Bush League: New Adult Sports Romance (28 page)

BOOK: Bush League: New Adult Sports Romance
4.97Mb size Format: txt, pdf, ePub
ads
Chapter Thirty

Finn

 

When Marybeth found that I had delegated my work to Dakota, I honestly couldn't tell if she was pissed or impressed. Whatever it was, she quickly let it be know that she had more work for me to do.

 

"Can you run to the house and pick up some things? Quickly?" she asked while briskly walking by me. She was trying my patience, expecting me to follow close behind at the sound of her voice. It was annoying to no end but also an experience I hadn't had in quite some time. Nobody barked orders at me so if I was going to let anyone do it, might as well be the woman my father loved.

 

"Allie has been taking forever..." she said quickly, almost escaping my ears entirely. Having watched for Allie all day, I was thrilled to have a clue as to where she was.

 

"She...coming back soon?" I asked while trying my best to mask the desperation I felt.

 

"She's supposed to but..."

 

"Maybe Dakota can run to the house then," I offered, not wanting to miss Allie when she returned.

 

"You both can go, I don't care."

 

"I meant Dakota going alone..."

 

Marybeth finally stopped and turned to me with the same determined and annoyed expression that she had passed down to her daughter.

 

"Look," the words shot out of her mouth, "your father and I need your help. We're not asking for much. Please don't be such trouble."

 

It was clear I wasn't going to get through to her to let her let me stay and wait for her daughter. I accepted her order of items to go pick up and soon the intern was nipping at my heels. Because we were to pick up quite a few things, I needed to take my father's beat-up truck instead of my bike. While I hadn't seen any paparazzi around that day, there was no guarantee a couple wouldn't pop up as I was driving this shitbox. They were on the lookout for my bike anyway but what a field day they'd have if they got pictures of me and the young, cute intern.

 

Dakota kept up with her normal, endless talking, a combination of questions and rapid-fire random thoughts. There were more than a few moments where I almost dropped my guard and started to open up to her for advice. Truth was I wanted to get all my feelings for Allie off my chest, to finally be real with someone. Maybe Dakota could offer the advice I so badly needed. A quick glance and I saw her phone sitting in her lap, resting on her black tights and I remembered she was the press. I had way more to lose than gain by revealing myself to her.

 

Dakota let me enter the house first and, without even looking for what we came for, I wandered up to Allie's room in hopes of finding the ghost of her lingering. Her scent, spent clothes, anything to make her memory more vivid in my mind. When I got to her door, I stopped in my tracks when I found her there. Allie was standing in front of a mirror, admiring herself while dressed in a huge, white wedding dress. She looked stunning, so much so that for the first time I could remember, I was speechless. Allie knew it too, as I approached her, she just stared at me, feeling the power she had over me growing even stronger. My hands reached to feel her body and that's when I sensed her grow cold.

 

"Finn! No! Please, why can't you just leave me alone?"

 

Her arms crossed and her face turned into a pout, looking like she may cry at any moment.

 

"I can't. You have a hold over me that I can't shake. You have to believe me when I say that I've never felt like this before."

 

At least I was being honest with her, she just didn't want to hear it. When Allie tried to twist and move away from me, I moved so that she couldn't get by. No matter what side she went to, I was in front of her, clearly frustrating her. Allie put her hands against my chest and, after a weak push, fell into my arms. I felt Allie fighting against herself, conflicted. She would allow herself to soften and nestle against me briefly before snapping to and pushing herself away. Though I wanted to wrap my arms around her and never let her go, she had to make that decision for herself.

 

"It doesn't have to be this way," I quietly tried to convince her. Allie let out a defiant whimper as she continued to squirm.

 

"Finn, you have to leave," she continued to protest but I wasn't heading anywhere near the door.

 

"It doesn't have to be like this," I reminded her. Allie just hung her head and let out a deep sigh. My arms wanted to embrace her body wrapped perfectly in that white wedding dress, to hug her close and let her know that I was sorry, sorry for everything, that I'm not a bad person.

 

"Yeah, well, it's not my fault," she spat at me. “None of this is.”

 

I think she thought her words would make me leave but I remained firm, unable to leave the side of the most beautiful woman I had ever known.

 

*****

 

 

 

Chapter Thirty One

Allie

 

Each and every time I made a promise to myself to be done with Finn, it was like he knew. He always managed to show up at every moment I swore he would be out of my life good. Standing in my mother's wedding dress, I had nowhere to run. All I could do was twist and turn, hoping he'd just go away. Instead, Finn let me know that he wouldn't let me leave until we fixed what was wrong between us. This is the way he got things, through brute force. He didn't understand that I didn't want to fix things, that unless he could unbreak my heart, if he could break up our parents, then maybe we could be friendly. But Finn didn't believe that any rules applied to him. He wanted me to fall over myself for him and wasn't going to stop until I made a fool of myself doing just that.

 

“Finn, please,” I begged while trying to cover myself up with my arms.

 

“You look...beautiful,” he said while his eyes burned holes all over me, taking in how my whole body looked wrapped up in that virginal white dress. Maybe it caused him to remember when he met me, when I was pure until he tarnished that. When Finn returned his gaze to my eyes, I saw a different person, or at least somebody I hadn't seen in a very long time. Instead of lust powering his words and motivation, those deep brown eyes softened and pleaded with me to accept him and comfort him. He never would've shamelessly begged me for attention but it felt as though he was wordlessly pleading with me right there. Seeing me wrapped up in that white dress broke the harsh exterior he showed the world. The boy was practically a puddle right in front of me. Even with all of the hatred I felt for him, his vulnerability weakened the punches I wanted to throw.

 

“Finn, please. You have to go,” I begged again. When I turned away from him, I just felt his heat coming closer until his arms found my sides again. My intention was to pull his hands off of my body but instead our fingers were soon interlocked against my sides, the both of us unable to untangle.

 

“Finn,” I whisper-yelled, “Dakota's right outside.”

 

The hair on my neck stood on end when I got a sense of his plump lips right on the fringe of my ear. “I don't care,” he whispered.

 

Finn's hands continued to roam all over my body and I was powerless to stop him. I wanted to and then I didn't. My brain and heart were fighting each other as I felt my legs part and invite him in even closer. My bare thighs hidden underneath the flowing, white dress were soon reintroduced to the skin callused by hours of guitar playing. Everything inside of me screamed for more of him and my arms shot out on the dresser in front of me, clutching the corners. I backed my ass further onto him, his hands teasing by flirting along the edges of the skimpy panties I had on. Reason and history played no part in the moment, only one goal raced to the top of my priorities. He had me literally in the palm of his hand, under his control.

 

The same fingers that danced over guitar strings and hypnotized crowds the world over now traced the shape of my absurdly wet femininity. With great effort I had to bite my lip as not to alert Dakota as to what was going on behind the door. When his hand slid inside of my damp unmentionables, my fingers clutched onto the furniture as goosebumps ran from my core to every edge of my limbs. Eyes closed, head bent down, we worked a rhythm swaying forward and backwards as I was dying for Finn to penetrate me. As the very tip of one of his fingers circled where I was ready for him to go, Finn came close to my ear again.

 

“Maybe you're right,” he said, “maybe we shouldn't. We could get caught...this is so wrong.”

 

Words were proving difficult to get out, my whole body was shaking, knowing this was all wrong but needing him to move in me. The back of my head rested on his chest as I guided his hand against the moist flower where we both wanted him to be.

 

“Just give me what you're good for,” I purred. 
My words were meant to be what he wanted to hear. This is what I thought would turn him on and encourage him further. Instead I felt him pulling away.

 

The tension that had filled the room quickly disappeared, as if someone had opened a window and let cool air to wash out the steam we had created. At first he froze in place and desperation flooded my brain as I felt Finn move away from me. His hands and arms retreated from my body and I was left confused up against the dresser.

 

“Finn,” I called out, hoping this misunderstanding could be put off for the time being. When he didn't respond, I turned to find him shaking his head, letting me know I was the one who fucked up for once. He didn't say anything and just turned to leave.

 

I wasn't going to call after him though and I certainly wasn't going to apologize. With shaky legs and clouded head, I lightly pounded my head on the dresser. He got me again.

 

*****

 

Chapter Thirty Two

Finn

 

Maybe it hadn't been her intention but regardless, I couldn't just stand there as Allie made me feel so small. As I walked out of the room in disbelief, a part of me hoped she would appear right behind me, having rushed to catch up and make things better. The last time I checked, she was nowhere near.

 

"I'm ready - let's get this done" I texted Vida and didn't expect an answer back so quickly. Vida was more than enthusiastic to get to work. She knew why she had come and she knew what was expected of her. Because of me, we had a limited amount of time left and were really under the gun to get it all done.

 

Vida thankfully arrived quickly from wherever she had been sightseeing and agreed to drive so that I could just 'let it all out'. We didn't have a destination in mind but just drove aimlessly until we were circling the country club parking lot, the scene of so much trouble on this short trip so far. There wasn't anybody there so we parked there, praying for privacy.

 

With pen furiously scribbling on a note pad from the glove box, Vida took down the words flowing almost effortlessly from my lips. She let me say all I needed to say. The release of pent-up steam felt good but I wasn't done yet. Each time I indicated a new song, she'd turn the page and take down the fractured thoughts as they came out of me.

 

We had been there quite a while when the employees started showing up. A few double-takes into the car meant that soon the whole town would know I was there. That also meant the paparazzi would be close behind. We had to find a secure location.

 

"Let's go get my guitar and go to a hotel," I told Vida.

 

"Whatever you want, I've been wanting this type of session since we got here," she reminded me.

 

The house was quiet when we arrived back there, just Dakota and my soon-to-be stepsister hanging out. I rushed straight past them, not even looking at them, on a mission to get my guitar and to get out asap.

 

"Hey Finn," Allie tried to get my attention but I wasn't having it. I continued to where I had left my guitar, keeping busy as she tried to get in my face.

 

"Don't worry about it," I spit over my shoulder when it was clear she wasn't going away, "We'll be out of your hair in a minute."

 

Allie's stunned silence let me know my words had landed as intended. "W-w-where are you going?" she finally asked as Vida appeared at my side. I grabbed the pretty songwriter by the side and pulled her close to me, surprising us both when I landed a kiss firmly on her lips.

 

"Hotel. We need some privacy." Though my words were meant for Allie, I kept attention on Vida and the two of us shared an intimate giggle, one that I knew got under Allie's skin. She stormed out of the room and as soon as she was gone, I loosened my clutch on Vida.

 

"Look, I don't care what your inspiration is," Vida said, "just as long as we can finally write this album."

 

I held up my recently located guitar and the two of us quickly left the house, no goodbyes to the girls inside.

 

 

*****

 

A quick internet search and I found a perfect isolated place where nobody could find us. When we had arrived at the motel, Vida had to go inside and take care of anything; we couldn't risk the staff knowing I'd be staying in their rinky-dink joint, then we'd never get anything done. Vida knew what she was doing when she opted for the room with two beds but there was plenty of room for us to lock ourselves in there for awhile and not be bothered. Without wasting time, I started to strum my guitar and play the melody that had been banging around inside of my head. Words just flew out of me, of a love that I once had but could never be again. Vida stopped messing with the curtains and looked at me with awe, encouraging me to keep playing when I slowed down.

 

"Finn, that's great," she said once the last note was played. "Seriously...that was really good."

 

Her encouragement gave me the confidence I was constantly trying to pretend that I had.

 

"Got any more ideas?" she asked and had no idea what she was in for.

 

 

*****

 

The hours flew by like seconds and once we realized we had an excellent set of songs to bring to the band and label, Vida and I both agreed we could call an end to the marathon session. So many hours had passed, we couldn't take a nap in the hotel, it was almost check-out time. While she squared up with the front desk, I stepped outside proud, knowing we had accomplished something great that night. The harsh early morning sun made me jog to the car like a vampire, wavy lines came up from the pavement like knives at this ungodly, early morning hour. From across the parking lot, I watched people going about their day, their normal, routine day and couldn't figure out why anyone would choose to live that way. Running errands in a small town, never knowing what it's like to stand in front of thousands chanting your name. Couldn't they see that there's a whole world out there with more exciting things to do besides picking up milk and going to the bank? When I saw an older couple walk by, a man and a woman laughing together, I was suddenly the one who felt jealous. They didn't need to have everyone heap praise on them, they only needed each other for the next big thrill. Everything that they needed in the world was standing right next to them. They found love and lost time for everything else.

 

"Ready to go, rock star?" Vida broke me from my trance. The smile plastered on her face was hard to contain, we both knew we had created something great, something that was going to change the world. As we made our way to the car, I couldn't help but toy with the idea of trading it all in for a chance to have what that old couple had. Something real.

 

"The grass sure is green out here," I thought out loud. Vida just chuckled, the two of us still coming down from the intoxicating high of accomplishing so much, nonsense and babbling was permitted. But I wanted more, wanted to feel alive. As she drove, I perched myself outside of the window, the new day's sun bathing last night's clothes into my skin and I shouted "Good morning!" to anyone who could hear me. Cars passed us with curious looks, nobody appearing to recognize me or my enthusiasm for what it was. I wanted to know what they knew in this town, I wanted to share the love they felt. Maybe I wanted a simpler life where I could love who I wanted to.

 

Vida's enthusiasm wasn't with a lust for life but instead vested elsewhere.

 

"Do you realize how big this album's gonna be? We started like six, maybe seven sure fire hits. The label is gonna shit when they hear this. Well, of course you have to record the demo first but once you do, boom!" she simulated a head exploding as she kept talking a mile a minute. "We're talking some next level shit right here." Vida took a hand off the wheel to pat the notepad by her side, the one that contained the seeds of SharkFin's next hit record. If it disappeared, so potentially did my future as a rock star. It was only a brief flirtation but the second my hand approached the stack of papers, hers clutched it tighter. She wasn't going to easily give up the ticket to cementing her reputation as a songwriting guru.

 

Any attempt at modesty went out the window when Vida bounded in the front door of the farmhouse and giddily gushed to Dakota that she had just helped write the best album of all time. The two giggling girls disappeared into another part of the house before I could beg her to play it cool. Just as I started to dream of a nice, soft bed to go fall down onto, I saw that
she
was standing there. She just stood there staring at me, like she wanted me to say something or perform for her. She had lost that right and at that moment, I knew she would just bring me down. Allie just watched me brush right past her, unable to think of anything to say to stop me. Again.

 

The intern and the songwriter had struck up quite an unlikely friendship, the two acting like old camp bunk-mates after only a few days together. When I entered the sun-room, Vida was sitting on the floor as Dakota sat behind her on the couch, her legs wide open for Vida to rest between. The intern was playing with Dakota's hair as she listened to the story of our night off together. Seeing Allie had caused my adrenaline to spike so I knew sleeping wouldn't be an option. These girls were going to have to keep me company. Dakota obliged when I asked to take her place, opening my own legs wide and placing the perky songwriter right in between them, my thighs embracing her as I attempted to "do" her hair. The three of us had a laugh but I really turned it on once I saw Allie standing in the doorway, watching.

 

My hands moved from her hair down to Vida's shoulders, massaging her body in a way that possibly could've come across as generous but also could've given off the "we-spent-the-night-fucking" vibe. I brought my face down close to her exposed neck, letting my breath tease her bare skin in a way that I knew drove all girls wild. I figured Vida was probably getting wet despite herself, possibly Dakota too, and I also was aware that it was making Allie's blood boil.

 

"Hey, um, Finn," Allie broke up our good time by trying to get my attention. The three of us looked up at her with confusion. "Can I...can I talk to you for a second? In the other room?"

 

Why she always had to be a wet blanket, I don't know. She didn't flinch when I shot her an annoyed look, instead digging in her heels and refusing to take back her request. I tried to tell Dakota and Vida I'd be right back for them but they had forgotten all about me the second I stood up, lost in their own private conversation without a care in the world.

 

Though I demanded several times to know what was so important, Allie insisted we go into the kitchen to have our talk. When we arrived, I saw that she had poured a couple of tall flutes full of what looked like orange juice.

 

"Mimosas," she proudly declared. I didn't like that she thought she could bribe me. When I turned to leave, Allie grabbed my arm and hung on for dear life. "Please. Let's just talk, please. I thought you'd want one but you totally don't have to drink it if you don't want."

 

It was in my best interest to never let her know that I couldn't handle seeing her sad, couldn't bear to know she was this desperate. As angry as I may have been with her, her eyes told me that she needed me.

 

"Finn, I'm sorry," she said in a way that just about broke my heart.

 

 

*****

 

 

 

BOOK: Bush League: New Adult Sports Romance
4.97Mb size Format: txt, pdf, ePub
ads

Other books

Until It Hurts to Stop by Jennifer R. Hubbard
The Africans by David Lamb
Mid-Flinx by Alan Dean Foster
My Shit Life So Far by Frankie Boyle
A Little Friendly Advice by Siobhan Vivian