Chapter Text
Mike Thirteen hours and seventeen minutes. That was roughly how long it had been since Ginny Baker went down on the field at Petco Park, carted off to the hospital, and nearly given her catcher a heart attack. Blip had been right. She pushed herself too hard, he pushed her. He’d been selfish, wanting to give her that bit more time in the sun to make her smile instead of being rational and keeping her long term health in mind. He’d made the wrong call and because of it, his rookie was lying in the hospital. And it was that knowledge that kept him from heading straight to see her after the game ended. There was also the fact that the idea of facing her sort of made him want to vomit. The idea of not seeing her though was driving him insane, and despite the massive guilt he carried, Mike knew he needed to get over himself and check on his rookie. Which was why he had finally forced himself out the door and driven to the hospital first thing that morning. After sweet talking the nurse’s station and receiving her room number, Mike took a single deep breath before knocking on the door and slowly poking his head inside.
“Baker?” he called hesitantly.
Ginny Ginny Baker was a stubborn woman. That's why she was going on thirteen hours and seventeen minutes with no pain meds, despite be cajoled by the doctors, Oscar, Al, Blip, Evelyn and her mother (by phone) to take something that would ease the throbbing of her arm. She just couldn't, for several reasons. After the accident that took her father, she had been given strong drugs to calm her in the hospital and ever since then, she had trouble taking anything strong than advil. She didn't want to lose control in that way. It didn't help that she felt so alone without Amelia or her brother. She needed to be lucid enough to make all the decisions she might have left to them before. Not to mention she didn't want to affect her state of mind in front of management or their lackeys. And there was a part of her that didn't want to be drugged in front of another member of the Padre organization, not that he had bothered to show up in the past thirteen hours and seventeen minutes. Perhaps it was stupid of her to expect him, but the way Blip and Evelyn kept looking towards the door made her think that maybe they expected Mike Lawson as much as she did.
Mike Lawson. Yet another reason she didn't want to be drugged because she was afraid of what she would say to him under the influence of drugs right now. After everything that had happened between them the past few days, she needed to be able to choose her words carefully in front of him as well. Not that it seemed she would have to worry about that. Evelyn said she was sulking, which was probably meant only in teasing, but it had only made Ginny sulk more. Eventually, everyone had left her to do it alone and Ginny was left with just the cold, unfeeling hospital, even if it was one of the luxury suites meant for high profile patients. The only thing she could do was turn on the tv, find ESPN and torture herself with their never ending coverage of her accident.
Until, of course, Mike showed up, just as Ginny was beginning to let herself feel the disappointment of her catcher having abandoned her. Her head whipped towards the door, causing her to wince a bit as the motion sent shoots of pain up her arm.
"Nice of you to show," she said, intending for it to come out as a joke but the words edged with the real pain, both physical and otherwise.
Mike At first, all Mike could do was stare at the floor. He knew what looking up meant, and he wasn’t ready to face the sight before him. The one with his stubborn, loud, tough as nails rookie in a hospital bed looking like Clark Kent instead of Superman. Truth was, he wasn’t entirely sure he could handle it. This girl would be the death of him, he knew it, but despite how insane she drove him nearly every minute she was around, he couldn’t help the way his heart raced even at the mere thought of her. So the knowledge that she was in pain and miserable because of his bad call? It was all he could do not to turn and run like he had two perfectly good knees.
His chance was blown when Ginny began to speak though, as Mike knew this was permission to enter. Keeping his eyes on the tiled ground, he shuffled inside the room and hoped to hell his racing heart wasn’t too obvious. Her comment stung, but they both knew it was more than deserved, which was why Mike didn’t bother trying to justify himself.
“Long line,” he mumbled lamely, eventually setting the McDonalds bag he brought along at the foot of her bed.
“Flowers are dumb,” he offered as explanation for the two burgers and large fry. “And everyone knows hospital food tastes like ass, so.”
Ginny Ginny recognized the peace offering for what it was, but she didn't reach for the bag immediately. Instead she assessed him with serious eyes, arms still crossed over her chest, her injured arm buffered by a pillow.
"You look like shit," she announced after a moment, in a way that was almost accusing.
Why did he have any reason to look so terrible, after all? He hadn't spent all night in this foreign hospital bed. He hadn't spent all night being poked and prodded. He hadn't spent all night wondering if his career was over before it really began. Ginny finally reached over and plucked up the bag, peering inside of it. Despite herself, she smiled a little at the heavenly smell. She glanced up at Lawson.
“Thanks,” she said, her features guarded. She pulled the bag into her lap and dove into the food. Taking two big bites of a burger, she let herself fall silent, gazing across the room at Lawson, wondering why he had come.
Mike Mike couldn’t help but chuckle a bit at her statement.
“Yeah, no shit.” He muttered, eyes still planted firmly on the ground as he stood against the far wall, keeping as much distance between them as possible.
Of course he looked like shit. He hadn’t slept and spent all night worrying himself sick with guilt. He hadn’t showered since rising off after the game, hadn’t eaten, and was still wearing the t-shirt and sweats he put on the day before. So yeah, he probably wasn’t looking his best. It wasn’t like it mattered. What mattered was her and her arm.
Waving off her thanks with a careless, “’t was nothin’,” he cleared his throat and turned his gaze to the window next to him before asking, “Any word on the arm?”
Ginny Ginny eyed him curiously, now noting how he would barely look at her. If she didn't know any better, she would think he knew something about her injury that she didn't and he was trying to find a good moment to break her dream. The thought made the burger difficult to swallow and his question on about her arm erased her appetite altogether. She dropped the burger back into the bad, having only eaten half of it. There weren't many things that could make Ginny Baker lose her appetite but the potential loss of baseball was enough.
"No," she said, jerking her head. She cradled her good arm under her injured one, as if she could protect it. "They want to get another MRI once some of the swelling goes down, but they haven't ruled out Tommy Johns."
She swallowed thickly but her eyes remained dry. Tommy Johns would mean losing a whole season, at the very least. And she might never be the same. It was daunting but her father had always taught her to be tough and she would now and here.
“I’m definitely out for the rest of the season. They’ve put me on the DL,” she said, looking at her blanket covered toes. It wasn’t as if she would be starting any more games, even before her injury, but it still hurt. “I guess you got rid of me, no more annoying duckling.”
Mike It wasn’t a shock to find out she was out for the remainder of the season. Hell, Mike would’ve been shocked if she wasn’t. Even if the injury turned out to be nothing more than a sprain, she wouldn’t be back on the field any time soon. Not only was her arm messed up, the judgment to let her play in the first place was being questioned. The heartbreak in her voice though, that was what destroyed him. He could feel the words ripping through his chest, knowing from personal experience how much it sucked to be pulled out against your will from the only thing that ever made sense in life. Of all the people in the world, Ginny Baker was the last that deserved to feel like that. Her final statement caught his attention most though, and was what finally caused him to look at her for the first time. It was about as awful as he’d expected- the sight of Ginny in a hospital bed, swallowed by an ugly gown with medical crap strewn around her was like a knife in the chest. The worst part though, was the look of defeat in her eyes. There was also, Mike could tell, something hidden behind a wall put up to protect herself. He could see it though. The terror in her eyes, not just that she might lose the game, but possibly seriously have injured herself.
“I’m sorry.” For the first time since arriving, his words were more than just a murmur, coming out strong, though pained as he spoke.
“I’m so sorry Ginny. This whole thing is my fault. And I know you’re probably pissed at me, and I don’t blame you. I messed up and made a bad call as your captain, and as your… friend.” He swallowed thickly. “But you’re not goin’ anywhere, you hear me? I don’t care what happens, we’ll get you through it and you’ll do the PT and you’ll make the biggest comeback in MLB history. I swear to god, you will. I’ll make sure of it, whether you’re pissed at me or not.”
Ginny Ginny's initial reaction was anger, coupled with a healthy dose of confusion, her furrowed gaze landing on him. Why on earth did he think it was his fault? He was captain of the team, that was true, but he wasn't the only one who made the decisions in the Padres clubhouse. Al, Oscar, that new guy at the top. Above all of them, though, was Ginny herself. She had told Al he would have to drag her off the mound and she had meant it. It would have taken the entire damn dug out to get her off that mound. Even more, though, Ginny could admit that in some sense it was just bad luck. The way she had thrown that ball to first had been wrong and that hadn't done her arm any favors. Ginny didn't blame anyone, least of all, Mike.
Her anger ebbed away as he went on and her gaze softened. He couldn’t make any promises and yet he was. In a way, it felt like he was promising her the world, and the lump in her throat returned.
“Mike,” she said, softly, as if it was the only thing she needed to say to absolve him of everything.
Mike “No, it’s true.” The words fell from his mouth almost without any control whatsoever. At this point, he couldn’t stop talking until it was all out.
“They asked me. They asked me what I thought and Blip said you were done, but I didn’t listen because I knew how much it meant to you.” He chuckled humorlessly. “All for a stupid no hitter. Like that’s worth what happened.”
Mike sighed and ran a hand through his hair tiredly. “I made a bad call, but we’ll fix it, Gin. I promise. Whatever the doctors say, we’ll do and then we’ll get you back to where you were- hell, you’ll be better. And I’ll be there with you every step of the way.” He rambled, pushing off the wall and beginning to pace at the foot of her bed. “I’ll go the PT and all the check-ups and if you don’t want me there then I’ll sit in the waiting room or you can just use my face as motivation to get through it quicker so you can get away from me. But this isn’t the end, okay? And just for the record, even if you hate me and even if it’s your hundredth season, you’re always gonna be my rookie. ‘s just facts.”
Ginny God. This man. Her heart squeezed painfully in her chest when he mentioned how he had made the call for her, because of what it meant. It was stupid, of course, a stupid reason to make that call but that didn’t stop the butterflies in her stomach or the way it made her hope against her better judgement. Still, even knowing that, she didn’t blame him for her injury. He couldn’t have known and again, the decision had been made on several levels of Padres hierarchy, down to Ginny herself.
“Law-“ she started because his first name on her lips had been a slip of the tongue before. He rambled on, though and she fell silent to listen and watch as he paced, working himself up.
When he seemed to get to the end, she looked at him with a raised brow.
“Are you done?” she asked him with more of her usual sass. She waited for him to indicate he was before she continued. "Firstly, I don’t blame you for what happened.” She gestured lightly to her arm. “I was going to go out there, no matter what you, or Al or anyone else said. I wasn’t going to let anyone shut me down. Secondly,” She gave him a stern look in case he dare interrupt her. “Secondly, I know a lot happened yesterday but I gave a Mike Lawson-worthy speech, so I know you didn’t forget that I don’t need a man to rescue me. I don’t need you to rescue me.”
“And third.” She let out a breath that seemed to take a bit of the wind out of her sails. Her gaze dropped from him and a small hint of a smile appeared on her mouth. “I’d really like you to be there. There’s no one else I’d rather have next to me, going through all this.” There was a bit of uncertainty in her features when she looked back up at him, though also a hopeful tilt to the line of her mouth. “If you’ll have the time.”
Mike It was nice to see her return to somewhat of her normal self, even if it meant the attitude was back. Mike took in the words she said, grumbling a bit in disagreement about things not being his fault, but kept quiet as she spoke. God help him, his little duck was turning into a swan, or however the metaphor went. She was growing up. But she never needed anyone to take care of her, they all knew this. Didn’t change the fact that, though he wasn’t thrilled to admit it, Mike found himself wanting to anyway.
“My speeches are legendary, Baker. No mere mortal can touch such levels of epicness.” He quipped, finally stopping his pacing and turning to her. His tone softened slightly as he shrugged, admitting, “It wasn’t too awful though. I’d even go as far as saying not half bad.” He paused a moment before slowly taking a few steps, almost waiting for her to call him off as he approached the bed.
“I got time.” He promised, hating the catch in his voice as he spoke and attempting to keep the emotion out of his tone. “You’re my top priority, rookie. You’ve got me.” He honestly didn’t even want to think about just how many ways he meant that.
Ginny Ginny’s dimples popped at the way he practically pledged himself to her. It was nice, no, wonderful, to know that he was still on her side, despite all the awkwardness they had suffered through yesterday.
"Don't go doing me any favors because you feel guilty still," she warned. There was one question that made her smile dim somewhat and it tumbled out before she bothered to try and stop it. “What about Rachel?” she asked, looking at him straight on.
She had seen Lawson gesture to someone in the stands after his sliding catch off that pop up, had seen the fond grin on his face when he turned back to jog back behind home plate. It hadn’t taken more than a few seconds to find the source of that look, in all her willowy red-headedness. She felt a bit unfair, as if she was making him choose between the two of them but she didn’t walk it back.
Mike To be completely honest, Rachel hadn’t even occurred to him since Ginny went down. She’d called a few times the night before, but Mike had turned off his phone after a while, not wanting to talk to her or anyone else in favor of stewing in his guilt. Did he have fun with Rachel? Yeah, and a part of him wondered if they could get back to what they once were now that David was out of the picture. Mike would always love her, that was a fact. But there was also a nagging voice in the back of his mind that always questioned what would happen if they tried again. It wasn’t enough before, he wasn’t enough, so would he be now? Would he ever be? Or was this just another placeholder for her until someone else came along? He couldn’t go through that heartbreak again. It nearly killed him the first time. Mike bristled a bit at the question though. Clearly she was making him choose, which wasn’t at all fair considering their situations were quite similar.
“What about Tech Boy?” he returned evenly.
Ginny Ginny didn't look away, though she should feel embarrassed. Embarrassed at the question she had asked, embarrassed that he had thrown it back in her face, embarrassed that she got caught looking. She shrugged her shoulders. Noah had made attempts to reach her but Ginny had only thanked him for his concern in a text message. In their very short relationship, he had made her feel something. Wanted was the best word, but at the end of the day, as if she were too much of a prize to be won by over the top gestures. She bit at her lip, her gaze dropping to her hand as she picked at a stray string of her blanket.
"He wasn't wh-what I wanted...and it wasn't fair to either of us."
Mike Mike was silent for a moment, unsure of what he was supposed to say. By now he knew what he wanted, but even the idea of saying it out loud was not only humiliating, but horrifying. That moment outside the bar was…well, almost…everything. His mind had been going nonstop ever since, but Ginny had made it clear they weren’t to speak of it, which was for the best. Did he love Rachel? Yes. She was safe, she was comfortable, she was familiar. Ginny was…terrifying. And a disaster waiting to happen. And basically turning his world upside down.
“Rachel is…” Mike began slowly, a small shake of his head a clear sign he wasn’t quite sure what to say.
“We’re teammates.” He said finally, eyes filled with pain and almost longing as he spoke. “But if you ask me to choose…” he let the words fall into silence as he locked with her gaze.
This was her call, it always had been. But he hoped his message was clear.
Ginny Ginny let her head drop so her face was turned towards her blanket but when Rachel’s name came up on Lawson’s lips, her eyes flicked towards him, though her face remained turned away. The focus on his face, towards her, made her lift her chin again, something so stabilizing in being the center of Mike Lawson’s focus, just like on the mound. The pain in his gaze made her lips part in a nearly silent gasp. As much as his focus could center her, that naked pain in his eyes could undo her. She forced her eyes shut, not sure if she could think this through. Should she say yes to everything she wanted with him, should she ask him to throw Rachel aside for her. With her, things would be difficult. They would have to keep it a secret. Was that fair to him? Was it fair when he had Rachel, a woman Ginny knew he loved, willing to give it all another shot? Ginny was an unknown but perhaps Rachel was familiar, perhaps she was safe. Perhaps that was right. Perhaps a second chance with Rachel was his second chance at happiness.
“I’m not,” she said after what seemed like forever but was probably a moment or two. “Asking you to choose. That wouldn’t be fair of me.”
Potentially losing baseball hadn’t made her want to cry, but potentially losing Mike, she couldn’t let herself open her eyes for fear tears would leak from them. But if the pain was naked on his face, it was just as naked on hers.
Mike It was a risk. The whole thing was a risk. Even talking about it now was a risk. To his career, to hers, to the team, to everyone. That was why Mike hadn’t said anything. It was why he’d forced those types of thoughts deep, deep down and refused to acknowledge them since they started. He refused to acknowledge the fact that, if he was honest, they’d been there since the beginning. Since that first moment on the field when she mentioned DiCaprio and smacked his ass. Since the club when he turned down her offer to dance. Since Omar announced he was in love with her. Since the almost-trade. Since the moment outside the bar.
It had been there all along.
“Ginny,” Mike swallowed the lump in his throat, heart racing as he was finally honest with her. “It’s not a choice.”
Ginny Ginny’s eyes opened as confusion flooded her features and then her eyes opened wide, mouth parting in shock, at the look she saw on Mike’s face. Her heart leaped into her throat at what his face told her, but her mind made her doubt. Her gaze searched his face carefully, trying to decipher his meaning. “But I-I saw you and her…on the field,” she pointed out, dumbly, as if trying to convince herself and him that he didn’t mean what she thought he did. Turning her head away, she sucked in a noisy breath through her teeth. Was she honestly questioning this? It was difficult to do, considering the look on his face now, which was more honest than she had ever seen him, but she could still see that fond smile on his face as he turned away from Rachel in the stands.
It was almost cruel for her to question him like this, since she hadn’t exactly laid herself as bare as he had, but…
“Last time I let someone in,” she said in a small voice, referring to Trevor. “It almost destroyed me.”
She didn’t mean that Trevor had almost destroyed her but that the aftermath of everyone on her team finding out, the endless remarks and leering, the way she had been faced with the choice of the dress or the glove once more and how choosing the glove had made her so miserable, she wasn’t sure it was worth it anymore. The last time she had let someone in, he had lied and nearly taken both options away from her.
Mike “Been there.” He said simply, referring to his own obvious relationship issues. It was all so much to process, Mike could tell her mind was racing just as much as his. He knew this wasn’t a good idea. He should have apologized like a good captain, assured her things would be okay, and left. None of this ever should have happened in the first place. But it did. And after everything he had been through in his career and his life in general, Mike Lawson was tired. He was getting old, his knees were shot, he was in no condition to run anymore. For once, he wanted to throw up his middle finger and just do what he wanted, consequences be damned. Which would be fine if it was just his career on the line, but it wasn’t. And he refused to screw Ginny over like that. But as selfish as it was, he also knew he couldn’t let her go.
“I’m always gonna love her.” Mike finally said quietly, the idea of anything other than pure honesty simply seeming a waste of breath. “But it’s not the same anymore. And I don’t think it ever will be.”
Almost without realizing, he wound up sitting next to her on the bed. Truthfully he felt like he could curl up into a ball on the floor at the present moment, unsure of how to process what was going on right now. But he was far too deep to quit now. Leaning forward, Mike hesitantly let his forehead rest against hers, trying hard to calm his racing heart.
“Gin,” he breathed. He didn’t know what to say right now. He didn’t have any answers. All he had was this moment, here, now, with her. “It’s you.” he finally whispered. “It’s you, Ginny.”
Ginny His answers were honest and real, and she respected that. She appreciated it and god damnit, she deserved it. It only hurt a little to hear the place in his heart that Rachel would always have, something Ginny recognized as jealousy, but she didn’t blame him, she didn’t fault him for loving someone he had spent so much of his life with, that he had shared so much of his life with. It was a feeling her mother had echoed some weeks ago in one of their semi-regular always awkward phone calls. Her mother had always and would always love her father, but baseball had changed things between them, not, she supposed, unlike Mike and Rachel. Rachel, her mother and father and all thoughts of them flew out of her mind when Mike advanced towards her.
She couldn’t help but wince a little as the movement of the bed as Mike settled next to her seemed to remind her arm it was supposed to hurt, but before there could even be a slight withdrawal from Mike, her good hand was twisting a fistful of his shirt, angle all wrong, but keeping him close even so. His forehead rest against hers and she leaned into him, reminded so vividly of that night outside Boardner’s. It felt like forever ago, but it had only been two nights. Ginny’s eyes dropped to Mike’s mouth as she wet her own with her tongue. She tilted her head back ever so slightly so that she could easily meet his eyes. The look in his eyes made Ginny feel like she was on fire and melting at the same time. There was only one way she could respond and she tilted her head so the remaining space between their lips disappeared and her mouth met Mike’s. This time there was no hesitancy, no slow descent to be interrupted. Ginny let go of it all and kissed Mike.
Mike While he ultimately knew it was for the best, Mike couldn’t help but hold a small grudge against Oscar for his shitty timing. If he had just called five minutes later… then again, who was to say they wouldn’t have ended up in exactly the same place? It seemed to be fate, the way they wound up in such proximity without even realizing, as if pulled together by an invisible tether between them. The moment their lips touched, any and all sensibility was gone. Instead, a rush of emotion and longing and pure passion built up over the last three months surged through his body as his hands rose to gently frame Ginny’s face. Kissing her felt like fireworks and home runs and no hitters… and coming home. There was a warmth she brought, a feeling of contentment and comfort and confirmation that this was going to happen all along.
Mike took his time with the kiss, savoring the moment he had dreamt of far longer than he would ever admit. She tasted vaguely of cherry chapstick and grape soda combined with something unique that could only be described as Ginny, which he quickly decided was his new favorite flavor. Finally requiring to refill his lungs with air, Mike placed several tender pecks against her lips as they slowly broke apart.
"So, uh,” Of course he had to speak. It was practically in his DNA to make some sort of quip. “Thank god I left my phone at home this time.”
Ginny Kissing Mike was an experience in itself. He was tender and soft, as if remembering her injury, but passionate as if he couldn't be anything else. His beard scratched against her smooth cheeks, and made her want to both press closer and shy away from the tickle all at the same time. All too soon it was over but her lungs almost burned from the lack of air. Even so, she chased his lips as he retreated, lingering over what he likely meant to be pecks before his moving lips forced her to really retreat and allowed her a moment to take a breath.
She should have regretted it; she should have realized it was a mistake. But even as her gaze met his and then skittered away, a touch of nervousness in the shift of her eyes, she couldn't. All she could do was roll her eyes and snort out a laugh, before dropping her forehead to rest against his broad shoulder.
"You're such a shit," she mumbled against him, her good arm raising so she could curl her fingers in his beard.
Mike Mike could already tell this was going to be a problem. Now that he’d had that first taste, how that he knew what it was like to kiss Ginny Baker, he knew he wasn’t going to be able to stop. Hell, moving to sit in the chair next to her bed seemed impossible at the present moment. Despite the need to breathe, Mike continued to press his lips against any part of her he could reach. He dropped several kisses against the side of her head, her hairline, down her neck, ear, and collar bone. Mike laughed at her words.
“Is that what you used to say to your poster every day?” he turned his head a bit to capture her lips again, unable to keep himself from grinning against her mouth.
He took a few minutes to gently suck on her lips, his kisses wet and deep before letting out a small sigh against her mouth.
“Damn it,” he murmured, keeping his lips pressed to hers even as he spoke. “I think I’ve officially entered the realm of Ginnsanity.”
Ginny Even with the throb of her arm (and the likelihood of smugness from Mike), Ginny couldn't help but shiver under the onslaught of his lips. God, she wanted him and even so this was enough. She made it easy for him to find her lips again, so pleasing was the slide of his mouth to hers. "For the last time, there was no poster," she muttered sullenly, biting at his mouth as if in punishment before soothing them with the swipe of her tongue. Pulling her mouth from his, she adjust herself so she wasn't leaning against him quite so much, settling back against the bed slightly. She kept her fingers tangled in his beard so even as she laid back, she drug him with her.
"Shut up. old man. We both know you've been using the official Ginnsanity t-shirt as pajamas for WEEKS now."
She didn't even care that the smile on her face was probably dopey or that her eyes were fond as she gazed at him. She didn't even care that she guided him back to her mouth by her grasp on his beard as if she couldn't bear to be parted from his lips for long. All she cared about was they were here, now.
"If you promise to keep your hands to yourself, I'll let you stay," she teased him, though with an undercurrent of hope.
Mike It took most of the strength Mike had (as well as the mental image of Al in a bikini) not to throw caution to the wind and take her right then and there, hospital and injury be damned. They could only push this so far though, and they were already risking enough as it was. Someone could walk in at any minute, the hospital staff or her team or any of the Padres, especially Blip or Evelyn. So Ginny’s offer made sense. It did not, however, appeal to him in any way, shape, or form.
“No way,” he declined, unable to keep from frowning when she finally pulled back ever so slightly. “How about I get to stay and I don’t make you moan so loud the nurses rush in to up your pain meds?”
Mike dropped his head a bit and began running his lips against the shoulder of her good arm. “I’ll even promise to only leave marks that can easily be hidden.”
Biting softly at the tender flesh, he ran his tongue over the spot to soothe it before adding, “And I don’t bother with pajamas, Baker. It’s nothing but nature in my bed.”
Ginny Ginny's features immediately fell when he declined staying. She didn't want to be alone, but more than that, she didn't want him to leave. Of course, she should have known better and her fallen features morphed into a frown as he went on, being, of course, his snarky self.
"I'd have to be on them for them to up them," she muttered back, darkly, even as she drug her hand from his beard to the back of his neck, more comfortable there as he nibbled on her shoulder. She had to bite down on her bottom lip in order not to satisfy his smugness by groaning as his tongue slid, warm and wet, against her skin.
"We're not in your bed, Lawson, this is MY hospital bed. You don't make the rules here." She slid her fingers in the hairs at the nape of his neck and yanked to pull his sinful mouth from her skin.
"Although, you've probably had at least half of the nurses here, so it shouldn't be anything new for them." And just to show him, and probably everyone else, what she thought of the idea of anymore of THAT happening, she pressed a bruising kiss to his mouth.
Mike At this precise moment in time, Mike’s head was 100% Ginny Baker wasted. You probably could have asked him for his jersey number and he wouldn’t know what to tell you. He was completely consumed by everything about her- the sight of her messy hair, bare face, and frumpy hospital gown was damn near perfection to him, her smell was intoxicating, and her taste drove him wild. He wanted every part of her, completely, to kiss and worship every inch of skin ten times over until neither of them could even function properly. Accepting her lips back on his own, Mike returned her deep kiss, careful to avoid the injury as his hands blindly grabbed at her body. Her quip somewhat jolted him, startled with the harsh slap of reality. He was almost flummoxed at the remark. Of course it made sense that she would mention his playboy ways, but the idea that he would seriously screw around with anyone else when Ginny was an option was completely baffling to him.
“Hey, wait a minute, listen,” Mike pulled back from her lips, leaving enough space between them that he could properly look at her and convey his sincerity as he spoke.
“You’re not- that’s not what this is, okay?” he tried to explain, tone firm. “It’s more. You’re more than that. It’s- that’s not going to be an issue.”
Ginny Mike manhandling her shouldn't have done the things it did to her, but something about his large hands rough about her waist made her skin grow warm. She hadn't meant anything by her words, so the way he put on the brakes left her a little jolted. Her eyelids rose from the hooded half mast as his gaze zeroed in on her. She wanted to laugh it off, dismiss his complaints but her heart nearly dropped through her stomach when he went on. It wasn't as if he were telling her something she didn't know, but it seemed it didn't matter how or how many times Mike told her how he felt, it still made her heart thud in her chest. Her smile as she looked upon him was fond and her dimples popped as she slid her hand back along his face, cupping his fuzzy cheek.
"I know," she assured him.
She wanted to tell him it was the same for her, that he was more to her than this one evening, than these handful of kisses and stolen moments. She wasn't quite sure how just yet. Instead she leaned forward to kiss him once more, hoping that could be enough for now.