For the Win: A Standalone Baseball Romance

by Raine Thomas

  “Sure.”

  They pulled their phones out of their purses and exchanged numbers. As Jasmine returned her phone to her purse, she happened to glance up and saw The Girlfriends giving her the stare-down. She deliberately ignored them.

  “Would you like to meet the other wives?” Sierra asked.

  “You mean I’m allowed?” Jasmine joked. “I was told this is The Wives’ Club. I’m just a mere One-Timer.”

  Everly shook her head and guided Jasmine over toward a couple of the wives. “That’s all nonsense created by…what did you call them? The Girlfriends? That seems a fitting name.”

  “We try to include the dates in these things,” Sierra explained, “but none of them seem comfortable talking to us.”

  Jasmine figured that was due to The Girlfriends’ rousing orientation speech.

  Her attention was turned as she met the other wives and made small talk. The photos of the team ended about ten minutes later, but she saw Will drawn into a conversation with the team’s owner. Not wanting to interrupt, she made her way across the room to the silent auction to see what items had been put up for bid.

  She took her time going from item to item, fantasizing about being able to afford any of them. There were trips to Europe and Greece, a sailboat and a jet ski, collectible sports memorabilia, and a few works of art. It wasn’t until she got to the last item that her interest was truly piqued: an electric guitar autographed by The Void. Thinking of Katie, she looked at the latest bid.

  Seven hundred dollars.

  Her mouth went dry. It was lower than the bids on many of the neighboring items, but it was still out of her price range. Although she’d managed to sock away some money while living with her sister, a bid that high would take a serious chunk out of it.

  Katie will absolutely love it, she thought, and her birthday is in six weeks.

  Envisioning Katie’s reaction, she threw caution to the wind and placed a bid. If she lost, at least she’d tried. If she won, she might have to live with her sister a little longer, but Katie would have the birthday of her dreams.

  After writing down her bid, she turned around to go in search of Will. He stood a few feet away, watching her. Seeing him again sent a delightful thrill through her.

  “There you are,” she said.

  He grinned at her. “Yep.” Glancing toward the guitar, he asked, “Did Katie turn you into a Void fan?”

  “Definitely.” She moved closer to him to be better heard over the music and added, “But that bid wasn’t for me. It was for Katie.”

  His grin fell away. His eyes deepened in color. He closed the short distance between them and took her hand.

  “Come with me,” he said.

  She didn’t even hesitate. Responding to the heat she saw in his gaze, she willingly went with him wherever he wanted to take her.

  Chapter Seventeen

  Will watched Jasmine throughout the photo session. How could he not? She was hands-down the sexiest woman in the room.

  Even his teammates noticed. He hadn’t been standing in front of the step-and-repeat for two minutes before Javy—a known perpetual bachelor—approached him.

  “That gorgeous lady in red yours, Campbell?” he asked.

  Pride had Will standing straighter. “Yep.”

  “Things serious?”

  Giving Javy a sideways glance as the photographer told them all to smile, he growled, “Hands off, Rios.”

  Javy lifted his hands in a show of surrender. They paused to smile for the first series of photographs.

  “You can’t blame a guy for askin’,” Javy said as some of them were repositioned. “She’s sizzlin’ hot. An athlete, right?”

  “A ballerina. How’d you guess?”

  “I’m a catcher, man. I know what an ACL repair looks like. Got a scar from one of ‘em myself.”

  “Smile,” the photographer told them.

  Will smiled, all the while thinking of Javy staring at Jasmine’s legs long enough to notice the barely noticeable scar over her right knee. The catcher was a notorious ladies’ man. Would Jasmine even consider entertaining a proposition from him?

  Knowing he had no real stake to claim weighed on Will’s mind as he went through the motions of posing and smiling for the photos. When it came down to it, he didn’t know if Jasmine had agreed to attend this thing with him as a friend—which they’d certainly become after nearly four months of knowing one another—as a teacher who didn’t want to lose her job, or as a genuine romantic interest. It guided his gaze over to her more and more often from beyond the step-and-repeat.

  Javy wasn’t the only one who mentioned her, either. No less than six other guys approached him asking how serious things were between them. In nearly seven years in the pros, he’d never had that happen with a date he’d brought to an event.

  Maybe that subconsciously came into play when he approached her at the silent auction table. He intended to ask if she wanted another glass of wine since he didn’t see one in her hand. All it took was one glimpse of her in her red dress and sexy high heels to lose every other thought in his head. The sight of her nicely toned ass as she bent over the table made him stop in his tracks nearly ten feet from her.

  Once he saw that she was bidding on something, his mind switched gears. He knew she didn’t have much money. The auction was meant to raise money for the center, which meant people were going to bid outrageous amounts on the items.

  That made him even more curious about what she was bidding on. He moved a step closer to the table and saw the guitar bearing The Void’s logo and signatures from the band’s members. He was about to speak when she turned to find him standing there.

  “There you are,” she said.

  Pleased by her enthusiasm, he grinned. “Yep.” He looked at the guitar. “Did Katie turn you into a Void fan?”

  “She did.” She moved closer before clarifying, “But that bid wasn’t for me. It was for Katie.”

  The words struck him squarely in the heart.

  He took her hand. “Come with me.”

  Thank God she didn’t voice any objections. He maneuvered through the crowd, doing his best to avoid making eye contact with any other guests. Though he hadn’t been to the facility before, he knew his way around a building. There were always areas off-limits to guests and staff.

  Three minutes later, he found what he was looking for. On the far right-hand side of the room behind the floor-to-ceiling draping was a hallway leading to an unlocked maintenance room. It was large enough that it split into three different spaces and new enough that it smelled of fresh paint and lumber. All of that worked well enough for him.

  Locking the door behind them and turning on his phone’s flashlight, he pulled Jasmine over to a small side room with a workbench against the far wall. He strode over to the workbench, put his phone down, and pulled her hard against him, claiming her lips in a searing kiss.

  She immediately sank into it. He heard a soft thud that he vaguely registered as her purse hitting the floor. She reached up to clutch the lapels of his suit jacket. His hands spanned her waist, itching to pull her even closer. When she parted her lips, he tasted her like he’d been craving to all evening, though he knew he was playing with fire.

  God, he wanted her…more than he’d ever wanted another woman.

  This was just a kiss, he told himself. Then the delicious taste of her blended with her irresistible scent, and she made the most erotic sound in the back of her throat.

  He hardened instantly.

  When she abruptly pulled away from him, he assumed she’d come to her senses. Half-expecting a slap, he stood and watched with a baffled expression as she reached for the button to his suit jacket and pushed the jacket until it started sliding down his arms.

  Not only wasn’t she putting a stop to this, she was moving things along.

  The sound of their harsh breathing filled the silence as he tossed his discarded jacket onto the workbench. She grasped his tie and tugged him closer, re
suming the kiss.

  This time he gave in to the urge to pull her completely against him. He wanted to feel her magnificent body, wanted her to feel what she was doing to him. Based on the sounds she made while they kissed, she appreciated that.

  Her hands ran along the hard planes of his chest. He imagined she felt his racing heartbeat beneath her touch. When his hand moved up along her back, he felt the same response from her. His other hand slid down along the side of her body until his fingers brushed the bare skin of her thigh through the slit that had been tempting him all night. The sensation of her silky skin against his fingertips sent sexual heat rampaging through him.

  She lifted her leg and hooked it around his waist, giving him even more access beneath her skirt. He eagerly took advantage. His hand glided along her thigh, shifting the fabric of her dress aside until he reached his goal. He grazed the curve of her hip, brushing against the scrap of lace she wore under the dress. When the sounds she made grew more insistent, he allowed his hand to stray even further.

  They both groaned as he stroked the firm roundness of her backside. Her hips lifted, pressing against his raging erection.

  So he did it again.

  Then he squeezed her taut flesh, evoking a nearly incomprehensible mewling sound from her. The scent of her arousal reached him. It ignited an almost animal instinct to fully claim her. Spurred by her reaction, he lowered his other hand and slid it under her skirt to join the first one. He massaged her ass as their tongues continued to dance.

  After a couple of minutes, he broke away from her mouth to give them both a chance to catch their breath. They had somehow shifted so her back pressed against the workbench. She didn’t seem to mind.

  His head dipped down. Hers tipped back. He made use of his mouth in other ways, kissing his way along her graceful neck until he reached the curve where it met her shoulder. The urge to mark her nearly overtook him. Knowing she’d still have to walk around the event with her neck exposed kept him in check.

  They should probably stop this altogether, a hazy part of his brain warned him. Things had already escalated well beyond what he’d envisioned when he brought her into this room.

  Then her hand moved between them and she grasped him through the front of his pants.

  “Oh, God,” he choked out.

  She gave him a slow, wicked smile. “Rather impressive, William.”

  She leaned closer. Her lips brushed against the lobe of his ear before she took it lightly between her teeth. Her grip on him tightened and undulated in a rhythmic up and down motion that had him squeezing his eyes shut and issuing a strangled groan.

  She was absolutely trying to kill him.

  “I can’t wait to feel you inside me,” she whispered against his ear.

  His eyes flew open. “Jasmine, I didn’t think…I don’t have…”

  “I do.” She picked up her purse and pulled out a foil packet. “May put this in my purse when she followed me upstairs.”

  His heart tried to escape his chest. “Are you sure you want—”

  She leaned in for another kiss.

  He couldn’t resist her.

  The purse once again fell to the ground. The kiss returned to hot and carnal in seconds. Though he wasn’t sure how, she managed to shimmy out of the lace underwear she wore without parting from his mouth. This time when she lifted her leg and hooked it around his waist, she took his hand and guided it to her body.

  “Feel how much I want this,” she said.

  He held her beautiful dark gaze as his hand skimmed over her. The evidence of her arousal soon coated his fingertips. He fought another groan when he brushed against her sensitive flesh and provoked a gasp from her.

  “Is this where you want me?” he asked, slipping a finger inside her.

  She made another sexy sound and grew heavier against him, telling him he’d weakened her knees. “Yes,” she breathed.

  Using the workbench and his free hand to better brace her, he continued to tease her, inserting a second finger and using his thumb to stimulate her. Her body squeezed his fingers with liquid heat, telling him she was close. She couldn’t stand the sensual torment for long.

  “Take me, Will,” she demanded.

  She helped him unhook his belt, the condom packet still held between two of her fingers. He lowered his pants and boxer briefs. She tore the packet and retrieved the condom. Watching her roll it onto him was more erotic than it probably should have been.

  Hell, everything about her turned him on.

  Once the condom was in place, she lifted her skirt and returned her spectacular leg to its position around his waist. He didn’t think he’d ever be able to see her again in high heels without remembering this moment as he took her while she still wore them.

  Though part of him wanted to take his time with her, the more dominant part wouldn’t let him. He drove himself into her.

  Her cry this time was of primal ecstasy.

  Hoping the music and distance from the event kept them from being overheard, he repeated the powerful thrust. “Is that what you want, Jasmine?” he asked against her ear. “You want it hard?”

  “God, yes.”

  “Hold on to me.”

  She gripped his shoulders. He reached beneath her dress, grasping her hips with both hands to hold her steady as he thrust into her in long, savage strokes.

  Her eyes closed.

  Her head fell back.

  And when she came, it was with his name on her lips.

  “Yes, Will, yes.”

  God, was that ever hot.

  He paused a moment to allow her to ride out the orgasm. The tight, repetitive spasms gripped him like bliss itself. Her eyelids slowly parted.

  “Oh,” she said. “Did you…?”

  “No. I want the pleasure of seeing and feeling that again.”

  Color rose in her cheeks. “Thanks, but I’m not really wired that way.”

  It took him a second to understand. “You mean you’ve never had multiple—”

  She shook her head before he finished. This time, it was his turn to produce a slow, wicked smile.

  “Then you’re about to learn something rather remarkable about yourself, Ms. Li.”

  Her eyes widened as he leaned in for another kiss. She made the softest sound when their lips touched, almost like disbelief. It didn’t stop her from allowing him to taste her again.

  When his hands shifted from her hips to her backside and spent some time there, the next sound she made was more like amazement.

  “That’s right,” he said in a low voice as his lips moved back to her earlobe and then trailed down the side of her neck. “You’re going to take it again, you’re going to take it hard, and you’re going to fucking love it.”

  Her loud, low groan told him he was on the right track.

  His Jasmine sure liked the dirty talk.

  So he kept it up. Between that and the magic he worked with his hands, her hips were once again moving against him in no time at all.

  “You ready to come again?” he asked, punctuating the question with a forceful thrust.

  “Yes.”

  He heard the awe in her voice. It made him feel like a god.

  Pairing his thrusts with more of the filthy talk she wanted, he soon had her clawing at his shoulders and making more of those incredibly sexy sounds. Sweat beaded on his brow as he fought his body’s urges. He’d promised her another orgasm, and he intended to deliver.

  “Will.”

  Finally, he felt her next release pound through her. He quickened his pace. A few thrusts later, he allowed ecstasy to consume him.

  He had to brace himself on the workbench to stay upright as he recovered some brain power. Jasmine lowered her leg and eased away from him, gathering her underwear from the floor and putting it back on. The sound of their choppy breathing and the scent of sex filled the air.

  What an unforgettable night this had turned into.

  Jasmine picked up her purse, collecting the lipstick a
nd compact that had fallen out. It made him think he had lipstick all over his face. When she pulled out a couple of tissues and held them toward him, he figured he must.

  “We can’t walk out of here with a used condom,” she said. “I’ll wrap it up and drop it in the first garbage can.”

  It was hardly sweet pillow talk, but he supposed it was practical. He took the tissues and used them to wrap up the condom. Rather than give the ball of tissues back to her, he tucked it into his own hand and held onto it as he tugged his pants back on. He hoped they weren’t as wrinkled as he feared as he tucked in his shirt and secured his belt.

  When he grabbed his suit jacket, Jasmine stepped closer before he put it on. She reached out and straightened his tie.

  “I just want you to know before we walk out of here,” she said, “that was the best sex I’ve ever had.”

  Now that’s more like it, he thought with a grin.

  “If you liked that, just wait until you get to experience some of my good moves,” he replied.

  She lowered her hands and took a step away from him. “As incredibly satisfying as this was, Will, it can’t happen again.”

  “What?”

  “I’m sorry, but I don’t want to jeopardize my work with Katie, and I really need to focus on my career. I’ve got my first audition in a few days and there will be more after that. I don’t have the time or energy to dedicate to a relationship right now.”

  He shrugged into his suit jacket and took his time buttoning it, his eyes steady on her face. “Is that so?”

  “Yes.”

  After another beat, he nodded. “All right.” He picked up his phone and waved her toward the door. “After you.”

  He picked up on her doubt over his easy agreement. She was right to feel that way.

  She had reasons he respected for not wanting to get involved with him. But if she thought he would leave it at that after she bid what little money she had on an expensive, thoughtful gift for his daughter and then gave him the hottest sex of his life, she was sadly mistaken.

  He specialized in seeing things through to their completion. Whether she was ready for it or not, Jasmine Li was about to learn why he was the best closer in the Major Leagues.