Getting Wound Up: A Sapphire Falls/ Love Between the Bases Novel-- PART THREE (5 page)

“A shower,” she squeaked.

“Not a problem. I do some of my finest work in the shower.” Without any more warning than that, he scooped her out of bed and carried her to the bathroom. She’d claimed the small upstairs bathroom for herself when she’d moved back to Sapphire Falls, and it was overflowing with all her favorite bath salts and body lotions.

Eli stopped in the middle of the room, surveyed the plethora of cosmetic products, and threw his head back with a Tarzan-like roar. “Nothing makes me feel more like a man than fruity bath gel and a loofah. Unless it’s those baby powder poofy thingies.”

She giggled helplessly as he deposited her in the shower. He stripped off all his clothes, flinging them recklessly onto the floor, until he stood stark naked before her.

“Come here, you crazy man.”

“Crazy for
you
.” He grinned as he stepped into the shower with her. Bracing one hand next to her head, he hovered his mouth over hers. “Ready?”

She closed her eyes, waiting for his kiss, heart pounding.

Instead, water cascaded onto her head. Cold water. She shrieked and gripped his shoulders.

“Better than coffee, right?”

“I hate you,” she spluttered, water droplets bouncing off her closed eyelids.

He turned a faucet and the water got warmer. “Do you love me now?”

“Not quite.”

When the water reached the perfect temperature, she finally relaxed her tight grasp on his broad shoulders. She let out a sigh as steam rose around them. Hands slicked across her body, spreading a delicious-smelling lather along the curve of her ribs, the swell of her ass. He must have found her favorite apricot kernel body butter bar.

“Love me now?” he murmured.

She held back the dreamy smile that threatened to take over her face. “You’re definitely growing on me.”

He nudged his erection against her as if to prove the truth of her words. “Clearly I have to work a little harder to win you over.”

“Don’t let me stop you.” She let her hands fall to her sides, offering her body to him. She kept her eyes closed, not only to keep the water out but because all her other senses had gone into overdrive. The murmur of water streaming down the tiles, the sweet, fruity fragrance of the soap, the luscious sensation of Eli’s hands sliding between her legs…it all felt like a dream. When his warm tongue touched her clit, she slipped into an orgasm so quickly it shocked her. Like cruising down a water slide.

“That’s it, baby,” he murmured. She clutched his wet hair, gasping for breath. “You’re so sweet, Caitlyn. I missed the taste of you. I missed how you feel in my arms. Nothing feels as good as you. Nothing.”

Spent, she leaned against the wall of the shower.

“Turn around and I’ll wash your back,” he offered.

Obediently, she faced the wall and rested her forehead and hands on the cool tiles. Eli’s hands on her back were absolute heaven, the perfect balance between soothing and scrubbing.

Until he stopped. She whimpered in complaint.

He pressed his front against her back, each long inch of his body making contact with hers. “You know what I want to hear,” he whispered wickedly in her ear.

“Fine,” she said breathlessly. “I love your back-scrubbing technique.”

He slipped his hand to her front, between her legs. “Is that all?”

“Okay, and all the other stuff you do with your hands. And your mouth. Etcetera.”

She felt the vibrations of his laughter all the way down her spine.

“Etcetera, huh? Is that what you call this?”

His thick erection pressed between her thighs. She widened her legs to allow him an easier passage inside. He pushed her lower back down slightly and then he was sliding inside, and oh God, nothing had ever felt this good. Not when she’d given up all thought of ever doing this again with him. He took one long, careful thrust, as if exploring just how deep he could take her.

A low moan was all she could manage. Her body clasped his cock tight, the tremors from her earlier orgasm still there, like embers waiting to be stirred again. And just like that, pleasure burst back to life, fiery-hot. He bent over her, driving deep and steady, so strong, so solid, so…Eli.

“I love you,” she said in a strangled gasp as she came again. He followed right behind her, emptying himself with a long, rasping groan.

“God, Cait. So fucking good.”

“I know,” she whispered. “Every time. How can that be?”

They held each other tight while they recovered. The hot water sluiced over their skin, beating the tension out of their muscles. When she’d regained her balance, Caitlyn took her turn soaping Eli. It was sheer pleasure, an excuse to run her hands over those flat abs and long, muscled thighs. How amazing that this spectacular example of manhood had been walking around town all these years, stocking shelves and ringing up sales as if he was just an ordinary guy. He was the guy next door…and yet so much more.

“I’m definitely awake now,” she told him. “But I’m still a little confused. I wake up. There’s coffee, there’s you, there’s a shower, there’s crazy-hot sex, and I’m not complaining, but…why are you here?”

He looked down at her, his eyes nearly silver in the steam filling the shower stall. “I told you I got called up.”

“Yes, you mentioned that. Goodbye Kilby, hello San Diego. Right?”

“Right. Except.” He hesitated, something momentous simmering behind the forced calm of his expression.

“Just tell me. I’m dying here.”

“I said no.”

“You… I’m sorry
, what?
You lost me
.
”

“I turned them down.”

* * *

“Is that some kind of baseball term I’m not familiar with?” Caitlyn asked. “Because it sounds like you said no, you didn’t want to be called up.”

Eli could feel the tension emanating from her. Considering a moment ago he’d had her nearly boneless against the wall of the shower, this was an abrupt change. But he’d been expecting it. Caitlyn loved him. He believed that. Which meant she would always want what was best for him even if it meant pain for herself.

She would want him to go to San Diego. Even though it meant being without him.

Well, that wasn’t going to happen.

“I told Duke no. I’m not going to San Diego.” He wanted to hold her so badly, but she was crossing her arms, her eyes narrowed, and he knew she was going to fight him. “I’m also leaving Kilby,” he admitted. “I’m coming home.”

Any other girl, in any other circumstance, would have squealed and jumped into his arms and they would have made celebratory love.

Caitlyn, on the other hand, narrowed her eyes farther and said, “No you’re not.”

He sighed and reached to shut off the shower. Then he pulled the curtain open and grabbed a towel from the rack. He wrapped it around her. Typically, he was all for having any and all conversations with Caitlyn buck naked. This one, though, seemed to be in need of covering. He couldn’t get distracted by her curves and her sweet skin and her…

Yeah, he needed to focus so he could make her understand his decision.

And then agree with his decision.

And then say yes to the question he was going to ask her.

Caitlyn grabbed the ends of the towel and stepped from the shower. Eli draped another towel around his waist, gathered up his clothes and followed her out of the bathroom and down the hall to her bedroom.

“I am, actually,” he said, picking up the conversation again as she crossed to her dresser.

“No, you’re not.” She jerked a drawer open and flung a pair of jeans on the bed. She slammed the drawer shut again, hard enough to make the bottles of perfume and body spray on top wobble. She yanked another open and grabbed a t-shirt, tossing it over her shoulder to land on the jeans. That drawer slammed shut harder than the first.

Eli winced and watched her treat the drawer that apparently held her panties and bras similarly.

She turned to face him. “Look, this is a grand romantic gesture and I appreciate it. I needed to see you. We needed to work out that things are okay between us. But we can’t do this, Eli. We can’t do long distance. It’s too hard. It’s too distracting for you. It’s too…lonely for me.” She made a disgusted face. “And that doesn’t matter. How I feel doesn’t matter. I know that. This isn’t about me, but—”

“How in the
hell
is this not about you?” Eli asked over her rambling explanation. “This is about exactly two people, Cait. Me and
you
.”

She was already shaking her head when he finished. “It’s not. That’s the whole thing! It’s about Bryan and my mom too. And it’s about your dad and your family.”

Caitlyn Murray had fired his blood and made his heart pump in the past, but he never would have believed it could be in anger. “What are you talking about?”

“Your dad looks so good, Eli. He is
so
happy, so proud. You can’t give up on baseball.
He
needs you to play, don’t you see that?”

Eli wasn’t sure what to say. He had gotten in late last night but he’d seen his dad that morning and Caitlyn was right. His dad did look good. Instead of saying anything, he dropped his towel and started to dress.

Wordlessly, she did the same.

When they were both covered, he faced her again. “I know why you came back and I know why you need to stay,” he told her. “Of all the people in the whole world to get it, I do. One of the things I love best about you is your huge heart, the way you put other people first. I love how you put
me
first and pushed me to go after my dream. But Cait, I want to be your
partner
. I want to be beside you, not in front of you, with you pushing me from behind. I don’t want you to put me first, before you. I want us to be together, in the same place at the same time. Literally and figuratively. Always.”

She was pressing her lips together and Eli saw the shine of tears in her eyes. “That all
sounds
great, Eli. But I can’t live with the idea that you gave up something so big for me.”

He took a step closer. “I would give up anything for you. Baseball is big. I love it. It’s always been a dream. But you… God, Caitlyn, you’re like…a wish. Something I didn’t even put into my consciousness enough to dream about. You’re all of these things that I didn’t even know I wanted. Until you came along.”

A tear slipped down her cheek. “I can’t let you do this.”

He opened his mouth to argue but she went on quickly before he could.

“Because
you’re
my wish come true too, Eli. One of the best things in my world is watching you live your dream.”

“Marry me.”

She opened her mouth. Then frowned. Then opened it again. Then frowned harder.

“Caitlyn,” he said, gently but firmly. He needed her to hear him. “Marry me.”

She stared at him, her eyes as big and round as he’d ever seen them.

“Be my partner, in every way. Make a life with me. Baseball…it’s been fun. It’s been exciting. And it’s been
part
of my life. But there is a lot more to my life and the years to come than my knuckleball. I want it all—a wife, a family, a house here in Sapphire Falls, sons to teach how to play baseball, daughters to teach how to outplay their brothers. I want to be here for my dad and my sister. I want to help you with Bryan. I want to hang out at the Come Again with the guys. This is a great life. I know that. I’m lucky. I don’t want to ignore or forget that.” He took another step closer to her. “Marry me.”

Caitlyn didn’t move or speak for several long seconds. Then her head started shaking back and forth. “No,” she whispered.

Eli felt everything in him go cold.

“Not now. Not yet.” She said those four words a little louder. She straightened her spine and pulled in a breath. “Go play baseball. In San Diego. And when it’s over—for whatever reason, even if it’s twenty years from now—come home and I’ll be here.”

The cold was quickly replaced by warmth. This woman was amazing. He wondered if he’d ever know how deep her ability to love and care about others really went. He knew, above all, he was definitely lucky to be one of the people she loved. Why him, out of all the men in the world who could have had her, why he got the chance to spend his life with her, he didn’t know. But
this
was the Show. Not the Catfish, not the Friars, not the pitcher’s mound in game seven in the World Series with two outs and a full count.
This
was the Show he wanted.

“You’d wait for me?” he asked her gruffly.

She nodded. “I won’t ever love anyone else anyway,” she said with a tiny almost-not-there smile. “And there is an off-season.”

There sure was. But that didn’t matter anymore. Eli was where he was supposed to be.

His heart swelled. She would wait for him. That was amazing. Big. Huge. And mattered more than anything else ever had.

“Cait, I really—”

“Caitlyn! Eli! We’re home!” Her mother’s voice interrupted what Eli had been about to say.

Caitlyn jumped slightly. She’d been so caught up in the moment with Eli that she’d forgotten where they were.

Damn. They were kind of in the middle of something here.