Catching His Heart (Love And Baseball Book 1) Read online

  After he finished he went off stage and Rascal Flatts came on stage, taking a few minutes to set up. Carson turned me back around and wrapped his arms around my waist again. I wiggled a little, getting comfortable. His arms tightened around me and I looked up at him.

  “I need you not to move right now,” he said huskily.

  I wondered why until I focused on his eyes. They were drowning in lust. I was driving him crazy. I kissed his chest quickly promising to stay as still as possible. He rested his chin on top of my head, snuggling me closer. As the band played he swayed me slowly until, finally, they played Riot. He sang it to me, his lips right by my ear.

  After the band finished I realized our perfect little bubble was about to burst. We were going to leave here and the real world would creep in. As people started filing out he put me on his back again, saving me from being trampled by the crowd. When we got out to his truck he put me down and I knew he didn’t want this night to end any more than I did.

  “Food then home,” I said hopefully.

  “You read my mind. I’m not ready to let you go just yet.”

  He opened my door, but he didn’t let me go. He stared at me and he looked like he had something to say. We stood like that for a second before he finally shook his head and let me get in the car.

  That was weird, I thought as I hopped in.

  When he hopped in and started the truck, the first thing I did was play with the radio. There wasn’t anything good on, so I shut it off and stared out the window. Carson reached over and grabbed my hand, entwining our fingers. I noticed for the first time that holding his hand felt like the most natural thing in the world. I bit my lip and kept looking out the window, trying not to grin like an idiot.

  I felt his eyes on me a couple times and each time it made me blush. We pulled in to my favorite Italian restaurant and I squealed. He laughed and squeezed my hand. I could already taste the fettucine Alfredo on my tongue.

  When we were seated and waiting for our food, Carson took my hand and kissed my knuckles. I was in a continual state of bliss, and it was all thanks to him. From the moment we met when we were five, I have always known who he was, but now I was getting to see a whole new side of him. I got to see the romantic side that I had never gotten to see before.

  “So, did I raise the bar again,” he asked.

  “Definitely. You are going to have your work cut out for you next time,” I said with a chuckle.

  “Oh, don’t worry, I’ve got plans. I’m going to keep upping the ante until there is no way to make it any better,” he said with a grin.

  “I have no doubt that you will,” I said as our food came.

  Chapter 4

  He kissed my hand one more time before we dug into our food. We talked about random things while we ate. After we finished he paid the bill and took my hand. We got back in the truck and again he looked like he wanted to say something. I was going to ask him what he wasn’t saying, and he must have noticed because he shook his head and smiled before leaning in to kiss me.

  His lack of communication regarding what he really wanted to say was driving me crazy. I wondered if he wanted to tell me the same thing I wanted to tell him. Were we both holding back, afraid the other didn’t feel the same? I hoped so because if that was true then it would make it a lot easier to tell him how I felt later. We climbed into his truck and he got us back on the road towards home.

  “I hope you know that every time you don’t say what you want to say it drives me crazy. What is the deal with that girl Allie,” I said before I could chicken out and just let it be.

  His mouth opened, as if he were going to respond, but he just focused on driving. I felt kind of annoyed. I mean he has always been able to tell me anything. What was stopping him this time?

  “It’s not time yet. I’ll tell you soon, I just need to be sure of some things first,” he said with a shrug.

  I let out an annoyed sigh. I just wanted him to be open with me, but he wasn’t going to let me in this time. He grabbed my hand and squeezed to get my attention.

  “Don’t be like that honey. I know you hate that I won’t tell you. I’ll make you a deal. I’ll tell you some of it on your birthday,” he said without taking his eyes from the road.

  I sighed again, but accepted that I was just going to have to wait. “Promise,” I said hopefully.

  “Swear.”

  “Good. Don’t try to get out of it either,” I said with a smile.

  “You know I can’t break a promise to you firefly. You’re the one person I can’t do that with,” he said seriously.

  After a second his seriousness gave way to humor. “Besides, you would never let me hear the end of it if I tried.”

  I looked over at him and he was grinning like a fool. “You’re dang right about that. I have never let you get away with anything before, and I’m not gonna start now,” I said with my own grin.

  He kept his grin for the rest of the drive, and he also kept ahold of my hand. He parked in his driveway, killed the engine, unbuckled and turned to me. I quickly unbuckled and turned to face him as well. He wrapped an arm around my waist and pulled me into his lap.

  He kissed me softly before deepening the kiss. His hand snaked up into my hair, directing the kiss. One of my hands gripped his shoulder, the other moved to rest over his heart. We kept going like that for a few minutes, just making out in his truck. When the kiss ended we stayed locked like that, both unwilling to move.

  I knew I had to go, but I didn’t want to be the one to break this magical moment. I had everything I could ever need wrapped up in my arms, so how could I even think about leaving? Finally ten minutes later he sighed and reached behind him to open his door. I moved my arms to wrap around his neck, gently pulling him back to me.

  “I don’t want to go,” I whined.

  “I know baby. Trust me I don’t want you to go either, but you have to,” he said gently.

  “I don’t know if I’m going to be able to sleep without being wrapped up in your arms,” I pouted.

  That seemed to break his well-maintained self-control, because he closed his door and took my lips in a fierce kiss. He pulled away, his breath coming in pants. He was always the epitome of control, so seeing him let loose like that turned me on more than anything ever could. I pressed closer to him and he locked his arms tight around me.

  Finally, after ten minutes and many failed attempts, we found the control needed to get out of the truck. He kept me pressed to his side as he walked me to my door. He kissed me softly then stepped away. I wanted to ask him for one last kiss, but I knew that neither of us could take much more tonight. Leaving him was already hard enough.

  “Thank you for tonight Carson, it was perfect,” I said while I fought the urge to reach out and pull him back to me.

  “Of course, firefly. I’ll see you tomorrow in class,” he promised.

  He turned around and made it to the steps before I called out to him. “Miss you,” I said sadly.

  He turned back around and smiled before coming back to me and dropping a kiss on my lips. I laid my head on his shoulder, soaking up his innate warmth. He rubbed his hands up and down my back, giving me a bit of comfort.

  “Miss you too,” he whispered before he left me again. “Text me if you can’t sleep,” he called over his shoulder.

  I didn’t reply, just opened the door and went inside. I put my hand over my heart, closed my eyes, and melted against the closed door. I was head over heels, there was no denying that. When I opened my eyes I caught my parents staring at me. I grinned at them, floating on a cloud, and went upstairs.

  I changed into a tank top, shorts, and Carson’s jacket. I flopped on my bed right as one of my parents knocked on my door. Of course I knew who it was without looking, only one of them would want the dirt on my date. My mom stuck her head in and smiled at me. I waved her in and she came and sat beside me on my bed.

  “So, how was it,” she said excitedly.

  “Perfect mom!
Scotty McCreery opened for them and he dedicated a song to us,” I said as my excitement from the night flooded me.

  “Please tell me it was I Love You This Big,” she said with a squeal.

  “It was! It was the most amazing moment, but what made it even better was that Carson was singing too. It was like the rest of the world just fell away,” I said with a dreamy sigh.

  My mom laid down beside me on her side and pushed my hair out of my face. “You love him, don’t you? I mean I know you said you do before, but I figured it wouldn’t hurt to check to make sure,” she said quietly.

  I nodded and smiled, “I have for years.”

  “I always figured you guys would end up together at some point. Does he feel the same way?”

  “I’m honestly not sure. I haven’t told him yet, but I will soon. I know there isn’t a perfect time to tell him, but I just want to feel like it’s the right thing when I do.”

  My mom didn’t say a word, just nodded and flopped onto her back. I laid my head on her shoulder and smiled. Any time something would go wrong or we needed to talk we would lay like this. I remember being ten and getting into a fight with Carson then running home crying. My mom had dragged me to my room and we laid like this for hours just talking about everything.

  I didn’t comment on how long it had been since we’ve done this. I think the last time was right after grandpa’s funeral. Shaking that thought off, I snuggled into her and her arms went around me. I kissed her cheek and she kissed my forehead before letting me go and getting up.

  “Get some sleep,” she said, patting my head. “We’ll talk more tomorrow. I love you baby girl,” my mom said from my doorway.

  “I love you too mama. Night,” I said as I plugged my phone in, setting the alarm.

  I crawled under the covers and snuggled into my pillow. I laid staring at the ceiling for like an hour before I drifted off to sleep. I woke up to my phone making an obnoxious beeping sound, internally cursing the alarm and causing me to threaten to throw it. Yeah, go ahead and say it, I’m not a morning person.

  I quickly got up and headed for the shower, knowing the warm water would help to wake me up. Once clean and more awake I got dressed into a pair of tight jeans and a tank top that says “Ok, but first coffee” on the front. Which was me to a T. I heard my mom banging around in the kitchen, but I also heard a distinctly male voice.

  I knew it couldn’t be my dad because he would already be at work. That left 2 options. Either my Uncle David was here, or Carson was downstairs waiting for me. I squealed and put on a pair of vans before grabbing the rest of my stuff and running downstairs.

  I peeked around the corner into the kitchen, making sure my excitement was warranted. When I saw Carson sitting there talking to my mom I knew he was in his element. Moms always love Carson. It’s because he’s both cute and impossibly nice.

  I quietly sat my stuff by the door and made my way back to the kitchen. I walked in and dropped a kiss on Carson’s lips before going to kiss my mom’s cheek. I grabbed a cup of coffee before turning back to take in the sight of Carson chatting with my mom.

  I wondered how many relationships were actually like this. I mean what guy actually wants to sit around talking to his girlfriend’s mom? I was about to slip into the seat right beside Carson, but he stopped me by putting my coffee on the table and wrapping his arms around my waist. He kissed me and I ran my hands through his hair. I won’t lie, that kiss was better than a warm shower and coffee combined.

  “Good morning baby,” he said when he pulled away.

  “It is now,” I said with a grin.

  He smiled and laughed before pulling me down into his lap when I tried to get up. I melted into him and he tightened his hold on me. I laid my head against his neck, soaking up his warmth again.

  “I could barely sleep last night,” he whispered against my hair.

  “Oh yeah, you were too busy missing me,” I teased.

  “It’s not funny baby! I wanted to turn back time and never let you leave my truck. When I finally did fall asleep I had this amazing dream that had me waking up and reaching for you.” He paused a moment. “Then I had to be lonely when I woke up and you weren’t there.”

  “Awwwww,” my mom said as she put a plate of pancakes in front of us.

  Both of us were blushing when we looked up. We had somehow forgotten that my mom was still in the room. I was going to get up, because honestly sitting in my boyfriend’s lap in front of my mom was a bit uncomfortable, but Carson’s arms tightened around me. Even though I was 21 and Carson and I had been almost this close for years, it still felt a little weird, but I didn’t resist him because, well, I wanted to stay right where I was. He buried his face in my neck and I leaned against him. I caught a smile on my mom’s face, and it made me smile. I ate quickly, knowing I was going to be late if I didn’t hurry.

  “So, you wanna ride with me to school honey,” he said before dropping a kiss on my neck.

  “Definitely,” I said before turning and kissing his cheek.

  “Ok then, grab your stuff, you’re gonna be late if we don’t go soon,” he said before letting me get up.

  “Already by the door,” I said with a grin.

  I felt his eyes on me as he followed me to the door. I called out a quick goodbye to my mom as we walked out. When the front door closed Carson’s hands reached out and grabbed my butt. He squeezed before reaching around and pulling me back to him.

  “You have no idea how badly I missed you this morning,” he whispered.

  “Oh I think I do. I woke up with no strong arms around me,” I whispered back.

  His lips drifted to my neck, and I could feel his smile. I could tell he liked that I had been missing him as much as he missed me. He started kissing my neck, and I felt my knees buckle. God, his lips on my neck couldn’t have felt any more right, and sensationally wrong as my body began to react to him. A second later he pulled away and sighed. He knew we had to go and he didn’t mean to start something he couldn’t finish. He grabbed my hand and dragged me to the truck.

  He pulled me to sit right beside him in the center seat, wrapping his arm around my shoulder. I snuggled into him and felt myself settling in to my happy place, which coincidently, happens to be wherever he is. He kissed my temple before focusing on the road.

  We drove in silence, just trying to soak up the awesomeness that is our relationship. I can’t explain it, but it ranges from hot to the sweetest thing in my world. Is this what it’s like to be with the person you love? Moreover, is this what it’s like to truly be in love with your best friend?

  When we pulled up to the school he helped me out and kept ahold of my hand as we walked. Allie, who seemed to be arriving at the same time as us, called out to Carson as we walked by, just hoping Carson would ignore me and give her the time of day, but he didn’t. His nervousness was back, but he squeezed my hand and focused solely on me. He walked me to my first class and kissed me before going off to study in the library. I wanted to call after him and see him smile one more time, and he must have wanted one last look too because he turned around. He smiled for me and blew me a kiss, not turning around until I blew him one back.

  I slipped into my seat, right next to Kami. She looked over at me and grinned. She could see that I was happy, and that was all she had ever really wanted for me. I somehow managed to keep my mind focused on class this time, and afterwards I dragged Kami to my next class and threw myself into Carson’s arms. He caught me and swung me around in a circle.

  “This is my girl Alara,” he said to someone behind us.

  He put me down and turned me around. I knew who the newcomer was just from a glance. It was his cousin Isaac. All I knew about him was what Carson had told me in passing sometimes, which wasn’t much, I knew Isaac was 26 and an artist. Carson had also told me that Isaac was tall, almost always had paint smeared somewhere on his person, and had a few scars on his hands from working with metal. Carson had described him so well that I knew just who
I was looking at even without ever having laid eyes on him before. In all the years that I had known Carson I had never once had the pleasure of meeting Isaac.

  “Alara this is—” he said before I cut him off.

  “I know who he is Carson. Isaac, it’s so nice to finally meet you,” I said with a smile.

  “How did you know,” he asked. “He didn’t even tell you,” Isaac said with a grin.

  “Oh, well, Carson described you so well that I immediately knew who you were. You just here for a visit?”

  “No, I’m actually opening up a new gallery in town. I told Carson I was in town and he said I just had to meet him here right now because I had to meet his girl.” He leaned in close and playfully whispered in my ear. “I was almost under the impression that he might be a closeted man, into men, you know?” He lightly nudged Carson with his elbow. “Because he has never introduced me to a girl before. He has never talked about any girl except that best friend, he went on and on about her over the years. I swear I had always thought they would get together with how much he talks about her.”