Bring the Heat (The Happy Endings Collection Book 2)
L. Wilder
Dedication
To those of you who need your own happy ending!
A note from L. Wilder
A note from L. Wilder For those of you who are waiting for the next book from the Satan’s Fury MC series, I want to let you know that Diesel’s story is underway and should release at the end of January. I also have plans to release the newest Satan’s Fury: Memphis Charter in early March. Like you, I love my boys, but the Happy Endings Short Stories Collection has been something that I’ve been wanting to share with you for some time now. With a little push from Piper, I decided to go for it. These novellas are very different from my MC’s, but they have a lot of heart, and I think you will enjoy them just as much.
I look forward to hearing what you think. Thanks for taking the time to check them out. Happy holidays!
Best wishes to you and yours, L. Wilder
Bring the Heat is the second book in the Happy Endings collection. Be sure to check out the excerpt of the first book, My Temptation, after the acknowledgements.
Kaci
The day Kaden asked me to help him get ready for his first Little League practice I knew I was in trouble. My little brother had never played baseball, and while I wanted to help him, I was afraid I’d do more harm than good. I was terrible at sports and knew nothing about baseball. If a game was on TV, I’d never paid any attention to it, much less played it. But there was no way I could turn him down, not when those big, brown, puppy-dog eyes were pleading with me. Besides, it wasn’t like he had anyone else he could ask. My dad was deployed, and my mom was always working. So, I did the only thing I could—I took him out to the field near our house and tried my best to wing it. Standing a few yards away from home plate, I stared at my brother as he attempted to ready himself to take his first swing. Sweat trickled down my spine while the sun scorched my already burned shoulders, making me absolutely miserable. There was no breeze, no shade, and the air was thick with humidity. I used my hand to fan my face, hoping for a brief reprieve, but it was pointless. Any other day I might’ve whined about the brutal weather conditions, but when I looked at my brother and saw that big, cheesy grin on his face, I just couldn’t complain.
Kaden stood behind the plate swaying his hips from side to side as he held his bat in the air. I studied him for a moment, noting the odd arch of his back and the weird way he was holding the bat, and I shook my head. I might’ve not known much about the game, but clearly something about his stance wasn’t quite right. “Try holding the bat up a little more, and … uh, wrap your fingers real tight around the bottom.”
“I can’t get it much higher than this, Kaci. My arms aren’t long enough.”
His skinny, little elbows wobbled as he held the bat diagonally over his head. The poor thing looked ridiculous. You’d think a college junior could tell a kid how to hold a stupid baseball bat, but I didn’t have a clue. “Yeah, I think that may be a little high, dude.”
“You think?” He huffed sarcastically. “Are you sure you know what you’re doing?”
I shrugged. “I already told you I didn’t.”
“Then, just throw the stupid ball.” Kaden adjusted his baseball cap, and once I knew he was ready, I threw the ball, sending it spiraling through the air. He never moved as he stood there and watched the ball zoom over his head, then he looked back over to me with an exaggerated eye roll. “Kaci, you gotta at least get it close to me.”
“Sorry, bud.” I reached for another ball and tossed it towards him. This time it was close enough for him to actually make contact. When the bat cracked against the ball, I raised my fists in the air and shouted, “Whoop, there you go!”
Sadly, I started cheering before I noticed the ball only went a couple of feet. Kaden rolled his eyes again at my little display. “Really?”
“I’m just trying to be supportive, Kaden. Don’t get all riled up. We’re making progress.” I reached for another ball and once he was ready, I threw it in his direction. This time he hit the ball with some gusto and it zoomed behind me, stopping just past the pitcher’s mound. It wasn’t an incredible hit, but we were getting there. “Yes!”
“Try another one.”
I was about to reach for another ball when I noticed a man approaching the gate. I’m not sure what it was about him that caught my attention, but as soon as I spotted him, I stopped dead in my tracks and just stared. He was several yards away, but instantly, I could tell he was one of those heart-throbbing, mind-blowing, gorgeous kind of guys. I could feel it, and as embarrassing as it was, I couldn’t take my eyes off him. When he glanced in my direction, I suddenly gasped and as I bit my bottom lip, I turned my attention back to Kaden. Trying my best to play it cool, I reached for a ball and threw it towards Kaden’s bat. Unfortunately, I looked anything but cool when the ball dropped at my brother’s feet.
It wasn’t exactly my fault. I blamed it totally on Mr. Hottie, because honestly, I couldn’t exactly concentrate with him lurking over by the fence. Wondering if he’d seen my little mishap, I stole another glance. My eyes roamed over his tight-fitting t-shirt, and I marveled at how it clung to the muscles of his chest and arms. Then I noticed how good his ass looked in his low-waisted athletic shorts, and I was a goner. Even though his ball cap was pulled down over his eyes, I knew he’d seen me checking him out. I could feel the heat of his stare, burning hotter than the sun.
I was lost in a daze when Kaden shouted, “Any day now!”
Quickly pulling myself back to reality, I reached for another ball and tossed it towards him. As soon as his bat made contact my stomach sank; I dreaded turning around, knowing exactly where it was headed. The wayward ball landed next to the handsome stranger who bent down and scooped it up. He was wearing a knee brace and had a slight limp as he started walking in our direction. I silently cursed myself as I glanced down at my worn out, cut-off jeans and Nirvana t-shirt. I looked like I’d just rolled out of bed, while he looked like something out of Playgirl magazine.
Completely ignoring me, he headed straight for Kaden. “Got yourself a pretty good swing there, kid.”
Kaden looked at him like he was the brightest star in the sky as he replied, “Thanks, Mr. Michaels.”
Still paying no mind to me at all, he asked him, “Have you been playing long?”
“No, sir. This is my first time.”
“It might help if you held the bat down with your hand close to your shoulder,” he suggested as he struck a batter’s pose, demonstrating exactly what he meant. “And square your feet.”