Disclaimer: All Twilight related characters belong to S. Meyer.
Description: After being dragged to a baseball game by her best friend, Bella Swan meets handsome first baseman Edward Cullen with the help of a foul ball. There's something about him that she can't put out of her head, and apparently neither can he.
A/N: Hello again everyone! Thank you so much for the wonderful reviews and all of the favorites this past week. I'm blown away and I'm so happy you've enjoyed the story! Don't worry, this chapter has a lot more BBward and Bella action! There are a couple of things I wanted to point out before this chapter gets rolling. For those of you who aren't familiar with AT&T park in San Francisco, here's some shots to give you a better idea! Here's an overhead shot of the park: bit(dot)ly/aJCL3H. Here's an outside shot of the park: bit(dot)ly/dlFdmD. And here's a shot of the field so you can see where Bella and Angie were standing. I circled it in red: bit(dot)ly/dz7Wvu. Also, note for this chapter onward; BART stands for Bay Area Rapid Transit. It's our local subway system (and a godsend).
Enjoy this chapter and please r/r if you can! Thanks!
Foul Territory
Chapter 2
I wasn't going to lie, I was starting to like baseball more and more. Call me shallow. Whatever. Like anyone else was saved by Edward fucking Cullen before the game. No, that would be me.
Now I was two beers in, and I still couldn't stop thinking about him. I was going to try to play it off and forget that he had asked for my name and met my eye. That he'd saved me from falling onto the field. Of course, that was easier said than done. I hadn't been able to think of anything else since we took our seats nearly three hours ago.
Angela was two beers in too, plus a weak margarita from Cha Cha's. I had a feeling she was a little jealous, but she had Ben so I didn't feel too bad. At least she got an autograph.
We were clapping lazily as the closing pitcher threw another strike. It was four to one with the Giants leading in the top of the ninth inning. I was staring at Edward again from his spot by first base. His legs were spread wide and he was leaning on his knees. He was a tiny speck from where I was sitting, but I couldn't take my eyes off of him.
Angela had stolen the binoculars back from me, after I'd kept them clutched to my chest for practically the entire game. My weak beer buzz wasn't helping me to act rationally at the moment. If I had absolute knowledge that I would see him again after tonight, then I may not have been so intensely focused. However, I knew for a fact that I would probably never see him again, and I was willing to bask in his beauty for the remainder of the night knowing he had written my name on my ticket.
I pulled my ticket out of my pocket again and traced my thumb over my name. "To Bella. Edward Cullen."
"You're going to rub it off if you don't cut it out," Angela said from my left, taking the last sip of her margarita. She made a face as she swallowed the watered down, salty dregs of the drink.
I bit my lip and stashed the ticket in my jacket. Caught again. This was hopeless.
A crack echoed in the park as the batter connected with the ball. The crowd hissed with anticipation as it lobbed down the first base line towards Edward. He leapt up, easily catching it in his glove, and the crowd cheered.
I clapped along with them. God, that was hot.
The foghorns in the stadium blared as Edward's catch retired the last batter. The Giants had won the game and in an instant the park was mass chaos. Edward tossed the ball to the umpire and ran with the rest of his team back into the dugout. They were cheering and whooping, but I couldn't help but feel a little sad that my night with Edward was over.
I was still reeling from Edward's acrobatic catch as Angela dragged me from our seats and up to the promenade to make our way out of the ballpark.
After what seemed like an hour, we finally made our way through the throngs of people and into the cold, dark San Francisco night. The large orange fluorescent lettering above the entrance to the ballpark illuminated the street with a dim glow. Along with two hundred other fans, we wandered across the street clumsily.
"Let's grab a drink!" Angela said excitedly, as we made our way to the other side. She pulled me from the crowd and over to the front walkway of MoMo's, the overcrowded restaurant and bar on the corner.
"We've already been drinking, Ang!" I protested, noting how many people were crowded onto the small patio.
She rolled her eyes at me. "Honestly, Bella. We're taking BART, it's not like we have to drive. Come on, I'll buy you a martini."
I looked up at the garish bar sign above the entrance and eyed the martini olive illustrated in the logo. That did sound pretty good.
"Plus," she added, dragging me up the front steps, "sometimes the players come here." She winked at me and I scowled.
"That's not why I want to be here," I said at once, holding up a finger. I tried to make it sound convincing.
"Whatever."
Angela turned on her heels and walked to the font door. She opened it for me and ushered me inside. It was loud and busy and full of drunk people, but it was nice to be surrounded by the energy again.
We snagged two seats at the long mahogany bar and Angela waved down the bartender. "Two martinis please, with olives. Thanks!"
Angela and I chatted excitedly about the game as our martinis disappeared and the noise of the bar swelled around us. I wasn't sure how long we had been there when the shouts inside the bar reached a fevered pitch.
She grabbed my arm and looked over towards the door. "Bella, the players are here!"
I tried not to get my hopes up, and I tried even harder to make my glance at the door appear casual. A few tall heads of hair passed through the crowd by the door. There was cheering and high fiving and it all seemed a little too "testosterone heavy" for my liking.
Angela was on her feet next to me, trying her best to see who was there. "I think Emmett's here," she said, clasping her hands together. "Maybe Jasper, I can't tell."
I went back to drinking what was left of my martini. I'd left the olive for the very end. It was my favorite part.
"It is! It's Emmet and Jasper!" She was clapping her hands like a fan girl and I tried my best to ignore her. Maybe I was a little disappointed he wasn't there.
Don't lie to yourself.
Ok fine, I was a lot disappointed he wasn't there. I wanted to see him close up one more time, and hear his velvet voice say my name. There was something about the way he looked at me that made me think he was interested in me. Was that stupid to think? Probably. Why would a celebrity be interested in me? I was probably the most boring person on the planet. I didn't even watch baseball!
Angela grabbed my shoulder and whispered something about getting another autograph and I put my vest on her stool to save her spot. To be honest, I was a little relieved to have a few moments to myself to think about the day so far.
"Is this seat taken?"
I was so deep in thought I didn't recognize the voice at first. I looked over to Angela's stool to roll my eyes. Obviously it's taken jackass, there's a jacket on top of it—
Oh my God.
Edward Cullen stood next to the stool, bottle of beer in hand and sexy smirk on his lips. He was wearing a thin, gray long sleeve shirt that hugged him in all the right places and a pair of dark denim jeans. His sleeves were casually pushed up to his elbows. I blinked twice and glanced up at his face. He looked different with his cap off. More normal, maybe. His copper hair was tousled and casually sexy. He should play ball without a hat on. Just a suggestion.
"My friend Angela," I answered shaking my head. "But she went to try and get more autographs so…"
Edward placed his hand tentatively over the vest on the bench and I nodded. He lifted it from the stool and moved to sit down in its place. "I brought you something," he said, reaching behind him before settling on the stool. When his hand came back around he was holding a baseball glove.
I blinked at him. "What?"
He handed me the black leather glove. "For you, take it."
I clasped my hands together and shoved them into my lap, as if keeping them there would prevent me from snatching it and pressing it to my chest. Take it, take it, take it!
"I can't take that. It's your glove."
Edward laughed and took a swig of his beer. "It's okay, I popped one of the ties today, see?" He placed his bottle on the bar, turned the glove over in his hands, and pointed to where one of the leather ties had snapped.
I leaned in close to look and flicked the leather with my fingertip. "But can't you get it fixed?"
When I looked up, I froze. We were close together now, his face only a few inches from my own. It was much closer than we'd been at the ball game, aside from my backwards fall onto the field. I could see the dark freckles on his cheeks again. I licked my lips nervously. He was gorgeous. And he smelled even more amazing. Had I not noticed this before?
He was smiling again. "I could get it fixed, but when I can get a new one for free, I may as well put my old ones to good use."
I raised an eyebrow. "Good use being?"
"Foul ball protection." He mimed a ball falling towards my head.
I pursed my lips and forced a smile. Yes, I remembered. "Bring a glove next time." I snatched the glove out of his hand and placed it on my lap. Of course all he would remember me by was my clumsiness.
"Why have a glove when you're nearby?" I said with a smirk. Oh shit. That was definitely the vodka talking. Crap.
He laughed. "Well, that would be the preferred method."
What?
"Thank you," I stammered, running my fingers over the smooth, worn leather of his glove. His glove! "I'll use it next time."
His answering smile was staggering.
"How did you know I'd be here?" I asked, wondering if he would have given the glove to another unsuspecting girl if I hadn't been seated at the bar. That thought didn't sit well with me.
"Lucky guess," he answered with a shrug. "Wishful thinking, maybe."
I bit my lip to hide my smile.
"So, your name is Bella," he said, breaking the awkward silence.
He remembered.
"Yes, Bella. Bella Swan."
Edward held out his hand. "I'm Edward Cullen. We weren't properly introduced." I forced myself to ignore how lovely his name sounded in his own voice, and leaned forward to grasp his hand.
"Good to meet you. Again." I smiled.
We were interrupted as Angela ran up beside me. Dammit. We dropped our hands and I nervously reached for my martini. "Bella!" she said, eyeing Edward and giving me a meaningful and not so subtle wink. "Don't tell Ben, but I'm leaving him for Jasper Whitlock." She waved a baseball in her hand, which now sported two more autographs.
I laughed into the remainder of my drink.
"I wouldn't recommend that," Edward said through another mouthful of beer.
Angela looked over at him, apparently as shocked as I was that he was participating in this conversation. Were we friends now? "What?" Angela asked, recovering more quickly than I did.
"He's engaged," he said, shrugging sympathetically.
"Dammit," she hissed, looking authentically put out. I laughed again. Like she could ever leave Ben. They were made for each other.
She reached into her bag suddenly and pulled out her phone. "It's Ben," she said, backing towards the front door. "I'll see what he wants. Want to go when I come back?"
"Yeah sure," I agree, watching her hurry to the front door and step outside. I was suddenly very occupied with rolling the olive around the inside of my glass. Was Edward Cullen really still sitting at the bar with me?
I looked over. He was smiling at me. Yup. He was still there.
"So," I said awkwardly, grabbing the olive from the bottom of my martini glass and popping it into my mouth. "Are you engaged?"
Edward laughed and looked down at his feet. "No. I'm not."
I nodded, inwardly pleased.
"Girlfriend?" Wait what? What the hell was my problem?
He glanced back up and shook his head. "No, not one of those either."
I wanted to ask, how, but that would just be rude.
"What about Emmet?" I asked, gesturing over to the other side of the bar where the other players were standing with their drinks.
"Emmet?" Edward asked curiously, raising an eyebrow. "He's married, why?"
Don't get your panties in a twist. "For Angela, just to cover all the bases. Pun intended."
He laughed. "Well, technically Jasper's a pitcher, so he's not on a base."
I rolled my eyes. "Right."
Edward drained his beer. "Can I buy you another drink?" he asked, pushing his empty bottle to the back of the bar and nodding towards my empty glass.
Yes! Yes! "No, um, Angela and I are going to head out as soon as she gets back."
"I don't know about that," I heard him say and I glared at him. What the hell does that mean? But before I could open my mouth, Angela appeared with her boyfriend's arm wrapped around her shoulder. I groaned inwardly. Ugh. Great, third wheel again.
Don't get me wrong, Ben was great, and he was great to Angela, but when they were together they were disgustingly adorable. Call me crazy, but that wasn't what I wanted at the moment.
"Hey Bella!" Ben said excitedly, lifting his hand from Angela's shoulder to wave at me.
"Hi Ben," I raised my fingers to wave back. "Come to meet us?"
"Yeah, I thought I'd check up on you guys since I was over here."
Angela was bouncing on the balls of her feet again. "Bella, Ben wants to meet some friends at the 21st Amendment, want to go?"
The 21st Amendment was a bar down the street that was also very hip and popular after Giants games. Suddenly another beer and Angela's company didn't sound as appealing as it had earlier in the evening. Mostly I felt a lot like thinking about Edward and how my life had completely flipped upside down in the past six hours.
"No, it's okay. I think I'm going to head home. Will you guys make it home okay?"
"We'll be fine. We can take a taxi if we need to," Ben said, looking distracted as he finally realized who I was sitting next to.
Angela moved over to me and whispered, "Will you be okay?"
I rolled my eyes. "I'm heading home now, trust me. I'll see you later tonight."
She smiled and hugged me tightly around the shoulders before backing into Ben's arms once more. "See you later, Bella. Edward, it was nice to meet you."
Edward waved and they turned and walked out the door.
Then it was just the two of us. Oh, and about three hundred other people in the restaurant. I was surprised no one was rushing over here to pester him, not that I minded. I wasn't sure how my jealousy would register after my martini.
"Can I buy you a drink now?" Edward asked again, smiling hopefully.
I hesitated for a moment before shaking my head. "I really should get home. I have work tomorrow." I slid down from the barstool and onto my feet. Of course I didn't really want to go, who would? I had a completely gorgeous and apparently chivalrous baseball player seated next to me and willing to buy me a drink. The thought of leaving him lone at MoMo's was oddly disconcerting. Who would he talk to when I was gone? Would he buy another girl a drink?
Did he have another glove in his pocket?
I frowned to myself and gathered my bag and slide my vest over my shoulders.
I watched as Edward stood up from his barstool as well. "Well, can I at least call you a cab?" His hands were shoved awkwardly in his jean pockets.
I couldn't help but smile. There was a mob outside. I highly doubted anything was going to happen to me. "I'm okay."
"No, really, let me call you a cab." He placed his hand at the small of my back and led me towards the back of the restaurant. Upon seeing my confused expression, he bent his head down to say, "We'll go out this way, less people."
His hand on me sent a wave of warmth over my body and I shivered at the sensation. What was this man doing to me? I let him lead me to a door behind the bar, he pulled it open and we stepped out into the night.
Once the door closed, I realized we were in a narrow alley leading back to the street behind the restaurant. I could hear the people around the corner laughing, yelling and talking above the noise of the street. We were guarded from the wind, but I could feel the damp chill of the city through my jacket.
I looked over at Edward and gasped. He was watching me quietly, through heavy, lidded eyes. He took a step forward and I backed up against the wall next to the door. He was close. Really close. I could smell the beer on his breath, and the delicious scent of his cologne or body wash or whatever it was. I was practically panting and my mouth was bobbing, searching for words to say to fill the empty space between us.
"I know we don't really know each other, but I really want to kiss you," he said bluntly. His voice was deep and husky and went straight to my gut. I wanted to kiss him too but it was completely irrational. We hadn't even been on a date yet. Hell, we'd only had one and a half conversations since we first met. We'd only spent half an hour with each other, and yet I felt like I'd never wanted a man this much. Was it because he was famous? Was it because he smelled so good?
No, that wasn't it.
"I don't know if that's a good idea," I said, finally.
He reached a hand up to brush a strand of hair off my cheek. Christ, my hair! I hadn't even looked at it. It was probably frizzy and ridiculous from the fog.
"Why not?" he asked, letting his fingers trail from my cheek down to my neck, where he let them gently rest. Chills shot up my spine and back down to my toes. It was like I'd never been touched before. On my neck? How was he doing this to me?
"Because you're a baseball player," I whispered.
His fingers tightened on my skin. "What the hell does that mean?" His voice was tight, and he sounded angry.
Well now he wouldn't kiss me anyway.
I looked up at him and was momentarily stunned by the intensity in his eyes. "Because I don't even know you. You're a professional athlete. Are you even in one place for more than a night at a time?" He was still staring intently at me, and I let my temporary courage take over. "I mean, how am I to know that you're not just looking for someone to go home with you and-"
"See, I'm going to stop you right there," Edward cut me off, holding a finger in front of my lips. "I know you don't know me, but I don't do that. I don't take girls home with me."
I swallowed. His still held his finger close to my lips. If I moved my head a quarter of an inch I could kiss it.
Get a grip.
He lowered his finger and slid it under my chin, lifting my face so my eyes meet his once more. "Bella, have you ever considered that maybe I'm just attracted to you? That maybe I saw your face today and I couldn't stop thinking about you the entire game?"
He said my name again.
I had no retort to that. Of course I'd thought about that, because I felt the same way. But I wasn't going sit there and assume that a sexy, professional baseball player was thinking about me the entire game.
Wait a second. The entire game?
Edward was smiling, and watching as a flush lit up my cheeks. Blast me and my stupid blushing.
"So, you thought about me all nine innings?" I asked, raising an eyebrow and letting the grin I'd been suppressing spread over my face.
He chuckled. "Just about." His face grew serious and he took another step forward. I watched him and I could feel my heart rate start to quicken. The dull, yellow light of the alley lit his face with a warm glow. His voice was low and beyond sexy when he said, "Can I kiss you now?"
He met my eyes in a fleeting glance, as though asking for permission. What did I want? Did I want this? Yes! Did I want to start this when perhaps there would be no going back? Yes! Did I want to kiss this beautiful stranger who had, for some reason, taken a liking to me even after I'd fallen into his arms like an idiot?
YES!
I bit my lip and closed the space between us, pressing my lips to his deliciously warm, soft and waiting mouth. The stubble on his chin bit into my own and I reveled in the sandpaper texture against my skin. The dull pain reminded me that this was real and I really was kissing Edward Cullen, first baseman for the San Francisco Giants.
Edward lifted his hands to my face and cradled my head gently between his long fingers. His palms were smooth, but I could feel his calloused fingers as he moved them along the skin of my cheek.
He pulled away to kiss my top lip and then my bottom. My breath hitched in my throat as he dragged his lips to the corner of my mouth. My hands were wrapped around his forearms, pulling him closer.
His lips covered mine again and I let my head fall back as I felt the tip of his warm tongue trace my bottom lip. I willingly let him deepen the kiss, sliding my own tongue against his. He tasted like beer and Edward. That sounded so stupid, because I didn't even know him, but there was no other way to describe it.
He was gentle and slow and I was gripping tighter to his arms now, trying to hold myself up. My ears were buzzing and my heart was pounding, and I realized I had never been this consumed by a kiss before. I didn't want him to stop. I wanted time to freeze and for us to stay like this for hours. Blissful, naïve, and no words between us. For now, we were just Bella and Edward.
And it was fantastic.
Eventually Edward pulled himself away and pressed his forehead to mine. We stood panting for a few moments. His hands were still cradling my face.
"Wow," he said after taking a deep breath. "That, I did not expect."
I could only nod like an idiot.
Edward pulled back far enough to meet my eyes. "Please tell me I can see you again."
I closed my eyes and leaned forward so our foreheads were touching again. His touch was addicting. I wanted more. But what was I doing? He was Edward Cullen. What kind of relationship could this be?
"You're thinking too hard about it," he said, his voice close to my ear. I felt his stubble rub against my cheek as he moved to place his lips to the hollow of my jaw. "I have a pretty strong feeling you want this too."
His nose grazed my earlobe and I flinched, pressing myself closer to him.
"I can't tell you how this will work, but I want to get to know you better, Bella."
He stepped away again and I felt my face tighten as the space between us grew. His hands slid from my shoulders down my arms to my hands where he squeezed them gently.
"Bella?"
"I don't know," I stammered shaking my head. "I don't know what this is."
Edward smiled. "It's called attraction."
I rolled my eyes. "I know that. " I didn't continue. I didn't know what to say. Yes, of course I want to see you again. I want to see you every day, forever? No, that was probably a little too extreme.
"I'll tell you what," he said, squeezing my hands again.
I met his eyes.
"We're going on a road trip to Florida and then to Houston. I'll be back on Sunday. That's a week from now. You can think about it and we'll talk when I get back."
That was reasonable.
"Are you always this quiet?"
I smiled. "Okay. That sounds good."
A relieved grin lit up his face. "Good."
I chewed on my bottom lip. "So, a week?"
Edward nodded. He started tracing loose circles over my knuckles with his thumbs. "Seems like a long time, doesn't it?"
"Maybe."
He chuckled and leaned close. I felt his lips on my hair. "Think about it."
I nodded against his lips.
"Do you still want me to call a cab?"
Yes.
"I think I can manage," I said gesturing towards the street. "There should be a ton on the corner."
Edward nodded and squeezed my hands once before letting them go. I dropped them to my sides with a sigh.
Maybe I should let him take me back to his condo.
Don't be ridiculous. He doesn't do that, remember?
"So I'll talk to you on Sunday?" Edward prompted.
I smiled up at him. "Sunday. How will I call you?"
He stroked his chin. "Still have that ticket on you?"
I had only run my finger over his signature a million times during the game. Idiot. I handed it to him as he produced a pen out of his back pocket. He amended his autograph to include his phone number, capped his pen, and held it up for me to see.
"So how many girls have you autographed stuff for and left your number?"
He laughed as he handed me back the ticket. "Just you." He stepped forward and placed a slow, meaningful kiss on my cheek. "Sunday," he whispered against my skin before standing up to his full height and retreating to the door.
I stood rooted to the spot, wishing he were still standing with me with his lips in my hair. "Sunday," I whispered.
He winked and walked back into the restaurant.
A/N: You like? I want to dedicate this chapter to the REAL San Francisco Giants who clinched the National League West today! Woo! I'll be sure to channel my excitement into all future chapters. Next chapter coming in a week, unless I get to antsy to hold out! Please r/r!
Also, here are a few links so you can get a better feel of Momo's Here's the bar: bit(dot)ly/dx2lLR. and the website of the restaurant: bit(dot)ly/c4E4Ui.
