Playing Catch: A Baseball Romance Read Online Free PDF Page A

that had sounded overly casual, as if it were an offhand remark, but Jeanine couldn’t help wondering whether Skye was chatting her up or simply interested in recruiting more women to take martial arts.
    “Not really,” Jeanine mumbled. “Most of my friends are guys—the baseball team hangs out at our bar.”
    “I ought to drop by some time,” Skye said with a laugh. “Except I’m allergic to ballplayers and jocks.”
    More like she was telling her she didn’t like men, which was okay, except Jeanine wasn’t interested in getting to know Skye outside of the Martial Arts Center.
    “There are men here at the dojo, too,” Jeanine pointed out.
    “True, but we don’t have to wrestle with them.”
    “Good thing. I’m not up for being groped by some pimply teenaged kid.”
    “I take it you’d rather have an older, more experienced one.” Skye strapped on her helmet. “You have a boyfriend?”
    “No, but I’m into men.”
    “I knew that,” Skye said. “We ought to go out together some time. Pick up guys or have a drink.”
    “Yeah, sure, except I’m busy tonight. Have to get back to the bar.” Jeanine bit into her mouth guard and turned her attention to the two men sparring for points.
    After the men were finished, Master Tao called Jeanine and Skye to the center of the mats. They greeted each other with the martial arts hand sign, the closed right fist covered by the open left palm, and bowed, then took up fighting positions.
    As soon as the master lowered his hand, Jeanine threw a punch which was blocked. She then angled around for a kick, landing a point.
    Skye beat her back on the next sequence of moves, but Jeanine ducked, then spun around for a kick to the chest, scoring again.
    Jeanine blew out a breath and hopped around, facing her evenly matched opponent. Nothing cleared her mind better than fighting. She had only to focus on the immediate and rely on her coordination to dodge, parry, and strike.
    After going back and forth, with Skye landing an occasional punch or kick, Jeanine was declared the winner. Her hair was plastered with sweat as she bowed to her opponent.
    Breathing hard, she ripped off her gloves and removed her sparring gear, shoving the equipment into her gear bag.
    Skye wrapped her chest protector around her helmet, gloves and booties. “Good job, but I’ll get you in judo.”
    “You got lucky last time,” Jeanine shot back. Truth was she hated being pinned and placed in a vulnerable position, unable to move her arms and legs.
    “Luck had nothing to do with it. You gave up.”
    “Did not.”
    “Let’s jog around the mats and cool down.” The other woman pulled Jeanine to her feet before taking off around the perimeter of the dojo, her feet slapping quickly on the mats.
    Jeanine huffed out stale air and pumped her arms, keeping up. She ran one lap, then two, as another set of combatants sparred. She looked over at them when Master Tao yelled ‘Foul.’ The interlocking mats spun under her feet, and the sound of drumbeats pulsed in her ears, ending with a sharp thud.
    I can’t breathe. Don’t hurt me. Stop it. Stop.
    You’re fine. This feels good, doesn’t it? Don’t make any noise. Shhh … Everything will be okay. Trust me.
    But I’m scared.
    You’re a brave girl and the prettiest. You’ll like this. I promise you. Just don’t move.
    “Jeanine! Jeanine!” A woman’s voice called to her, and someone shook her face.
    Jeanine’s head throbbed as she opened her eyes. A ring of faces hovered over her, dark against the bright overhead lights.
    “Are you okay?” Master Tao said, as two of her fellow students helped her to a sitting position.
    “You ran into a wall,” Skye said. “Hit your head.”
    Jeanine groaned and rubbed her hand over the bump forming on the right side of her forehead. “What happened?”
    “You tripped over a gear bag,” Master Tao said. “Why don’t you sit out the wrestling? Get a drink of water.”
    “I’m fine.” Jeanine jumped