Rounding Third Read Online Free

igniting a burning in my flesh for his touch.
    “Yeah.”
    He nods his head in the direction of the living room but says nothing. When he heads toward the staircase, I stop walking.
    “Not upstairs.”
    He halts on the first step and peers around to find somewhere else. There are bodies everywhere, each corner already occupied with a couple or a cluster of girls. The house is not an option, and I wish the hope of being alone with him wasn’t so prevalent.
    “Walk?” he asks.
    I nod and down my beer, needing something to numb the pain in my body.
    As we leave the baseball house, the situation is eerily similar to two years ago—when we intentionally hurt each other.

Chapter Three
Crosby
    M y body is so responsive to Ella’s presence. I forgot how much she affected my normal rhythm. My breathing is staggered, my heart is thumping, and my palms are sweating. The same perfume is intoxicating me, as I stagger to put one foot in front of the other.
    “Why are you here, Crosby?” Ella’s voice pulls me back to our conversation. A conversation I’ve prepared myself for.
    “They offered me a spot on the team. Third base.” I shove my hands in my pockets to stop the urge to grab hers.
    “So, you took over Mike’s spot? I knew they brought someone in, but no one told me a name.”
    “What do you mean?”
    “I help out the team physician as an internship. This is my first year.”
    “Oh.” I wish jealousy wasn’t my first reaction at hearing that she’s around the guys all the time. It’s a reminder that she’s not mine. The thought of her with sweaty, horny baseball players doesn’t slow my wildly beating heart.
    “I’m pre-med.”
    I nod, assured that nothing kept her from pursuing her dream.
    The sound of chirping crickets ring around us, and every fourth step, her shoulder brushes my arm, igniting a hot current to run through my veins. After two years, I never assumed the instinct to reach for her hand or splay my hand on her lower back would burn strong.
    “Crosby, why are you here?”
    “I told you, I got a spot.”
    “You knew I was here.” She stops walking, and her eyes squarely pierce me. “We made an agreement that we’d move on with our lives.”
    Wetness pools in her eyes, and I imagine she’s thinking back to the worst night of our lives. Well, second worst.
    “I want my life back. This was my chance to play in Division One with the hopes of being drafted. ”
    “And what exactly did you expect would happen between us?”
    A tear slips down her cheek, and I reach out to wipe it away. She backs up a step, but my palm remains planted on her cheek as I match her back step. Her skin is as silky soft as I remember.
    “I have a boyfriend. My life is more than you now, Crosby.” Her voice is etched with anger.
    I’m not sure what I expected her reaction to be. It’s the reason I was hell-bent on Brax not letting her come to the party tonight. I wasn’t ready to see her yet. Not without a plan.
    "I’m not sure." I clear my throat. "You having a boyfriend kind of crushed that dream."
    "What did you think? That you’d show up with me curled in the fetal position, crying and waiting for your return?” She crosses her arms over her chest.
    “No. All I ever want for you is to be happy, El. I’m just conceited enough to know that I’m your happy.”
    She scowls.
    “Don’t deflect with the humor.”
    “Are you sure you aren’t a psychology major?”
    She huffs, and swivels on her feet to leave.
    I reach out to her, grabbing her arm. The need to have her in my life again burning too strong, I relent on the topic of us as a couple.
    “Friends?”
    “Friends?” she questions, knowing there’s no way for us to be just friends. Anyone within a twenty-mile radius can feel our energy.
    “Get to know each other again,” I clarify.
    She tilts her head to the side, raising her eyebrows. “You forget I’ve known you since you were five. Those devilish eyes still show when you have something