Soft Sounds of Pleasure Read Online Free PDF Page B

into his glove.
    A few minutes later, after taking a few swings and hitting several balls, Jonah came off the field with his equipment bag and took a seat beside his uncle. "He said to wait here," his nephew said with a small shrug. Colton nodded. A silent minute passed. Jonah looked at Colton, who was dismayed to see the usual frown back on his nephew's face. "I could've done better, you know."
    Colton felt his eyebrows go up. "So why didn't you?"
    Jonah kicked the bag at his feet. "Before I even got warmed up, I heard that Ken guy say this was just a waste of his time. It's too late to add anybody." The kid's thin shoulders hunched and he continued sending vicious kicks into the heavy vinyl bag.
    At a complete loss for words, Colton watched Jonah wipe his face against the shoulder of his jersey. Getting a fake try-out was worse than not getting one, he realized.
    The man to his left spoke up. "What, exactly, could you have done better, kid?"
    Jonah gave the battered bag another savage kick, addressing his words to the beleaguered bag. "I wasn't throwing as hard as I can. Why risk my arm? And my curve wasn't breaking today either. It's been a while since I had a catcher to throw to."
    Note to self , Colton thought. Learn to catch. How in the heck had his sister managed alone? Somehow he couldn't picture Sarah in the padding and helmet the kid behind the plate wore. She'd shrieked bloody murder every time one of her brothers threatened to wipe a little grease on her. Squat in the dirt? Not likely. "Do we stay or go?" he asked, squeezing Jonah's shoulder and feeling helpless.
    "We stay," Jonah said, jerking away from Colton's hand but looking up with angry eyes that borrowed their color from the outfield grass. "But I dare him to say it's because I'm not good enough. Even on an off day like today, I'm better than his best guy."
    Out of the corner of his eye, Colton saw the Reggie guy smirking.
    The practice broke up and suddenly, Tucker was back. "Good job, Jonah. Couldn't get your curve working, huh? Some days it's like that. How you doing, Reggie?"
    "Am I here for a reason, Tucker?" Reggie asked belligerently. "Because based on what I see out there, I need to spend my time with my own team. Ken's loaded for bear."
    "Hang on, let's wait for Ken to get over here," Tucker soothed. "What did you think of Jonah, Reg?"
    "He can play," Reggie said. "But like the kid said, it's too late. Wish he'd shown up at my tryout, though. I could use another pitcher, for sure."
    Ken Davis finally joined them. "Tucker, what's up?" he said. "Reggie, you come to scout my team?"
    "Dunno why I'm here," Reggie growled. "Tucker called me."
    Ken looked from Tucker to Colton to Reggie, and he crossed his arms over his chest. "Lila Walker came to see you after she left my office," he guessed, aiming his words at Tucker.
    "Even better, she brought me a cheeseburger and onion rings from Ike's. That always puts me in a real good mood," Tucker said with a laugh.
    "Tucker, the rosters have been submitted to national headquarters. I feel for the kid, I do, but rules are rules. What's the point in adding him if he's not tournament eligible?" Ken protested loudly.
    Colton was wondering why they were still here, since he had followed the conversation enough to know this was an impossible situation. Yet it was pretty clear Lila had done her best and then some.
    "The kid has been through a real hard time, and maybe letting him play is about more than baseball, Ken." The smile on Tucker's face suddenly changed from happy good old boy to shark smelling blood as he rocked back and forth on his heels, clapping his hands together in front of him. "But, if it makes you feel better, while I ate, Lila used my phone. According to the tale she told national headquarters, my office misplaced one set of credentials, but she got that all smoothed over for me, if I send the papers in tomorrow. He'll be tournament eligible, Ken. And Reggie can use him. All you have to do is sign