Page 1 of Off Limits: The Firsts

The Player

The rush hits me.

The adrenaline through my body.

The roar of the crowd in my ears.

The mixture of scents—dirt, popcorn, leather, pine-tar—in my nose.

They’re my lifeline.

My constants.

The only religion I was ever taught to believe in.

The only thing I was ever allowed to be.

For those few moments before the pain hits—the blinding, excruciating, unending pain—when the dust is dancing around me and I can feel its grit sliding beneath my body, I remember why I love the game.

Everything about it.

And then I look up.

Our eyes meet. It’s a split-second connection. But I’m reminded of something. Of someone.

And then it’s gone.

Because now there’s only pain.

It takes over.

Steals my breath.

Kills my streak.

And hopefully doesn’t ruin my future.

Four months later

“How do you want me?”

Hazel eyes.

An arrogant smirk.

Those are the first two things about Easton Wylder that grab my attention when he peeks his head around the training room door.

I open my mouth to speak but fall silent when he walks over the threshold and comes into full view. And it’s not just because he’s shirtless—that’s par for the course in my job—but rather it’s everything about him that knocks the words from my lips. The bare, tanned, and very toned chest. The low-slung gym shorts showcasing a perfect V of muscles. The happy trail ever so slightly visible, which draws my eyes to where I shouldn’t be looking.

But I do look.

And that’s a problem. Because even if it’s only for a moment, it’s still long enough for him to notice. I snap my eyes back up and over his dark scruff to once again be greeted with that cocksure smirk that I swear taunts me and asks if I like what I see.

Another day. Another client. Another player.

I shouldn’t have expected any less.

He’s hot. I’ll give him that. Like the mouthwatering, stop-traffic, draw-all-eyes-when-he-walks-into-a-room type of hot. And not only that, but he’s a freaking god on the field. One of the best catchers I’ve ever seen. Batting average, on-base percentage, caught-stealing percentage, pick-offs, pass balls—all his stats say if he stays on this track, he’ll be one of the greats someday.