O.B. Benson knows that, as a gay baseball player, his only chance to keep from being shut out of the Major Leagues is to stay as far from the public eye as possible. His low profile is threatened when the team manager insists O.B. take part in a TV interview to help boost lagging fan support.<br><br>Avery Turner, TV reporter, is handsome, fit, and definitely pushes O.B.'s libido into high gear. He’s also out -- something O.B.'s situation doesn’t allow. And Avery believes in monogamous commitment -- something O.B. cannot identify with. But when Avery delivers a curveball to the catcher, O.B. doesn’t know how to handle it.<br><br>When O.B.'s interview is aired, he’s forced to evaluate his life of meaningless one night stands. Can O.B. and Avery work out their differences and build a winning team, or will O.B. strike out?

Major League Shutout

“I love you,” they both said at the same time. They laughed and kissed.


O.B. slid off and lay by his lover’s side. Avery turned around to spoon against O.B.’s sweaty bulk. Feeling the chill in the air, O.B. pulled a cover over the two of them and kissed the back of Avery’s head. Coco jumped lightly onto the bed, found a spot behind O.B.’s bent knees, and curled up.


O.B. fell asleep to the sounds of his man’s deep breathing and Coco’s contented purrs.


“Okay, I’ll see you at the stadium,” Avery said as he kissed O.B. before heading for the door. “Thanks for feeding Coco and doing the dishes.”


“It’s all parta the package,” O.B. laughed. “Go on, get outta here.”


When the door closed, O.B. looked down at Coco, who was sitting in front of her bowl with her back to him. She looked over her shoulder and sort of yowled as if to say, “Well, you heard him, feed me.”


O.B. opened a can of cat food, knelt, and scooped its contents into the dish. Coco sniffed it and gave him a look.


Chapter 39