Game Changer

by Lori Ryan

They said a quick goodbye and Ashlyn switched back over to Elise, but it was hard to focus on anything after that. Her body buzzed with anticipation. As much as she loved baseball, she didn’t know if she could focus through the whole game, much less the hours before the game. Her mind was on one thing only.

  A night with Rafe Wilson.

  Ashlyn couldn’t believe how nervous she felt, standing in one of the tunnels beneath the baseball field, waiting where the security guard had told her to wait for Rafe. The guard stood at the end of the tunnel, his gaze averted, though she knew he was watching her from the corner of his eye. She wondered how often he’d had to escort a player’s—well this was awkward, wasn’t it? What was she? Not a girlfriend. But, that’s probably what the guard would assume. The guard would probably assume Rafe wanted to kiss his girlfriend before the game. He certainly wasn’t likely to guess Rafe wanted to kiss his good luck charm before the game. A good luck charm he’d cut a deal with to be here.

  She’d been relieved to see she wasn’t seated with the wives and girlfriends behind home plate. That would be weird. What would she have said to them? How would she introduce herself? Rafe must have anticipated that she’d feel uncomfortable there and had gotten her a ticket that was every bit as good as the wives and girlfriends’ section, but was just behind the team dugout.

  A door opened and Rafe jogged down the deserted tunnel toward her, nodding to the guard as he passed him. Ashlyn couldn’t help but notice the raw power he displayed in his uniform—arms pushing at the edges of his sleeves, thighs filling out the tight pants with muscles that made her mouth water. His hair fell onto his forehead in a way that should have said boyish charm, but on him, it said something more along the lines of lick me.

  The ease with which he jogged toward her, completely comfortable and in charge, was sexy as sin. That was her single thought as he approached. Just sexy as sin. He pulled up short in front of her.

  “Hi.” His voice was low and quiet, as he leaned into her.

  Ashlyn realized she had no idea what they would do. In Elise’s kitchen, the kiss had just kind of happened. There hadn’t been time for her to be nervous or edgy, which was the way she felt now. But, here, in the ballpark tunnels, it was awkward for a split second. And, then, suddenly it wasn’t. Suddenly, Rafe was grinning at her as he cupped the back of her head with one hand, pulling her hip toward him with the other. Her whole body pressed to his and his mouth lowered, capturing hers in a kiss that curled her toes. And, nothing was awkward or uncomfortable about it. It was incredible. And, all too short.

  He pulled back and looked her in the eyes. “I’ll see you after the game, Ashlyn.”

  And, that was it. He was jogging away and her legs were jelly. Before she knew it, the guard was clearing his throat. She followed him up to the stands where she took her seat and proceeded to watch one of Rafe’s best games ever. Only, her mind was still stuck on the way her lips tingled after that kiss, and she squirmed in her seat every time she looked at him out on the field.

  Chapter Seven

  “I still can’t believe you caught that line drive by Myers. You must have dove fifteen feet for that.” Ashlyn looked at Rafe as he pulled into the parking lot of her apartment complex. He grinned at her and threw the car in park, then shocked the senses out of her once again when he pulled her toward him and took her mouth with his.

  She’d been antsy, wondering if it would be weird when they got to her place. After all, where do you start with “arranged” sex that’s just part of a deal between two acquaintances? But he swept all that aside with one deep, long, seeking kiss that managed to convince her he actually wanted to be there. With her. Doing this.

  She let herself escape into the dream, not allowing herself the reminder that this was only part of a deal they’d struck. His arms came around her, as though he planned to pull her straight across the bench seat of what appeared to be some kind of expensive old muscle car, albeit one that had been restored back to what she assumed were factory specs.

  As she thought about him pulling her across the seat, she was surprised to realize, she wanted him to. She wanted to straddle him right there in his car and tear the shirt off his back. She let her hands run down the chiseled muscles of his chest and wanted to feel those muscles and ridges without the barrier of cloth between them.

  She reached for the hem of his tee and felt him grin against her lips as he put a hand over hers.

  “Inside, Ash,” he whispered and she pulled back, stunned. She had actually been ready to strip down right there in the car with him, in the middle of her apartment complex’s parking lot.

  She laughed and nodded, moving back to her side of the car as Rafe ran around to open the door for her. Man, he was taking this whole deal really far, treating her more like a girlfriend than a ... a ... whatever it was they were to one another. She kind of liked that. That he wasn’t just phoning it in for the sake of their agreement. Or, who knows? Maybe he was just in a good mood from the Strikers’ win and didn’t care who he was with tonight. Most likely, he turned on the charm for any woman he was with.

  Before she could analyze that too much, they were at her door and he was taking the keys from her hand, opening the door, and pulling her to him as he shut it behind them.

  Ashlyn dropped her purse to the floor and then laced her arms around Rafe’s neck, squealing as he lifted her. Her legs instinctively came around his waist and Rafe’s large hands cupped her bottom, pulling her snug against him.

  “I can’t believe you can actually do that!” she gasped, looking at him. “I thought men could only lift women like this in romance novels.”

  Rafe’s laugh was low as he walked her to the kitchen counter and set her down. God, she loved that laugh. She loved the things it did to her body, the way it made her want to clench her thighs together with only the sound of it.

  “I can do a lot of things, Ashlyn,” he said as he tugged her t-shirt up over her head, then lowered his lips to her neck. A delicious shudder ran through her body as his lips caressed her skin. Already, the anticipation, the excited build up, the arousal that coursed through her, was so much more than she’d ever experienced with the other men she’d been with. They had all seemed so intent on simply warming her up as quickly and efficiently as possible, to get to the final act where they could get what they wanted. Rafe seemed focused on her and only her. As though her pleasure was what would bring him pleasure. The very idea of it was erotic and tantalizing in and of itself.

  But, Ashlyn pulled back, stopping him with her hands to his shoulders as she tried to catch her breath, to slow things down. His response was immediate, though the heat in his eyes didn’t dissipate when he pulled back and looked up at her.

  “What is it Ash? What’s wrong?”

  “I just thought we should, um … ” She bit her lower lip, letting her eyes dart to the side. She didn’t know how to talk about this. “I thought we should lay some ground rules.”

  He nodded. “Good plan. We use protection, always,” he said, “and we don’t sleep with anyone else while we’re having sex with each other.”

  Ashlyn blinked and knew her eyes likely resembled saucers at the moment. She hadn’t expected him to put forth the top two requirements she had as his own. Now, she only had to tell him the third.

  He tilted his head at her. “What is it, Ash? What else do you need from me?” His question was all too knowing, as if he could see right into her. She felt exposed just at the thought of that.

  “I ... ” She started but didn’t know how to continue.

  Rafe lowered his head to her neck and brushed his lips across the overly sensitized skin behind her ear. “Tell me what you need, sweetheart,” he whispered and she almost laughed at how close his question came to what she needed. She needed to learn to speak her mind, to say what she wanted, sexually.

  “I want you to teach me how to, um, how to tell you what I want when we’re, um, you know.”

  He stilled ever so slightly for ju
st a split second, and she thought he might tell her he’d changed his mind. That she was too naive, or maybe too frigid, for him to go through with this. Then a low growl escaped his chest and he attacked her throat, licking, suckling, nipping at her.

  “God, I can’t wait to have you talking dirty to me, Ash, telling me every wicked little thought that goes through that sexy brain of yours that you’ve been too frightened to tell anyone before.”

  He spoke against her skin as his mouth made its way toward her chest, and she threaded her fingers through his hair when he reached the curve of her breast. He groaned as he tugged her bra down, freeing her breasts from the cups.

  “And, I will have you tell me. You’ll tell me everything you want and need.”

  Ashlyn lost all sense of time and herself, her thoughts flying out the window, as his hot, wet mouth closed over her nipple. He sucked the peaked nipple deep then let his teeth graze her skin, drawing a moan from her.

  “God, you’re beautiful, Ash. So damned sensitive, so ready.”

  She arched and pressed her breasts closer to him, drawing a rough laugh from him.

  “Something you want?”

  She moaned, letting her nails graze over his shoulders, but he pulled back.

  “All you have to do is tell me what you want. Just say the word and it’s yours. Keep quiet and I can only assume you want me to stop.”

  “More,” she said, amazed at the husky quality of her voice. She sounded, almost ... different, like another person. And she wanted to embrace that. She wanted to let go and be someone else for just a little while.

  “More what? Tell me exactly what you need, beautiful.”

  “More of your mouth on me.”

  Rafe’s smile was wicked as his eyes narrowed on her and he leaned forward to give her just that. His mouth on her other breast. But he teased her, barely letting his lips run over her sensitized skin and then lightly flicking his tongue over her nipple. Ashlyn whimpered, but her head screamed at her to tell him what she wanted.

  “Tell me,” he said, as though he were inside her head once again.

  “Harder, deeper,” she gasped, her fingers tangling in his hair as he gave her exactly what she asked for. He drew her nipple into his mouth as it beaded under his tongue, then turned his attention to her other breast, again suckling hard and deep, just as she’d wanted. Ashlyn pulled at his shirt. With one swift move, he tugged it over his head, then returned to her and began to shimmy her pants down her hips.

  “Lift up,” he whispered.

  Ashlyn froze. “The lights,” she said, not lifting to let him get her pants down. She had always had sex in the bedroom. In the dark. She wanted to break out of the staid and boring mode she’d been in. That was the point of this, after all. But, she wasn’t sure she was ready for full lights-on, sitting-on-the-kitchen-counter sex.

  Rafe let the corners of his mouth quirk up and lifted an eyebrow at her. “You want to be in the dark, Ash?”

  She nodded her head. She’d cross the lights-on bridge when she got a little more courage in the bedroom. She needed to ease into this a bit.

  “You got it, baby,” he said and lifted her again, and she wrapped her legs around his waist once more.

  “Bedroom?” he asked as he turned toward the living room.

  She nodded down the only hallway off the living room. The apartment was small. Nothing more than a tiny kitchen and living room that was almost one room, divided only by a half wall, and a bedroom and bathroom. The hallway Rafe took led down past the bathroom to the bedroom.

  He set her down on the bed and continued to smile at her as he went to the dresser. Ashlyn watched, frozen in place as he opened a few drawers, stopping when he found where she kept her panties and bras. Her breath seemed too shallow as she watched Rafe run his hands over her lingerie until he pulled out a silk scarf and moved toward her. He kissed her mouth, holding her captive with the bracing, hypnotic action of his tongue as he slipped the scarf down over her eyes and tied it behind her head, blinding her.

  “Rafe?” she asked quietly, her heart beating furiously, both excited and fearful. No, not exactly fearful. More ... cautious, she realized, suddenly aware that she trusted Rafe. She trusted him on one level, knowing he wouldn’t physically hurt her. Could she trust him not to push her past what she was ready for in the bedroom?

  “Don’t worry, sweetheart. I’m just giving you the dark you crave.”

  “I-I meant the room,” she said, a nervous laugh escaping as he laid her back on the bed and trailed a hand teasingly down her body, drawing his fingers over her breasts, past her navel, to the vee of her legs over her pants. He let his hand press into her momentarily, over her mound, before he returned to removing her clothing.

  Knowing the lights were blazing bright, that Rafe was fully dressed except for missing the shirt she’d removed, left Ashlyn feeling vulnerable and exposed. And, somehow, the thought of that exposure aroused her. It was tantalizing even at the same time that it was unnerving.

  She squirmed, almost feeling the intensity of his stare as he watched her, now almost fully bared to him.

  “So beautiful,” he whispered and Ashlyn stilled. His hands were on her again, going to the waist of her pants, pulling them slowly down her hips. She was all but panting now, her breaths short and shallow.

  “I want to see all of you, Ashlyn, every beautiful inch. I’m going to look at you for a good long time, taking in every gorgeous part of your body. Then I’m going to taste you. I bet you taste sweeter than sin, Ash.”

  She squirmed again. She couldn’t help it as he continued to whisper in her ear, her body heating with the caress of each word. Part of her wanted to cover her breasts with her hands, to close her legs so he couldn’t see her, see all of her. She ached to cover herself. But, she also ached to have him look at her all at the same time. He took the choice from her when his large hands spread her legs wide, and she felt his fingers touch her wet folds.

  “So wet for me, pink and glistening and swollen, all for me,” he whispered and a thrill shot straight through her. Her thighs tingled and she could feel how swollen and ready she was for him, slick with need and want. She ached with it.

  Ashlyn lifted her hands, feeling his chest, letting her fingers roam over a body that left no doubt he was an athlete, no doubt that he relied on his body for his livelihood. She let her nails dig into his chest as her hands traveled to his stomach, reveling in the cut muscles of the six pack that teased the palms of her hands.

  She wanted to find his pants and tug at them to remove his clothes as well, but he had other ideas, his mouth returning to her nipples. He sent her thoughts flying as she felt her thighs flood with warmth and wetness between her legs. She writhed on the bed, wanting more. This time, she didn’t have to ask.

  Rafe lowered his lips to her stomach, teasing his way down her body, before bringing the warm heat of his tongue to her clitoris, taking her fully into his mouth as she raised her hips to meet him. The feel of his mouth so hot and wet on her was incredible. Her senses felt heightened by the lack of sight and her body craved more from him. He gave her just that with shocking ease, drawing her to an earth-shattering orgasm as his hands and mouth roamed her body, always returning to her center, teasing her clitoris as she fell apart beneath him.

  When she came back to her senses, Ashlyn tugged at his jeans, pulling the button loose.

  “I want to feel you. Please, let me see you.”

  Rafe slipped the blindfold off of her eyes and stood at the end of the bed, an easy smile playing on his lips, his mouth still wet from what he’d done to her. He pulled the zipper of his jeans down and slid them off his trim hips, pulling his boxers along with them. He stood before her, utterly confident in nothing but his socks, which he slowly shed as well. There was something so blindingly attractive about his confidence. He stood before her, stripped bare in the bright light of the room, his erection as hard and strong as the rest of the muscles of his athlete’s body. Hard and thick
and seeming to strain toward her.

  “I think I’m a big fan of sex with the lights on,” she said, a smile spreading on her face.

  Rafe looked down at Ash, amazed by her. He’d half expected her to panic when he covered her eyes, but she hadn’t. Even though he could see her initial discomfort, she’d given herself over to the game and she’d turned into a goddess before his eyes. He’d meant every word he whispered to her. She was stunning and beautiful, and she stole his breath with the guileless smile she gave him now as he stood before her.

  He was used to the women in bed with him having an agenda. They always seemed to want something. Many wanted to grab a bit of his spotlight to further a budding modeling career or a dream of being an actress. Some wanted to marry money and fame, and they were willing to do anything he wanted them to as a result. They seemed to thrive on offering him whatever he wanted in the bedroom, whether it was anal sex or spanking or tying them up. They would do it all for him, but not because they wanted it. Not for the mutual pleasure those things could bring. No, they offered those things only because they thought that’s what he wanted and they were willing to trade anything to land their prey.

  With Ashlyn, she was doing what she wanted, for her pleasure and for his. And, that in itself, was more of a turn on than anything he’d experienced in the past. The way she responded to every touch of his hands and his mouth was genuine. She wasn’t putting on any act when she let her eyes roam his body as he climbed up the bed to cover her body with his. The way her body rose to meet his, the way she pressed into him, was real and genuine, and so incredibly sexy.

  “God, I want to be buried so deep in you, Ash. I want to drive into you over and over,” he said as he let his cock meet her thighs and reveled in the feel of her silky skin against his hard length, “until you come, tightening that sweet, throbbing pussy around me again and again.”

  She moaned, bringing her legs up, wrapping them around his hips and pulling, lifting herself to him as she tried to bring them together.