Homerun Daddy, page 4
part #1 of Timberwood Cove Series
I had to admit, I couldn’t wait until Tuesday either. Knowing I’d see Jaxon again. I wondered if he’d look at me the way he had before, with such intensity in his gaze. My body felt warm all over again when I thought about it. I didn’t understand it, but I could have sworn there was something there between us.
My attraction to him was undeniable. He had to be one of the sexiest men I’d ever seen. That dark hair, longer on top with waves that kept falling over his forehead. The piercing green eyes. His strong jaw and full lips.
I groaned. I really didn’t need to be thinking about how sexy my nephew’s new baseball coach was, but I couldn’t seem to get the image of him out of my head. His broad shoulders and lean torso, the strength that was visible in his hard, muscular biceps.
I wasn’t sure if I’d imagined it or what, but I could have sworn there was something even more than attraction flowing between us. I felt almost drawn to him, like I needed to know him. I didn’t understand that at all, but I’d also never been more intrigued by someone than I was by Jaxon.
I needed to get to bed soon too. My body was still aching from my fall, and I knew tomorrow would be an even harder day if I didn’t get a good night’s sleep. I headed to my bedroom, and then emptied my pockets onto my dresser before starting to strip. As I tossed my shirt aside, the breeze it created caused something on my dresser to flutter.
The napkin Jaxon had written his number down on. I’d stuffed it into my pocket earlier. I reached for it, studying the bold scrawl, and I felt an overwhelming urge to call him. Just to hear his smooth baritone. A shiver raced through my body just thinking about it.
Yeah, no. That was definitely a bad idea. I’d probably just end up sounding stupid. Walking into the bathroom to brush my teeth, I thought back over our exchange and wondered again if I hadn’t seemed grateful enough.
I wanted him to know how much I appreciated what he was doing for Liam. Finishing up in the bathroom, I returned to my bedroom and shut the door but didn’t climb straight into bed. I went to my dresser again and fingered the napkin.
Before I knew what I was doing, I had my phone in my hand, inputting his number into a text.
I bit my lip and thought about what I should say. I wanted to thank him, of course, but I didn’t want to come off as over-eager, either. I had to make sure it was professional, not a hint of my personal feelings toward him shining through in case I’d imagined the way I thought he looked at me.
I typed out three different messages and erased them all before finally settling on something.
Hey, this is Bryce. Just wanted to let you know Liam is over the moon. Thank you again.
I pushed send before I could think better of it. Almost immediately, a text pinged back. My heart drummed a hasty beat as I opened the message.
The pleasure is all mine. Hope to see you soon.
I swallowed, a smile creeping over my face. I didn’t want to read into it too much, but he’d said he hoped to see me soon. Maybe he was just using the general you, referring to both Liam and me.
I set my phone down and sat on the edge of my bed, the image of Jaxon’s face still floating in my mind as I began to carefully remove my jeans. I winced at the stiffness in my hips and lower back. Lying down, I settled myself comfortably and drew in some deep breaths, going through the relaxation techniques I’d been practicing, trying to loosen up my stiff muscles before drifting off. I would definitely be hurting tomorrow. I couldn’t believe I’d been such an idiot, falling right there in the middle of the restaurant.
I should have been humiliated by it—I’d definitely worried about embarrassing Liam, but Jaxon hadn’t made me feel badly about it. In fact, he’d been incredibly sweet, and one look from him got all the other diners’ attention off me.
He’d been so…gentle. So caring and sincere. The way my body had reacted to his hands on mine had been nothing less than shocking. Like a current of electricity had flowed from his body right into mine, lighting me up from the inside out.
Even thinking about it now, lying in bed, my pulse raced. He’d been so attentive, so charming, so very…alpha. He practically oozed a sense of control. A man who knew what he wanted and wouldn’t take no for an answer. The omega in me responded to it immediately.
I groaned as I brushed my hand down over the sheets. Fuck. My dick was getting hard just thinking about him. God, I hoped he hadn’t seen I was having the same response to him when we were at the diner.
Blowing out a deep breath, I willed myself to stop thinking about him and return to my relaxation routine. Yeah fucking right. Not happening. Not with the raging boner I was now sporting. There was only one way I’d be getting to sleep now.
My dick seemed thrilled by the idea when I pulled the sheet down and wrapped my fist around it. It swelled and jerked in my hand, and another groan escaped my lips.
Jaxon’s arms came to mind almost immediately. Those large biceps that were practically bulging with barely contained strength.
Closing my eyes, I pumped my cock faster, imagining it was Jaxon’s hand wrapped around me, stroking me from base to tip, his fingers working me over as he built up my pleasure.
Pleasure…
I let myself imagine those words falling from Jaxon’s lips, his voice husky with desire.
The pleasure is all mine, he’d said.
I bit my lip, my balls tightening, and I reached down to tease them with my other hand. Jolts of heat begin radiating through my body, pulsing out from a tingling in my spine until I felt like every nerve was blazing.
My breath hitched, my pulse raced, and my body thrummed as I continued to stroke myself higher and higher. In my mind, I saw the way Jaxon looked at me as he’d scribbled his number down on the napkin. The way his eyes had cut right through me, unsettling me and exciting me at the same time.
Then that smile he’d given me before he left…
With a strangled shout, I tightened my fist around my cock as my orgasm hit me hard. I felt it in my entire body. Intense waves of pleasure rocketing through me as my cock throbbed, hot cum spurting out to land on my bare stomach. I bit down harder on my lip as I rode the wave, my body jerking with every pulse.
Aftershocks wracked me, and I drew in a ragged breath, slowly opening my eyes. Holy shit. That was one of the most intense orgasms I’d ever had, just from pleasuring myself. I couldn’t even imagine what it would be like if I were experiencing the real deal and not just fantasizing about Jaxon.
My heart still raced and I tried to get my breathing under control. I would definitely sleep better now, at least. My body felt limp, completely relaxed.
But as I slowly came back to reality from my hot little fantasy, I realized I was kidding myself. Why the hell would a wealthy former pro baseball player ever be interested in a guy like me? Someone who was disabled, broke, struggling to make it day to day. An omega who had the huge responsibility of taking care of a young boy on top of it.
I swallowed hard. He wouldn’t. My imagination must have been working overtime at the diner, my inexplicable draw to Jaxon coloring my memories of him.
I had to remember who he was. Who I was. Because I’d be seeing him again in just a few days and didn’t need to make a fool of myself. Still, it didn’t stop me from thinking of him as I finally drifted off to sleep.
“Come on, Liam, we’re already late,” I called through the bathroom door.
The last five days had dragged on, but finally it was Tuesday evening and time for Liam’s first practice with Jaxon’s little league team. And of course, we were running behind.
Dinner had taken longer than I meant it to. It had been a hard day with an uncomfortable amount of pain, and prolonged standing had taken its toll on me.
“Coming!” he called back, his voice sounding worried. “Do you think they’ll still let me be on the team if we’re late?”
“Yeah, big man, don’t worry about that,” I said, my stomach dropping that he’d even think such a thing, and that my shortcomings were what had caused it in the first place. Just then, I heard a knock on the front door. Great. What now?
I rushed to look through the peephole, and my stomach sank even further. Fuck, what was she doing here?
I opened the door quickly, swallowing my anxiety and trying to put on a confident air. “Mrs. Pinder,” I said. “I wasn’t expecting you.”
She looked at me over the top of her thick glasses, studying me like she was trying to find something to fault me for. Wasn’t she supposed to be on my side? She was Liam’s caseworker, and should know the right thing was for me to adopt him, yet she always made me feel like she thought differently.
“May I come in?” she asked, pursing her lips and looking over my shoulder like she wanted to find evidence that my home was unsuitable.
I remained in the doorway, not wanting to let her in on sheer principle. She shouldn’t be showing up here unexpectedly. “We were actually just leaving. In fact, we’re going to be late if we don’t go now.”
She narrowed her eyes like I’d said the wrong thing. “This is very important, Mr. Baldwin. I’ve been trying to get your financial information for days now.”
Fuck. I’d been so preoccupied with making ends meet I’d forgotten she asked for my financials last week. I raked my hand through my hair and gave her a tight smile.
“Yes, I’m sorry. Perhaps we can schedule a better time when we aren’t due to be somewhere.”
“I’m ready now!” Liam said, darting into the room with a baseball hat in one hand and a glove and ball in the other. Cole had lent them to him last Friday at school so he could practice. Unfortunately, he’d been on his own there. I’d been in too much pain to even throw a ball around with him.
I turned to face him. “Yes, I just need to speak to Mrs. Pinder for a moment to schedule an appointment.”
She must have taken that as an invitation because she stepped inside and shut the door behind her. “Mr. Baldwin, I need to see proof of your annual income and household expenses if you want to move forward with the adoption case.”
I ground my teeth together, trying not to let my frustration show, but I could feel the tension radiating down my spine, my shoulders tensing as my legs clenched. I had to lean more heavily on the cane, something that didn’t escape the social worker’s sharp eyes.
“Hmm,” she said. “I’m sorry, but this just can’t wait.”
I sighed, not sure how I could get out of this right now. I definitely didn’t want to get into a confrontation with the woman who held the power to determine mine and Liam’s future.
Liam came up and tugged my arm, his eyes full of worry. “We have to go.”
“I know that, Liam. Just give me a minute. Please.” Though I’d tried to soften my voice, I knew I sounded harsh, my agitation at Mrs. Pinder’s unwarranted intrusion impossible to censor. She was totally out of line here, and I needed to apologize to Liam the second this woman was out the door.
Her lips pressed into a flat line, her eyes widening as she looked between Liam’s desperate face and my stiff stance. “Mr. Baldwin, I’m highly concerned about Liam’s wellbeing.”
Fuck. Now I was digging myself into an even deeper hole with her. I didn’t know what to say. If she was really concerned with Liam’s wellbeing she would recognize how important is was for him to get to baseball practice instead of holding us hostage here.
“Your stress level only seems to increase every time I see you, Mr. Baldwin. With this shortness and irritability, combined with your disability and illness, I’m really starting to worry that you can handle the stresses involved in raising a child.”
Okay. That was it. I wasn’t going to have this woman stand here in my house and tell me that my stress was affecting my ability to handle Liam—when she was the one causing the stress in the first place.
Determination to get Liam to practice gave me the courage I needed to put things back on an even footing. I moved to the door and opened it, turning and looking back at her meaningfully.
“Mrs. Pinder, I’m going to have to ask you to leave. If you want to make an appointment to go over my financial situation, we can do that tomorrow. Right now, we have somewhere to be.” My voice sounded stronger this time, firmer, but she didn’t seem to like that any better than my earlier frustration. “I need to get Liam to the baseball field for practice.”
She stepped toward me, glancing out the door before she looked back to me. “Fine,” she huffed. “But I can’t reiterate enough the importance of you getting me proof that you can care for Liam financially.”
A quick intake of breath had me turning to look through the open door… To find Jaxon standing on my front porch.
Dammit. Could this day get any worse? I didn’t know how much Jaxon had heard of that little exchange. He already knew we couldn’t afford baseball, now he’d probably be wondering just how bad things were. A heated flush of embarrassment rose on my neck.
“I was just coming by to see if Liam was coming to practice tonight,” he said. He was studying me closely, and I felt even more embarrassed that he’d caught me here with the social worker discussing my money—or lack thereof.
Instead of seeing any judgment in his gaze as he looked between Mrs. Pinder and me, he looked…upset. A mixture of concern, frustration, and irritation. I didn’t know what to make of that, but Mrs. Pinder drew my attention back to her with her next words.
“You need to be aware, Mr. Baldwin, that it may be a hard battle to adopt Liam. Your cooperation would be greatly appreciated.” Then she swept through the door, her gaze narrowed on Jaxon, but she didn’t say anything to him. Not even a hello. What a bitch.
When she was in her car and out of earshot, Jaxon gave me a tentative smile, though I could see the tension in his shoulders. “I’m sorry to just show up like this. I was just concerned when Liam wasn’t at practice after I’d insisted. Seriously, Bryce, we want him on the team.”
“We were just running late,” Liam interjected.
I rested my hand on his shoulder. “That would be my fault. I’m sorry, Jaxon.” I gave him an apologetic smile. “We really do appreciate what you’re doing, and there’s no way we’d miss practice. I’m so sorry we got held up. I really did have every intention of having Liam there on time.”
Jaxon’s tentative smile widened into a pleased grin. “Good,” he murmured. “Hey, why don’t I give Liam a ride? You could join us, and maybe get dinner after?”
Well, that wasn’t what I expected. I wanted nothing more than to spend a little more time with this man who’d been caring enough to come over and check on Liam, obviously leaving baseball practice to do so.
A yes was on my lips, but as I stepped back to let Jaxon in the door, my right leg gave out and I started to stumble. Just like in the diner. I was about to make a fool of myself in front of him yet again.
Instead of falling to the ground like I had before, I found myself being caught up in his arms, his movements swift and sure. The strength of his grip around me had my breath hitching, and when I looked up at him, I could have sworn I saw something in his eyes.
The same thing I’d managed to convince myself I’d imagined at the diner five days ago. Attraction. Curiosity. Intrigue. But there was something else there now. Something I recognized well because I was feeling it just as strongly…
Desire.
5
Jaxon
My entire body tuned into Bryce as I held him in my arms. Electricity crackled through my veins. The air between us thickened, and as I stared down at him, I knew he felt it too. I could see the same desire coursing through me reflected in the hazel depths of his eyes.
My wolf reared up inside me, clawing at me to get out. I was barely in control, especially when Bryce’s lips fell open as he sucked in a ragged breath. My gaze fell to his mouth, and all I wanted in that moment was to taste him. To feel those lips beneath my own. To fucking do something about this burning need inside me that demanded I make him mine.
Trying to steady myself, I helped Bryce regain his balance, and then I stepped back.
“Um,” Bryce said breathlessly, his eyes locked on mine. He seemed at a loss for words. He licked his lips nervously; and seeing the pink tip of his tongue had all kinds of dangerous ideas forming in my mind. Then he blinked.
“Thank you. I don’t know what happened there.” He dropped his gaze and looked away, his mouth forming a thin line.
“Don’t even think twice about it,” I said quickly. The last thing I wanted was Bryce pulling away after I’d felt that connection sparking to life between us, but that’s just what he did.
He turned and took an unsteady step toward the living room. “Thanks for coming by to check on Liam,” he said over his shoulder.
“Would you like to come with us?” I asked again, coming up to his side in case his leg gave out on him. “I’ll drive.”
Bryce shook his head. “That sounds great but…” He blew out a breath and grimaced. “I’m not even sure I should leave the house now. I’ve had a bit of a flare-up today, and this whole thing didn’t help any.”
He must have meant the exchange I’d caught the tail end of between him and that social worker. I wanted to question him, to find out more about what was going on, wanting to do whatever I could to help make things easier for him and Liam. My wolf practically demanded I did. The urge to protect was so strong I didn’t know what to make of it, other than knowing this was how things were between mates—that an alpha went to any length for his omega.
“Okay,” I said, though I didn’t feel okay about leaving him here at all. “I’ll just take Liam to practice and then bring him back when we’re done. Is there anything I can do for you, though?”
I placed my hand on his forearm, and Bryce looked up at me. There it was again. That sizzling heat between us. He had to feel something, even if he didn’t recognize what I was to him.
“I just need to get settled. I’m sorry, Liam,” he said, turning his attention to the worried little boy. “You go along with Jaxon and I’ll be fine, okay?”
