Hardball: A Sports Romance (5 page)

The week only got worse with the media shit storm that followed Chance to practice and afterwards as well. The only thing that had saved him from being benched for the entire season was Lindsey’s account of what happened. Robert wanted to do a press conference with himself and Arabella over the entire thing, but Arabella wasn’t reply to anyone. She even ignored his own phone calls and texts apologizing for what he said. Everything else around him seemed to falling apart too— including his concentration at practice.

    After his fourth overthrown pass, Coach Adam’s pulled him off to the sideline.

    “I know that you’re going through a lot right now with this pressure,” he began, shaking his head at the camera’s that were in the bleachers, “but, you need to get shit figured out here. We can’t risk you starting in a game if your head isn’t in it.”

    “It is in it,” Chance said, ripping his helmet off in frustration. “Can people lay off me for a moment? I’m trying to get shit figured out, but no matter what I do, it’s not right.”

    Unfazed with the frustration, Mark continued on steadily. “Robert and I are pushing you to succeed at this sport. Part of this sport is dealing with this type of pressure when it surrounds you on a business and personal level.”

    “The way I deal with it is turning the lights off and find somebody to be there when the lights are off.”

    “That’s where your problem is at. You don’t have any mature ways of coping with any type of pressure. That’s where we are trying to help you.”

   “By putting me in a fake relationship with a woman who refuses to even touch me no matter how hard I try?”

   To his immense surprise, Mark grabbed him roughly by the jersey. A glint of danger filled Mark’s eyes as he stared at a bewildered Chance.

   “You listen to me, Chance Lawerence. That woman has been through a scarring event in her life pertaining to men. Robert thought you two would be a good fit for one another because it’d help her move on, but it’d help you slow the fuck down from this train wreck of a life that you’re steaming through. If I find out that you tried to make her do something that she was uncomfortable with, consider yourself off this team despite your contract.”

    “I never forced myself on her,” Chance said, aghast with the idea. He might have manipulated women into his bed, but never once had he ever forced himself onto anybody. “Why do people keep saying shit like that? What happened to Arabella?”

   “That’s not for me to say,” Mark said. He let go of Chance’s jersey. “I’m glad to hear that. Just think about your life, Chance. You’re going down a pathway that isn’t going to end well for you. Fame kills people.”

   After practice, Chance cornered Liam before he could disappear from the locker room.

   “Do you know?”

   Liam fumbled around with the strap of his duffle bag. “Know what?”

   “What happened to Arabella?” He watched Liam’s expression grow guarded. Suspicion immediately filled Chance at that. “You do know, don’t you?”

    His best friend let out a sigh. “Look, bro, I promised Lindsey I wouldn’t say anything when she told me. It was an accident of how it came out.”

   “I want to know what the hell happened,” Chance said. “Since when do we keep secrets from each other?”

    Liam looked away guiltily at that. “I know,” he said, “but this isn’t something that should come from me or from anyone else. Why don’t you just go ask Arabella yourself?”

   “Just tell me what happened,” Chance said, impatiently. “I won’t even say it came from you if that’s what you’re worried about.”

    “It’s not that,” Liam replied, looking at him intently for a moment. “Is this relationship real or fake between you two? It’s hard to tell at times.”

    Chance opened his mouth to reply, but he couldn’t even find an answer himself. It felt real at all times. He couldn’t deny the attraction that burned in him like a wild fire, and he was confident that Arabella felt the same burning sensation from the times she had kissed him back. She held his future in the palms of her hands. The thought was disconcerting, and it didn’t set well with him.

    “I don’t know,” he replied, honestly. “I have no idea what is real or what isn’t anymore.”

    “I don’t mean any disrespect when I say this because I consider you my brother,” Liam said, clapping Chance on the shoulder, “but you’re father has fucked you up in a lot of ways that aren’t right. I hear you say it over and over that he pushed you to be who you are, but you’ve gotta let that go and be who you want to be. I know that ain’t the best role model here because I’ve slept with tons of women too since arriving here, but I can see now that it doesn’t do the both of us any good. We’re role models for people out there watching us. Who do you want to be? I ask that because I don’t even think you know who you are right now.”

   He didn’t know. That piece of him had long disappeared since the day he had confessed to his father that he was tired of practice one day. “This is who we want to be,” his father had told him at the time. “We aren’t the type of people to sit in idle. We get what we want, and football is what your heart is after. We don’t get tired. We don’t settle for anything less like friends and women.”

   That mantra repeated itself brokenly in his head for several long seconds. He swallowed thickly as an array of emotions burned in the center of his chest.

   “I wouldn’t want someone to be like me,” Chance said, rubbing at his head tiredly. “I’ve fucked up completely when it comes to everything.”

   “No, you haven’t,” Liam said. “You’re great at what you do on the field. You just need to figure shit out on a personal level is all. No one is judging you on that.”

   “The whole entire world is.”

   “Not every person's opinion counts.” Liam adjusted his duffle bag again. “The reason why Robert and Coach has been pushing Arabella at you is because a lot of people look up to you. They don’t want young boys thinking it’s okay to manipulate women into sleeping with them. Lindsey told me what happened to Arabella three years ago because she thinks the same thing as I do. She went on some date with some guy, and he ended up assaulting her afterwards. Ever since then, Arabella has stayed away from men for a reason.”

    "Someone assaulted her?”

    It made perfect sense then, and he felt like the world’s biggest asshole as the words registered in his mind. The fighting, the stubbornness, all of it had been for a legitimate reason.
    “Christ,” Chance muttered, rubbing at his face with aggravated hands. “Why didn’t anyone tell me about this?

    Liam blinked at that. “People normally don’t tell strangers that story.”

   “I know that, but still… I am not the type of guy to deal with something like that. I’d probably make it worse.” He looked up at Liam in realization. “I did make it worse. I haven’t heard a word from Arabella since Monday.”

    “Robert told her to take the time off according to Lindsey,” Liam said. “He doesn’t want all the media hype on her right now. Why do you care about it anyway? This is supposed to be for the cameras.”

    “Not this part. Not something like that.”

    He managed to avoid the swarm of paparazzi that was waiting greedily for him in the parking lot. He drove for an hour around the city before deciding that the coast was clear for him to head for Arabella’s home.

    Not bothering with a phone call, Chance strode up to the front door to knock loudly enough to get Arabella’s attention from inside. A few seconds passed before the door opened to reveal a visibly surprised Arabella standing on the other side dressed in ripped cut off shorts and a black Nike shirt. Her blonde hair was pulled back into a loose ponytail to reveal a slender face peppered with various freckles that were normally covered up in make-up.

    Just the sight of Arabella a flood of things filled him, most of them indescribable. Liam’s words echoed loudly in the back of his mind.

    “Chance? What are you doing here?” Her eyes then narrowed at him as one hand grabbed a hold of the door. “I told you that I was done. I’m not going to keep up this publicity stunt anymore if you’re going to act like an immature as—”

     “I know what happened.”

“I know what happened.”

    Arabella blinked a few times. The words didn’t want to register in her mind until she took in the expression on Chance’s face. That’s when the pit of Arabella’s stomach dropped to the ground. Her heart pounded as she looked up at chance with one hand clutching the door. Temptation ran through her to slam the door shut in his face.

  One of Chance’s hands reached out to push against the door.

  “Don’t think about it,” he said. “I just wanted to know why you didn’t tell me.”

  “It-I—” She swallowed down the painful bulge in her throat. “There’s only a few people who know about it. So, who told you?”

  “I’ll tell you if you tell me who messed with you,” Chance said, quietly. “Just say the name. I have tons of money that can help me out if I were ever caught.”

  “That’s not what I asked you,” Arabella said, shakily. There was such a dark and dangerous glint in Chance’s eyes that a shiver of fear went up her spine. She would give Lindsey a further piece of her mind if she told Liam or Chance.

   “That’s not what I asked you either.”

   “What are you doing here then?”

   He sighed heavily. “Are we going to play this game today? Because I’m in no mood, and it’s been a real bitch of a week.”

   “So, I’ve noticed,” she replied, tugging on the door. “I’m a bit busy, Chance, so if you don’t mind—”

    The door slipped from Arabella’s fingers when Chance gave it a firm push with one hand. His gaze never faltered from her own.

    “Is this why you’ve been resistant to everything that I’ve tried?” He asked.

    A headache pounded at Arabella’s temples. She reached up to massage them with her fingertips, and tried to avoid the intensity of Chance’s gaze. “No,” she said, plainly. “We’re not in a real relationship, so I wasn’t going to have sex with you. I think that’s rather self-explanatory.”

    “Not really,” Chance said. “I think you feel it like I do.”

    Arabella glanced up at him sharply to find a small little grin spreading across his face.

    “Feel what like you do?” She asked though a part of her dreaded to hear the answer. God only knew where this conversation was leading to, or what Chance was up to exactly.

    “Can I come in?” Chance asked, abruptly. “I don’t want to have this conversation on your front doorstep. Especially with paps following me around.”

    She hesitated for a moment, but took a step back to allow him entrance. This time, Arabella lea him to the back porch to avoid any temptations again. Not until she knew at least what Chance wanted to talk about. They sat side by side on the back porch step taking in the late summer heat that would soon fade away to crisp days.

    Chance ran a hand through his hair as he gazed out across the green lawn. “I owe you an apology for being an ass the entire time,” he said, eventually. “I didn’t realize what was going on with you.”

    “You were only an ass sometimes,” Arabella said, cautiously.  

    “Fame gets to my head,” he said. “I just want you to know that I don’t ever try to intentionally hurt people. It just happens because of the things I say and do. It doesn’t make any of it right by any means, but that’s just who I am. I don’t know if I’m ever going to change.”

    “People can always change if they want to,” she replied, placing a hand on his knee. “I appreciate the apology, but what are you really doing here?”

    He turned to face her suddenly while one of his hands rested on top of hers.

    “I wanted to try something with you if you’re open to it.”

    “What’s that?”

    Chance reached forward to gently brush his fingers across her cheek. Then, he pressed his lips against hers in a slow kiss that made Arabella’s stomach flutter. 

    “Try this for real,” he said, softly. “I’m tired of faking things for a camera.”

    Her heart pounded. Was Chance Lawrence actually
asking
her out?  She stared at him in alarm. “Are you asking me out?”

    “Yes,” Chance said, simply. “We have been, but you’re different to me. You’re so different from the other women in this world.”

    She was at utter loss for words. It took Arabella a moment to gather herself before looking him straight in the eye.

    “If you want this to be real,” she said, seriously, “you have to stay loyal. You can’t run around with a whole bunch of women.”

    “I wasn’t planning on it. And you,” Chance started, tucking an errant strand of hair behind her ear softly, “have to open to me even if it’s hard. Just give into what you want.”

    He didn’t give her a chance to mull those words over. Chance leaned in for another kiss that immediately distracted her from the confusing emotions swirling in her stomach. They kissed for a long time on the back porch step before Chance’s hands started to wander gently around the curve of her legs.

    Unable to resist, Arabella wrapped her arms around his shoulders to deepen the kiss a bit more. Maybe there was a small part of her that had hoped this would eventually happen, but opening up for either one of them wouldn’t be easy. There were long suppressed memories in the back of Arabella’s mind that she didn’t wish to ever remember, and she had a gut feeling that Chance’s womanizing ways didn’t happen overnight.

   “Do you want to tell me what happened?” Chance asked, pulling back to look at her gravely.

  Arabella lowered her gaze to where Chance’s hand rested on her knee again. She gently traced the outline of his fingers while chewing on her bottom lip in contemplation.

   “It was a few years ago, but his name is Toby,” she said, softly. “We had a few classes together, and he asked me out, so I accepted it on a whim. He just didn’t stop when I asked him to stop.”

   “So, he tried to force himself on you?”

   “Yes. I was lucky that my hall mates heard before—” She broke off, swallowing harshly against the onslaught of emotions. “After that, I just couldn’t stand having a guy try to tell me things, or convince me otherwise.”

    “But, you let Robert convince you into this publicity stunt.”

    She smiled thinly at that. “There was money motivating that decision. I trust Robert. He doesn’t give me things that he knows I can’t handle on my own.” She nudged him in the leg with her own. “What about you? Why don’t you tell me what happened to you?”

     Chance blew out a long and heavy breath. “That’s sort of complicated,” he replied, rubbing a hand through his hair. “My mom died when I was little, and I think my dad couldn’t handle it the right way. It just completely changed him. I can’t even tell you how many women he’s been with since then, but never committed to. He used to tell me it’s because he couldn’t ever love again after losing my mom. He pushed me to succeed at anything I did, but when it comes to women he thinks that they are distractions.”

    Her heart truly ached at that information knowing that Chance only acted upon what he knew as a child. It made complete sense— the party lifestyle, the endless women, and the temperamental attitudes. All of it clicked together perfectly.

    “I’m sorry,” Arabella said, squeezing his hand warmly. “I guess you and I both have some screwed up parts of us that we wish we could forget.”

    “For real,” Chance said.

    He was quiet for a moment before turning to look back at Arabella intently. “Do you trust me now that I told you all of this?”

    She frowned at the question, unsure of where he was going with it.

    “More than I did before,” she replied, slowly. “Why are you asking that?”

    “Because I want you,” he said, fiercely. “I want you more than I want anything. It’s not because you’ve told me no, or whatever. I just want
you.”

   
A shiver went up Arabella’s spine at those passionate and husky words. She stared up at him as he waited patiently for a response.

   Desire burned in her chest.

   “I want you too,” she said. “I just don’t want you to think that this is going to be a one time thing, or that you can fool around.”

   “I’m not going to. At least, I’m going to tell myself not to. I honestly never wanted someone like I want you. You have no idea how much it kills me when I kiss you.”

   There was still a voice that cautioned her that Chance’s word could be a ploy. He stared at her with such desire that it nearly burned every inch of her skin. She was playing with fire, but she was already burned enough from it.

    Arabella kissed him hard. An appreciative and masculine groan filled her mouth as Chance eagerly hooked his hands about her knees, lifting her up as though she weighed nothing. They kissed each other as Chance stumbled blindly back through the kitchen, knocking a chair over in the process.

    “This way,” she breathed out, pointing to her bedroom door when they stumbled into the hallway. 

    Chance kicked his shoes off, and it slammed them both into the wall briefly as he tripped. His hot breath fanned the delicate skin of her neck as he attacked there with enthusiasm, running his tongue along a throbbing vein. His hands refused to hold still long enough to properly carry her into the bedroom as they squeezed her buttocks, or smoothed up her back.

    The back of Arabella’s knees finally reached the mattress of her bed. They both sank onto it without missing a beat. His tongue was demanding against her lips, and she parted them a gasp as he plundered her mouth until it felt swollen and bruised. She let out a disappointed moan when he pulled back with a painful nip at her bottom lip, but it didn’t last; his fingers rubbed at her hips sensually, and the hard planes of his body were pressed up against the curves of her own. He ground himself against her with a loud groan, and it heightened the unbearable throbbing between her legs.
    Chance sat up on his knees to reach for the button of her jean shorts. He looked up at her in a silent question, and at her nod, unbuttoned her shorts.

   Arabella’s heart slammed into her ribcage repeatedly as she sucked in deep breaths to keep herself under control. Just the sensual touch of Chance’s fingers slowly dragging the fabric of her shorts down her legs put her heart into overdrive. Feeling bold herself, she sat up to gather the hemline of Chance’s shirt in her fingers, and tugged it up over his head. She took her time while taking in the well-sculpted chest and hard lines of years from being a trained athlete. The skin beneath her fingers felt hot and soft as she explored the expansion of Chance’s flat stomach, raking her fingernails against him at the last second to leave red marks. 

    Chance winked at her roguishly. He nudged her back with a firm push of his hand to settle back against the pillows. While one hand smoothed alongside her inner thigh, Chance used his other hand to push past her bra. Heat flared in her lower belly while Chance’s hand worked at the clasp of her bra. The other one grazed the sensitive skin between her thighs and area that begged to be touched.

    The first stroke of a finger through the fabric of her underwear sent Arabella’s senses spiraling out of control. A gasp tore through her throat at the tortuously slow stroking that followed. Hot lips pressed against her cheek in a fluttering kiss.

    “Do you want this?” He murmured into her ear.

     The heat building in her lower belly was unbearable. She squirmed against Chance’s fingers in desperation to keep up the feeling. 

     “Yes,” she whispered. “Please, Chance.”

    “Say it again,” he commanded with a growl, those wicked fingers slowing down in their rhythm again. “Tell me what you want.”

    “Please,” she cried out. “I want you. That’s what I want.”

    Within a matter of seconds, Chance ripped her shirt and bra off with one clean tug over her head. He lavished her breasts with attention next with his fingers, expertly needing the flesh beneath his palms. A fingertip ghosted the tip of her nipple before rubbing there lightly until Arabella couldn’t take it any longer. She leaned up on her elbows to nip at the skin between Chance’s shoulder and neck to taste the salty skin there. Hungrily, he returned the gesture by biting at the swell of her breasts before a warm and heat enveloped her nipple, a tongue swirling there teasingly followed by suckling. The sensation caused Arabella to cry out and bite her lip from the fervor threatening to tear through her skin.

     His fingers hooked into the hemline of her underwear to tug them down. He moved his hand, parting her moist center, before setting a rough rhythm. She moved against him helplessly as the small bundle of nerves twitched in hot waves of pleasure that crashed over her repeatedly.

    Chance’s hand lifted without warning. It took all of Arabella’s self-control to not reach down, and to keep rubbing just to ease the ache in her lower belly. The brush of Chance’s bare thighs against the center of her own thighs alerted her that he had slipped out of his own shorts. Something hot and hard pushed up against her teasingly. He arranged himself perfectly to just barely enter her.

     “One last time to back out,” Chance said, cradling her head in his hand. “I can tell you right now that I’m not going to be able to stop after this.”