to the pounding music. If anything, Teri looked even smaller in the midst of the chaos on the dance floor, and Aaron glided closer, until there was barely air between them. Emery had turned away and had his arms wrapped around a tall blonde from behind, grinding into her. Aaron was left to partner with Teri, and they moved together well into the next song before he finally gave in to his rising need to touch her.

  The first contact was three fingers lightly resting on the waistband of her jeans, just above her hip. As she raised her arms above her head, her shirt lifted just enough so the tip of Aaron’s finger found bare, warm flesh. Awareness sizzled through him, and he could feel his body react, his cock thickening slowly, inexorably.

  Teri’s face was upturned to his, her lips parted, and he knew she was sharing his arousal as they moved together in public foreplay. She placed her hand on his forearm and he recalled how her touch in the kitchen earlier had taken him right out of his funk and ignited the first spark of attraction for her. Not as the mom of his roommate, or ally in his fight to keep Emery on the straight and narrow, but as a vital, desirable woman.

  Aaron imagined covering her small body with his and rocking into her heat, and he groaned. It had been a long time since he’d had such an immediate attraction to anyone. He moved even closer, setting subtlety aside and firmly grasping her hips. His knees were bent slightly, framing hers as they danced. Her pelvis just barely rode his thigh, and he made little thrusts in time to the music, mimicking the very act he was now envisioning.

  Teri’s hand curled around the back of his neck, sliding into the sh
ort, freshly cut hair there, and it felt so good, Aaron closed his eyes to savor the contact. For the first time, he was glad to have his new, short haircut. Her exploration was at once thrilling and soothing. They continued to move together as if they’d been partnering together for years, and Aaron forgot about the crowd, forgot about Emery—forgot everything except the beat and the feel of the woman molded against him. He pressed as close to Teri as he could and still maintain the outward appearance of dancing and rejoiced at the answering, accepting brush of her jaw against his chest.

  The dance mix went on and on, melding from one song into the next, fast and slow, and Aaron and Teri continued to move together as if one. Eventually the DJ took a break, and Aaron was brought abruptly to the surface from his absorption in Teri and looked around at the clearing dance floor. He was irritated, but not surprised, to find that Emery had disappeared from view.

  Teri looked up at him wryly. “Back to reality?” she teased.

  “And looks like we lost our third,” he observed, a bit chagrined at how completely he had lost himself.

  He placed a hand on her warm lower back as they walked toward the edge of the dance floor. Teri had her phone out and was texting rapidly. Aaron barely heard the answering chime.

  Rather than tell him the response, Teri held the screen up to show Aaron.

  Last minute thing. Don’t wait up.

  “Well, I guess he must have a ride.” Aaron suddenly felt awkward as he looked down at the woman to whom he’d been intimately glued for the past hour, the woman he would be taking home tonight…

  Without the bass-heavy beat pushing them together, he was starting to second-guess the wisdom of giving in to his attraction for her. Between his obligation to the team, the impermanence of his time here and having to live with Emery, he saw nothing but complications ahead if he were to get involved with Teri.

  Despite the best efforts of his brain to reign in his wayward body, he ran his eyes over her compact form.

  Teri met his regard and gave him a knowing look in return. Casually taking his hand in hers, she tugged and invited, “Let’s go home.”

  Chapter Four

  What are you doing, girl?

  Without Emery’s chattering presence, the ride back to Aaron’s condo was quiet and gave Teri plenty of time to re-examine every nuance of the evening. She refused to answer her own scolding thoughts, while trying her best to tamp down her libido. Their dance, aka public sex, had roused her well past fever pitch, and she was relieved—and a bit surprised—she hadn’t come right out on the dance floor.

  Seriously, he’s almost young enough to be your son!

  Well, not quite. She’d done a quick, furtive Google search under the table at dinner and had confirmed that Aaron was a respectable twenty-eight. Almost twenty-nine, even. Only a bit over ten years difference, if rounded down. And why not? Fourteen was closer to ten than twenty.

  He was in grade school when the boys were born!

  Point?

  No point, really, except it had been a while since Teri had connected with anyone. For some reason, she’d always been drawn to young, confident guys in their twenties. Now that there was a ‘four’ in front of her age, she was beginning to wonder how appropriate that preference was. But she knew besides the obvious plus of having sexy guys in their physical prime, the younger set were a better fit with her lifestyle.

  Guys her age invariably had baggage, serious expectations or didn’t share her interests. She had enough of her own baggage to haul around, thank you very much, without the addition of someone else’s failed marriage or kids. And she wasn’t looking for a serious relationship, something older men looking for wife number two—or three—didn’t understand. Teri had worked hard to raise her kids alone, earn her degree and put in her time in the coal mines until she could support herself with freelance work. Now she could travel to Emery’s games, take jobs when it suited her and have the freedom she’d never got to experience back as a young adult. She wasn’t about to give her hard-earned lifestyle up for anyone.

  Teri enjoyed the sight of Aaron’s well-built frame preceding her up the stairs to his condo. She ran her gaze down his v-shaped back, his shirt—still damp from the dancing—clinging to it, revealing every mouth-watering detail. And speaking of mouth-watering… Her gaze drifted down to his taut, muscled ass and thighs, temptingly displayed in his tight, worn jeans.

  She ran a hand along her pelvis as she climbed the stairs and cupped herself hard, trying to alleviate the tingling in her pussy. The memory of riding that hard thigh at the dance club, feeling the pressure in just the right spot, had her wanting to climb back on and finish the job. And why not? Aaron was, as far as she knew, free to indulge. She snatched her hand away and tried to look innocent as he turned from unlocking the door.

  “So, Aaron, how do you like living here? Met anyone?” Inwardly, she winced. That was a little obvious. But then again, she didn’t have much time to waste on subtlety. She needed to get back home in a couple of days.

  The question seemed to catch Aaron off-guard. He paused on the way to the kitchen, then continued on his way, calling back, “I’m actually really familiar with it, since I lived here when I was in the minors. That’s when I bought this condo.” He came back in with two chilled water bottles. “Water?”

  She accepted it, grateful for his consideration, and they moved to the couch. She kicked off her shoes and curled up almost in the middle and, after a moment, Aaron joined her, just a short reach away.

  “So you just kept it then?” she asked, interested in why he would still own this simple apartment when he lived in a different city.

  Aaron shrugged. “I just never took for granted that I’d be up in the majors for the long haul. Even after I bought my condo there, I decided to keep this one and let Coach rent it out cheap to guys on the team here.” He took a few long swallows of water, his throat working, and her eyes were drawn helplessly to the motion.

  “How about you? It’s the work week, but you’re able to get away…?” he prompted.

  Teri shrugged. “I do a hodgepodge of consulting, quality control and auditing for medical practices. So I can pretty much schedule myself however I like. Believe me, it took a long time to get that kind of flexibility, but now that I have it, I love it.” She relaxed against the cushion, and Aaron mirrored her, leaning back as well, their shoulders nearly touching. “It lets me keep up with Emery’s schedule and get to all his away games. And, of course, the CWS in June. I go every year.” She animatedly gestured as she referred to the College World Series. “And then pro games when I get a chance all summer and fall.” She paused to take a deep breath.

  “You really like baseball, don’t you?” Aaron grinned.

  She couldn’t help but respond to his gorgeous smile and close proximity, and did what she’d been dying to do since he’d opened the door in his workout clothes. She kissed him, just a brush at first, and his surprised exhalation fanned her cheeks as she deepened the kiss and swung her leg over his lap to straddle him.

  His hands came up to bracket her hips as she ran hers into his trimmed hair, so silky to the touch, even short as it was. It must’ve been heavenly when it was long, and the thought had her clenching her fingers in what remained, dragging a groan from him as he engaged in the kiss.

  One arm snaked around the back of her waist, trapping her in an iron grip. Meanwhile Aaron’s other hand skimmed the back of her scalp, snapping the barrette open then working into her hair, spreading it out along her back and over her shoulder.

  All the while he was kissing her breathless, his mouth slanting in demand over hers, taking all control away from her, control she was happy to cede as long as it kept him pressing against her, soothing the ache that had been building all day. Her tongue met his and they slid together, learning each other’s true taste, sharing breath.

  Aaron pulled back a little and she made a needy, pleading noise under her breath. But he only separated enough to watch his hand as it tr
ailed down her hair, stopping just above the peak of her breast.

  “Beautiful,” he murmured as he gave short, teasing strokes over her loosened hair, the heat and touch penetrating to stop just short of her begging nipple each pass. She arched into the touch, trying to force contact, and at last he complied, cupping her fullness and running his thumb over the hardening peak.

  She huffed out a breath of relief and pressed fully against his hard chest, trapping his hand just where she wanted it while she coasted her open lips along his jawline, the rough growth against her mouth sending shivers through her. His taste was salty and warm on her tongue as she darted it out to sample the skin of his neck. A sensuous smile rose to her lips as he tilted his head to give her better access. She took full advantage, nibbling and sucking lightly down to that sexy spot where neck and shoulder met. There she concentrated her efforts, drinking in his scent, careful not to make a mark, but teasing with her teeth and tongue as she felt his cock filling against her groin.

  She rotated her hips against him and he reacted with breathtaking speed, standing up with her still twined around him. Teri gasped and clutched at him as he rose, then had the air whoosh out of her lungs as he turned and dropped her on her back onto the couch, landing atop her, snug in the cradle of her thighs.

  His beautiful light green eyes were just inches away, gazing warmly into hers.

  “Hi,” he whispered. “Comfy?”

  “Oh, yeah.” Teri squirmed a tad to get the fit against him just right. “Very comfy. You?”

  “Perfect.”

  His answer lingered in the silence as the implication in the tone of his voice made clear he was speaking of much more than his position. She watched as his eyes traced every nuance of her face from up close, and felt a brief dart of self-consciousness, knowing that her freckles and laugh lines were probably all too evident at this range.