Over the Fence: Lyssa Layne's Baseball Romances Read Online Free Page B

the sobbing begins. Through the uncontrollable blubbering I can only get out a few words at a time.
    “I haven’t… spring training… I’m not going to have… a job… ” Huge sob, it’s ugly, I promise it’s the ugliest cry I’ve ever had. “Or a house!”
    Grant pulls me into a hug and I weep against his solid chest. His whispers fill my ears. His breath on my neck, the electricity he’s sending throughout my body, makes me forget about my homeless status for the moment.
    “Shhh, Colie. It’s okay. We’ll figure this out, okay? I promise.”
    I nod and take a deep breath, sounding more like I’m gasping for air. Pulling away from him, I wipe my eyes and remember the noises in the background when I called him.
    “I’m sorry I woke you up. Were you… were you with a woman? Is she here? I can go stay at my sister’s.”
    I’m rambling and I know it, but I’m embarrassed that Grant witnessed the ugly cry, and that I’ve possibly interrupted him with a woman.
    He shakes his head and smooths my hair back again. “No, Colie, no woman.”
    I lean against the headboard. No woman… “A man?”
    Surprisingly, Grant isn’t angry when I ask that; instead he laughs and shakes his head. “No, Colie, no man. I was alone. Why would you ask that?”
    “I felt bad that I might have interrupted something… and you never show interest in the women I point out, so I thought that… maybe… you were gay?”
    My cheeks flame as I struggle to get that out, worried I might offend him. I’m caught off guard when Grant leans toward me, and I quickly slide down against the mattress. His right hand moves to my hip and his left hand gently brushes my cheek. He places his cheek against mine, just the way we were in class this morning. Parts of my body awakened by his closeness. I feel the excitement between my legs, something I haven’t felt in a long time.
    Grant whispers into my ear, “Colie, trust me, I’m only interested in women.”
    I swallow the lump in my throat, wondering what he’ll do next. He lingers on top of me, his muscular chest pressed against mine until he sits up. His thumb sweeps down my cheek before he stands.
    “Good night, Colie,” he calls as he walks out the door.
    I can’t collect my thoughts quick enough to respond before he closes the door. My heart races at the interaction that just occurred. Grant is giving Jace a run for his money to be the star of my dreams tonight.

 
     
     
     
     
     
    CHAPTER 4

     
    Keep your eye on the ball, Colie, eye on the ball , I remind myself as I stand inside the batter’s box. I watch the wind-up, see the ball release, and BAM! My bat connects with the ball. I don’t watch where it lands, just keep my eye on Benny winding up again. BAM! Benny hurls another pitch at me and it’s way inside. I jump out of the way and step back into the box unfazed.
    “Come on, Benny, watch out!” Grant yells at him.
    I set the bat down and look at Grant with narrowed eyes. He doesn’t notice my glare as he asks if I’m okay. I ignore him and nod at Benny to throw me another one. BAM!
    Benny looks up and watches the ball fly into left field. “Damn, girl! We might need you on the roster this season.”
    I grin at his compliment. Pitchers leave for spring training tomorrow, so the boys are getting loosened up. I love this time of the season. They want to start working on mechanics without overdoing it or throwing at top speeds. Most pitchers prefer to actually pitch to someone. That someone almost always ends up being me. My soon-to-be brother-in-law is jealous of all the batting practice I get and I take every opportunity to rub it in his face. I turn to Grant, placing my hands on my hips. I jut my chin toward the pitching mound. “Your turn.”
    He gets up and walks past me. I flip my long blonde braid over my shoulder as I wait for him to take his position. Neither of us has mentioned our conversation from last night. Instead of our normal workout this morning,