The Changeup (Men of the Show) by Rhonda Shaw Read Free Book Online Page B

Wranglers. It was the bottom of the eighth inning and the score was four to two in favor of the Wranglers, but the Rockets were currently threatening to score. They had two men on base and one of their best hitters up at the plate.
    It was his turn in the pitching rotation the next night, but as he had watched each opposing batter, trying to get a gauge on what pitches they chased and which ones they hit with the most success, he couldn’t stop his mind from wandering. He found himself thinking about Maddie more and more frequently. He’d thought about her from time to time on the road trip right after meeting her, often just wondering about her and Bree, but after spending time with them at the park earlier, he was having a hard time pushing her completely out of his head. He didn’t have the time to put into a new relationship, but that didn’t seem to stop him from trying to figure out when he could see her again.
    He was attracted to her, that much was obvious, but he was surprised to find how much he really wanted to get to know her better. So much so that he wished he had more time in order to pursue things, but the reality was that he didn’t. All of his focus needed to be on proving himself. He had too many critics out there, those so-called “experts” who had balked at the Rockets putting him in the starting pitchers’ rotation as a rookie, and the last thing he needed was to give them anything to build their case on. If he wanted his first year as a Rocket to be successful, he needed to limit the off-field distractions, which is why he had quickly stopped things with Sandy as soon as he saw what was happening.
    He hadn’t realized how she’d been viewing the few times they’d gone out until he’d shown up at her house, believing it was simply a friendly invite for dinner when in reality, he was being showcased to extended family. He’d never been interested in her in that way. Since he lived in Delaware in the off-season and this was his first year in Detroit, he really didn’t know the area that much and he’d taken her up on her offer to show him around. It’s not as if he’d tried to kiss her or anything. They were always with a group of people, so he wasn’t even sure where she’d gotten her signals crossed, but it was better to nip it in the bud now rather than have a hairy situation later, especially since her mom had made it clear she had her eye on his money. If there was one thing that drove him crazy it was everyone’s interest in his monetary situation; it wasn’t any of their business.
    Even as he tried to convince himself these were the only reasons why he wanted to put things to rest with Sandy, he knew there was another motivating factor for wanting the separation—her aunt.
    Never before had he ever been this interested in a woman, never mind an older one. There was something about her; something that he couldn’t put his finger on and it kept her at the forefront of his mind, as much as he tried to ignore it. Her piercing green eyes struck straight through him and made him dream of making her writhe under him as he had his way with her.
    He didn’t know how old she was, but he had to guess there was at least a decade between them. She probably thought of him as a kid, but he could swear there were a couple of times he’d made her blush, especially when she caught him checking her out. That didn’t seem like the reaction she would have if she were totally disinterested.
    Then there was Bree. She was so cute and he had so much fun with her. He’d always wanted a younger sister when he was growing up, but his parents had stopped after his younger brother. They were close and they had fun together, but he would have liked to play that tough older brother role, protecting her and warding off all the boys vying for her attention. He could tell Bree desperately wanted some male attention in her life and he found himself wanting to do all the things with her that her father should