Page 51 of Bad Ball Hitter
“Open to sharing.”
My head snaps toward Drake. What the actual fuck? His fingers press deeper into my back as if to say he has this, but seriously, what is he doing?
“Oh, no. I didn’t mean that.” Jett stumbles over his words.
Drake Gunner is a dead man. I’m going to fucking kill him.
“He’s joking,” I say. “I’ll get you the information next week. Do you want me to drop them off at the bank?”
“I can pick them up when I bring in Max. That’s no problem.” He turns to Drake. “It was a pleasure meeting you.”
“Same.” Drake nods.
Once Jett is out of sight, I spin to face my ex-boyfriend. “What the hell was that?”
His eyes glint with mischief as he stares at me with nothing but a smile, totally unfazed by my anger. “What? I was helping you out. You looked like a deer in headlights when he asked you out.”
Helping me out?
“You were marking your territory,” I snap.
Drake shrugs, his grin unrelenting. “Maybe I was.” His voice is casual as if he hadn’t just disrupted my business meeting and made things incredibly awkward.
I feel my cheeks flush with embarrassment and anger. I want to yell at Drake and wipe that smug grin off his face, but part of me is still reeling from the feel of his hand on my back, the sight of those brown eyes flickering with … something.
“Drake, you’re with Miranda. What are you doing?”
He holds my stare. “I think we both know that relationship isn’t going anywhere.”
My mouth gapes as I struggle with what to say. His words caught me off guard. Is he going to break up with her? Is that what I want?
He closes the distance between us, and I know it’s wrong, but I can’t help the way my heart races when he’s nearby—the slight tremble in my body, the fluttering in my chest.
He’s always been the one to elicit these desires. No one has ever compared.
“I was on my way to break up when a damsel in distress interrupted me.”
“Me? A damsel in distress?” I cross my arms over my chest and raise an eyebrow, trying to break his hold on me. “You must have me confused with some other blonde.”
The corner of his mouth twitches, but his gaze remains serious. “I’m not confused.” He reaches out to tuck a stray lock of hair behind my ear, his touch sending a jolt of warmth rushing through me. “You’ve never needed saving. But that doesn’t mean you don’t deserve someone who wants to be there for you, anyway.”
The proclamation leaves me speechless.
And I’m fucking gone. He owns me, and I don’t even care.
“I’m breaking up with Miranda because it’s not fair for me to be with her when…” He trails off, a line forming between his brow as he searches for the right words.
“When what?” I prompt, my heart pounding so hard I swear I can feel it in my throat.
“When you’re the only one I could ever love.” He states it simply, as though it were a simple fact rather than a gut-punch revelation.
His declaration hangs between us for what feels like an eternity. And then I remember how to breathe.
“Drake,” I begin, my voice quiet and shaky. “You can’t just say something like that.”
“Why not?” He backs far enough away to run a hand through his messy hair in frustration. “It’s true. You’re all I ever think about.”
I shake my head, not trusting the words he’s saying.