Bring The Heat: A Bad Boy Sports Romance (Bad Boys of Summer Book 1) (12 page)

“Another rocking night.”

“Congratulations.” I pushed up from the floor and paced the living room. I went to the fish tank and then crossed back to the opposite wall. “Is that why you called? To tell me about the game?”

“Hell no. I just wanted to hear your voice.”

“Aha. How did you get my number?”

“Robby.”

I made a mental note to kick him in the shins next time I was at Paris’. “Fantastic. I owe him one…”

Cody laughed and I melted into the sound. Damn it. “Don’t take it out on him. You know you’re happy to hear from me.”

I rolled my eyes but couldn’t help a small smile from spreading across my face. “You sure are a cocky thing, aren’t ya?”

“I’ve been called worse.”

“I’m sure,” I said with a laugh. I paced back to the fish tank and my free hand danced along the edge. Nervous energy took hold of me. I didn’t know what to say, and the sound of his voice was making my mind wade back into dangerous waters, filled with the echoed memories of the way we moved together, the sounds he made while I straddled his narrow hips, and the way he felt inside of me.

I closed my eyes and gripped the side of the tank. Get it together, Chels. Don’t let him know he gets to you.

“What are you doing tonight? If you’re not watching the best game on TV?”

I opened my eyes and smirked. “I was coming up with the idea for my next award winning game.”

“Aha. Sounds exciting. Wanna fill me in?”

I pursed my lips. “Like you really care about some children’s game.”

He laughed softly. “Do you care about it?”

“Yes. Of course I do.”

“Then tell me about it.”

“You promise you won’t laugh?”

“I would never,” he replied, actually sounding very serious.

I bit the corner of my lower lip. “All right, fine. The first game was bent toward teaching kids geography so it was called Lucky’s Big Adventure. Lucky is the name of my clown fish.”

“Like
Nemo
?”

I laughed. “Like
Nemo
. How do you know about that?”

“It’s a good movie.”

I laughed harder at the image of him sitting on the couch with a bowl of popcorn watching Disney movies. “It is. Anyway, the investors want the follow-up to focus on math. I’ve been struggling to come up with an idea and then tonight it kind of hit me. Why not baseball? So, Lucky Plays Fishball or something like that for the title, and he learns math as he learns baseball. Things like counting the bases, number of people…well, fish…on the team, different plays. I mapped it all out.”

“Sounds cool. If you need a baseball tutor, I’d be more than happy to come over and give you some instructions…”

I shivered at the way he said
instructions
knowing full well they’d have absolutely nothing to do with baseball.

“I’ll keep ya posted,” I said, trying to keep the quiver from my voice.

“Good girl.” He chuckled. “So, let me ask you, did this new idea have anything to do with me? I mean…you’re telling me you weren’t watching the game but you’re over there cooking up a new baseball themed game. I have to think that has something to do with meeting me.”

I grinned. “Or, it could be the fact that in the last week I’ve been dragged to two different games when I was supposed to be home working.”

Cody laughed. “Nah. I’m not buyin’ it, baby girl.”

“That’s fine. You don’t have to. If anyone is sitting around obsessing, I’d say it was you. I mean what, you just walked off the field five minutes ago and you’re already on the phone with me?”

Cody laughed. “I knew it!”

“What?”

“You
were
watching the game. Ya naughty girl, telling me lies.”

I spun around and looked at the TV, realizing my mistake. “Shit!”

Cody laughed harder and I couldn’t stop myself from joining in. “All right, fine. You busted me. Happy now?”

“More than you know, sugar.”

His low tone rippled through me and my skin flushed. I wanted him there, beside me, around me, inside me…

“I was brainstorming. That’s all. It really had nothing to do with you.”

“You tell yourself whatever you need to,” he said, the smile still lingering in his voice.

“Are you flying home tonight?” I asked before I could stop myself.

“I wish.” His tone changed, sounding more clipped, like something about the question, or perhaps the answer, irritated him. “Tomorrow afternoon.”

“Oh, that’s right. Paris told me.” Great, now I was doing that annoying teenage girl thing. Asking questions that I already knew the answers to in order to keep him on the phone.

“You saw her today?”

“Yeah, we had lunch. She’s all messed up because of an argument with Robby.”

“Trust me, I know. I got the man version of that the entire flight here.”

I laughed. “I’m sorry. I had an easy out. I don’t know if I could have handled that for longer than an hour.”

Cody chuckled. “It’s no sweat. What do you think? Those two gonna get their shit together?”

“They will.” I smiled. “They’re probably sexting right now.”

Cody roared with laughter. “Hot.”

I blushed at the blurted comment. “It’s kinda their thing.”

“What about you?”

“No! Not at all. The internet is forever…”

“Damn, I could use a couple naughty snaps to get me through the night.”

A lightning bolt of hot electricity shot through me and I tensed, all the blood in my body rushing between my legs. The idea of taking sexy pictures for Cody—and thinking about what he would do once he had them in his possession—made me hot and wet. I ached with desire for him.

“I thought I made it clear that what we did was a one-night thing, Cody.”

“You don’t believe that bullshit and neither do I. We’re too good together to only have one night.”

I wanted to argue, but everything died on my lips. He was right.

Damn him.

“Well, I’m not sending you naked pics, and I sure as hell am not going to get on video chat with you and get freaky.”

“You don’t trust me?”

“It has nothing to do with that and you know it,” I argued. I didn’t think Cody would blast my photos or videos all over the place, but he was a celebrity. Someone could get access to his computer and then I’d be ruined. “I make children’s computer games and apps for a living. It wouldn’t look good for me to be caught sending sexts and homemade porn to some famous baseball guy.”

Cody laughed. “I guess that’s true. It doesn’t matter. I’d rather have the real thing anyway.”

I sucked in a breath at the promise in his voice and wished I could see his eyes. I knew exactly what they would look like. Large dark pupils, a sparkling blaze, and a hungry, lusty desire. They would linger on me—every curve and hollow—making me feel exposed, vulnerable, and sexy all at the same time.

“I was thinking seven o’clock tomorrow night. That way I can get in a shower and wash away all that nasty ass airplane air. Gotta be fresh for my lady.”

I snapped back to reality. “Seven? Tomorrow? Wait, what?”

Had I agreed to a date while off in la-la land?

“You. Me. Tomorrow. Seven.”

“Cody, I—”

“Chelsea, come on, stop fighting me on this. You want me. I want you. There’s no reason to hide it. Okay? The cat’s already out of the fuckin’ bag and halfway down the street, all right?”

I squeezed my eyes closed. He was right, but damn it, I wished he wasn’t. It was easier to argue with him than it would be to keep getting close to him and try to keep my heart under lock and key. He was abrasive, demanding, arrogant, and cocky, but there was something else lurking under the bravado and ego. And that part of him had my attention and I knew that once I uncovered it—I’d want to keep it all to myself.

Which was probably a big mistake. It wasn’t wise to want things that you couldn’t have. It would only lead to heartache and disappointment.

“I have to work,” I said, my tone casual but with enough force, I hoped he’d back off. I couldn’t hold up my defenses forever.

“Chelsea, why do you insist on making this so difficult?”

“I’m not, Cody. I’ve actually made it very simple. You wanted a night with me, and I wanted one with you. We don’t need to go any farther.”

“We don’t
need
to, but why the hell shouldn’t we?”

I opened my mouth, but there weren’t any words to answer his question. He chuckled and I frowned. He knew he had me. “I have work to do, Cody. I’m sure I’ll see you at a game or with Robby and Paris one of these days.”

“Chelsea—”

“Goodbye.”

I clicked off of the call before he could convince me to part ways with my sanity and draw me back into his web. It was hard enough to get him out of my head. One more night in his arms and I’d be lost for good.

Cody

“Slippery little minx…” I chuckled to myself and set the phone aside. That was fine. It was all a part of the game and I knew the cards she was holding in her hand. It was only a matter of time before I could get her to fold.

I pushed up from the hot tub where I’d been warming up after an ice treatment on my shoulder. It was all part of the deal. It was my job to go out and lay down fire on the field and then when I got off the field, a team of people worked to put me back together. As nice as the hot tub was, I was ready to get back to my room where I could continue to explore the nasty thoughts about Chelsea that I’d been batting around all day. They would require some privacy. Maybe I’d take a picture of myself lying in bed, shirt off, abs flexed, and send it to her with a little note. Give her a little something to dream about.

I grinned as I remembered her confessing, in a throaty, breathless voice, that she’d fantasized about me after we first met. The idea of her slipping her fingers under the covers, pleasuring herself late in the night, with my name on her lips. Fuck that was sexy…

“Wright!”

I hurried to wrap a towel around my waist and then stripped my shorts off underneath. My bulge popped, creating a slight tent in the towel, but I didn’t care. Robby wasn’t gonna be staring at my cock. At least he better not be…I’d kick his fuckin’ ass.

Judging by the smile on his face as he got lost in a pair of stripper’s double D’s the night before, he was as straight as an arrow.

“Hey, man,” he said, catching up to me. “You all done here? A bunch of us are getting on the bus to go out.”

“Nah, man. I’m gonna go hit the hay.” I looked at him, remembering what Chelsea had said. She’d put her money on him and Paris get busy on video chat all night. “You’re not gonna go call your woman?”

Robby glanced down at his feet. “She didn’t take my call.”

“Oh.” I shook my head. “Shit. I guess Chelsea misjudged that one…”

“Chelsea?” His chin shot back up and he arched a brow at me.

“Just got off the phone with her.” I held up my hand holding the phone and waved it back and forth a couple of times. “She went to lunch with Paris today.”

“I see. What’d Paris say about me?”

I laughed and slapped him on the shoulder. “Go back to the hotel and call her yourself.”

“She didn’t answer. I just fuckin’ said that.”

I leaned in. “Then try again. Damn, man. I’m no love doctor but this seems pretty basic.”

Robby grinned and punched me on the shoulder. “I like that. Love doctor.”

I snorted. It was a completely inapplicable title. “Let’s just hope some sports gossip mag didn’t catch you taking shots from that stripper’s tits last night…”

Robby laughed. “She would just be pissed I didn’t bring her with me. She loves strippers.”

“Damn. Now I see why you put a ring on it!”

Robby cracked up as he started out of the locker room. “I’m gonna go get a drink and then I’ll head back to the hotel.”

“All right, man. Take it easy.” I waved as he left and then crossed over to where my shit was stashed. I dressed and glanced around at the empty room. I’d lingered in the hot tub, talking to Chelsea, and in the meantime all the other players and staff had cleared out. It was almost eerily quiet.

Until…

I turned at the tap of stiletto heels and my jaw dropped open. Summer strut across the room, a megawatt smile firmly in place on her delicate face, and a sway to her hips that could only mean one thing. Her seventy-year-old, millionaire boyfriend couldn’t keep it up and she wanted to get good and fucked.

Shit.

“What the fuck are you doing here?” I growled, thankful that I’d slipped into my jeans before she arrived. Though she could have been lurking in the doorway watching the show. With the press badge around her neck and her showcase of cleavage there was nowhere she couldn’t go.

“I came to see you,” she purred, stepping close enough that her perfume carried over, enveloping me for the second time in two days. “I was waiting outside, but you were dawdling. Everything okay with your shoulder?” She reached out and brushed my bare skin, her eyes taking in the rest of my torso.

I grabbed her wrist and held it out in front of me. She didn’t falter, never losing her self-assured smile. “I don’t want to see you.”

She stuck her lip out in a spectacular pout. It was the same one she used to get me to stay in bed for ten more minutes when I was supposed to be going to class or to get me to stay in with her when the rest of my college teammates were going out drinking.

“Why not?” she asked.

“Because we’re not together. We’re not even friends. You made that pretty clear once I said I wanted to move on with my life,” I replied, flashes of that final conversation coming back to me, each packing an emotional punch.

“What did you expect me to say, Cody? You thought that after three years I’d be willing to follow you around and pretend like we were friends? I was supposed to be cool with watching from the sidelines while you went out and got drafted and launched into this big, exciting, new life without me?”

“Summer…don’t.” I ducked my chin. “Don’t do this. It’s not going to get you what you want.”

“How do you know what I want?” Her question snapped through the room like the lash of a whip. I jerked my eyes to hers and watched the fire blazing as she stared at me. “You never took into consideration what I wanted. You’re the most selfish man I’ve ever met, Cody Wright.”