The Shortstop (2 page)

Annie

“Hey, chickie.” Daphne drops her stuff with a thump and takes the chair across from me. I was just getting into a studying groove, only to have all eyes turn my way once again.

Leaning closer, I whisper, “These people hate me. I had to kick Quint out. Don’t make me kick you out, too.”

“Chill, chica. I’ll be quiet,” she whispers, albeit loudly.

The noisy way she flips open her books and clicks her pen over and over should piss me off, but instead I can’t help but laugh at her antics. Indifference is Daphne’s middle name. Her motto is, “
Oh well
.” Daphne elicits some of her own dirty looks, making me a touch happier they are now focusing their ire on her and not me. The whole library could be throwing daggers at her, and she wouldn’t care in the least. In fact, as she sits here still clicking her pen, I doubt she’s even aware of all the eyes glaring her way.

At first impression, Daphne’s hard to like. Gorgeous to look at, arrogance emanates from every cell of her body. I wish I had an ounce of her self-confidence. When we met four years ago, I hated her…for all of five minutes. That’s her turnaround time, five minutes before you go from hating her to adoring her. There in itself lies the problem.

I really
wanted
to hate her. She is a blond bombshell with a mega-attitude. Where I’m curvier, she’s rail thin…supermodel thin. The more she eats, the thinner she gets. Her smile simply lights up a room. Her green eyes shine as if they’re backlit. Her sense of humor is hilarious. Once you get to know her, you’re sold.

Daphne’s goal to be a sportscaster won’t be hard to achieve with her looks and humor. Quint met her first in his Media and Communications elective. She later admitted to me that she thought Quint was hot and may have purposely sparked a conversation. Thankfully, she also admitted with an eye-roll that he gushed about his girlfriend two minutes into the conversation. Curiosity got the best of her, and she just had to meet me. That day, when I saw them walking toward me, the spark of jealousy that coursed through my body was foreign. I never felt jealousy over Quint, ever. Once he introduced us, and I got to know her, that jealousy spark extinguished itself very quickly.

Daphne and I became inseparable during our spring semester of freshman year. Quint was playing ball around the clock. He traveled to Sarasota almost every weekend while the Orioles were in spring training. When he played back home, I had many friends to distract me and keep me busy. Here at FSU, it was difficult being alone most of the time. I made friends, but none that I really connected with, until Daphne.

Our friendship was easy. She didn’t have a steady boyfriend but never lacked a date on the weekends. When she ran out of “jerks” to date, Quint introduced her to some of his friends, Billy being one of them. They started off strictly as roommates. When we all moved in together, Billy had a girlfriend who was not thrilled with his new living arrangements. Daphne is gorgeous. I’m not sure there’s a chick alive who would be okay with her boyfriend living with her platonically. Needless to say, Billy’s relationship didn’t last. Newly single, already attracted to Daphne, and living in the same apartment pushed Billy to make a move. They’ve been dating, breaking up, and dating ever since.

They bicker and fight more than anyone we know. For some reason, they also can’t stay apart for more than a few days. Originally from Ohio, Daphne wants to relocate to the East Coast. She’ll stay with family in Delaware until she finds a job in her field. Billy will remain in Florida. I wish these two would get their acts together already.

After an hour of shushing her, I finally decided to pack it in. “I’m done. Ready to go?”

Relief flashes over her features. “Yes!”

“Let’s go, quickly.” Hooking my arm through hers, I remove her from the library before an angry mob decides to lynch her.

A few texts later, we are on our way to meeting the guys at the student union. Daphne fills me in on her latest fight with Billy. Very long story short, he didn’t tell her that he ran into his ex, or that they had coffee to catch up. Yes, he should have told her. Most of the time, she’s right in her arguments. This time, I’d have to agree with Billy. In Billy’s defense, the last time he ran into his ex, it caused a huge blowout between them. He swore he didn’t have any feelings for her. Their relationship was over, end of story. He said, when you spend years with someone intimately, it should be amicable when it ends. He’s right. I believe he truly cares about Daphne. He wouldn’t put up with her crap if he didn’t.

When she turns toward me and finally asks for my opinion, I purse my lips disapprovingly.

“What? You think he’s right?” she accuses immediately.

“Yes. This time, I think he’s right.”

She stops walking, forcing students to veer around her to avoid a collision. With arms folded, her glare clearly tells me she thinks I’m way off the mark.

“Daph, he doesn’t love her. For whatever crazy reason, he’s crazy about you. You need to stop pushing him away at every turn. You need to stop nailing him to a cross over every decision he makes. Either you accept him completely or move on.”

Shockingly, she doesn’t curse me out. She stares, stunned at my statement. I could swear uncertainty flashes across her face.

“You must know he does love you? You can’t be that oblivious.”

“He doesn’t act like he does.”

“Neither do you.”

“What do you know, Cinderella? Your prince would kill for you.”

And…she’s back.

Choosing to drop my tactics, I open the door to the union with a sigh. I spot the guys sitting at a table and reluctantly lead her toward them. This could go either way. Quint and I have had the pleasure of having a front-row seat to her tantrums toward Billy. My poor boyfriend had to endure many nights on the couch as Daphne cried in our room, wanting to be consoled. My gut tells me this is about to be one of those all-consuming fights.

The look on Billy’s face as we approach mimics my concerns.

Daphne steps around me, sitting in the chair beside Quint. When she sees me standing there with raised brows, she quips, “I’m not sitting next to him.”

Oh boy.

“Daphne, knock it off,” Billy says as if he’s speaking to a child.

“No.”

Quint and I exchange a glance. Their fighting will change our plans for this weekend. The four of us are driving to Disney World to celebrate the end of finals. It looks like Quint and I will be going alone. That may be a good solution to this mess. Leaving them here alone to figure it all out. Either they will proclaim undying love for each other or they will kill each other.

Billy rolls his eyes, shakes his head, and says, “You are seriously a pain in my ass. Why do I bother?” He pushes his chair back forcibly and stands. “I’m done.”

“Done?”

“Yes, done. You know how I feel. I laid it all out this morning. I told you I loved you, although I seriously have no fuckin’ idea why I do. Your response was to throw a shoe at me. I’m. Fucking. Done. The ball is in your court. Decide.”

With those words, he walks away, leaving Quint and me staring at his retreating back and leaving Daphne fuming.

“What did he just say?” I glare at her for omitting that monumental part of her argument. “Did he just say that he
said
he loved you?”

“So?”

“Did you say you loved him?” She fiddles with the strap of her handbag. “Daph?”

“No, I didn’t.”

“Why?”

The flush that colors her cheeks confuses me. What is her problem? Why the hell is she acting this way? After a few seconds, she still doesn’t answer my question and continues to sit staring into space. I look at Quint, who looks baffled. A quick glance toward the door where Billy just walked out clues Quint to give us privacy.

“I’ll go see if he’s okay.”

After Quint leaves us alone, she finally looks up at me. With a determined look on her face, she says, “I don’t know if I do. I truly don’t. He’s a great guy, and I enjoy being with him. I really care about him. I don’t want anyone else near him. But…” She briefly looks away and adds, “I’m not sure if I love him.”

She looks tormented over her admission. It suddenly occurs to me I need to back off. My desire to have the four of us living a happy life together is obviously skewing my logic. I’ve been pushing this for selfish reasons. Not everything is cut-and-dried…especially not love.

“Okay, I get it. You can’t force feelings if they aren’t there.”

“You mad?”

“No, of course not. I just want you to be happy.” She waves her hand, dismissing my wish. “Daphne, I’m sorry. I’ve been pushy and I realize that you can’t force love. I can’t make you love Billy. I just ask that you please go easy on him. He also deserves to be happy. You’ve been a bitch, and I know it’s your defense mechanism. But it’s really messing with his head.”

Normally, reprimanding Daphne or telling her what to do backfires. When she gives me a slow nod, it confirms how conflicted she must be over this situation. It’s very un-Daphne-like.

Billy never came back with us, deciding to stay with a friend for a few days. Daphne sits in her room, brooding. My revelation had me admitting to Quint that I’d back off, and they are now on their own. He was relieved I’ve finally come to my senses.

“
They are adults, and they need to figure it out
,” he said as we were walking home. Of course, he’s right.

Quint closes his laptop and places it on the nightstand when I slide into bed beside him. “Is she feeling better?”

“No.”

He moves his arm over my shoulders and pulls me into his chest. “She’ll be fine.” Not giving me a chance to respond, he tilts my head up to capture my lips with his. Clearly, he’s ready to drop the subject. I debate on whether I should tell him what Daphne asked me or if I should wait until after we’ve had sex. While I’m mulling the two options over in my mind, our kiss becomes heated, his touch becomes demanding, and my decision to wait to tell him later is solidified.

“I have some unfinished business to attend to.”

“You’re finally going to study?”

“No. I’m going to finish what I started in the library.”

Quint removes my T-shirt, leaving me bare. With a sexy smirk, he bends to suck on my nipple. He knows my body well, better than I do. Every spot his lips touch confirms he knows exactly how to drive me crazy. Ten seconds later, I’m just about there, and he hasn’t left my breast.

Multiple orgasms are a common occurrence for me. I’m not bragging. It’s a side effect of Quint Lawson’s amazing sexual finesse. How he became such a skilled lover with only having had one sexual partner his whole life amazes me. Sure, I can stand toe-to-toe with his masterful skills, but that’s only because he’s taught me everything I know.

He claims he watches a lot of porn when we’re apart. I can’t even get angry over that when the guy can bring me close to orgasm by just sucking on a nipple.

As I use my hands to coax him along, he moans when I grip him tightly. His moan reverberates right through me. I grip tighter, increasing my efforts.

“You don’t want to play?” he asks as I stroke him slowly.

“No, I need you.”

“You got me, baby.” He flips over, taking me with him. “Have at it.”

That’s my green light to straddle his hips. When we were teenagers, this position would embarrass me. Having him staring up at me expectantly as I hovered above him was very intimidating. It took a while for me to become comfortable being in the driver’s seat, plus it’s a complete turn-on for Quint.

There are times I love nothing more than when he teases me by kissing and licking every part of my body. Tonight, I need the instant gratification that comes from him filling me. I need that connection. I’m feeling out of sorts, and I need him right now. While staring into his eyes, I lower myself over him. The surge of complete contentment that only Quint can cause shoots right through every organ I have. It causes my heart to pound in my chest. My lungs work harder at pulling in enough air. My brain blanks of any thoughts other than Quint.

He raises his hands, palms up, and I entwine my fingers with his. The build is coming. I can feel it slowly take hold of my insides. He must feel it, too. His hips rise to meet me as he tries to get deeper. His efforts work, causing the pressure to peak. I suddenly stop my movements to channel the rush.