Page 53 of Challenge Me

Maybe I wanted to do a bit more of that. Maybe I wanted to see how much it took for him to stop turning into a deer in headlights. Maybe I wanted to discover exactly what had made him think that he was worthless, even though it must’ve been something horrific.

For now, I was going to play some goddamn baseball.

Chapter 14

Remi

The crack of a bat rings steady and clear;

But meeting the arctic, I stumble with fear.

“Hey you,” I said, balancing my basket carefully so I wouldn’t drop my milkshake.

Roman got to his feet and grabbed the food from me.

“Thanks. You’re a lifesaver.” I set the shake down in my cup holder, then took the basket from him and picked up the burger.

He had a tablet tucked under his arm and a Braves hat on his head. There was something incredibly elegant about his features, and paired with his muscle mass, the intense bronze of his skin in the sunlight, and the smile he offered me, he was downright heart-stopping.

“It’s nothing,” he replied, then nodded toward my food. “I can’t believe you paid those outrageous prices.”

I glanced at the people who were combing the dirt on the fields in preparation for the game. With a smirk, I held up a metallic blue debit card. “I’m a good pickpocket.”

Reading the name on it, he laughed. “No wonder you get on his nerves.”

“Little old me?”

“I think you know that.” Leaning his elbow on the armrest, he studied me. “How are things with you guys?”

“Things are fantastic,” I answered a little too brightly. “This trip has been really good for us, I think.”

As I took another bite of my burger, he smiled. After a second, he burst into laughter.

“What?” I asked.

He dropped his voice. “I know about the ruse, man. You don’t have to pretend.”

“Oh.” With a frown, I kicked my feet up on the seat in front of me. “Can I pretend anyway? It’s a lot more exciting.”

“Yeah, go ahead. Oh, I saw the interview you did the other day. It was great,” he said before I could respond. “You two bounce off of each other like you were made for it.”

“I’m good at adapting.” I nodded toward his tablet. “What were you drawing?”

His eyes darted to the black screen, and he cleared his throat. “Nothing I’m going to show you.”

I waggled my brows. “Top-secret or for his eyes only?”

“You already know too much.”

When I looked knowingly at his lap, he shoved my arm with a laugh.

“Fine,” I said. “But show me something.”

He unlocked the tablet and exited out of his project before I could see anything. As he scrolled through the files, I watched the small-version images pass by.

“Wait.” I grabbed the tablet, ignoring his protests. I clicked on the one I wanted and it opened to full size. “Bro.”

“Shit, sorry. There’s nothing wrong with yours,” he added quickly. “I just tend to mess around with things.”