For the Win: A Standalone Baseball Romance

by Raine Thomas

  Chapter Eighteen

  Despite her adamant declaration to Will, Jasmine had a hard time getting him out of her head after attending the event with him. Four days had passed and her brain still wanted to remind her of those two mind-blowing orgasms every other minute. She was walking around in an annoying state of horniness.

  She really had to get past that today, though. She was about to participate in her first audition since getting injured. She’d been reviewing the work of the ballet’s choreographer for weeks, knowing that one of the cardinal sins of auditioning was not picking up on the choreography quickly enough. She had also stepped up her workout routines and spent relentless hours on her form. A couple of sessions with Dr. Smythe to work through her mental blocks had helped too.

  Ready or not, today was the day. She was even then stretching in a room full of other hopeful dancers. There was an atmosphere in the room unlike what she’d experienced while a student. Everyone looked calm, professional, and confident. Though Jasmine tried to convey the same, her self-doubt threatened to creep in.

  “It’s nerve-wracking, isn’t it?” asked the dancer stretching beside her.

  The accent told Jasmine her fellow dancer was likely from India. One look at her features confirmed it. She had dark hair and eyes, a pretty oval face, and a clear olive complexion. She stood a couple inches shorter than Jasmine, putting her at around five-three. Her turquoise halter-style leotard was a standout in the room. When she smiled, it looked warm and genuine.

  “It sure is,” Jasmine replied.

  It was a relief to say it out loud to someone who understood.

  “My name’s Alima.”

  Nodding at Alima from her bent position, she said, “Jasmine.”

  “What a beautiful name.”

  “Thanks. It’s nice to meet you.”

  “You too. Have you been out of the audition circuit for a while?”

  That had Jasmine straightening. “How did you know?”

  “I haven’t seen you around. I’ve been auditioning all over the city for more than a year. And since you’re not a teenager, it was either you took a break or you just moved here.”

  “Oh.” At least it hadn’t been something more noticeable, like her form during her stretches, that had tipped the other dancer off. “It was a break, actually. ACL surgery.”

  Alima winced. “I’m sorry to hear it. I took a break prior to all these auditions because of back spasms. The first audition after coming back was a real struggle for me.”

  Jasmine might have thought the other dancer was trying to get in her head, but her demeanor and her tone both radiated sincerity. She chose to take the commiseration at face value.

  “It’s no picnic, I’ll give you that,” she said.

  “It will be all right,” Alima said in her lyrical, precise way of speaking. “Just remember that we all have equal chances here. It’s about what you show them now. None of what happened since your injury will matter.”

  “Thanks. That helps.”

  “Good.” Easing out of her last stretch, Alima said, “You know, there’s a group of us who get together once or twice a month. Others like us who have gone through physical challenges and are forging their way back onto the stage. We just work out together, maybe dance if we feel like it. And there’s usually a lot of gossiping and wine drinking. You should come out and join us some time.”

  The offer was so kind that Jasmine didn’t want to be rude and say no. “That sounds fun.”

  She took Alima’s contact information and thanked her moments before her group was called for the next round of auditions.

  “Thanks again,” she told Alima. “Break a leg.”

  “You too.”

  The audition was split into three segments: barre work, center floor work, and an interview. At each stage, cuts would be made. As Jasmine made her way into the audition space with her group, she put every other thought from her mind.

  This was her chance. She had to give it her all.

  Her barre work was flawless. She was one of ten dancers in her group to move onto the next round of center floor work. Her combinations went well enough that she was invited to participate in the in-person interview. She wondered if the three people conducting the interview saw her heart hammering in her chest. It was thumping so hard she had to take several deep breaths to get it to calm down.

  “As you are aware, Ms. Li, we’re looking to welcome three of you into our company,” said the one male of the trio. “Tell us why you’re that dancer.”

  All in all, the questions were pretty standard, and all within the realm of those she’d practiced with May’s help. She felt she did well until they asked her to talk about her outside interests. Only two things popped into her head: her private lessons with Katie and her work at Steamy Beans.

  Could the question be a trick? Would they think she wasn’t driven enough as a dancer if she shared either of those things?

  “I prefer to focus on my dancing,” she said. When the trio exchanged glances, she hurried to add, “I also spend time with my dad in his garden. I enjoy seeing things grow.”

  “Thank you,” the male told her. “We’ll notify you of our decision when we contact everyone after auditions conclude.”

  Jasmine sensed that her interview answers—particularly the one about her outside interests—hadn’t been what the interviewers were looking for. It weighed on her as she gathered her things and headed to her car.

  What had she said to turn the interviewers off? Did they want her more well-rounded? Should she take up crocheting? Donate her time to a local charity?

  Or, ironically, would mentioning her teaching have helped her get the job?

  As she sat in her car, her phone dinged. She picked it up and scanned the screen.

  You going to be home tomorrow?

  The text was from Will. He had just returned from a three-day road trip. Though they hadn’t seen each other since the charity event, she’d had a lesson with Katie the day before. They were working on something different when he couldn’t participate in the lessons so he didn’t miss anything.

  She stared at the text until the screen went blank. Then she put the phone down and started the car. She wasn’t in the mood to talk to anyone, she told herself.

  And she definitely was not avoiding Will Campbell and how he made her feel.

  * * *

  The next day, he showed up on her doorstep.

  She was doing yoga with May on one of her sister’s rare afternoons off. They had the place to themselves since the guys were out. They were in the middle of their video when the doorbell rang.

  “Your turn.”

  May issued the directive from the depths of her King Pigeon pose. Because her face was practically touching the floor between her feet, her voice was muffled.

  Jasmine huffed and unwound herself from the same pose to answer the door. Her cat, Dido, who had been watching them with her emerald green eyes from her spot on a nearby windowsill, leaped down and headed for the stairs. She had no patience for visitors.

  The cat’s response mirrored Jasmine’s own. Her irritation led the way to the front door. When she looked through the peephole and saw Will standing there holding a bag full of tools, that irritation latched onto the latent feelings she’d been denying for five days and propelled her right into outrage.

  “Seriously?” she greeted him when she opened the door. The sight of his smile falling from his face did nothing to ease her sudden surge of emotion. “I would have thought you’d take the hint when I didn’t respond to your texts. Why are you insisting on talking to me when I obviously don’t want to?”

  He took a moment to study her in silence, making her hyper-aware of the loose tendrils of hair that had escaped her hasty braid and the fact that she hadn’t bothered to put on any makeup that morning. That just upset her even more.

  “I’m actually here for May,” he said before she blew up again. “Is she home?”

  The heated words she�
��d been prepared to hurl at him vaporized in confusion. When she processed what he’d said, her chin lifted.

  “May?” she called over her shoulder.

  “Yeah,” her sister responded from the family room.

  “You have a visitor,” Jasmine said stiffly, turning from the front door and returning to her yoga mat.

  She knew she was acting like a bitchy idiot. Will was there to take care of the repairs he had promised May he would handle. When he had texted to ask if she would be home that day, it was probably to make sure he didn’t waste his time showing up to an empty house.

  Of course he’s not here to see you, she thought as she returned to her mat and cued the video back up. You made yourself pretty damn clear, didn’t you? And you’re right to keep that line drawn. The more involved you get with him and Katie, the harder it’ll be to return to dancing.

  She struggled to ignore the painful lump in her throat. She must be PMSing or something.

  “It’s so nice of you to take the time to come out here,” May told Will as they crossed the room to the kitchen. “I was able to find the make and model of the oven, and I put together a little list if you really don’t mind…”

  “I’m happy to,” Will said.

  The pain in Jasmine’s throat intensified. She told herself it was anger. She couldn’t even justify why.

  “My dad took my daughter to Six Flags today, so I’ve got nothing but time on my hands,” he explained.

  “You didn’t want to go?” May asked.

  “I had a meeting this morning and didn’t want to hold them up. Plus, between you and me, roller coasters and I don’t get along so well.”

  May laughed. “Jasmine gets motion sick too. Me, on the other hand? I love ‘em. The steeper and loopier the better.”

  “Better you than me.” He set his bag of tools on the floor. “I don’t want to keep you from what you were doing. I’ll be all right on my own.”

  “Thanks. Let me know if you have any questions about the list.”

  “Will do.”

  Jasmine pretended to be absorbed in her pose as May returned to her mat to complete the yoga exercises. The truth was, she probably shouldn’t bother going through with the rest of the video. Her sense of centeredness and inner peace had already been well and truly shattered. Having Will there in his well-worn jeans and white T-shirt was bad enough, but when he added a tool belt around his hips that he pulled from the bag, it amped things up to a level of hotness she wouldn’t ever get out of her head.

  She decided to ignore him. It was her only defense against her tumultuous feelings.

  The video concluded fifteen minutes later. By then, Will had finished whatever he needed to do with the oven and was removing one of the dining area wall sconces…the one prone to flickering. She silently hoped he didn’t electrocute himself as she headed upstairs with May.

  “What’s up with you two?” May asked in a whisper as they paused outside the bedroom they shared. “I thought things went well on your date. You used the condom.”

  Although Jasmine hadn’t said a word about her encounter with Will, she supposed it wasn’t shocking that May had reasoned things out herself.

  “That was a mistake.”

  May folded her arms and stared at her.

  Rolling her eyes, Jasmine threw up her hands and said, “Fine. It was a glorious mistake, okay?”

  May nodded. “That’s perfectly fine then. I’m showering first.”

  Relieved that her sister let the subject drop, Jasmine didn’t argue about the shower order. She changed into her robe as May took the bathroom, then killed time scrolling through Instagram and rubbing Dido’s head since the cat insisted on some attention. Ten minutes later, May crossed the hall from the bathroom into the bedroom, freeing Jasmine up to go shower.

  Her traitorous mind kept conjuring up images of Will as she stood beneath the streaming water. She did her best to think of other, less arousing things, but it was no use. She turned off the water with the image of him smiling as he promised her a second orgasm fresh in her mind. It fueled her frustration over him being there.

  This is why your audition didn’t go as well as you wanted, she tried to convince herself.

  So when she opened the door a few minutes later wearing nothing but her robe and saw him loitering in the hallway, it set her temper off again.

  “What are you doing up here?” she asked, holding the top of her robe closed with her fist.

  He took a step closer. She had to tilt her head back to meet his gaze.

  Her heartbeat skyrocketed.

  “Waiting to get into the bathroom,” he replied.

  “There’s one downstairs.”

  “Not one with a leaky faucet.”

  Once again, he was pointing out that he was there to help May. It made her want to storm into the bedroom and slam the door in his face. Because it did, she straightened her spine and held her head higher.

  Her tone was cool as she said, “Fine.”

  Before she could move past him, he reached out and took her by the arm. Just that simple touch made her entire body respond. She gave him an ominous look.

  “Is it really so horrible for me to want to see you again?” he asked.

  The question was asked in such a gentle tone that it slipped past all her defenses. Her temper fizzled.

  “No,” she said just as quietly. “But I haven’t changed my mind. I can’t get involved in a relationship with you. Between Katie and my dancing—”

  “What if it’s just sex?”

  She gaped at him.

  He closed the short distance between them. His body heat washed over her like a seductive wave. Without her heels on, she felt tiny next to him. He lifted a hand to cup the side of her face, smelling like the lemony soap May kept by the kitchen sink. When he leaned down to kiss her, she had a second to decide whether to slide down this treacherous rabbit hole with him.

  “Change the sheets afterwards,” May called up from the bottom of the stairs.

  Jasmine jumped, breaking contact with Will’s hand. Giving her grinning sister a glare from the hallway, she grabbed Will’s hand and tugged him into the bedroom, sending Dido scurrying from the bed and out the door. Jasmine closed the door firmly behind them.

  “Just sex?” she repeated as they stood there facing each other.

  He once again moved closer to her. Her breath tangled in her throat. She was transfixed by his beautiful eyes. The afternoon sunlight shining through the bedroom window made them even more captivating.

  “Just sex,” he agreed, reaching for the tie to her robe. He held her gaze as he slowly loosened the bow. “Just hot, satisfying, unforgettable sex.”

  She was powerless to stop him. Her body had already jumped on board with his proposal. Her nipples pressed against the robe’s thin material, craving his touch. The deliciously painful ache that had started between her thighs while she was in the shower once again made itself known. By the time he finished untying her robe, she was reaching for the latch to his tool belt.

  “I’ll get that,” he said, taking over for her. “It’s heavy.”

  She used the time it took him to remove it to shrug out of her open robe. The look in his eyes as it pooled at her feet told her he liked what he saw.

  “Do you even realize how gorgeous you are?” he asked in a rough voice.

  She gave his T-shirt a hard tug to release it from his pants. “Why don’t you show me?”

  Taking the hint, he removed the shirt in one swift movement. She got a scorching glimpse of his well-muscled torso before he stepped forward, picked her up, and carried her the few feet to the queen-sized bed. She reached down and shoved the comforter to the side before he laid her on the sheets. As she scooted closer to the middle of the bed, he removed his work boots and socks, then joined her. He looked like a predator scenting its prey as he climbed onto the bed on all fours and moved until he was settled between her legs.

  There was something delectably sinful abou
t his muscular, denim-clad body pressed so intimately against her. The heat in his eyes reflected the same sentiment.

  “I’ve been fantasizing about this for days,” he said.

  Deciding he deserved equal honesty, she admitted, “Me too.”

  He smiled. Then he kissed her.

  Will Campbell was one hell of a kisser. She felt every masterful stroke of his tongue like a full-body caress. When his hands got involved, it escalated her pleasure to heights she’d never experienced. It was frightening how quickly he made her lose all control…how quickly he made her want him to.

  Their first time together had been severely hampered by their clothing. She hadn’t realized it at the time because she’d been too busy enjoying herself. As Will now lowered his head to give attention to her breasts, it was like a new awakening.

  He turned her into a writhing, pleading mass of sensation.

  “I love those sexy sounds you make,” he said once she was nearly incoherent with need.

  The words had his warm breath brushing over her abdomen as he placed kisses along her breastbone, just above her navel, then just beneath it. When he moved even lower, she almost reached down to stop him. The possibility of his intent kept her from doing so.

  “What are you doing? Are you going to…?”

  He paused to look up along her body and met her gaze. “Hell, yes, I’m going to.”

  He never even asked if she wanted him to do it. If he had, she might have blurted the rather embarrassing truth that the other two lovers she’d had in her life hadn’t wanted to engage in this particular sexual act, and she wasn’t sure if she’d like it. He’d probably already reasoned that neither of them had been especially skilled lovers. She’d die before she admitted that the only time she had found pleasure with them had been at her own hands.

  Then he reached his goal and she didn’t give any of that another thought. It took exactly one brush of his tongue for her to decide she didn’t like it.

  She loved it.

  It turned out Will Campbell was just as skilled at using his mouth for things other than kissing. Before long, she was gripping the sheets on either side of her body, begging him to end her torment. She wasn’t sure, but he might have actually chuckled before he finally did as she asked.