Slow Pitch Read online

  “Chatter’s part of the game. Being a superhero is just showing off.”

  Tenner was relaxed enough with victory to not mind when McTierney came up alongside him and matched his pace. The sidewalk that ran between the four now-vacant fields also ran behind the snack bar and the restrooms before passing three playgrounds and feeding into the parking lot. Somewhere behind them, the guy who umped the game was walking toward the big pole with the circuit breaker on it to turn off the lights. But other than that, they were alone.

  “Oh, and nailing that sucker over the fence in my direction wasn’t showing off?” Tenner retorted. “I watched you set up that hit. You could have sent it over Hanford’s head, like you’d been doing all night, or you could have sent it over mine and… and… that poor kid in right field, bless his heart.”

  “You don’t even know his name?” McTierney guffawed.

  “No, I don’t know his name! I’ve known this team exactly as long as I’ve known you, but I like them better.”

  “Well, then, that’s because you don’t really know me, do you?” McTierney sallied with a cheerful wink. Tenner resisted a hard swallow, because when he wasn’t being an asshole on the field, this guy was actually sort of fun. A slug to the gut, and not a faint tingle, a cocky, strutting asshole with a charming smile.

  “Look, just because you’re Patrick’s brother-in-law, that doesn’t mean we’re going to be besties. Wait, what are you—”

  They were nearing the bathrooms, and McTierney sped up enough to cut Tenner off, leaning his arm up on the cinderblock wall that provided cover for the entrance of the ladies’ room and grinning directly into Tenner’s face.

  “Not talking about Pat,” he said, eyes hooded, lower lip bitten suggestively. “And we don’t need to be besties. But I do think you want to get to know me a little better.”

  Oh wow. He was right there. Close enough Tenner could smell the same grass and sweat and dust on Ross McTierney’s body that he could smell on his own.

  “I, uh….” It came out as a squeak, and Tenner had to stop and clear his throat. “I don’t have time for this,” he said. It came out a little stronger this time.

  Ross’s smirk cranked up to eleven. “We don’t need much time,” he purred, and Tenner was unprepared—so woefully unprepared—for the sucker punch of libido that woke up his cock, balls, nipples, taint, asshole, and all of his skin in one glorious breath.

  He could swear his swallow echoed to the parking lot. “You, uhm….”

  Ross leaned closer, and he must have spit out his gum, but Tenner could still smell the pop of mint on his breath. “I have wanted that tight little ass since you stepped out on the field, and your snotty little attitude hasn’t changed my mind.”

  Time stopped, and Tenner was aware of the width of that long body, the faint twist of that upper lip, and the dare in those sky-blue eyes.

  With an audible click, the vast intrusive banks of overhead lights that blessed the field went dark, leaving only the sunspots behind their eyes remaining.

  And then it was just him, him and this devastating man, sweaty and alone in the spring dark.

  Ross might have advanced first, leaning a little more until Tenner could smell the remnants of aftershave, but Tenner moved the hardest, sealing their mouths together in an explosion of adrenaline and frustration and lust.

  Up Against the Wall

  DAMN BUT Ross wanted him. No-holds-barred wanted him. He’d worked to piss him off during the game, had practically strained something in his back trying to send that ball over the guy’s head in right field, had been itching to grab that tight little ass from the moment this guy had stalked onto the field with his smoldering brown eyes and “Got better shit to do!” expression.

  Ross was going to give him better shit to do, and Tenner was going to by God like it.

  And the way he sprang into the kiss, all tongue and teeth and hands rucking up the back of Ross’s shirt—Ross couldn’t see his profile in the dark, but he could feel the guy, his compact frame, his wound-up energy—he wanted to fuck that tight into loose, that power into compliance, that stalk into sprawl.

  He reached down and cupped Tenner’s ass, gratified when Tenner hopped up and wrapped his legs around Ross’s waist. Oh God, his cock was erect through his baseball pants and rubbing against Ross’s abdomen, and Ross couldn’t wait to even get to the car.

  Without breaking the kiss, he carried Tenner around the corner, into the alcove over the ladies’ restroom. He held one hand up behind Tenner’s head as they hit the back wall, and he heard Tenner grunt as Ross’s knuckles scraped the cinderblock.

  “Sorry,” he mumbled. “Okay?”

  “It’s nothing.” Tenner pulled away to kiss down Ross’s jaw and nibble on his neck, and Ross’s knees got a little wobbly. Oooh… wow. He loved a good neck nibble. He let go of Tenner’s ass, and Tenner took the hint, putting his feet on the ground and shoving his hands under Ross’s shirt.

  He actively kneaded everything—abs, pecs, holy hell, nipples!—and Ross fumbled with Tenner’s belt so he could get to the good stuff. He shoved down everything, pants and jock, and fell to his knees.

  Oh wow, this guy was primed. Erect, dripping, thick, Ross devoured him, tasting the bitter tang of precome. He had to use two hands to wrap around it, and he pulled back long enough to look into Tenner’s eyes in the moonlight to show his appreciation.

  “Fucking monster,” he breathed. “Gorgeous cock.”

  Ross went back to sucking, and Tenner mumbled something and then moaned.

  “Am I hurting you?” Ross asked, because even if he was about to fuck against a cinderblock wall, that was the last thing on his mind.

  “I’m gonna come and my health screen is clear,” Tenner said, and Ross tightened his fist, because what a good guy.

  “Good, come quick, let me swallow!” He went to suck again. It had been a while and he loved the feel of that monster stretching his lips, pushing back into his throat, but he had a thought. He paused for a moment, still stroking, his breath brushing Tenner’s head. “But I wanna fuck you too. Do you tighten up too much?”

  “I don’t remember,” Tenner said, and Ross frowned before moving one of his hands and rooting through his back pocket. He ignored the two foil packets he’d put there right after the game and managed the little ampoule of lube. He handed the lubricant off to Tenner.

  “I’m going to go slow for a bit,” he said, shuddering in anticipation. “Use that and stretch yourself out. We’re gonna have some fun.”

  His own cock was ripe and wet in his jock, the ache exquisite. Slowing down enough to let Tenner move, seeing his hand go back, shiny with slickness, knowing what he was doing with his two fingers, made Ross need.

  Tenner relaxed, a hum of happiness filling the little alcove. “Ah….” Yes! A man who loved to bottom! Ross enjoyed bottoming too, but this was his sexual fantasy, and it involved taking this guy’s tight ass until he melted.

  And judging by the amount of precome he was leaking into Ross’s mouth, Ross was well on his way.

  “How’s your ass, Ten?” Ross asked, the diminutive slipping out. “Slack? Loose? Begging for more?”

  His response was a moan and—oh yes!—a thrust into Ross’s fist. Lovely. Ross took a breath and swallowed as much of that glorious cock as he could, giving Tenner’s balls a gentle roll as he did.

  Tenner moved his free hand to his mouth to muffle his cry, and his cock spurted hard, and again, dumping come down Ross’s throat as if he hadn’t come in years.

  Ross swallowed it greedily. So long. It had been so long since Ross had wanted a guy like this. Tenner, stalking onto the field, taking that happy bullshit game as serious as nuclear physics, lightening up at the end and smiling at that sweet little puppy with the crush—all of it had made Ross want him more.

  Tenner made a sound of discomfort, and Ross pulled off immediately, standing up as quick as he could, given that he’d hit thirty that year and his knees weren’t fifteen an
ymore. He leaned in for a kiss, gratified when Tenner responded, opening his mouth, accepting his own taste, the kiss growing passionate and urgent once more.

  While they kissed, Ross worked his own belt, pushing the works down and enjoying the feel of the breeze on his sweaty bits.

  His cock bobbed painfully, though, and unless he wanted to just blow his cool by rutting against this guy’s hip until he came, they needed to get a move on.

  “Turn around,” he whispered, and Tenner’s compliance was one of the most gratifying things he’d ever witnessed.

  Ross slid the condom on with fingers nimble from want, if not recent practice.

  “It’s been a while,” Tenner panted, and Ross dropped his hand, testing the stretch, stretching some more.

  “That’s a shame,” he rasped in Tenner’s ear, spreading his two fingers. “That’s the sweetest, tightest ass I’ve felt in a long time.”

  Tenner moaned into his own shoulder, and the sound sent sparks of excitement dancing up Ross’s spine. Tenner wanted this as much as Ross did, and that was so damned sexy.

  He pulled his fingers out, gratified by the little whimper of loss Tenner made, and then replaced the fingers with his cock.

  “Ahhhh….”

  The sigh came from both of them. Tenner’s ass gripped him like a vise, but as Tenner pushed out eagerly, accepting, Ross glided in, the extra lubricant doing its job. Oh… oh….

  “Oh wow,” Tenner whispered, resting his head against the cinderblock wall. “So good.”

  Ross paused to kiss the back of his neck, behind his ear, the corner of his jaw. To his surprise, Tenner reached back over his shoulder and cupped Ross’s head.

  “Should I move?” he asked, his lips brushing Tenner’s ear.

  “Please?”

  “I love to hear you beg.”

  Slow at first—for Ross, so he could savor, and for Tenner, because he was so tight—Ross began to thrust.

  Tenner was muffling the most amazing noises behind his fist, and Ross spent a moment wishing they could linger, that he could torment this tight-assed sexual powerhouse by going slow until he screamed. But he knew that eventually a patrolman would be by to make sure there weren’t deviants in the park doing pretty much what he and Tenner were doing right now, so he began to move faster.

  Tenner’s moans grew too loud to muffle.

  “Shhhh…,” Ross soothed, pulling that thick dark hair back from Tenner’s face. “Sh… I’m gonna go for it, okay? I’m gonna do us both right.”

  “God, yes!” It came out as a whispered shout, and Ross had just enough humor left to chuckle before everything became his cock in Tenner’s ass and the two of them pumping, a hot red ball of lust in the dark.

  Ross started fucking like he’d never fucked before.

  Tenner grunted softly, once, twice. “Am I hurting you?” Ross demanded, praying he wasn’t, because God, he didn’t want to stop.

  “Don’t you dare stop!”

  And thank you, Big Guy, for the license to fuck!

  Faster and faster, and heavens to betsy, Tenner was so tight, so soft, so sweet, so—

  “Mmmmmmffffff!” Tenner howled into his shoulder, his ass tightening so hard on Ross’s cock he couldn’t move, and Ross buried his face against Tenner’s neck and came.

  For a moment, his eyes closed in the dark. All he could smell was Tenner’s sweat, all he could feel was Tenner’s skin against his cheek, Tenner’s grip around his cock, and all he could hear was Tenner’s harsh breathing against the cinderblock wall.

  Tenner’s come saturated his taste buds, and his entire world was this moment, bound together with this surprising man.

  Ross had to do this again.

  “Oh shit,” Tenner mumbled. “Hell. I’ve got to go.”

  “That’s disappointing,” Ross said, taking a deep breath before grabbing his condom at the base of his cock and pulling out. “I was sort of hoping for a beer or something afterwards.”

  “Oh my God.” Tenner leaned his head against the cinderblock. “I have a daughter!”

  “That’s so cool! Where’s she at?”

  “Oh shit oh shit oh shit.” Ross had stepped back to tie off the condom and throw it in the trash can right by the closed door, while Tenner was using the space to scramble into his pants. He adjusted himself very carefully and then tucked in his shirt, like the tightass he was, and zipped up.

  “You okay there, Tenner?”

  “I have to go pick her up!” Tenner practically wailed. “I’m sorry—” He paused in the act of grabbing his equipment bag and slinging it over his shoulder. “I… I don’t usually do this sort of thing. Is there… is there, like, protocol or—”

  “Buddy, hold up,” Ross said gently. He turned Tenner toward him and wiped his lips off and straightened his hair. Keeping one hand on Tenner’s stomach, he did a quick squat and scoop and came back with Tenner’s hat, which he placed on his head at the exact angle Tenner had worn it all night. “You’re not too late. That took us, what? Eight minutes? Nobody will ever know.”

  Tenner’s mouth parted a little as Ross straightened him up, and the look in his eyes was so yearning, so vulnerable, Ross wanted him all over again.

  But not against a cinderblock bathroom alcove—in a real bed, like grown-ups, with sunlight and everything. Tenner’s stomach tightened under his hand, and Ross grimaced.

  “Wait a minute. We gotta do that again.” He took off Tenner’s hat in spite of Tenner’s protests.

  “We can’t do that again. I’ve got to—”

  “You’ve got jizz on your shirt, Ten. Here.” He yanked his own shirt out of his pants and jerked it over his head. Tenner’s was bright Sunspot yellow, but Pat’s team was in a reasonably dignified indigo. Ross pulled the yellow one off, over Tenner’s head, before hauling the blue one on. Then he let Tenner tuck himself in while Ross dealt with the hat again. “There. No jizz. No one will ever know.”

  Well, someone observant might, because Ross would bet that in the light, Tenner’s mouth was swollen from Ross’s kisses. But here in the dark, all Ross could see were the limpid brown eyes.

  “You are… surprisingly sweet,” Tenner said with dignity. “I’m sorry. I’ve got to—” He started off down the baseball path, but Ross kept pace. “What are you doing?”

  “I’m parked out this way too. Besides, I couldn’t just let you walk out here in the dark.”

  He heard Tenner’s snort. “I am a grown-assed man.”

  “And you are a tight-assed one too,” Ross said with a smirk. “But it’s not safe for anyone. See?” he said as they rounded the corner. Two vehicles were there—Ross’s Tahoe and Tenner’s little CR-V. Ross’s was fire-engine red, special order, because when he was in the States, he worked a lot of job sites off-road, and Tenner’s car was a more sedate white, but Ross had sort of figured that.

  As they approached their cars, a security vehicle turned in and started a loop around the parking lot. They both trotted a little faster, and Tenner called out to him, “Hey, how will I get you your shirt back?”

  Ross was still bare-chested, but he held Tenner’s yellow shirt in his hand.

  “Don’t worry. I’ll find you!”

  And then Tenner was taking off, Ross not far behind him.

  Ross hadn’t missed the fact that Tenner and Ross’s brother-in-law were friends. It was time to have a little heart-to-heart with Patrick about the buddy he’d dragged to the game.

  Never Too Late

  “OH MY God, Tenner, how many games did you play?”

  Tenner had a lot of practice keeping his temper. “I’m so sorry, Nina. The game went into extra innings. I promise, next time you’ll have more warning.”

  Nina—petite and brunette with the angular features of a fashion model—rolled her green eyes. “Did you at least win?”

  And Tenner couldn’t have stopped the smile if he’d tried. “Yes, yes, we did.” And I got an extra play for my pay.

  “Well, you don’t need to come in
. She’s been waiting.”

  “Thank you again for letting me play. It’s been a while, and I had a blast.” He smiled again tentatively, hoping as he always did for some sort of truce. Détente. Peace. They’d survived the hard years together, hadn’t they? Piper in diapers, with colic, Nina still in school getting her business degree. Tenner remembered playing tag team, coming home from work and taking baby duty while Nina worked on papers. They’d both been sleep deprived in the 7-Eleven, on their last diaper. All this hostility now just seemed so… pointless.

  “Well, I’m glad you’re happy,” she snapped. “I’ll be lucky if I can get to the restaurant on time.”

  “Don’t let me stop you,” he said. “Piper, honey, you have all your stuff?”

  “Coming, Daddy!” Piper charged through the door with two backpacks on her shoulder. “Sorry, I had to pack my dolls.”

  Tenner caught her on her way out and hefted her up in his arms. She was almost too big, but not yet. “Look at you!” He grinned. “Did you grow?”

  She grinned back, showcasing a missing tooth. “No, but look what happened!”

  “The tooth monster came and stole your tooth!” he said, making his eyes big and wide. “Oh no, how could you let that happen?”

  She giggled. “No, Daddy! I lost the tooth. My whole class is losing their front teeth. I’m the third to the last one.”

  “Well, it’s a good thing it fell out, because that would have been horrible right there. How will we ever show our faces if you’re the last kid in the class without a hole in her mouth?”

  Piper threw her head back, lost in a cloud of dark hair, and giggled. “It’s a tooth!” she squealed. “Not a hole!”

  He winked. “Sure, sure, that’s what they tell you because they don’t want you to worry. Now go hop in your jump seat, and I’ll check your belt in a minute, okay?”

  “Yes, Daddy.”

  He rubbed noses with her and set her down, smiling tiredly as she ran. “She’s a great kid, Nina. I love her little outfit.” It was pink and frilly, and super expensive. He didn’t mind any of those things, but he didn’t tell Nina about the drawer full of basic shorts and jeans and T-shirts that Piper had picked out with him so they could do things like go on walks or go fishing or play in the dirt while she was with him. He dropped her off at school clean, in her mom-approved clothes, with her hair braided neatly, and Nina never had to know.