Home Run Baby: A Sports Romance (12 page)

“Yeah, I forgot all about you the second I stepped outside of your building,” she jokes.

“Well, I don’t doubt that.”

She licks her lips and shrugs. “Okay, maybe I thought about you a little here and there. Once or twice.”

I smile and come to a quick stop on first base. “So…” I lean in closer, “do you kiss on the first date?”

“Depends on how it’s going.”

“And how is this one going?”

She shrugs. “Meh.”

“Meh?”

“Meh.”

“There is just no pleasing some women…” I smirk.

She chuckles. “I guess it’s not bad, so far…”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah,” she nods.

“Good enough for me to safely go for it?”

“It might be worth a shot.” She looks down. “We are technically standing on first base.”

I laugh, biting my inner cheek, and stalling to gauge that look in her blue eyes. Expectant and wild, there’s nothing about her at all that tells me not to do it.

I reach out and graze her cheek with my fingertips, drawing her face up to mine as I lean in.

She stiffens and plants her hard palm against my chest.

“What?” I ask, stopping.

Her face turns a pale white and she spins away from me, bending over as she heaves onto the dirt below.

“Yep,” I say, resting a hand on her back. “That’s vomit.”

“Sorry…”
she says, taking a deep breath between her knees before spitting again.

“It’s okay…” I rub between her shoulders, glancing around the deserted stadium for prying eyes. “Let it out…”

“Ahh,
shit
…” After a few seconds, she stands back up, wiping her mouth with the edge of her hand. “That’s a moment-killer right there.”

“A little,” I smile. “You all right?”

“Yeah…” She can barely even look at me. “Sorry. That was both gross and unexpected.”

I shake my head at her pink, embarrassed cheeks. This kid is a troublemaker already. The last thing I want is for her to feel shitty about something she can’t control.

“It’s fine,” I say, drawing attention away from it. “I wouldn’t want to kiss me, either. I’m disgusting.”

She gives an awkward laugh. “Morning sickness has a really misleading name.”

“Hey, I get it.” I hold up my hands. “You don’t have to invent an illness to get out of kissing me. I can handle rejection…”

She looks up at me and smiles. “Hunter…”

“No, it’s cool. Really. I can take a hint.”

“Thank you.”

I grin and hold out my hand. “Do you want to head back?”

She rests her palm against mine and I pull it up to kiss the back of her hand. The embarrassment fades from her face but the red stays behind, along with the smiling stretching from ear-to-ear.

“No, we can stay out a little longer,” she says.

We continue around the bases, walking together hand-in-hand and, honestly, this feels far more satisfying than a kiss.

Chapter 15

Daisy

I drop Hunter’s hand to search for my room key in my purse.

I don’t want this night to end yet but nearly purging on his shoes certainly puts a damper on things. There’s no way he’d want to kiss me now but, then again, he never lost that look in his eye that says he wants to either.

We pause in front of my door as I fish a little deeper into the purse.

“Did you lose it?” he asks.

“No…” I pull out my wallet. “I think I just— yep!” I slide it free from between a few dollar bills. “I found it.”

“Bummer,” he says, leaning against the wall. “Thought you’d have to bunk up with me tonight.”

“And
that
would violate our whole agreement.” I slide the key into the lock and twist it open.

“I suppose it would.”

I step inside and Hunter lingers in the doorway, no doubt waiting for an invite. Not that I don’t want to —
I definitely would
— but we agreed to take things slow.

I lean over the bathroom sink and turn on the water, filling my palm to drink out of. There’s still a bit of that stale taste in my mouth. I swish and spit before grabbing the tiny bottle of motel mouthwash to use as well.

“You feeling better?” he asks, craning his neck to peek into the bathroom.

“Yeah,” I answer after spitting. I wipe my mouth dry and rejoin him by the door. Even through that, he still looks interested. I guess that’s something. “I think I’ll take a shower and head to bed.”

He nods. “Well, despite what you may think, tonight was nice.”

“It was,” I agree.

“We should do it again tomorrow night.”

“Sure. If you’re not too wiped out from the game.”

“Daisy, I could never be too wiped out for you.”

I smile. “I’m gonna hold you to that.”

“Please do.” He points to the left. “I’ll be down the hall if you need…
anything
.”

“Thanks.”

His eyes fall to my lips. “You know, I was really looking forward to that kiss.”

My toes curl in my shoes. “So was I.”

He takes a short step into the room and his hand grazes my chin, just like it did before. I pause, waiting for my guts to shift and kill the moment again, and he does, too. We wait, staring longingly at each other in sweet anticipation.

“We good?” he asks, smiling.

“Yeah.”

He kisses me softly, gently pursing his lips with a light, innocent peck. I kiss him back, holding on a little longer and he slides his thumb along my cheek, sparking fire down my face and back.

We pull away and I press my lips together. I want more. I want to invite him in and keep this night going but Hunter takes a step back.

“Goodnight, Daisy.”

I sigh. “Goodnight, Hunter.”

He walks away, glancing back at me over his shoulder as I watch him go. It’s hard to look away from him but I somehow manage to close the door. I lean against it, taking a deep breath to calm my trembling nerves.

Hunter Novak
. He keeps surprising me in new ways and I’m not sure if it’s morning sickness or straight-up whiplash knocking me around here.

A soft knock taps the door.

I turn around slowly and twist the knob to peek outside.

Hunter stands on the walkway with his hands in his pockets. “So, I was thinking…” he whispers.

“Thinking
what
?”

“Hunter and Daisy should definitely take it slow. I mean…” He blows out his cheeks. “Those two are in pretty deep.”

I raise a brow. “… Okay.”

He rests his head against the door frame, lingering a few inches away from mine with playful eyes. “But
Joey
and
Jenny
…” he smirks, “they’re in their own little world, right?”

My lips curl. “That’s quite the loophole you’ve concocted.”

“If she’s not up for it, I totally get it, but
Joey…
He’s definitely up for it.”

I bite my lip, losing myself in the fantasy and he knows it. “Joey and Jenny, huh?”

He shrugs and says nothing.

Fuck it.

I take a step back and hold the door open for him.

He steps inside, keeping his eyes on me the entire time until I close the door behind him. He lays his hands on my waist and guides me against the wall. His lips find my neck fast, gliding over my skin as he lays hard kisses along my collarbone. I sink into the embrace, forgetting everything else about tonight and trapping us in this moment.

He pushes my jacket back over my shoulders and it tumbles to the floor beneath us as he flicks the buttons open on my shirt. Our lips crush together, eager and wild, as he slips his fingers around my back and holds me against him.

He sinks to his knees, kissing down my body, and all I can do is pretend like I can stand. I lay a hand on the shelf beside me and another on his strong shoulders, gripping both to hold me up as my senses quiver with his tongue. He cups my breasts as he descends, pausing for a moment to kiss just below my navel.

He pulls my jeans down my legs, hooking his fingers into my panties to take them off, too. I close my eyes, feeling every touch spread along my skin as he lifts my right knee and settles it on his shoulder.

I inhale a sharp breath as his tongue taps my clit. He slides between the folds, lapping slowly as I comb my fingers through his hair. I draw him closer and he pushes in deeper, eating away at me and it takes all of my focus not to collapse on him. I moan, biting my lips to keep quiet as he slithers my clit over and over again.

His fingers spider up my thigh, tickling me before pausing near my entrance. The tease sends shivers through my neck and I squeeze his scalp to show how much I want it. He draws a single line along my folds with his fingertip. My thighs quiver against him and he feels it, glancing up at me as he sticks his thick finger inside me.

“Ohh,
fuck
,” I mutter, biting my lip to keep from screaming. This entire place is full of his teammates and paper-thin walls. But Hunter doesn’t seem to care about that. He fucks me slowly with his finger, putting a firm pressure in just the right places as if he wants me to cry out and scream his name.

I feel it building on my tongue.
Hunter.
The hero of the team. The father of my baby. All of that falls away as I moan and shake on him until only one name remains.

“Joey,”
I breathe, staring down at him as my body breaks in climax. I let out a quivering moan, feeling every bit of his finger as he massages the orgasm out of me and sucks the life out of my clit.

He slides my knee off his shoulder and stands, lifting me up as he moves. I kiss him as he carries me towards the bed, tasting my sweetness on his tongue before he lays me down.

“You are one sexy girl, Jenny,” he chuckles, yanking at his belt.

I lick my lips, my chest heaving with desire, and I can hardly speak. I just laugh and tremble, watching with hungry eyes as he strips in front of me.

His jeans drop to the floor, revealing his tight, toned legs and that long, hard cock with precum already coating his tip. I spread my knees as he raises his shirt over his head and I reach out to him. Each passing second without him inside of me is far too long.

He doesn’t wait. He climbs on top of me and I wrap my legs around him, hooking my ankles together behind his back. I scratch my fingers down his abs, plucking each one all the way down to his perfect Adonis belt.

He thrusts his cock inside of me and my entire body submits to him.

My jaw drops. I feel the urge to moan but my throat clenches. Everything surges with life; blood pumping warm pleasure throughout every inch of me. I lay back and his lips descend on me instantly, biting and nibbling at my neck. He reaches beneath me, wrapping a strong arm around me as he explores me with the other, constantly rocking both of us with hard, fast thrusts.

The bed jolts the wall behind us. For a moment, I think to stop this but the fire building in my core keeps me silent. I press my mouth against his chest, moaning into his skin as he shifts to a slow, hard grind.

“Jenny,” he says, smirking down at me, “moan for me.”

I obey, crying out for him and he laughs.

“I love that sound.” He kisses me, sucking on my lips. “I love making you scream.”

I moan louder against his mouth.

“You’re mine, Jenny.”

I nod.

“Say it.”

“I’m yours, Joey.”

He thrusts fast again, fucking me so well it makes my head spin. My hands drop to my sides and he takes hold of them, pinning me down as he rails me into the mattress. I lose myself in him, just as I did that first night. I left Daisy behind then in favor of letting it all go; all the stress and anguish of my life. I do the same now, forgetting about the life I left behind or what tomorrow will bring. It’s so easy to do in his arms.

I grip his hands as I come, squeezing his fingers to hang on and he does the same. He waits until he feels it and then he lets himself go, performing one last deep thrust before filling me the way he likes to. I kiss him and his lips tremble against mine, shuddering with each breath he takes until he finally has to break away and breathe deep.

I unhook my stiff ankles and he lays down beside me, releasing my hands as he goes but we both linger in each other’s embrace.

We lie still until our pulses return to normal, neither of us willing to speak first but I don’t mind. Talking would only make us decide what all of this means. Joey and Jenny never had to explain anything until Hunter and Daisy stepped in and this shit got complicated.

I’d rather be Jenny for a little while longer.

***

“Okay, hold on…” Rose says. I hear her sit down and she sighs. “So, you guys slept together
again
after your first date?”

“No, our alter egos did,” I explain.

There’s a long silence.

“Your
what
?” she finally asks.

I switch the phone to speaker and lay it down next to my open suitcase. “Look, I don’t fully understand it, either—”

“Obviously.”