“Can I see you tonight?” Caleb asked.
“Yes.”
Caleb’s heart did that fluttery thing again and he smiled. “Pick you up at seven?”
Lucas agreed and promised to text him his address at the hotel.
They walked out together, careful not to touch each other. Caleb wondered what his next move would be. He had crossed the line, and there was no going back.
* * * *
Lucas spent the afternoon watching and interviewing the Rabbits and the teens, although he had a hard time keeping his eyes off Caleb. The way that man moved did things to him. It took all this strength to pay attention during the interviews.
It was a beautiful sunny day and the group of guys on the field seemed to be having the time of their lives—professional ball players included. Lucas saw Jamie hanging around Caleb and decided it might be nice to do an interview with him, too. So when he caught Jamie’s eye, he waved him over to the dugoutand they spent a few minutes talking.
Jamie was a good kid and easy to talk with.
He shut the recorder off and turned his gaze back to Jamie.
“Is there something else?” Jamie asked.
“Yeah, um, can I ask you a personal question? Off the record?”
Jamie shrugged. “Sure. Shoot.”
Lucas glanced at Caleb, still working in the outfield with the teens, and sighed. “I’m not sure how toask this.”
“Let me guess…you want to know if I’m gay.”
Lucas raised an eyebrow.
“Yeah, I am. And for your next question, no, I haven’t told anyone here, or made any announcement, butI also don’t hide it. I assume they probably know. I’m certain Caleb knows.”
“Caleb? How does he know?” Lucas asked, a little freaked out at the level of jealousy that sliced through him. God, he’s a fucking kid, you idiot!
Jamie eyed him closely while the corners of his mouth quirked up. “You like him?”
Lucas jolted back. Was it that obvious? He felt the blush heat his face and he flicked his eyes toward the man they were discussing.
“Hey, Lucas, it’s fine. I won’t say a word. I know he’s not out.”
Lucas’ brow furrowed. “How did you know? I mean, if he hasn’t told you, then how did you find out?”
Jamie grinned. “Easy. I saw how he looked at you that first game night.”
Lucas’ mouth went dry. “How did he look at me?”
“Like he wanted to play caveman and throw you over his shoulder and run off into the night.” He chuckled. “I knew as soon as I saw you guys together that you felt the same way.”
Lucas sat on the bench. He had to admit, the thought of Caleb going caveman on him was hot, but he was more worried about being the reason Caleb might be outed. Even though Lucas was out, Caleb wasn’t ready yet. It had to be his decision. He turned his face up to Jamie. “But he’s not out. Do you think others have noticed?”
Jamie cocked his head and scanned the field as if he could find the answer out there. He sighed. “I don’t think so, but I can’t be sure. But these are good guys. I don’t think he should worry about it.”
Lucas thanked him and headed onto the field, making sure to keep his eyes off Caleb. He didn’t want to start any talking among the team. But, dammit, he hated hiding who he was. Well, he wasn’t exactly hiding who he was, per se. If anyone asked, he would freely admit he was gay. But he wanted to date someone who felt the same way. He had meant it when he told Caleb that he wouldn’t be anyone’s dirty little secret.
He gave in to the urge and let his gaze wander toward Caleb, and his heart crashed into his chest. God, he couldn’t understand it, but after knowing Caleb for just a short time, Lucas was sure he was fallingin love. What the hell had he gotten himself into?
* * * *
Once the afternoon wound down, Caleb sent Ethan, Austin, Jamie, and Jackson to the locker room to clean up. The coaches planned a “rah-rah meeting” with the kids to motivate them.
Caleb chuckled as he watched Jamie flirt with Austin. Well, if you could call it flirting. Although Jamie was certainly trying to be discreet, any idiot could see the kids were hung up on each other. Austin was eighteen and Jamie only a year older, so Caleb wished them well in his mind and headed over totalk with Coach Newberry for a minute.
One minute turned into ten, and by the time they finished their conversation, a lot of the others started toward the locker room as well. He ran to catch up with Brandon and chat with him as they walked together. Out of all the guys on the team, Caleb enjoyed Brandon’s company the most. They had a good time together.