Caught Looking

She’s the only opponent I can’t beat — and the only woman who makes me want to lose.

Sloane Kessler is the most feared hitter in the Pacific Northwest Women’s Fastpitch League — and the most tightly wound. She grips the bat like she’s trying to choke information out of it, plays every game like her life depends on it, and hasn’t relaxed since her father died mid-season two years ago without ever telling her she was good enough.

Drew Castellano is the rival team’s catcher — broad-shouldered, wickedly observant, and dangerously patient. She’s been watching Sloane’s white-knuckle grip from behind the plate for two seasons, and she knows exactly what it means. When she starts murmuring praise during an at-bat that completely shatters Sloane’s focus, the rivalry transforms into something neither of them can control.

Late-night batting cage sessions become hitting lessons become hands-on-hips adjustments become the kind of encounters that leave chainlink patterns on Sloane’s skin. Drew teaches Sloane to loosen her grip. Sloane teaches Drew that being needed isn’t the same as being wanted. And somewhere between the cage and the championship, two women who were built for competition discover they were also built for each other.

But the season’s not over. The championship is coming. And the woman Sloane is falling for is the catcher she’ll have to beat to win it all.

You’ll love this if you enjoy:

✓ Rivals to lovers with scorching tension
✓ A dominant woman who dismantles a perfectionist with praise
✓ Praise kink so potent it rewires your nervous system
✓ Secret relationship with championship stakes
✓ A slow burn that detonates in a locked equipment room
✓ Sapphic sports romance with real softball authenticity
✓ “Who did this to you” emotional devastation
✓ No breakup, guaranteed HEA