When the Wildwood Waves come to the Richmond Diamond, Rob Ritchie sneaks into the ballpark to watch them practice. He's spotted by the team's short stop, Mike Hennessey, a sexy man who takes a liking to Rob. Baseball banter turns into a date, and that evening Rob takes Mike to his favorite gay bar in the hopes of scoring a home run later in Mike's hotel room.<br><br>Somehow, amid the flirting and the sex, Rob conveniently forgets to mention he plays for the home team.<br><br>It isn't until Mike spies Rob on the baseball field facing off against the Waves that he realizes he slept with the enemy. Rob knows Mike's upset, but can he talk his way back into the short stop's bed after the game?

Playing the Field: Batter Up

It does. Just before Mike’s foot can touch first base, the ball pings off the back of his batter’s helmet with a loud sound that seems to echo throughout the Diamond. He goes down like a sack of grain, sprawling across the baseline. The first baseman snags the ball on the rebound and touches Mike’s back just to be sure he’s out.


The crowd goes wild. Rob feels a fierce vengeance rise within him. Bet you’re not smiling now, are you?he thinks. It’s the final out for the inning and he heads toward the dugout, triumphant.


He makes it as far as the baseline when he feels something hot and heavy jump on him from the back. Mike, pissed, wrestles Rob to the ground and pins him down. Fists punch him in the back and arms, and when he turns his head, the side of his face is rammed into the wet, compacted dirt. “What the hell was that?” Mike asks through gritted teeth. “You liedto me, asshole. Said you worked here. Said—”


Chapter 11