Hardball: A Sports Romance (6 page)

       “Don’t stop,” she breathed out, hands wandering down to grasp at his firm backside.

       The force of Chance entering her in one smooth stroke made Arabella lose her breath. The pain quickly burned out into something much hotter. She sucked in a shaky breath to keep herself from tensing up at the feeling of Chance filling her to the hilt with a satisfied grunt. She squirmed underneath Chance’s body to better adjust herself as pain continued to fade away. The movement immediately caused Chance to inhale harshly, and drop his head against her shoulder.

     “Fuck,” he moaned, every inch of his body trembling against her. “You have no idea how good this feels, baby.”

     Arabella caught sight of the expression on Chance’s face. His eyes were squinted closed in pure rapture while his skin appeared to be a simmering red. He was trying to hold still to see if she was all right. 

     She wrapped her legs securely around his waist in silent encouragement to pick up the pace. The first hard thrust sent Arabella sliding up the bed, and stealing the breath right out of her lung as a flood of new sensations spiraled through her. The second one made her cry out in pleasure. Then, the third one she had to use the palm of her hands on the bed board to keep herself from sliding further.

   The pace of Chance’s hips didn’t slow after that as he set a deep and desperate pace. The rushing heat building in Arabella nearly consumed her, and it was only drawing closer than further away as she squirmed against him in pleasure. She dimly heard Chance’s muttered swear words in his ear as he thrusted harder. All she could do was hold onto him as she dashed across a platform toward a bright light.

     Chance writhed against her, pounding into her furiously. Bright dots flashed in Arabella’s line of sight before the throbbing between her legs spread throughout her deliciously like hot water skimming through her veins.

    He slammed into her one last time with a low groan as his body tensed up in a rather violent spasm. His hips bucked into her with his release, spilling into her hotly. He collapsed down onto his elbows with a trembling breath as sweat dripped from his shoulders onto her chest.

    They laid there for a long time tangled together from the waist down as they caught their breath. The click of sprinklers turning on drew them both back from the pleasurable haze that had settled around them.

    “Wow,” Chance murmured, propping himself back up on elbows to look down at her with a smile. “That was fucking amazing. No?”

     Then genuine smile and sparkle to his eyes immediately washed away her nerves. So did the way Chance pressed a warm and moist kiss against her lips.

     “We’ve only had a few months worth of foreplay,” she said.

    Chance chuckled at that before rolling off to lay on his side. They stared up at the ceiling for a moment before curiosity finally got the better of Arabella. She rolled onto her side, propping her head up with a hand.

    “We’re still cool with what we talked about before right?”

    He turned to look at her with an arched eyebrow. “Why wouldn’t we be?”

   “I don’t know.”

    “Are you cool with me?”

   “Yes. Why wouldn’t I be?’

   “Then, I’m cool with you, and with everything we talked about,” Chance said, tucking an errant strand of her hair back from her face. “You really need to stop thinking so much when it comes to this. Overthinking destroys everything. Take it from personal experience.”

    “That’s what worries me sometimes about you,” Arabella quipped.

    “That I’m a over thinker?”

    Chance trailed his fingers over the swell of her breasts. His eyes were already dark with desire again as they followed his fingers.

    “I’m worried you are going to change your mind,” she said, shivering despite herself.

    To her surprise, Chance hooked a hand behind her knee, and dragged her effortlessly on top of his hips where a hardness waited there for her already. He looked up at her with a wide grin that showed off his white and straight teeth.

    “Not a chance in hell,” he said.

The sounds of dogs barking stirred Arabella from a pleasant dream that involved Chance. She clung stubbornly to the remnants of the dream, and cuddled back into something warm and smelt of soap. She could lay there forever and be perfectly content.

    Yesterday’s events flashed through her mind.

    Arabella’s eyes popped open. A strong arm was draped heavily across the middle of her torso while a long and muscular body was pressed up against her back. She was entirely enveloped by Chance’s limbs.

    Her heart thrummed nervously. She had somewhat expected him to be gone by the morning hours, but he still slept on completely oblivious to the dog barking next door. Not that she was complaining. It felt good to lay next to a warm and strong body for the first time in a long time.

    Taking a deep breath, Arabella slowly rolled onto her back to take in Chance’s sleeping face. One side of his face was burrowed deeply in the pillow next to hers, and his lips were parted slightly as warm breaths touched her bare shoulder. He looked utterly relaxed and at peace, a rarity to see since he kept a partially composed face at all times.

    Images from last night replayed over in her mind. How many times did they make love last night? If it weren’t for the soreness between her legs, she would’ve guessed at least two more times, but somewhere between recovering and talking there had been more times. She didn’t even know where any of that stamina had come from.

    But, it was all so incredibly worth it just to see Chance sleeping next to her without a care in the world.

    Arabella reached over to gently trace the sharp curve of his cheek bone. She had no idea where any of this would lead to.  Robert would undoubtedly throw a fit if he found out that they had sex. He had threatened Chance’s career several times if Arabella breathed word that things had gone too far.

    This was the last thing that she had ever expected to happen given the past week. She wasn’t even entirely sure if Chance’s words were honest, or if he would follow them up. The man had a golden heart, but it was dysfunctional and a bit reckless at times. Little things sent him spinning off course sometimes.

   Chance stirred awake from underneath Arabella’s fingers. He blinked hazily at her a few times before a grin tugged at his lips. The sight of it made Arabella’s stomach flutter crazily.

   “Good,” he mumbled, voice husky with sleep still. “I thought I was dreaming about everything last night.”

   “No,” she said. “You’re awake, and this isn’t a dream.”

   “I’m happy about it either way.”

   He curled his arm tighter around Arabella’s waist. “You’re not having any second thoughts about what we did last night, are you?”

    “Well—”

    Chance lifted his head to look at her.

    “Because I have no regrets about it,” he said, firmly. “So, don’t you get all worried about it now.”

    “I’m not.” At Chance’s skeptical look, she let out a resigned sigh. “Okay, I’m worried about it a little bit. I didn’t think things would happen the way they did last night.”

    “You don’t think any of it was for real?”

    “No, I do. That’s the part that scares me,” she said, softly.

    “Hey.” A finger hooked under her chin to bring her gaze up to clear blue eyes. “I’m not faking any of this. I meant what I said last night. I want to give it a try. Even if takes me all of me, I’m still going to do everything I can to make things work.”

    “I don’t doubt that part. I just know how hard a commitment is going to be for you.”

    “Hard,” Chance assented, but the expression in his face never wavered. “I never said I would get anything right. Hell, I’ll probably screw shit up more than once, but I’m always going to be trying to figure things out. Okay?”

   She thought about those words for a long moment. Blonde tresses of his hair were mused from the night before, but the morning light made them appear honey colored.

   “I don’t expect you to be perfect,” she told him then. “You wouldn’t be you if you were trying so damn hard to fill a role.”

    A rumble of laughter escaped Chance’s chest. He gathered her tightly against him, and Arabella felt the familiar poke of hardness on her thigh.

    “You’re absolutely right, darling,” he said. “I wouldn’t be myself if I were trying.”

    They managed to escape the bedroom to the shower thirty minutes later. While Chance finished drying off, Arabella poured herself a cup of coffee right as the front door to her house opened wide.

    “Where the hell have you been?” Lindsey demanded, striding into the kitchen with the steady clicks of high heels. “I’ve called you like five times wondering if you’re coming into work, or what happened to you yesterday.”

    “Shit,” Arabella said, spilling a bit of coffee on the counter in her surprise to see Lindsey. “I totally forget about going to the mall, Linds. I’m sorry. I, um, well—”

    “Wait a minute.”

    Lindsey’s head turned in the direction of Arabella’s bedroom. “Who else is in here? I smell men’s cologne.”

    Panic filled Arabella. A small selfish part of her still wanted to cling to their privacy, but Lindsey’s eyes were already widening with astonishment. She reached around the counter to usher her out, but it was too late. Chance rounded the hallway to stop in mid-whistle in just as much surprise to see Lindsey standing there. 

    “What the hell are you doing here?” Lindsey asked.

    Gone was the relaxed face that Arabella had loved to witness all night long. Chance’s face immediately slipped into a guarded expression.

    “None of your business,” he said, and strode over the other side of the counter. “I have to get going. I’ll see you this evening. I promise.”

    Stiff as a board from Lindsey’s surprise intrusion, Arabella gave him a small nod. He paid no attention to Lindsey as he leaned down to kiss Arabella on the lips a little longer than appropriate, but she couldn’t bring herself to break.  He barely spared Lindsey a look as he walked out the front door, closing it behind him.

    “That’s an interesting turn of events,” Lindsey said, whistling under her breath. “What happened between you two last night? Because I’m assuming that is why you didn’t meet me at the mall like we planned.”

    Arabella fidgeted beneath Lindsey’s gaze. She picked up a rag from the kitchen sink to wipe up the spilled coffee just to avoid the question as long as possible.

    “I don’t know,” she said.

     “Oh, please,” Lindsey scoffed, shaking her head. “The entire time I’ve seen you two together or in pictures, he has never kissed you that way. I’m not daft either. I can see that he stayed here last night.”

    “Then, I guess you can pretty much figure out the rest then.”

    Lindsey grinned widely. “You two are in item then? Like, not for a publicity stunt anymore right?”

    “I wouldn’t say in item,” Arabella said. “Maybe? I think so. He asked me out on a real date without all the cameras following us around.”

    She couldn’t contain her own giddiness that was surging through her. It was real, she thought with a smile. That kiss, the entire night, none of it was for the cameras. It was for the both of them.

    “I’m happy for you,” Lindsey said. “Just make sure he knows that if he breaks your heart I’ll go kick his ass. These football players can be players.”

    Arabella’s smile widened.

    “I think he knows that there is a lot more involved with me than anyone else. We’re just going to see how all this goes.”

“Are you sure about this?”

     Chance looked up from the box filled with at least thirty books. Reading the nervousness on Arabella’s face, he rolled his eyes dramatically at her.

   “For the hundredth time, yes. I am positive about this,” he said. “I wouldn’t be packing up all your books and shit if I wasn’t sure.”

    A small smile tugged at Arabella’s lips at that.

   “I’m sorry. I know that I keep asking the same question over and over.”

   The living room was cluttered with various boxes. Two days ago, Chance had helped (much to his annoyance) move all of Arabella’s furniture into a storage unit ten minutes away.  He had insisted on her moving in with him halfway through the football season. Not for further publicity since he and Robert had yet to comment on the status of his relationship with Arabella, but because it was what he wanted. He wanted Arabella in his bed every single night, quivering in the aftermath of their lovemaking, and curled up next to him in sleep. He was tired of her driving home at the end of the night, or driving home himself to get up for practice the next day.

     Nothing could dissuade him from that complete feeling he felt deep within his soul every single moment he spent with Arabella. Every time he touched her, he felt the best parts of him being touched.

    And lately Chance had made a habit of going after the things he wanted without worrying about his father’s or the world’s opinions. The only opinion that mattered was Arabella’s. He didn’t care about anything else.

    The phone in his jean pocket buzzed. Chance glanced down at it to see his father’s number lighting up the screen. His thumb hovered over the answer button for a moment. Ignoring his father’s call meant a flood of calls later. 

    “Whose calling?” Arabella asked.

   “My father,” Chance replied, tensely. “I’m just going to ignore it. I know what he’s calling about.”

   “Take it,” she said, nodding to him. “If you don’t, he’ll just keep calling. Robert did say in a press conference today that you’re going to be talking about our relationship. I’ll go outside to give you some privacy to talk.”

   She grabbed a book from one of the boxes stacked neatly against the living room wall before flashing him an encouraging smile. 

    Chance sighed. He already had imagined how this conversation would go once word reached his father’s ears that he was in a confirmed relationship, but pictures of Arabella moving into his apartment was all the hook his father needed to call. Bracing himself for a testy conversation, he sat down on the edge of a box.

   “Do you mind telling me what the hell is going on?”

   He winced at the question. “I’m sure the pictures circulating around the internet and news sites says it all.”

   “Pictures are worth a thousand words,” Nathan agreed a bit cynically. “I just hope that whoever this woman is—”

    A surge of fierce protectiveness flowed through Chance.

    “Her name is Arabella,” he said, shortly. “And I don’t want to hear you talk bout her. You don’t even know who she is.”

    A long stretch of silence followed at that.

    “I’m a bit confused, son, because you told me that you two weren’t in a relationship. That this was all for publicity to get you back into the league and fan’s favor again. You’re telling me that it is real now?”

    “Yes,” Chance said. “It’s not that complicated, and it’s not for a show.”

    “I hope that it is. Remember what we talked about? You are on the brink of a wonderful and successful career. Do you honestly want to be tied down right now?”

    A headache pounded away at Chance’s temples. He glanced through the kitchen to see that Arabella was true to her word, sitting outside with a book cracked open in her lap to give him privacy.

    “She’s not tying me down,” he replied. “She’s with me every step of the way. You remember how you felt about mom?”

    Nathan sighed into the phone. “Of course I do,” he said, impatiently. “I loved your mother more than anything in this world, but I know she would be with me on this. You are so young, and you have plenty of time in life to find love and settle down. Enjoy things for what it is right now.”

    “Mom wouldn’t be proud of me for the things I’ve done,” Chance said. “I’m not proud of the things I’ve done. I have to go. If you want an answer about what is going on, tune into the conference like everybody else.”

    He hung up before his father could reply.

    “What did your father want?” Arabella asked when he stepped outside.

   The chill of the winter air didn’t seem to bother her from the warm smile crossing her face. She had dusted snow away from the porch step to sit down, and enjoy the small bit of warmth from the sun peeking out behind the overcast skies.

    “Just the usual,” Chance said, holding out a hand for her to take. “Come on. We have to get to the stadium for the press conference.”

    Arabella took it without hesitation. She reached up to run a hand self-consciously through her hair. While neither one of them confirmed anything to the press, the speculation surrounding them online was intense as ever. Two days ago, Chance had no other choice but to hand over his social media accounts to his agent to help him filter through the comments and messages from women. And it angered him greatly to see the hurtful comments directed at Arabella from anonymous users, but he ignored it as instructed.

    Soon, they would all know what Arabella meant to him, or where his heart was at.

   They arrived to the stadium where Robert was waiting for them on the football field with a slew of reporters and teammates. In four days, they would be flying to Arizona to play in the Super Bowl Championships, but there was a undeniable curiosity from the reporters who turned to flash pictures of him walking hand-in-hand with Arabella.

    Chance caught sight of Liam waving to him a little bit away from the chaos of cameras and reporters. He excused himself from Arabella for a moment before jogging over to his best friend.

    “Do you have it?” He asked, quietly.

    Liam glanced over the crowd before pulling the small box out of his pocket. “Yeah, bro. I got you covered.”

    Staring down at the tiny black box for a moment, Chance slipped into the pocket of his pants this time. He casted a furtive glance over his shoulder to make sure that no one saw it, including Arabella who was chatting with Robert.

    “Are you sure about this?” Liam asked. “Not that I’m old fashioned, but I hope you asked Arabella’s father first.”

    “Two weeks ago,” Chance said, grinning. “I invited him out to the sports bar for a couple of beers and food.” 

    “Smooth. What did your father say?”

   Chance looked across the stadium to avoid Liam’s gaze. “I don’t know. I’ll find out tonight once the camera’s start to roll.”

    “I guess you can’t be afraid of your father cutting of ties from you,” Liam replied, shoving his hands into his pockets. “You’ve got your own success in life to support you. Do you think he’ll understand?”

   “God only knows,” Chance said, shrugging his shoulders. “I’m not going to worry about it. Keep your phone out. I want to get a snapchat of Arabella’s expression when I ask her to marry me.”

   Liam pulled out his phone at that. “You’re pretty confident that Arabella feels the same way towards you. It’s only been a few months.”

   He knew Arabella felt it. There were several times throughout his life that Chance had been around the same woman physically and mentally over and over. None of them had ever felt right. With Arabella, it was nothing but utter peace and stability. He hadn’t realize it before, but that was something he had been looking for before.

   And now that he had it, he sure as hell wasn’t going to let it go.

   “I’m sure,” he said.

   Chance turned to look through the maze of cameras and faces until he landed on Arabella. Their eyes met, and the rest of the world melted away as it always did. He stuck a hand into his pocket to grip the box tightly. It was now or never, he thought, and the word never was not a part of his vocabulary.