Playing with Fire - A Sports Romance (2 page)

My moans of pleasure increase and my insides start to tighten. But before I find my release, Luke pulls his lips away from me and takes me in through hooded eyes.

“Not yet, doll,” he says, a low growl. “Let me do this the right way.”

Without another word, Luke tightens his grip around my waist and turns from the wall, carrying me over to the king-sized bed. He lays me down atop the crisp white sheets, then stands back as he rips his t-shirt over his head and kicks off his shoes. I salivate over his chest and abs as he slides his pants off and crawls across the bed to me.

His hands caress my legs as he slides my skirt down and off, then plants sweet kisses along the length of each leg as his thumb strums against my heat. I nearly get off by watching what he’s doing to me, but I don't want to end the night like that. I want him buried deep inside of me.

When I can't take the sweet torture anymore, I grasp my shirt in my hands and slide it up over my head. Luke takes his mouth away from between my thighs to watch, and his blue eyes darken as I unhook my bra and toss it aside. Taking my invitation for what it is, he returns his mouth to my body, kissing and licking his way up my stomach to my chest. With his thumb strumming against one nipple and his teeth and tongue dancing over the other, Luke nestles himself between my legs and enters, slow and steady. I paw at his body and tug his hair, relishing the moan he lets out as his pace starts to grow faster.

His mouth moves to mine and I tug his bottom lip with my teeth as I scrape my fingernails down his back. His low growl comes again and my insides begin to quiver, then tighten. Luke’s pace quickens and, as one, we shatter around each other.

I have never felt so sated. I have never felt such a loss as when Luke pulls himself out of me and collapses on the bed by my side.

“That was amazing, doll.” Luke rolls onto his back and stares up at the ceiling, breathing hard.

I take the opportunity to look over his magnificent body. He sports a solid six-pack with gorgeous, perfectly tanned pecs. On one shoulder is a tattoo – the profile of a tiger’s head, its teeth bared mid-roar. A small trail of hair floats below his navel, leading down past his groin to his long, sculpted legs. A small shiver flows through me, and I can't stop myself from moving closer.

I slide the used condom from his body and drop it on the floor beside the bed. At my touch, he twitches. I look up and find Luke gazing down at me, that same delicious smile on his face he shared with me down at the hotel bar. Without taking my eyes from his, I begin to caress his thighs, gentle at first, then increasing my intensity as he becomes ready for another round. His breathing becomes more erratic as I lower my mouth to him and trail my tongue and lips along his length.

“Fuck, doll, what are you doing to me?” Luke’s growl comes out more like a whimper. I cover my teeth with my lips and take him into my mouth, sliding him in until he hits the back of my throat and I have to push aside the urge to gag. He grabs at the bed sheets, clutching them hard in his grip as he moans beneath me. He’s coming undone and I have only just begun. Before I'm even close to having my fill, Luke grabs my head in his hands and pulls my face to his.

“I want to be inside you,” he says against my lips, as if this is a problem he can't solve.

“I want you, too,” I tell him as I reach back down between my legs and start pumping him. I smile as he lets out another loud moan. Leaning across his body, I reach for the drawer in the bedside table. He peeks out through hooded eyes to see what I'm doing, but when he sees the condom I pull from the drawer, he shudders out a huge breath. He grabs the package from my hand and tears the wrapper open.

I pry the condom from his hand and slide back down his body. I take him in my mouth once again and have to stifle a laugh when he curses under his breath and pulls me back up to his lips. He wrestles the condom from me and slides it on without taking his hungry mouth from mine. When he grabs my hips, I straddle him and glide down on top of him.

With his hands alternating between my breasts and my hips, my fingers grasping his blond locks and our mouths dancing together, I ride him until our worlds shatter once again. I drop to his chest, unable to do anything but pant my thanks for the most amazing ride of my life. My limbs and insides are jelly, my lips burn from his touch, and his heaving chest under my cheek helps lull me into a restful sleep.

* * *

I
awake
to a gentle caress across the side of my breast and a twitch against my leg. As I open my eyes and take in my surroundings, my heart and mind begin to race. I'm in my hotel room at the Savory. The heavy red curtains are drawn, letting the early morning sun shine into the room. The bedside lamps are ablaze and clothes are strewn across the table and chairs by the window. My leg and arm are draped over a body, one which I'm pressed tight up against. I raise my head and find dark blue eyes gazing back at me.

Luke.

“Rise and shine, doll.” The low grumble in his chest has the same effect on me as it did the night before.

Oh, dear God! The night before! All at once, the night comes back to me - the drinks, the dancing. The sex. The images of what happened that flash through my mind are at odds with everything I had planned for the night. All I wanted was a few hours of mindless bliss before I left the guy and went back to my life. But here I am, in my room, at seven o’clock in the morning, in bed with Luke. Jesus, what’s become of me?

Another twitch against my leg brings my attention to focus, pulling me out of my frantic state and reminding me of where I am. Of whom I’m lying against.

“Looks like you got the rising part covered,” I say with a wicked grin as I move my leg and cover his erection with my hand. His moan of pleasure makes me tighten my grip to see what else I can make him do.

But after a few seconds, Luke’s hand covers mine, stopping me.

“As much as I’d love to continue this, I, uh…” Luke jerks his head towards the bathroom.

“Oh, yeah, sure,” I say as I untangle myself from his body and scoot across the bed. I watch as he strides across the room, grabbing his jeans off the table as he goes.

Of course. It’s morning. It’s got to be as awkward for him as it is for me. And yet, even as I pull on a tight white camisole and a lacy white thong, I can't help but think I'm not ready for this to end. Not yet.

I'm standing by the bathroom door, my head against the jamb, when Luke opens the door. His jeans are on, but the button and fly are wide open. I catch a glimpse of his boxer briefs and the bulge beneath. When I drag my eyes up his body, I find him smirking at me.

“I see you do own underwear.” I grin as I trail my fingers along the top edge of my thong and slip the tip of my finger beneath the lacy fabric. “But only just,” he says in a low voice.

“You like?” I turn around, look at him over my shoulder, and watch as his hungry eyes take in my bare ass.

“Mmm.” Luke steps up to me and slides his hands over my backside before moving them around to the front. He pulls me tight against him, and I smooth my hand over the bulge in his pants. He nips my neck and shoulder and glides his long fingers along my inner thighs. I gasp as his fingers enter me, then plunge deep inside.

“God, doll, you’re so ready already,” he says, a growl against my neck. “Did you prime yourself while I was gone?”

I give a quiet chuckle. “Why? Are you jealous?”

“That’s something I want to watch.” Without warning, Luke wraps his arm tight around my waist and lifts me. With two long strides, we’re at the bed. He drops on top of me and begins caressing my thighs and butt. Without warning, he reaches over me to the still open drawer in the bedside table and grabs another condom. I lift my hips as he puts it on, and seconds later he’s grabbing my hips and thrusting deep inside of me.

After we collapse onto the bed, spent, after we catch our breath and curl up next to each other, Luke’s low growl rumbles in my ear, “God, you make me so hungry.”

“Hmm, I'm famished, too.” I lean up on my elbow and grin down at him. “What are you hungry for?”

I'm awarded with his delicious smile, though this time it’s full of lust and makes my desire flame inside of me. His lips consume every inch of me before I return the favor for him. And in what becomes the strangest ‘one-night stand’ ever, Luke and I order breakfast from room service, and later, have a pizza delivered for lunch. I eat more than I normally would, but I can't help it. I can't keep my hands off of this man, and it's obvious he feels the same way. We continue to work up our appetites, and by late afternoon, the only thing I want is to curl up and go to sleep.

We hop in the shower and scrub each other down with my coconut milk body wash. After one last hurrah against the cold tile, while the hot water turns tepid against our sex-crazed skin, we towel off and get dressed. Sitting on the edge of the bed, pulling his shoes on, Luke smiles over at me.

“Are you ever going to tell me your name?” he asks. “Maybe give me your number?”

His questions surprise me. The entire time we’ve been holed up here in my room, he’s been confident to the point of being cocky. But this… It’s like he’s begging me. I never wanted this. Luke was supposed to be a fun time, a couple hours that turned into an entire day. A day of the best sex I've ever had. And I’d laughed harder than I had in years. He’s an amazing man I’m glad I met.

I give him a sweet smile and grab a pen and paper off the bedside table. After I'm done writing, I tear the page off, fold it in half, and tuck it into the front pocket of his jeans. I press my lips hard against his and surrender to the slow, sensual dance our tongues have perfected. Oh, if I could bottle this up, I'd be in heaven.

“Thanks for a great time,” I tell him.

“Likewise, doll. You’re amazing.”

I walk Luke to the door and, with one last kiss, I let him go. My bed is calling me. I'm exhausted as I've never been before, and tomorrow brings my new life, my new job, working for Marco.

C
orey

T
here she is
. I watch as the love of my life pulls up to the valet stand at the Savory. I ache to trail my hands over her curves, to touch every inch of her, to be inside her once again. I watch with an all-consuming jealousy as the valet hops out of the driver's seat and rushes around the Corvette to me. I hate that someone else has been in her, but what choice do I have? Parking here is a bitch.

I slide my hand over her cherry red finish as I walk around front and slip inside. The thrill I always get when I enter my baby is still there, but in light of the past twenty-four hours, it feels dampened.

Before pulling away from the hotel, I grab the paper from my front pocket and unfold it. I have to know her name.

“Ashley.”

That woman has an insatiable appetite. One that matches my own like no one I've ever met. With long, golden blonde hair and hazel eyes, she reminds me of an angel. But no angel I've ever seen has such amazing curves, a gorgeous, tight ass, or tits that fit so perfectly in the palms of my hands. Damn, I’m getting hard just thinking about her.

I grab the gear shift and slam down on the accelerator, screeching my tires as I bolt out of the hotel’s drive. It’s a ten-minute drive from the Savory to my apartment parking garage, and I'm grateful as I pull my baby into my reserved spot.

The elevator ride to the fifth floor reminds me of the ride back at the hotel. My utter shock to find her without underwear on, so hot and ready for me. I have to adjust myself five times on the ride up just thinking about her.

I need to stop. I'm like some love-drunk bitch.
It’s just sex
, I tell myself.
I've had it before and I'll have it again.

Except this nagging voice deep in the back of my head whispers to me,
Not like this.

Inside my apartment, I grab a beer from the fridge and start stripping out of my jeans on the way to my bedroom. I don't care that I took a shower in her room before I left. I smell like her - her coconut body wash, her sex. I’ve got to get her off my mind. I've got some damn team meeting in the morning and a plane to catch in the evening. If I don’t get this smell off me, I won't sleep tonight, and I’ll be worth shit all day. That won't do. I’m still too new; I can't afford to give it anything but my best.

After a cold shower, I flick on SportsCenter and lounge on my bed, sucking down my beer. I intend to rest a while before I call out for dinner from the Chinese place down the street, but I awake to my alarm blaring and the morning sun streaming through my window. The TV is still on and a half-full bottle of warm beer sits on the bedside table.

Before landing this gig and moving here, I used to wake up at five each morning to work out. Starting tomorrow, I'll be working out all day in one way or another. I’ve given myself a break this morning. But even with my alarm set for seven, I still feel exhausted. Muscles in my legs, arms, and back ache like I spent yesterday lifting weights, not having sex. I shake it off, pull on a pair of jeans and a dark blue t-shirt, then grab my shoes and head out the door.

A much-needed distraction waits for me at the elevator. My neighbor from down the hall, Madison Greene, stands there in skin-tight cotton shorts and a thin black tank that shows off every inch of her delicious body.

I sneak up on her and slide my hands to her hips. “Good morning, beautiful.”

Madison spins to face me, caramel eyes wide. Her body relaxes when she sees me, and I pull her tight body against mine.

“Mornin’, Corey.” Her voice is low and breathy and sexy as hell. She grabs a strand of her long chocolate brown hair and twirls it around her finger as she chews on her bottom lip.

The elevator dings, and I guide her backwards when the silver doors slide open, pushing her up against the back wall.

“You ready to admit you need a workout partner?” I give her a devilish smile and get the reaction I knew I would. A rush of blood to her cheeks, her body sagging into mine as her knees start to tremble.

I’ve been working her over since I moved in last year. Madison was innocence waiting to be broken, and she let me break her in. She’s model-thin and looks like she should be walking the runway, not my apartment’s dull gray halls. Her legs go for miles and her breasts strain at her tank, begging to be fondled.

“Don't you have to go to work?” She runs a slim hand up my chest and bats her lashes at me. Triumph swells in my chest. She’s getting bolder every day. I can’t wait to have her exactly where I always want her: pinned under my body with her long legs wrapped around my waist.

“Mmm, that I do,” I say with my lips against her ear.

Her hands fumble at the front of my pants. “I need you, baby. Maybe you can come over tonight?” I pull back and raise a brow while I look her in the eye. “Maybe sooner? Say, one o’clock?”

A grin spreads across my face. “One o’clock,” I promise. “I'll be there.” The elevator dings and the doors slide open. I let go of the poor girl carefully, making sure she won't fall to the floor without my body to support her. “Later, baby.”

The drive across town to the ballfield is a short one, but traffic this time of day blows. I crank the radio up and catch a few songs I heard at the bar the other night. It’s all I can do to keep control of my car while reliving memories of dancing with Ashley. Her hips grinding hard into mine. The taste of her tongue in my mouth.

Damn. One o’clock can't come soon enough. I need something, anything, to relieve the throbbing in my pants. My buddies and I used to joke back in college that you should think of baseball to get your mind off sex. In my case, it tends to work, since that’s my job.

After a quick stop at the locker room where I shed my jeans in exchange for a pair of shorts, I head out to the batting cages. I let the rhythm overtake me, calming away my sexual tension. The crack of the wooden bat against the ball, and the ball hitting the chain-link cage, plays out like my favorite style of music. It clears my mind and allows me to focus all my energy on the swing, the hit, the thrumming in my hands and arms as I pull back, ready for more. After an hour, my mind is in a better place. I grab a quick shower before heading to the team meeting.

“What the hell is this thing supposed to be about, anyway?” Matt Cromwell, my teammate and closest friend in this city, asks as I finish pulling on my jeans.

“Damned if I know,” I tell him. “I'm the new guy, remember? You think they tell me these types of things?”

“Don't you have an in? Some pretty young thing at the front desk?” he says with a shit-eating grin on his dark brown face.

I can't help but smile. He’s talking about Tanya down at reception. “Not yet, but soon,” I assure him as we throw aside our towels and head out of the locker room. I’ve been working on trying to bed her since I joined the team last year, but she’s been in this place long enough to know not to fall for the dumb lines. That girl needs a little more finessing.

“Soon, huh? That’s what you said last week.”

“Yeah? Well, she’ll come around. I’m in no rush. Going over to my hot neighbor’s after this. ”

Matt laughs and shakes his head. Before he can say another word, a voice behind us stops him.

“Hola, hermanos!” Ramon Rodriguez slaps a hand on both of our backs. “Dios mío, I'm in love!”

“Carmen again?” Matt asks with a grin.

Ramon gasps and clutches his hand to his heart, his mouth open wide and his brow furrowed.

“Keep up, brother,” I tell Matt, slapping his chest with the back of my hand. “Carmen was
last
week. This week is Emily.”

Matt and I break out in laughter as Ramon scowls at us. This is the second girl in as many weeks that Ramon has professed his love for. He regales us with stories of his new-found love, which Matt insists won't last long, as we make our way up the stairs to the meeting room. Matt’s giving Ramon hell as we walk by the front desk. Tanya’s sitting there, sweet as ever, and I make a beeline for her as the guys head in to grab seats.

“Hello, Corey,” Tanya tells me, leaning towards me over her tall desk. Her shirt is low cut and I get a great view of her chest. Her creamy white skin is framed by the tight purple fabric.

“Tanya, you’re looking lovely as ever.” I flash her a smile, going for sweet and caring, as I lean my elbows on the raised granite countertop. “I checked out that bar, Riverside, Saturday night. The one you told me about. You're right, it is fantastic.”

“I'm glad you liked it.” She gives me a shy smile.

“Would have been better with you there,” I lie. Truthfully, I'm glad Tanya didn't make it, as my night with Ashley never would have happened. I listen to her excuse anyway and pretend I'm hurt by her absence.

“Yeah, sorry, my brother was in town and I couldn't get away from my family.” She used the same excuse the first time I suggested drinks, only about her grandmother. This time she looks sad about it. “There’s… another live show next month, though, when you’re back. I might try to catch that one. I’ll need a little break from the family.”

Bam, there it is. All my hard work is about to pay off. “Maybe I'll see you there.”

“That’d be great, Corey.” She leans closer until her full chest is nearly spilling out of her shirt. I can imagine those creamy white breasts staring up at me as she lies in a bed of her long, curly blonde hair.

I'm about to head into the meeting room when I stop and turn back to Tanya. “Don't suppose you know what this is all about?” I ask, gesturing to the crowd of players and staff making their way past us.

Tanya shrugs. “Something about introducing a new employee, I think. They didn't really elaborate.”

I nod and give her my sweet little smile again. “Thanks, beautiful. I'll see you later.” The poor girl swoons at the endearment.

In the meeting room, I find Matt and Ramon sitting in the hard blue plastic chairs in the middle of the grey room and take an empty seat near them.

“Any luck?” Matt asks, grinning at me.

“Possibly. Looks like she may be coming around.”

“Corey, mi hermano, you need to find someone to love.”

“He’s already got the love of his life,” Matt says, batting his lashes like some lovesick puppy. Ramon looks hopeful as he awaits the love story he’ll never get. “Her name is Cherry, and he drives her hard every night.”

Matt and I burst out in laughter while Ramon takes a moment to piece together what he means.

“Your Corvette?” Ramon asks. “Dios mío. One day you're going to find yourself sad and alone.”

“Not any day soon,” Matt jokes as he holds his hand towards me for a fist bump.

As I reach out to pound my fist against his, a murmur starts around the room. I look towards the back, where the noise began, but turn to face the large double doors and the hallway beyond where a small group of suits is making its way towards us. In the group are three men I’ve only seen up in the administrative offices, each dressed in a fine dark suit and shiny black shoes. There’s also Claudia, an older lady who makes a habit of wearing her frumpy floral dresses and those white orthopedic shoes that remind me of my grandmother’s bingo pals.

“Fuck me,” I mutter under my breath when the last of the party walks into the room behind the suits. My cock twitches and I have to lean forward in my chair and put my elbows on my knees, both to hide what’s going on with me and to get a closer look. It’s her. Ashley. She’s dressed in a charcoal grey blazer and matching slacks that hug her ass in a way that makes me jealous. Under her blazer is a royal blue blouse that gives a hint of her perfect breasts. Her golden hair is pulled up into a tight bun, and her look screams power.

Back at the hotel, she looked like an angel. Here, dressed in this suit and standing before the team and staff gathered in the room, she looks like a goddess whose feet I should be bowing down before.

Coach gets up and introduces one of the suits, but I can’t spare him any attention. I listen without hearing as the suit bumbles on about some marketing campaign and updating bios in the souvenir programs they sell to the fans on game days. My eyes are glued to this woman as my mind relives every moment of our one night together.

It’s not until the suit gestures to Ashley that I pull my eyes and attention away from her for a few moments to listen.

“I’d like to introduce the one who is going to be spearheading this whole campaign. Everyone, please join me in welcoming our newest employee, Frankie Sarcone.”

I glance at the other two suits, expecting one of them to step forward, even though I know they’re not new. It’s Ashley who steps up to the podium amid murmurs and a small round of applause from the side of the room where some of the staff is located.

“Thank you,” she says with the briefest of smiles. “As Dale mentioned, my name is Frankie.” She goes on about the bios she and the rest of the marketing and public relations staff are putting together, but I'm too floored to pay attention. Floored to know she lied to me. Floored that I didn't think of this play first. And floored when, as she glances around the room, her gaze lands upon me and she stutters for a second. She whips her eyes away from me as if it pains her to see me sitting here. And if I'm not mistaken, she purposely looks everywhere but at me the rest of the time she’s speaking.

I have my hands steepled at my lips, my eyes locked on her, silently begging her to look at me, to invite me back in for one more taste. It isn't until Matt punches my shoulder that I realize the meeting is over and people are getting up to leave. Ashley… No, Frankie, is still standing at the front of the room talking to some of the staff.

“Yo, Corey?” Matt says, “You coming?”

“Huh?”

“Lunch. At Louis’. You coming?”

“Nah,” I say, standing up next to him, my eyes still at the front of the room. “I got plans.”

“Oh yeah, okay. Have fun brother. See ya tonight.”

Matt and Ramon shuffle out along with the rest of the team while I linger near the doors, hoping to catch her attention. But the suits have the monopoly, and at last I take off alone. I wander down the hall to the locker room, then back upstairs to the meeting room. Everyone’s gone when I get there, so I amble along through the administration halls. Finally, I find what I'm looking for.