Daisy smiles. “Well, I didn’t have that piece in me,” she quips.

  “Oh, yeah?”

  “I forgot all about you the second I left your place.”

  I chuckle. “I don’t doubt that.”

  “Okay. Maybe I thought about you a little. Here and there. Once or twice.” She licks her lips. “Hunter, what are we doing out here?”

  I shrug. “Starting from the beginning, like we said. I thought, all things considered, that this would make a good first date.”

  Daisy nods. “A first date,” she says, her voice warm and pleasant.

  “There was supposed to be dinner first, but you turned me down.”

  “Dang. Sorry.”

  “But I think it’s been nice. Don’t you?”

  “Yeah,” she answers, her big eyes on the stadium again. “This is really nice.”

  I come to a full stop on the base. “So,” I lean in closer, “do you kiss on the first date?”

  She stops with me. “Depends on how it’s going,” she says.

  “And how is this one going?”

  She shrugs. “Meh.”

  “Meh?”

  “Meh.”

  “There is just no pleasing some women.”

  “I guess it’s not bad, so far,” she says, chuckling.

  “Good enough for me to go for it?”

  “It might be worth a shot.” She looks down. “We are technically standing on first base.”

  I laugh, biting my inner cheek, and stalling to study that look in her blue eyes. Expectant and wild, there’s nothing about her at all that tells me not to do it.

  I reach out and graze her cheek with my fingertips, drawing her face up to mine as I lean in.

  She stiffens and plants her hard palm against my chest.

  “What?” I ask, stopping.

  Her face turns pale white. She spins away from me, bending over to heave onto the dirt below.

  “Yep,” I say, resting a supportive hand on her back. “That’s vomit.”

  “Sorry.” she says, taking a deep breath between her knees before spitting again.

  “It’s okay…” I rub between her shoulders, glancing around the deserted stadium for prying eyes. “Let it out…”

  “Ah, shit.” After a few seconds, she stands back up, wiping her mouth on her sleeve. “That’s a moment-killer right there.”

  “You all right?”

  “Yeah.” She can barely even look at me. “Sorry. That was both gross and unexpected.”

  I shake my head at her pink, embarrassed cheeks. This kid is a troublemaker already. The last thing I want is for her to feel shitty about something she can’t control.

  “It’s fine,” I say, drawing attention away from it. “I wouldn’t want to kiss me, either. I’m disgusting.”

  She gives an awkward laugh. “Morning sickness has a really misleading name.”

  “Hey, I get it.” I hold up my hands. “You don’t have to invent an illness to get out of kissing me. I can handle rejection.”

  She looks up at me and smiles. “Hunter.”

  “It’s cool. Really. I can take a hint.”

  “Thank you.”

  I grin and hold out my hand. “Do you want to head back?”

  The embarrassment fades from her face but the red stays behind, along with the smile stretching from ear-to-ear.

  “No, we can stay a little longer,” she says.

  We continue around the bases, walking together hand-in-hand.

  Honestly, this feels far more satisfying than a kiss.

  CHAPTER 18

  DAISY

  Well, it won’t be too hard for us to take things slow now.

  There’s no way Hunter will want to kiss me after that.

  I keep my lips pressed together as we walk home, hoping my breath isn’t as awful as I fear. I guess bad breath is low on the list of weird shit Hunter will see my body do over the next few months. Might as well get used to that.

  We reach the apartment. Our apartment. Hunter slows down, his hand discreetly hidden in his pocket. “Now, before we go in,” he says. “I have a surprise.”

  “Another one?” I groan.

  “It’s a gift.”

  I perk up. “Oh, I like gifts!”

  He smiles and withdraws his hand. There’s a key in his palm with a keychain attached. A tiny baseball. “Happy first night in your new place,” he says.

  “Ah, yes.” I take it, turning it in my fingers to admire the little baseball. “Cute. I like it.”

  Hunter steps to the side. “After you.”

  With a smile, I shift forward to unlock the door for the first time. It’s weird how something so trivial, so routine, suddenly seems so important. A homecoming. The start of a new chapter in my life.

  I open the door and step inside, taking the opportunity to beeline for the bathroom. Time to banish this stale taste on my tongue. I swish some water and spit, quickly reaching for the bottle of mouthwash on the counter as well.

  “Are you feeling better?” Hunter asks, his neck craned to peek at me from the hallway.

  “I feel fine,” I answer after spitting again. I wipe my mouth dry and rejoin him in the hallway outside my room. “Must have just been a fluke. Let’s hope it doesn’t happen again.”

  “Fingers crossed.”

  “Thank you.”

  Hunter smiles, seemingly unaffected by the encounter. Even through all that, he still looks interested. I guess that’s something. “Well, I think tonight went great,” he says. “Despite the… you know.”

  I laugh. “Did it?”

  “Yeah! Went for a walk on a warm night with a pretty girl — a girl who loves baseball. Walked her around the baseball diamond where I… knocked her out with a home run, but she still came back to my place afterward.”

  “And you didn’t even have to buy her dinner.”

  “Exactly. Great night.”

  I shake my head, amused. We linger in the space outside my room and I can tell he’s waiting for an invitation to follow me in. Not that I don’t want to — oh, I definitely would — but we agreed we’d take this slow.

  First date.

  First kiss.

  First…

  “We should do it again tomorrow night,” Hunter says.

  “Sure,” I say. “If you’re not too wiped out from the game.”

  “Daisy, I could never be too wiped out for you.”

  “I’m gonna hold you to that.”

  “Please do.” Hunter looks behind him. “If you need anything, I’m right across the hall.”

  I smile. “Thanks.”

  His eyes fall to my lips. “You know, I was really looking forward to that kiss.”

  “So was I.”

  He takes a short step in my direction, his hand grazing my chin as he reaches out. I pause, waiting for my guts to shift and kill the moment again. He does, too. We wait, staring longingly at each other in sweet anticipation.

  “We good?” he asks.

  I nod. “Yeah.”

  Hunter kisses me softly, gently pursing his lips with a light, innocent peck. I kiss him back, holding on a little longer, and he slides his thumb along my cheek, sparking fire across my skin.

  We pull away. I want more. I want this night to go on forever, but Hunter takes a step back.

  “Goodnight, Daisy.”

  I sigh. “Goodnight, Hunter.”

  He crosses the hall and enters his room. It’s hard to look away from him, but I somehow close my door. I lean against it, taking a deep breath to calm my trembling nerves.

  Hunter Novak.

  I hate surprises, but I really like him so far.

  As I push off the door, there’s a knock on the other side. Soft, yet quick.

  I spin around and open it again. “Yes?” I ask Hunter.

  His lips twitch. “So, I’ve been thinking,” he says.

  “Thinking about what?”

  “This whole taking it slow thing. Now, Hunter and Daisy should definitely take it slow. I mean…” He exhales. “Those two are in pretty deep.”

  I raise a brow. “Okay.”

  He rests his head against the doorframe, lingering a few inches away from mine with playful eyes. “But Joey and Jenny…” He smirks. “They’re in their own little world, right?”

  My lips curl. “That’s quite the loophole you’ve concocted.”

  “If she’s not up for it, I totally get it, but Joey. He’s definitely up for it.”

  I look away, but I’m already losing myself in our fantasy. And he knows it. “Joey and Jenny, huh?”

  He shrugs, staying quiet.

  Fuck it.

  I kiss him, gripping his jacket and pulling him into the room. He chuckles against my lips, eagerly using both hands to push me against the wall. I sink into the embrace, leaving Daisy at the door as Joey kisses my neck.

  I tilt back, prompting his lips to drop to my chest. He pushes my jacket down, letting it tumble to the floor beneath us as he flicks the buttons open on my shirt, exposing more skin for him to kiss.

  He lowers to his knees in front of me, quick fingers targeting my zipper. I tremble, barely able to stand, as he yanks my jeans and panties down to my ankles. I step out of them and kick them aside. Everything is happening so fast, but I’m throbbing with heat already. Memories of our first time together echo in my mind as I glance around the room. I close my eyes, letting the passion spread along my naked skin as he lifts my right knee and settles it over his shoulder.

  Hello, Joey.

  His tongue slides between my lips, finding my clit hidden between. I inhale sharply as I gently grind on him. He chuckles in response, obviously encouraging me to use him however I like. It takes all my focus not to collapse onto the floor between moans. Joey and his wicked tongue.

  I feel his touch spider up my thigh. I squeeze his scalp to show him how much I want it.

  Tease me more. Take me again.

  Fuck me like you haven’t seen me in months.

  He draws a line between my folds with his fingertip. My thighs quiver with lust, his tongue lapping me faster as he slides a thick finger inside of me.

  I bite my lip to smother my moans.

  “No, no,” he says, releasing my clit, fucking me slowly. “I want to hear you moan.”

  I laugh, breathing loud. “You have neighbors,” I say.

  “They didn’t complain last time.” He licks me again, using his entire tongue. “Scream. Moan,” he says, his voice a low growl. “Show me how much you like this.”

  He puts pressure on the right spot inside while sucking on my clit. My knees quake, threatening to knock me down, but the need for release holds me up. I let my mouth open, my breaths quick and wild, finding my voice as he plays me to orgasm.

  “Good girl,” he says.

  I come, my hand still holding his head between my thighs. He rubs his face on me, wagging his tongue back and forth to make me squirm on his finger while my mewls echo around us.

  He throws my knee off his shoulder and rises, lifting me up as he moves. He carries me toward the bed and drops me onto it, quickly reaching for his zipper.

  “Spread your legs,” he says, out of breath. “Show me.”

  I part my knees. He looks down and licks his lips, my flavor still glistening on them.

  “Fuck,” he whispers. “You are one sexy girl, Jenny.”

  I quiver, still full of need. “Show me,” I say.

  With a smirk, he drops his pants, revealing a pair of toned legs. And his hard cock, of course. It’s my turn to lick my lips as he pulls his shirt off over his head and tosses it away. Firm pecs. Countless abs.

  “Fuck,” I whisper.

  He climbs on top of me. I wrap my legs around him, hooking my ankles behind his back while he aligns us. He grips his cock, happy to tease me at first, running his tip up and down my folds before pushing inside.

  One thrust and my entire body submits to him. I moan. I scream. I show him how good he makes me feel as he fucks me harder. The bed slaps the wall behind us. The neighbors would surely have something to say about that, but the fire building in my core is too good to stop. I lose myself in him, just as I did that first night. I left Daisy behind then in favor of letting it all go; all the stress and anguish of my life. I do the same now, forgetting about the life I left behind or what tomorrow will bring. It’s so easy to do in his arms.

  I grip his body as I come. He keeps thrusting, this time slower, making me feel every inch of his stiff cock as I throb with release. After a minute, he lets out a deep groan and pulls out, spilling his cum on my open thighs before thrusting back in and pumping a little more inside. I tremble from head-to-toe, his pleasure fueling mine.

  I reach out to him, pulling him down to kiss me. His lips shudder with each breath, his cock still throbbing deep inside me. I roll my hips, stroking him, fucking him, and he gasps with desire.

  “Keep that up and I might come again,” he says, his voice deep and strained.

  I don’t stop. “Promise?” I ask.

  He inhales, curling his lips. “Fuck, that feels so good.”

  I keep moving, his cock still so hard. “Joey,” I whisper. “Come in me again.”

  He groans softly, so close.

  “I want you to.” My muscles burn, but I don’t dare slow down. “Come for me.”

  He stiffens, his abs crunching as he comes again. I watch with delight as his shaft quivers, his tip still buried in me.

  “Fuck,” he says, giving me a grateful kiss. “You’re amazing.”

  I unhook my ankles, releasing him and letting him rest. He stays close to me, his hand never leaving my skin as he settles onto the bed beside me. We lie still in each other’s embrace, our pulses slowly returning to normal. Silence overwhelms the moment, but I don’t think either of us is willing to speak first. Not that I mind. Talking would only make us revert to our real selves. Joey and Jenny never had to explain anything until Hunter and Daisy spoke up and this shit got complicated.

  I’d rather be Jenny for a little while longer.

  CHAPTER 19

  DAISY

  “Okay, hold on…” Rose says. I hear her sit down and she sighs. “So, you guys slept together again after your first date?”

  “No, our alter egos did,” I explain.

  There’s a long silence.

  “Your what?” she finally asks.

  I switch the phone to my other ear as I touch the banister on my way up the stairs. “Look, I don’t fully understand it myself either, but—”

  “Obviously.”

  “But…” I reach the landing and sigh. “I don’t know. It seems to work for us so far. I’m just gonna go with it and see what happens.”

  “Whatever you say.”

  I walk down the hallway toward her apartment. “Oh, please. Like you and John never do a bit of role-playing now and then.”

  “I think this is a whole other level of role-playing, Daisy,” she says. “This is straight-up denial.”

  “I can’t help it, though…” I say, reaching her door. I knock twice. “I don’t know if it’s me or the baby or the hormones or whatever, but I just want him inside of me. A lot.”

  Rose chuckles. “Sounds exhausting.”

  “It is.”

  “Your poor dugout.”

  “Every time I see him, I feel this attraction. It’s just getting worse since I moved in with him. I don’t know how to explain it.”

  “Well, it—” The door opens on Rose and she grins as she lowers her phone. “It sounds like you love him.”

  I shake my head as I follow her inside. “No, I don’t.”

  “You might.”

  “I don’t!” I peel my T-shirt off, twisting around as Rose throws a blouse over my arms. “If I were to calculate the time I’ve spent with the guy, I’m pretty sure it amounts to not enough time to fall in love with a person.”

  Rose holds out a skirt. I unzip my jeans.

  “Love isn’t an exact science,” she says.

  “Actually, yeah. I’ll do it now.” I pull up the skirt. “That first night, I met him just before midnight and left his place around five-ish, so that’s five hours. We spent like thirty minutes together in the hospital and another thirty together that night, so we’re up to six.”

  She sighs. “You’re really going to count it up, aren’t you?”

  “Then we were at the stadium together from eleven to three. That’s another five hours right there.”

  “It’s four, but I get your point.”

  “Then—”

  “Daisy, stop!”

  “I’m not in love with him, Rose.”

  “Okay. I take it back,” she says, looking me up and down. “You’re not in love with him.”

  I hear the doubt in her tone, the same doubt I hear in my voice, but it’s far more difficult to ignore when I hear it echoed back at me through my twin.

  A throat clears across the room. We both glance at John sitting on the living room couch with a bowl of cereal, wearing an old T-shirt and a pair of black boxers.

  “What’s happening here?” he asks, annoyed.

  I shrug as I tuck in the blouse. “I’m getting dressed for work.”

  “Don’t you have clothes of your own?”

  “Nothing professional enough,” Rose tells him. She gives him a sweet smile. “We’re going shopping soon. Then she won’t have to stop by here every morning.”

  I grimace. “Actually, I needed to talk to you about that.”

  “About what?”

  A knock strikes the door, a fast pounding that can only come from one source.

  I twist around to grip the knob, lowering my voice for Rose’s ears only. “So, Trisha insists on picking me up for these away games and she doesn’t know about me and Hunter and we kinda don’t want her to know about us either, so I told her I live here.”

  “Here?” Rose asks.

  “Yes.”

  “You told Trisha Wells you live here?”

  “Uh-huh.”

  She opens her mouth to ask why, but I silence her by opening the door.