Page 45 of On His Knees
“I’m going to break my neck,” I whisper to myself, and Tate puts his arm around my back and guides me over. The sounds of a ball hitting a bat cracks the air, and I turn to see the batter warming up.
“This was a great idea,” Cara says, moving easily in her snowshoes. She’s obviously worn them before, natural athlete that she is.
Tate and I are each handed a pair of snowshoes from the coordinator. “How do you even put these on?” I ask as I drop them in front of myself.
“Sit,” Tate demands, and I lower myself onto the bench. “First, you have to figure out which is left and right.” He picks mine up and switches them, as he goes to his knees in front of me and opens up all the straps. I grin at him, liking him in this position, and from the heat in his eyes when they lift to mine, he knows where my mind is going. “Slide your foot in.” I do as he says, and he positions the toe of my boot before he tightens the straps. He reaches for the heel, and uses some sort of ratchet to tighten it. “Easy,” he says, and fits me with the other.
I glance up to see Cara and Amber grinning at me. Then Amber says something sexual about getting to all the bases and Cara laughs. A whistle is blown, and we’re all given positions on the snowy field. The bases are marked with bright orange rubber-covered bags, easy to see in the snow. They put me in outfield, and Tate plays shortstop. Amber is on second base, and Cara is catcher.
The first ball is hit, and I let out a surprised squeal as it comes my way. I run in the shoes, and my feet tangle. Within seconds, I’m facedown in the snow, and Tate is picking me up. His expression is worried as he brushes snow from my cheeks; but then he’s grinning when he sees I’m okay.
“Are you hurt?”
“Just my pride.”
“Maybe you’ll get a prize for best face-plant,” he teases, and I scoop up snow and throw it at him. Being with him, in this place, makes me feel like a kid again. He helps me to my feet as the runner moves around the bases and the guy in left field searches for the ball. It’s all hilarious really, and I can’t help but laugh, my insides warm and happy. My God, when was the last time I was ever this happy?
We all position up again and for the next fifteen minutes we play. Now that I’ve figured out how to move in snowshoes, I’m doing pretty darn good, and I love how Tate keeps looking over his shoulder to check on me. After three strikes, we come off the field and take our turn hitting the ball. I strike out, naturally, but stand on the sidelines with Cara and Amber as Tate makes it to second base.
I clap, and can only imagine I’m beaming, because Amber elbows me. I turn to her, and my smile fades when I find her eyes narrowed, worry backlighting her eyes as her gaze moves over my face.
“What?” I ask, my heart beating a little faster in my chest.
“You like him.”
“Yeah, I like him. I wouldn’t be sleeping with him if I didn’t like him.”
“No, Summer. You like him, like him. It’s written all over your face.”
“It’s not like that,” I say, not about to admit it to my friends, since I’m not about to admit it to myself.
“I’m afraid it is.” She takes my hand in hers. “He’s a bartender at a resort in the Swiss Alps. You’re a physician from the US.”
“It’s just sex,” I say, my stomach tight, as I search the field to find Tate watching us carefully. I look him over, take in his expensive-looking boots and coat. He puts his hand on his chest, brushes away the snow. Something niggles in the back of my mind. I reach for it, but can’t quite grasp it.
“Are you sure about that?”
“Yes,” I lie, even though I know she can see right through it.
“I can see why you’re falling for him.” Amber follows my gaze to the field, and she expels a heavy breath. “But do you really even know each other?”
He’s fun, kind, easy to be with, amazing in bed and so protective of me. But I don’t say any of that.
“Does he even know who you are, Summer?”
“He doesn’t know I’m a doctor,” I say, and glance at her.
She frowns. “You’ve been lying to him.”
“I know.”
“We leave here in two days. I don’t want to see you going home with a broken heart,” she says quietly as she gives my hand a squeeze.
My gaze falls over Tate as he runs the bases, and I know Amber is right. I am falling for him, goddammit. How could I not? As my heart pinches and my throat tightens painfully, I know what I have to do.
“I’ll end it tonight,” I say under my breath. “Before I get in too deep,” I add, fearing that I already have. But before I end this affair, I’m going to gift myself with one more time in his bed. It’s not a want, it’s a need, and that scares the living hell out of me.
Tate reaches home base, and the crowd goes crazy. He’s breathless when he steps up to us, unaware of our conversation. His knuckles brush mine through my gloves. “Who’s up for snow cones?” he asks, and my heart squeezes more. He’s right, he doesn’t forget anything.