“Ever tried one of these?” Nathan asked as I came to stand next to him.

I shook my head. Even though the arcade my mom had often left me in had a batting cage, I had never really given it a shot. It seemed a little scary, the whoosh and smack of a ball hurtling at uncomfortable speeds often towards your head. For the first time I realized how terrifying it must be to experience that in front of a stadium full of people, all of them hoping you’re going to hit the ball and win the game.

But the look on Nathan’s face was one of excitement, not fear. It was clear he absolutely loved all aspects of this game. He smiled fondly at the couple, still trying to get the girl’s stance correct, and I found myself with a stroke of genius.

“Nathan,” I said, coming around in front of him. “What would you say to making another bet?”

Chapter Sixteen

Nathan eyed me with caution. “I’m not playing skee-ball with you again,” he said. “You’re a hustler.”

“Now you’re just being a sore loser,” I told him, not sure yet if my idea was going to work.

He raised an eyebrow. “What’s the bet, Rose?” he asked, once again invoking The Titanic. That’s when I knew for sure I had his interest.

I pointed at the batting cages. “Each time I hit a ball, I get one off-the-record question back on the record.”

“No way!” he said. “For all I know, you spend your weekend at places like this, hoping one day you’ll be able to trick some poor innocent guy into giving up his innermost secrets.”

“Poor innocent guy?” I asked, shaking my head at him. “You’re hardly either of those.”

Definitely not innocent, I thought, remembering the eat-you-up smiles he had been giving me all night paired with the occasional suggestive comment and casual touch. Well, two people could play at that game.

“It’s not a fair bet,” he told me. “What chance do I have to defend myself?”

“Well, we can hardly go one-on-one,” I said, sensing I was going to lose my opportunity. “How about I have to get three in a row?” I wasn’t even sure I could get one, let alone three in a row, but I had to try something. At least he was still here, his car keys still in his pocket, the look on his face betraying his interest.

“What’s in it for me?” he asked. “Seems like you’re the only one who’s going to benefit from this little dare. What do I get?”

“Amusement,” I told him, but he shook his head.

“Naw,” he said, thinking for a moment. Then a huge grin spread across his face. “OK, I’ve got it. You get something if you get three in a row, I get something if I hit five in a row.”

“That’s not fair!” I objected. “You’re a professional.”

“So are you,” he said.

“I’m a professional journalist,” I reminded him. “It’s not a fair bet.”

“Hey,” he shrugged. “How much do you want those on-the-record questions?”

I frowned, realizing the bet had just backfired in my face.

He held out his hand. “Deal?”

I needed those questions. I just had to get three hits in a row. I could do that, right? I shook. “Deal.” But as he turned away, I remembered that we hadn’t finalized all aspects of this new bet.”

“Hey!” I asked. “What do you get if you make five in a row?”

“You’ll find out when it happens,” he said, turning away.

“Wait a minute, that’s not fair,” I argued, but he was already heading over to the booth where a bored-looking kid was handing out equipment. He perked up the minute he saw Nathan, though.

“Hey! You’re Nathan Ryder.”

“Sure am,” Nathan said, leaning on the counter. “Need to get a bat and helmet for two.” He pointed a thumb at me. “She just made a foolish bet.”

“We’re about to close,” the kid said regretfully.

“We don’t need it for very long.” Nathan gave him a hopeful smile.

“Would you sign a ball for me?” the kid asked, hero worship blooming in his eyes.

“Of course,” Nathan said, but I could see the tips of his ears turn pink as he bent over the ball the kid handed him, scrawling his name across the side. He hadn’t been lying about hating the attention, but I couldn’t deny how cute he acted when he got it.

“We won’t be long,” I told the kid, but he was completely focused on the newly signed memorabilia in his hand. I just needed to get one good, personal question off the record. And distract him from collecting any of his currently undetermined debts.

“Come on, hustler,” Nathan said, picking up the equipment and making sure to give the kid a big smile, which clearly made his day. “We’ll be back.”

He led me over to the cage furthest away from everything, practically tucked away in a corner, and went to fiddle with the settings on the machine as I put on my helmet, hoping I wasn’t going to ruin my hair too much. But by the smile Nathan gave me as he came back, I clearly hadn’t deterred his interest. Somehow I had to use this to my advantage.

I stared down at the aluminum bat, not exactly sure the best spacing for my hands. Should I put them close together or spread out? I tried to remember what I saw other players do, but all I could picture was Nathan’s butt in his tight, white uniform. I shook my head. This was the exact opposite of what I was hoping for.

“Have you ever done this before?” Nathan asked, coming over next to me. By the look on his face, having my hands that close together was clearly not the best position to take.

“I’ll be fine,” I said, sensing an opportunity. I glanced down at the bat, biting my lips and furrowing my brow. “I’m sure I’ll figure it out.” I made sure to infuse just the slightest touch of nervousness into my voice.

“You’re hopeless,” he said, giving me an assessing glance. “And you’re going to get yourself hurt if you’re not careful.”

“I’ll be fine,” I waved him off, trying to make myself look as clueless as possible.

Nathan sighed. “Let me show you,” he said, coming around behind me. I did my best to hide my smile as he slid his arms down mine, his fingers wrapping around my own. “Keep your hands firm and apart. You need to have complete control of the bat.” I could hear the smile in his voice. Clearly he thought he was going to do what he had done during our skee-ball game. Distract me. Well, two could play at that.

“Complete control,” I murmured and slowly, carefully, leaned forward, arching my back.

Nathan’s lesson seemed to cut off in his throat as I pressed my ass against his hips. He froze, his body rigid behind me.

“How’s my stance now?” I asked innocently.

“Uh,” he managed, before peeling his body back from mine. “Good.” He sounded hoarse.

“Maybe you want to go first,” I suggested. “Show me how it’s done?” I looked over at him and bit my lip, batting my eyes furiously.

He looked dazed. Perfect, I thought, shoving the bat into his hands. He didn’t seem to come out of that fog until I was on the other side of the fence, the gate shut between us. He gave his head a shake, looking for a moment like a big, adorable puppy dog. I tried to keep my own lustful thoughts to a minimum, but it was hard when he glanced over at me with a dangerous smirk on his lips.

“You’re playing dirty, Hall,” he said, wrapping his fingers around the bat.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” I responded innocently. “I thought all things were fair with bets and balls.”

He just shook his head at me. “You’d better be careful,” he warned.

“I know what I’m doing.”

“That’s what I’m worried about.”

Turned out that I was the one who should be worried. My suggestive distraction was only temporary, as the moment the pitching machine whirled on, Nathan was focused and sharp, easily hitting the high-velocity balls that were coming his way. One. Two. Three. Four. I began to sweat. I didn’t know what he was going to claim if he won, but the way he kept glancing back at me between swings, that heat in his eyes, I was worried that I wasn’t going to want to object. Luckily, after he hit the fourth ball, when he turned to look at me, I was ready.