The Baller's Black Baby Daughter: BWWM Romance

by Ciara Cole

  When his lips descended on hers again, she offered no resistance. He devoured her with his kisses that weren’t brutal, yet not gentle either. Her lips widened, and Derrick groaned, his tongue accepting the invitation. He gently guided her to her feet as he rose and their lips merged. He peeled off her blouse and tossed it to the floor. Next was her skirt, which he unzipped and let fall to the floor as well. Leah’s eyes opened as she stood there in just her panties and bra.

  She couldn’t help the flush that heated her cheeks as Derrick’s eyes greedily raked her curvaceous figure, well-rounded breasts, swollen bump, and lush, sexy thighs. He lifted his hand to her breast to caress one rock-like nipple. Leah’s eyelids fluttered in pleasure, Derrick’s palm resting under the delicate weight of her breasts. As his fingers began to tug at each tightened nub through her thin lacy bra, wild frissons of lust soared through every atom of her body.

  “Beautiful, Leah.” Derrick smiled appreciatively, his darkened grey eyes dipping to the rise and fall of her generous, bouncy breasts. Then he slid his hand to touch her belly, making her shiver at the warmth of his palm on her bump. With a groan, his lips took possession of hers once more.

  Leah melted into him, their tongues and lips dueling. Her soft moan spurred him, his lips breaking from hers so he could nibble on her scented throat. He smoothed his fingers over her skin, down her swollen belly and down lower, feathering between her thighs.

  “Derrick.” His name was a pleading whimper. He caressed her soft, wet folds from beneath her panties, and like an earth tremor, her whole being shuddered violently. Her synapses greedily devoured the most primal pleasure Derrick so skillfully administered.

  “Love the sound of my name on your lips,” he replied hoarsely, followed by a guttural groan as Leah’s kisses found his chin. Moving his arms around her, he cupped her curvy buttocks, molding her closer still to his pelvis. Ooh. He was so big and hard for her. Leah felt herself enveloped by his sheer powerful strength, her senses swaying.

  She was now only vaguely aware of being carried in his muscled arms. She knew that like every other time they’d made love, tonight would be one of scorching abandonment.

  If she’d ever worried that her burgeoning waist would detract from his desire for her, Leah was relieved to discover that Derrick relished every change in her body with possessive enthusiasm. His eyes never failed to make known his passion, his desire, and now his love. It left her breathless.

  Chapter Ten

  Leah couldn’t help but fidget in her seat as Derrick pulled up in front of his parents’ house. It was a beautiful contemporary style mansion, really nice. She dragged in a few breaths and rubbed her sweaty palms down her thighs over and over. She could suddenly feel Derrick staring at her.

  “What?” she asked.

  “You’re nervous! Don’t be,” he said with a smile. “They’re going to simply adore you. Trust me, my parents are really supportive of our relationship.”

  “What about the baby? How did your parents take it when they found out?”

  Derrick gave a shrug. “They seemed happy about that too. Definitely happier than they were when I said I wasn’t going to have any.”

  “What? Seriously? I thought you loved kids,” Leah said with eyes wide.

  “Oh, I do. But there was a time I thought I’d never have them. There was just no one I wanted to start a family with. And yet when you told me you were pregnant, I was surprised how much I liked the thought once I wrapped my head around it.”

  “That’s nice,” Leah murmured just before Derrick leaned over and kissed her temple.

  “Don’t sweat it. Tonight, we’re meeting not just my parents but my brothers as well. They thought it would be a good idea for all of them to meet you at once. If they weren’t excited about us and the baby, would they even think of that?”

  Leah had to shake her head in agreement. “I understand. I’m excited to meet them too,” she said with a genuine smile.

  “Let’s go inside,” said Derrick. Once they both stood outside the car, they interlocked hands and walked up to the marvelous looking house.

  A thousand thoughts went through Leah’s mind until she noticed a beautiful middle-aged woman waiting outside for them, and Leah instantly focused on the night ahead. Guessing it was Derrick’s mother, Leah felt an easy smile spread on her lips.

  “Derrick!” His mother exclaimed, hugging Derrick once he walked up to her.

  “This must be Leah,” his mom said, closing the gap between them and giving Leah a hug. Pleasantly surprised, Leah hugged her back.

  “Oh my, you’re so much more beautiful than Derrick described,” his mom said, and Leah felt her cheeks warm slightly.

  “Thank you, Mrs. Talbot, and it’s a pleasure to meet you.”

  “Please, call me Madeline.” She smiled warmly as she ushered her son and his girlfriend into the house.

  Their hands still interlocked, Leah felt Derrick give hers a reassuring squeeze just as his mother called out, “Everyone, Derrick and Leah have arrived.”

  Before Leah could blink, the whole Talbot clan seemed to surround her. Derrick began to make introductions, and for a minute, it was all a blur as she met his two college-age brothers and his father, Theo Talbot.

  “Nice to meet you, Mr. Talbot,” Leah said as she greeted him with hand outstretched.

  “None of that now. Come, give me a hug,” he said, and Leah couldn’t help but laugh shyly, hugging him. “And call me Theo.”

  Leah was moved by the warm welcome. It seemed just as Derrick said, that his family was fully behind their relationship. It lifted a whole weight off her mind as she relaxed and truly started to open up as they progressed to dinner now that she’d met everyone.

  There was no doubt that with her and Derrick having such different cultural backgrounds, there’d be a lot of new experiences to get used to. For now, though, there were so many wonderful things to share, such as news about the baby, the due date, and some names they were considering for their baby girl. She enjoyed the teasing that Derrick’s brothers gave him and the little anecdotes his parents shared about Derrick when he was younger.

  It was no surprise that the evening progressed successfully. Derrick’s two brothers also played college basketball and proudly shared their own updates, one of them even announcing he’d been recalled by the Atlanta Hawks, which earned an impressed look from Derrick.

  “You did?” Derrick was surprised and pleased as his brother Brody grinned with pride.

  “All right, all right, that’s enough talk about you guys. Remember, we have a guest,” joked Theo, referring to Leah, who smiled and waved it off. She loved all the conversation and getting to feel like they considered her a part of them.

  “Now, a toast,” added Theo. “To family.”

  Leah smiled and held up her glass of juice along with everyone. “To family.”

  ***

  Leah loved nothing more than supporting her man and his career, which was why she made sure to attend as many of his games as she could. Tonight, she headed to the arena for another big game, filled with excitement and ready to cheer Derrick on.

  She stopped at one of the ushers and supplied her name before receiving her access passes and making her way to her seat. This game was extra tense because Derrick’s team was playing against Blake Wright’s.

  She’d arrived earlier with Derrick, who drove them to the venue. Before they’d parted, she’d given him a kiss and wished him good luck.

  “Who needs luck when I’ve got you?” he’d replied with a wink, only to add on a growl, “But then, there’s a question of conflict of interest.”

  Leah’s brow had furrowed in confusion. “How so?”

  “Well, considering your boyfriend’s team is playing against your client’s, I might be just a little worried whose side you’ll be on.”

  “Yours, of course,” Leah had declared, giving him a playful smack on the shoulder. “As if that was ever in doubt.”

  As the players
streamed out to start their warm-ups, Leah wondered if Derrick had really been joking. She knew well that the rivalry between him and Blake Wright raged both on and off court, but it was about time Derrick knew that her job was just her job.

  Not that Blake Wright hadn’t done a bit of needling himself and had brought Derrick up once or twice. Just the other day, he’d commented on Derrick sharing more and more photos of him and Leah together on social media. Derrick had begun to make their relationship public, and Leah had been worried about the backlash at first, but so far, there wasn’t that much negative response.

  “A guy like Talbot—you’re sure he’s in for the long haul?” Wright had asked with a slight smirk.

  “Before me, he only dated women who knew the score, knew that he offered no guarantees,” had been Leah’s calm response. “But I know Derrick was raised with strong family values, and once he makes the decision to commit, he won’t go back on it.”

  Leah believed those words more and more every day.

  Derrick turned and smiled at her from the end of the court where he was going through his drills. Leah smiled back and waved, and moments later, he walked over to her. Leah’s expression brightened, glad that he always made sure to acknowledge her at his games even if it was just to say a few words or take a photo. He wasn’t the type to shy from making it known that Leah was his woman and that he was proud of her, baby bump and all. He never paid mind to the wagging tongues or ever-present reporters snapping away.

  The game finally got underway, and it was as tight a match as could happen between two super teams. Any NBA fan would consider it a treat to get the chance to witness it, and Leah was no different. More so with her man playing a major role in a game that had a genuine playoff atmosphere, complete with more than a little of the nastiness that could rear its head at the worst of times.

  Tonight, it felt like Derrick was having one of his best games ever, snatching several rebounds as his points climbed and climbed. It was obvious there was no love lost between Derrick and Wright, the tension almost palpable in the building.

  Leah dreaded the prospect of things between them or their teams getting physical or brutal. But there was just enough basketball in between their brawls and bruising to keep fans entertained, and Leah figured that was what mattered most.

  She could sense that both Derrick and Wright shared an inner mutual respect, but like every true rivalry, there just had to be that genuine dislike that couldn’t be overridden. They were constantly at each other’s necks, but Derrick could be seen to dominate the ball, staying well ahead of the game even with Wright’s razor-sharp defensive strategy.

  But even with throwing everything at Derrick, including double-teams, ball denial, and hard fouls, he remained the one player who couldn’t be stopped. Not to be denied for very long, he eventually broke through, sinking a crazy three-pointer and ensuring victory for his team with barely a second to spare.

  Seeing Derrick make that winning three had Leah almost jumping out of her seat and running down the court to his arms. She made a more dignified celebration, standing and clapping gleefully. Soon after, Derrick reached her and gathered her into his arms, kissing her lips in between her joyous giggles.

  “The best thing about tonight was having you here and seeing you cheering for me,” said Derrick hours later as they happily headed home.

  “I’m glad that at least on this occasion, you ended the game free of a bloody nose or a hard foul from Wright.”

  Derrick huffed even as he grinned widely. “He’s not so bad. I like that he keeps me on my toes.”

  “Does that mean you two will finally learn to put your differences aside?” Leah asked, eyes widened with hopeful interest.

  “We’ll always want to beat each other and will remain competitive on the basketball court,” Derrick replied. “I can’t deny there are many similarities between us, but our contrasting personalities will make it tough to be real friends. Still, I did meet him at a commercial shoot last week, and for a few hours, our mutual dislike got to simmer down, even if just for appearances.”

  “That sounds awesome!” Leah said. “Who knows, you might be wrong about the friends part, and you two could eventually end up developing a relationship.”

  “Forget it,” said Derrick with another huff. “Although . . . I could promise to at least try. But only if you promise to stop being on his PR team.”

  Leah shook her head at him wryly. “No need for the emotional blackmail, Talbot. I already decided to take time off for the baby. Wright is aware of it and had no problem letting me go—though he said the position would be open if I ever decided to return.”

  “Hah!” scoffed Derrick even as his lips twitched in a pleased grin. “Guess I’ll have to keep you busy enough to not have to worry about you being tempted back to enemy lines. We’ll try for baby number two after Susan is born.”

  This time, it was Leah’s turn to scoff. “Nice try,” she murmured, looking away and quelling a smile. Wouldn’t it be nice if they could have more babies together, maybe even tie the knot and become a real family?

  Leah was starting to dream and aim higher for them, but only because she loved Derrick and not out of any need for validation. What mattered was that they were together and willing to build a future, one step at a time. A wedding ring would have been nice, but Leah knew it didn’t guarantee happiness. It had to be something they both wanted and strove toward for it to hold any true value for either of them.

  ***

  Chapter Eleven

  Leah made her way to the ladies’ room, glad to leave the pressure of the charity dinner for a minute. She never thought being the girlfriend of an all-star NBA basketball player would come with so many social obligations.

  Not that Derrick ever made her go, but she did feel it her duty to say yes when he asked her to accompany him to his red-carpet events. Tonight, the exclusive fundraiser proved as glamorous and daunting as anyone could face, but Leah thought she was holding her own pretty well.

  It would have been so easy to feel intimidated by the fancy surroundings. The men looked so handsome in their tuxes, and the wives and girlfriends—especially those belonging to the players—were stunning in their designer dresses. Leah was glad she had decided to make the utmost effort with her appearance tonight.

  She’d worn a beautiful shimmery gold gown with draping folds that flattered her bump and her curves. Leah knew she looked stylish and womanly and not like the ballooning seal she felt like.

  It was always the fans, though, that made Leah’s connection with Derrick a bit of a strain. His relationships seemed to mean a lot to them, and though a majority of them seemed happy for Derrick, Leah still had to endure criticism from the ‘haters’ with not just racist comments but pure hostility just because Leah and Derrick were in love.

  Leah sighed and washed her hands after using the stall. Derrick had been so gentlemanly, introducing her around. Leah had focused on smiling and making small talk, but deep down, she'd have preferred to be invisible. Now, she had to go back and face them all again. Great. Just awesome, she thought with little enthusiasm as she sighed deeply.

  She saw two women join her in the restroom to fix their makeup. After some moments, they noticed Leah, who overheard them start to talk about her.

  “Is that her?” asked the blonde one to her friend, who had her dark auburn hair in a ponytail.

  “Yes, it is,” said her friend. “Poor woman.”

  Poor woman? What the hell were they talking about? Leah was fuming even though she tried not to show it and dried her hands.

  The two women continued to whisper and Leah hated that she strained to catch their words. She could only make out a few disjointed bits.

  She’s about to pop and yet he’s still messing about with . . .

  And at this party too! Where anyone could see! That’s so . . .

  Leah’s mind whirled. Were they talking about Derrick? She’d barely left his side all night, so how could he get the cha
nce to ‘mess about’? Leah shook her head angrily. She didn’t even need to get suspicious. Derrick loved her. Simple. He spent all of his free time with her, and she could account for his whereabouts at any given time.

  But could she be wrong and there was really something to these gossiping women and their whispers? Everyone knew Derrick was in a serious relationship with the mother of the baby they were expecting together.

  Derrick wouldn’t hurt her, Leah told herself as she made her way out of the restroom, leaving behind the gossips. She knew women threw themselves at NBA players a lot, and Derrick was no exception. But he’d been so good since they met, staying away from women, especially when on the road. If he didn’t care or wanted her out of the spotlight, why would he bring her to these high-profile events with him?

  God! What if Derrick did do something indiscreet and Leah would end up seeing it on ESPN or some stinky tabloid?

  Leah couldn’t stand the torture of imagining all sorts of things. She went to look for Derrick, but on her way back to the ballroom, she was saved the trouble when she saw that a crowd had gathered in the passage just outside. In the middle was Derrick while a man was on the floor, half on his back and looking woozy as he shook his head. He already had a black eye.

  “Derrick! What’s going on here?” Leah exclaimed as the crowd parted when she appeared. She reached Derrick, who stood with a scowl on his face, but then it softened instantly just as he noticed Leah.

  “Leah . . .” he began, but right then, Leah wasn’t paying him attention, instead staring at the woman who stood off just behind Derrick. She seemed to be using him as a shield, and the way the woman, a beautiful brunette, acted so familiar with Derrick had Leah’s vision reddening.

  “Who’s she?” Leah asked calmly, oblivious to the observers taking in the scene.

  Derrick let out a sigh. “This is Gina. Leah, we—”

  Leah felt her senses whirl yet again, recalling her recent conversation with Derrick about a Gina. Suddenly, Leah’s heart sank as she realized Derrick might have fooled her last time, and there really was something between him and his on-and-off ex. If not, how come she was at the same party with Leah and Derrick and they’d been seen together? Had Derrick planned to meet Gina here, and once Leah’s back was turned for a second, they’d had a rendezvous?