The Curve Ball (Indianapolis Lightning Book 2)

by Samantha Lind

  “Who’s with you?” the reporter calls out, bringing my attention back her way. Riley stiffens slightly in my arm, so I drop my eyes to hers.

  “We still good?” I say, only loud enough for Riley and Evie to hear me. She nods her head slightly, never breaking eye contact with me. Knowing she’s still on board with us coming out, I look back up at the reporter. “This is my girlfriend, Riley, and this is my daughter, Evie,” I tell her. It feels weird to be introducing them to everyone, but it’s probably time I did so.

  “How long have you been off the market? How old is the baby? Have you finalized the custody case?” the reporter calls out question after question, not allowing me to answer anything.

  “Thank you for the questions, but our players are going to have a few minutes with their family before getting ready for the game. They’ll be available again after the game for further game-related questions,” Carmen, one of the team's PR people, responds for me.

  She stepped in at the exact perfect time, effectively cutting off all the reporter’s prying questions. Even without quotes from me answering them, I’m sure she’ll weave up a story to post by the time the game is over tonight.

  “Where are you sitting?” I ask Riley as we step away from the crowd.

  “The family section. My tickets are right with Jillian and the girls' seats.”

  “Okay, I’ll be looking for you,” I tell her, dropping a quick peck against her cheek.

  “Keep your eyes on the ball, we don’t need any bad plays,” she teases.

  “My eyes are always on the ball.” I smirk at her. “On a serious note, be careful who sits around you. I wouldn’t put it past that chick reporter to somehow get a seat close to the family section so she can eavesdrop on everyone, trying to find out anything she can weave into one of her stories.”

  “I’ll be as diligent as I can be,” she assures me. I know she wouldn’t purposely talk or give out information, but it still worries me now that we’ve gone public with this. They're going to be trying to dig up anything they can on her, and it won’t be long before they figure out that she’s Derek’s sister and Evie’s nanny. “Now, get out there and win us a ball game. Little miss, here, needs to have a win for her first game watching her daddy kick butt.” She takes Evie from my arms and places her in the carrier she’s got strapped around her waist.

  I smile once again at my girls before giving them each one last kiss. A quick slap to Riley’s ass, and they’re off to their seats while I go get my head ready for the game.

  “The Curve Ball, We Never Saw Coming!”

  I reread the headline, rolling my eyes so damn hard that I’m a little surprised they don’t roll right out of my damn head.

  Has the most eligible bachelor on the Indianapolis Lightning roster changed his ways and settled down? Who was the mysterious woman at his side at yesterday’s family day? Justin “JJ” Johnson told reporters that the woman joining him for the team’s family day was his girlfriend. Little has been found on the mysterious woman. He only referred to her by her first name, Riley. We’re dedicated to bringing you up to speed on this developing story as more information is confirmed to us by our sources. Johnson also had his infant daughter with him, one of the rare public events he’s allowed her to attend since the news broke that she was born. He was awarded full custody of the child last month after his petition to the courts went unchallenged by the minor’s biological mother, who doesn’t appear to be in the picture. During the game, his daughter was attended to by his girlfriend. She watched the game from the friends and family section, sitting beside starting pitcher Derek Smyth’s wife, Jillian Smyth, and their two daughters.

  I close out of the article, not needing to read any more of this “reporter’s” crap article. I knew she was just there to try and drum up non-existent drama or to dig in to my personal life. I get along with most of the press that follows the team around, but the ones like her, that are just there to try and find the dirt on anyone, rub me so wrong. She’s no better than the paparazzi that take pictures when we’re out grocery shopping or trying to have a meal out with friends or family.

  “Morning!” Riley says cheerily as she walks into the kitchen. My dick hardens as I take in her sweaty appearance. The way her tank top clings to her skin has me itching to remove it with my teeth; sweat be damned.

  “How was your run?” I ask, doing my best to keep my voice level.

  “Really good,” she says, taking a large drink of her water bottle. “Kept a nine thirty pace for all five miles.”

  “That’s great, babe.”

  “I’m going to go take a quick shower,” she says, setting her bottle down on the counter.

  “Want some company?” I call after her.

  Laughing at me, she calls back, “Someone's got to look after Evie. Maybe next time.”

  At the mention of my daughter, I look over and watch as she pulls one of the toys attached to the jumperoo toward her mouth so she can chew on it. Another tooth is trying to pop through, so she’s been chewing on everything she can lately.

  “Did you hear that, baby girl? Ry said I’m on baby duty.” My voice grabs her attention, and she screeches at me in excitement. “Who’s ready for a daddy day?” I ask her, walking over to take her out of the contraption. “That’s right, baby girl, you are stuck with me all day.” I nuzzle her neck, sucking in a deep breath of her clean skin. Unfortunately, she must have just filled her diaper because I get a nose full of the nastiest smell. “Good lord, kid, what is Riley feeding you?” I tease her, tickling her belly as I head for the nursery to change her diaper.

  All I get is some babbles as I lay her down on the changing table. I get out everything that I’ll need to take care of this biohazard. She’s all smiles as I slip her shorts off and open her diaper up. I’ve become quite the pro at this changing diapers thing, something I never thought that I’d do in my life. “Good God, child. You are worse than some of the guys on the team, and that is saying something,” I tease my daughter as I finish cleaning her up. Thankfully, she didn’t blow her diaper out. She’s done that a few times when in the jumper.

  “What’s going on in here?” Riley asks a few minutes later.

  “This one decided that while you were in the shower, it was a good time to make Daddy change her biohazard-level diaper,” I tell Riley from the floor where I’m sitting with Evie between my legs. We have a few toys between us as she works on getting stronger, sitting up on her own.

  “Good girl!” Riley praises her. “Way to save the bad ones for Daddy,” she says as she joins us on the floor. Evie flings herself toward Riley, obviously wanting to go to her. I’m sure, in her mind, Riley is her mom and the only motherly figure that she knows.

  “Don’t encourage her, she needs to save that crap for when I’m not around. I almost gagged it was so bad.”

  “Oh, so she should leave it for me?” she protests. “That doesn’t seem very fair,” she teases.

  “Fine,” I give in easily. “Are you ready to head outside?” I ask. With a full day off before I leave on another road trip tomorrow, we have some grand plans to just stay home today and spend the time together, only the three of us.

  “Yep,” Riley says, popping the p. “Already got my swimsuit on.”

  “Then what are we waiting for?” I ask as I hop up off the floor then offer my hand to Riley to pull her and Evie up. I lead them out to the backyard. Riley sets Evie down on a blanket with a few of her toys then joins her there. She rubs some sunblock all over Evie then does the same thing to herself.

  “Here, let me help you,” I offer, holding my hand out for the bottle of lotion. I pour some into my palm then rub both hands together. I rub it all over Riley’s back, making sure to slip my fingertips underneath her bikini straps. They might not just slip under the straps; I take the liberty to move them past the cups, flicking her nipples.

  “Justin,” she warns. “Your daughter is right here,” she reminds me, causing my dick to go a little soft.


  “Fine, I’ll be a good boy,” I tell her as I pull my shirt off over my head. I’d also already put my trunks on earlier, so I’m ready for the pool. “Want to help me with my sunblock?”

  “That depends…” she states, giving me a stern look.

  “What?” I ask, pleading my innocence.

  “Don’t give me that look. You know exactly what,” she says as she grabs the sunblock and puts a generous amount in her hand. “Roll over,” she demands, and I do just that. I lay on my stomach on the blanket next to Evie. Riley straddles my ass, which, of course, does things to my dick. Her hands glide over my back, the muscles jumping under her touch. “You’re a little jumpy today,” she says as her hands rub the lotion into my skin.

  “You would be, too, if you were in my position,” I say into the blanket. I’ve got my head face down as I focus on taking in calm even breaths while she’s torturing me with her hands.

  “Dddddd,” Evie babbles from next to me; she must teeter and lose her balance because, before I know it, she’s laying across my head, drool dropping down onto my neck. I squirm, trying to move her and wipe the drool off of me.

  Riley busts out laughing, hard enough that I can feel her shaking atop of me. I wrap an arm around Evie and then flip myself from under Riley in one quick move. I grab her mid flip so that I don’t crush or hurt her while I’m moving. “You find that funny?” I ask, pulling her into me.

  “I watched it all happen so fast, yet it felt like slow motion,” she says between fits of giggles. “The way your body recoiled when the drool hit your neck was priceless.”

  She’s still laughing hard as we lie here. Evie is facing out from my body but being held against it with one arm securing her to my side. “Get it out, babe, just remember that payback is a bitch.”

  “It's no worse than being peed on,” she deadpans.

  “I’d almost rather that. It felt so gross, which was made worse by it being a surprise,” I tell her as Evie screeches again from my arms.

  “Let's get into the pool; it looks like little miss, here, is ready,” Riley points out as she heads to get into the pool. I walk around to the steps, easing my way into the water. With the sun already beating down on us and the summer heat well upon us, the coolness of the pool feels fantastic. As soon as Evie’s feet hit the water, she starts kicking like she’s a little fish. I wade out a bit, bobbing her along with me until I reach where Riley is standing, holding the baby float thing that she loves hanging out in. It works well and helps keep her occupied while we float around the water.

  Sixteen

  Riley

  “Okay, so you’ll be back late Wednesday night, early Thursday morning, and your parents arrive on Friday. Do we want to plan on anything special while they’re here?” I ask as Justin packs his suitcase for a three-night road trip.

  “I don’t think so, they don’t usually require any fanfare when they come to see me, and we can all be honest, they aren’t coming for me anymore.”

  “Oh, I’m well aware that they’re only coming to get an Evie fix. Well, that and your mom is excited to see us together.” I flash him a small smile.

  “Yeah, she’s reminded me of that fact no less than a hundred times,” he deadpans as he rolls a few T-shirts before placing them into his bag. Once the shirts are in his bag, he leans over and drops a peck on the corner of my lips. I miss him when he’s gone, but I find it fascinating to watch him pack so often. It’s like second nature to him to have to pack all the time and head out. Such is the life of a professional athlete. Half of the season is spent on the road, and that’s a shit ton of time when you really look at the schedule.

  “Did you see the headline about you today?” I ask, not sure if he saw it or not, since it hasn’t come up yet.

  “Yeah,” he grunts out. “I really hate that woman. She’s a devil in sheep’s clothing.”

  “I didn’t get the greatest vibe from her, either,” I tell him. I noticed that she did precisely what he warned me about and got close to the friends and family section so she could attempt to eavesdrop on what we were talking about. “I think it will only be a matter of days before they figure out who I am,” I tell him, not really caring, but also knowing that my number one focus needs to be keeping Evie safe once they do, so if that means keeping her safely secured in the house, then I will.

  “I agree. I was a little shocked that they haven’t already, to be honest.”

  “I’m sure that they’ll quickly figure out I’m Derek’s sister and start making lots of assumptions.”

  “Yeah, like my nanny turned sex slave,” he jokes, dropping a full kiss onto my lips.

  “Don’t be crass.” I laugh against his lips as I smack my hands on his chest.

  “Just telling the truth,” he says before deepening the kiss. His fingers sink into my hair as his palms cup my cheeks. He angles my head precisely right, allowing him to deepen the kiss as he desires. I sink into him. Into this embrace, this kiss. By the time we break apart, my body is humming for more. More kissing. More touching. More of everything he is willing to give me.

  “I’m going to miss you,” I whisper as I place my head against his chest.

  “I’m going to miss you, as well. Maybe my next road trip, you and Evie will have to come out with me.”

  “Maybe,” I state. He’s brought up the idea once before, but I never gave it much thought.

  “Do you have any plans while I’m gone?” he asks as he zips up his suitcase.

  “Not really, hanging out with Jillian and the kids. Probably take a few walks to the park, but otherwise just some lazy summer days.”

  “Just be careful while you’re out and about. I don’t want anyone harassing you while I’m not around to protect the two of you.” His protectiveness of both Evie and me is downright sexy.

  “Always,” I assure him. “I’ll always make Evie’s security my priority. I love her as if she’s my own daughter and would do anything to protect her.”

  “I just worry about both of you and know you’ll do everything you can to keep her safe,” he says, pulling his hat off and tossing it onto the bed next to me. He runs his hands through his hair, tugging at the ends slightly. “Fuck. I just worry that something’s going to happen to one or both of you while I’m not here to do anything about it.”

  “Justin.” I say his name to attempt to get his attention. I reach out and grab his hand. “We’ll be good. If something were to happen, I’d get help. I have Jillian and some of the other WAGs that I’m sure I could call. Worst case scenario, I call the cops if it’s something that serious.”

  “I know,” he says, blowing out a huge breath. He shifts until he’s standing between my thighs then cups my cheeks in his big hands. “I know you’ll be fine; it's just me worrying. Not something that I’ll probably ever stop doing. Becoming a father has changed me. I hope that you can see that. See that I’m no longer the guy I used to be, the playboy.”

  “You’ve definitely changed. I can’t attest to the playboy times that much, but I’m also not complaining about what’s standing in front of me.”

  “You’re one of the best things to happen to me. I hope you know that,” he says, then covers my lips with his own. I fall back onto the bed, pulling him with me. My legs wrap around his waist, pulling his dick against my center. I can feel him harden as I grind against him—no shame to my game. I can’t get enough of him, and thankfully, it appears that he can’t get enough of me. That first night that we slept together unleashed this almost uncontrollable desire that I have for Justin. The first few times were a little painful, but he was so gentle with me that it quickly gave way to pure pleasure. “You’re feisty this afternoon,” he says, kissing his way to my jaw, nipping at the skin between sucking kisses.

  “Gotta take advantage of you while you’re home,” I somehow manage to get out as he drives me crazy. Between his mouth, wandering hand that has snaked under my shirt to tweak my nipple, while the other slides inside my yoga pants and is circling
my clit, I’m ready to come apart at his hands.

  “You’re so fucking sexy when you’re about to come,” he says, nipping at my neck a little harder. “The way your skin flushes,” he pauses to suck my earlobe between his teeth, releasing it quickly, “the way your skin puckers in goose bumps after I rub my lips across it.” His lips ghost along my collarbone, and up the other side of my neck, stopping shortly to suck at my pulse, that’s pounding. “The way your pussy latches on to my fingers when I slide them inside you,” he says as he does just that, and I cry out.

  “Jus…tin!” I say, dragging his name out as I unravel at his doing.

  He pulls his hand from my center, bringing his fingers to his mouth and sucking them clean. “I love the way you taste,” he tells me.

  “Mhmm…” I hum, enjoying the blissed state I’m in from that orgasm. “Want me to take care of that?” I ask him, reaching for his erection that’s bulging in his shorts.

  “Not going to deny you.” He smirks at me as he reaches down to unzip his fly. I watch as he pulls his cock from his boxers, sliding them down his legs and out of the way—my mouth waters as he strokes his cock a few times. I shift on the bed until I’m lying directly in front of him in a position that I can suck his cock into my mouth. “Fuuuuuuuuuuck!” he groans as I slide my tongue down the rigid underside of his hard shaft. I return to the tip, kissing it lightly before I suck him into my mouth, taking him in as far as I can. The tip hits the back of my throat, and I pull back until just the head remains. Hollowing my cheeks, I suck hard as I bob on his cock. Justin slides his hands into my hair. He doesn’t fully take over, but I can feel the slight guidance that he gives me, showing me exactly what he wants and needs. I wrap my fist around the base of his shaft, stroking it up and down in rhythm with my mouth.

  “I’m close…” he warns, tapping my cheek in a warning. I flick my eyes up towards his, making quick eye contact for just a second before I suck him into the very back of my throat. I gag slightly when his cock hits the back of my throat, but I breathe around it. I swallow around his cock, and at that moment, I feel him harden just as his orgasm hits him. Hot cum coats the back of my throat, and I swallow. “Fuck, baby. That’s it, take my cock, suck it dry.” His dirty talk spurs me on. I love it when he lets go in the moment. I never thought that I’d be a fan of some dirty sex talk, but damn does it make me wet.