Finish What You Started

by Alexandra Evans

  “Thank you for the flowers,” she said. That afternoon, she’d come home to a huge arrangement sitting on her front porch. “Stargazers are my favorites.”

  “Really?” He sounded genuinely surprised. “The girl at the flower shop I called told me they’re beautiful and they smell nice, so I knew they were perfect for you.”

  “You’re so sappy.” She laughed, but the fact he thought she was beautiful made her giddy, like she was Doris Day in one of those movies with Rock Hudson. “Oh, by the way, I graded your last essay.”

  “Oh yeah?” His voice perked up, then he added, “What’d I get, Teach?”

  “An eighty-six,” she said.

  “Ouch, you’re tough,” he teased, although she could tell he was smiling. “But I’ll take it.”

  “The detail was very good. I think I get what you were saying about it being hard to leave a game you love so much. Your experience helps me have a better understanding of the way my father felt.”

  “Your father played professional sports?”

  “Yeah, my father played baseball, too. Back in the ’80s and ’90s.”

  “Sean played baseball?” She’d discussed her family with him and how Sean Baker was her stepdad and they were a blended family of three with her younger stepbrother and sister.

  “Not Sean…my biological father,” she replied. “Joe Manning.”

  Ty was silent for a moment. “Wait, hang on. Joe Manning was your father?”

  “Yes. Mom divorced him when I was eight,” she said. “He’d left us a couple of years before. Sean has been my dad since I was about eleven, when my mom remarried.”

  “He was, like, my idol when I was growing up. I never got to see him play. He was already retired. But he was one of the greatest left fielders ever.”

  “Retired?” She gave a brittle laugh. “He never retired. He played until he couldn’t play anymore, and then he bet every dime he had on the game. The only thing my dad loved almost as much as he loved baseball was Jim Beam. He died of cirrhosis of the liver.”

  There was silence on the other end of the line, and she’d bet Ty was wincing. She didn’t want his pity. Her father—because she refused to call him her dad; that closer connection was with Sean—was way, way in the past. She didn’t know why she was even talking about him now. He was a ghost.

  “I had no idea,” he finally said. “You just never talked about your real father. I figured he was a deadbeat.”

  “Because he was a deadbeat, and I barely remember him,” she said. “He left, and kept in touch for a couple of years, then after my mom remarried, I never really heard much from him other than the occasional birthday card with a check inside, which sometimes bounced. You asked why I don’t trust ballplayers—”

  “He’s the reason.” He sounded angry on her behalf. “I’m sorry your dad was a bastard. Not all of us are that way.”

  “I’m finding out,” she said. Ty seemed nothing like her father. During their many conversations, he’d discussed some of the things he wanted to do when he retired, and she got the feeling that would be soon. “Anyway, he’s been gone for ten years. Truthfully, longer than that.

  “But I won’t say my father was a bastard. He just couldn’t leave the game, he couldn’t deal with growing old and younger players being better than him. He was addicted to it, like some kind of competitive crack. It drove him into the ground. He was so desperate to play, he played for farm clubs in little towns. Ty, that game killed him, but not before he abandoned his wife and kids to follow it wherever he needed to go to keep playing.”

  Ty heard a little hitch in her voice, and God, he hoped his essay hadn’t dredged up old hurts for her, but it sounded like that was just what it had done. “I’m sorry, Harper. Not all guys know when to call it a day, unfortunately. Just like not all guys are able to stay away from the easy access to drugs and women that fame brings.”

  He briefly thought of J.J. and hoped he was doing well in rehab. He hadn’t had an update as of yet, but it had only been a couple of weeks.

  “Do you know when to call it a day?” she murmured. “Or are you going to be just like him and keep going until it destroys you? Because I’m going to tell you right now, if that’s the way it is, I won’t stick around to watch it.”

  “I’m already making plans for retirement,” he answered automatically. But was he really? Wasn’t he playing through pain, making bad throws on swollen knees because he didn’t want to give up the starter position? Heck, everyone knew if you weren’t the starting catcher, you most likely weren’t playing in the game. So exactly when was enough? He sighed and wiped a hand across his face.

  “I’m glad you’re ready,” she murmured, and he could tell she was close to sleep.

  “I should let you go,” he said. “I can tell you’re exhausted.”

  “No, no. Stay with me.” God, he wished he were there right now. “I want to hear your voice while I fall asleep.”

  “I don’t think I could deny you anything,” he replied. And he knew it was true.

  “I miss you so much,” she said. Then, as if reading his mind, “I wish you were here right now.”

  “I can do the next best thing.”

  He piled another pillow behind his back and sat up against the bed’s headboard. “What are you wearing, baby,” he whispered as he rubbed his cock through the soft fabric of his underwear. “C’mon. Are you wearing that black lace thing you were wearing on our first night?”

  “The teddy? Um…yes.” Ty could tell she was lying, but he didn’t care.

  “Good. I like that thing,” he said. He pulled his boxer briefs off and tossed them to the floor. Putting the phone on speaker and placing it on the bed, he continued, “I want you to touch yourself, baby. Pull those panties to the side and stick your finger in your pussy for me.”

  “Oh, yes,” she breathed. When he heard her sharp inhale, he knew she’d done as he’d asked.

  “Are you wet for me, baby? Tell me how wet are you?”

  Ty grabbed his cock and began to pump himself slowly as Harper murmured, “I’m really wet. I want you inside me so badly.”

  “Put another finger in, sweetheart, and imagine me between your legs, using my own fingers to make sure you’re ready for me.”

  “Yesss.”

  “Now feel me as I enter you, slowly pushing inside. Can you feel how hard I am, baby?”

  “Mmmm,” she panted. “Oh, God, you feel so good inside me.”

  “Put another finger in, darlin’.” Ty could feel his orgasm tingling at the base of his spine. He took his hand from his penis and rubbed his balls. “I want you to come for me, baby. Rub your clit with your thumb while you pump your fingers in and out.” He heard her panting. “Yeah, that’s it. Now come for me baby. Come on.”

  He listened as Harper’s breathing picked up speed, grabbing his cock in his fist again and pumping in time with her moans. She gasped and then “Ty!”

  When she cried out his name, he let himself go and shot his load up onto his stomach and chest. Breathing hard, he said, “Aw, babe, that was so good. So, so good. Are you okay?”

  He grabbed the phone and went to the bathroom to clean up, keeping her on the line.

  “Perfect,” she sighed. “Thank you.”

  “Anything for my baby.” He lay back down and turned the speaker off, lifting the phone to his ear so he could hear her clearly. “Now, get some rest, sweetheart. I’m not going anywhere. I’m right beside you.”

  He closed his eyes and listened to her soft breaths even out into sleep, and hugged a hotel pillow next to him, wishing it was her body he held instead of feathers and cotton.

  10

  Harper checked herself in the mirror, hoping what she wore was appropriate for this surprise outing Ty had been promising for the last couple of weeks. The tailored yellow T-shirt dress, waist-length blue cardigan, and denim espadrilles she wore were as casual as she had in her closet, without being too casual. She didn’t think cut-off jeans and a r
ugby jersey would do.

  He’d been back from his road trip for nearly a week. Ty had wined and dined her…at her place or his. They’d been very careful to be discreet, just as LaTanya had suggested, and she’d enjoyed her time getting to know Ty even more.

  She’d found out his older brother had retired from being a professional football quarterback after a concussion threatened his health. He had another brother and a sister, all living back in a little town in Texas called Monarch. Evidently named that because the monarch butterflies migrated through there every year.

  Ty had even watched a couple of old movies with her so he could see how beautiful Sophia Loren was and how she properly ate pizza. He told her the woman had nothing on her, which she knew was a complete lie, but she loved him for it.

  Loved him? Did she love him? She knew there was extreme like involved. Every time she heard his voice, she wanted to be with him, touch him, taste him. Every. Time. Was that love? Or extreme lust? Flowers every day had been a sweet gesture, even though her home looked like a florist’s shop. Thank goodness she’d convinced him to stop when she realized she might be allergic to those stargazers. Yet, she had to admit his attention was, well, everything she’d never had from any other man she’d dated. Like she mattered to him. He was intelligent, way more so than she’d given men she’d considered jocks credit for. She needed to rethink that assumption. He was funny and could bring her out of her serious side, make her bend the rules she’d always lived by. He made her laugh. He made her feel as if she were the only person he needed, that she was important. It was too soon to say love, maybe, but…maybe not.

  Harper was tired of having to stay at home with him, she had to admit. She wanted to go out with him, wanted to be seen with him, wanted other women to be jealous she was on the arm of such a handsome, sweet, smart, hot man. So when he said he’d planned an outing, and that it was someplace discreet, she’d been all in. Finally, someone else could see him. Make the fact they were together seem more real. Even if she didn’t know who they were.

  So far, though, he’d been a complete gentleman. More or less. Other than that almost night in her kitchen, they hadn’t done any more than what she’d term heavy petting. The phone sex, she told herself, didn’t really count. What exactly he was waiting for, she didn’t know, but she was tired of waiting. Today was the day, and even though she usually let the guy make the first move, their relationship was taking the turn from sweet to sinful today, one way or another.

  The doorbell rang, and Ty stood on her front porch, dressed in black cargo shorts, a camo-green T-shirt, and…were those hiking boots on his feet? Okay, he’d meant really casual. She looked down at herself, then up at him.

  “Not casual enough, I’m guessing.”

  His mouth quirked in a grin. “Well, personally, I like it, but yeah. Not quite the kind of casual I had in mind. Have any shorts? Holey jeans? Boots? Definitely not a dress.”

  Harper opened the door wider. “Come in help me look for something more appropriate.”

  “Love to help.” Ty followed her to her bedroom, lounging on her bed as she looked through her dresser for some shorts and a top. She pulled on a Southland U T-shirt, cut-off jeans, and a pair of socks out of her dresser, planning to do a little strip tease for him as she changed in hopes she’d get something going. She tried to be sexy as she pulled off first one shoe, then the other, probably failing miserably since her balance sucked. As she started to topple over, Ty caught her in his arms and righted her.

  As they both gazed in the mirror, he reached down to the hem of her dress and pulled it over her head. “This isn’t getting us to our activity,” she murmured. She sucked in a breath as he placed his warm palm on her stomach, then slid it down.

  “I think you’ll like this activity too,” he whispered in her ear before placing a kiss on the soft skin behind it. God, she was already wet, and he’d barely touched her. She held back a groan as he grazed his palm over her mound, then whimpered with disappointment when, instead of touching her between her legs, he trailed his fingers slowly back up her ribs, around her waist, and up her back.

  He unhooked her bra, letting the straps slide down her arms until it fell to the floor. Clasping her breasts with his hands, he gently kneaded them, all the while watching her reaction in the mirror. Harper gasped as he pinched her nipple and rolled it between his finger and thumb. She closed her eyes and leaned back against his hard chest, her breath hitching as his hands traveled down her body. “Oh, God,” she moaned.

  “Like that, baby?” he whispered. She watched their reflection as he reached down and pushed her panties past her hips until they pooled at her feet. She stepped out of them. Harper felt a little embarrassed standing there in front of her mirror, naked, but she relished the touch of his callused hands on her body, trailing down until he touched a finger to her already slick folds.

  She gasped. “Yes, right there,” she panted, spreading her legs to allow him better access to her clit. If she’d known his touch would feel this good, she’d have demanded sex that first day in her office. Right now, she wanted him moving within her, stretching her, pressing her into the thick mattress, his weight anchoring her there while he made love to her.

  Circling her clit with his thumb, he pressed one finger inside, slowly working it in and out before adding a second, then a third. She could feel the hard length of his cock against her back and she wanted it inside her now, replacing his fingers.

  “Condom?” he choked out, and she relished the fact that he sounded as desperate as she felt. She reached behind her back and traced the outline of his cock through the fabric of his shorts. He shouted, “Shit!” and that one word made her feel powerful.

  “Drawer,” she said. Ty picked her up and carried her to the bed, laying her gently in the center of the comforter. He opened the drawer and pulled the box out, ripping one of the packets off the strip before shucking his shirt, shorts, and boxer briefs. She watched as that glorious dick bounced free of the confines of his underwear, and when he lay down beside her on the bed, she leaned over him and took the head into her mouth. Tasted him.

  “Hang on, this— Oh Jesus, that feels so good,” he cried out as she sucked his cock into her mouth, one long pull before taking the condom from him and rolling it down his length. Then she pushed him back on the bed before swinging one leg over him, straddling him as she looked down into his shocked face.

  “What?” She leaned down and kissed him long and hard, nibbling at the corner of his mouth, his unshaven face rough against her chin. “I’ve been waiting for this for so long, I’m gonna make sure we finish what we started this time.”

  Ty laughed, but then sucked in a breath as she seated herself on him and began to move. He grasped her hips in his rough hands and began to pivot, meeting her every stroke. Harper relished the feel of Ty inside her, rubbing against her G-spot, creating sparks along her body as he entered her. She reached down and smoothed a lot of dark hair from his forehead before bending to kiss him passionately, mouths wide open, the light scruff of his beard tickling as he moved to nuzzle her neck and pounded his hard cock inside her again and again.

  “We need to slow down,” he grated. “I’m gonna come if we don’t.”

  Harper kissed him again, sweeping her tongue inside his mouth to tangle with his. Ty grasped the back of her head and pulled her toward him, slowing her movements as he deepened the kiss and fucked her mouth with his tongue. She tore her lips from his and moaned as she began moving again, up and down his shaft.

  “Jesus, Harper. I’m gonna… Aw, God.”

  She could feel Ty’s body tighten, his long legs stretch out as he tried to hold back his orgasm, but she wanted him to come inside her. She’d longed for it. As her own orgasm approached, she increased her rhythm until finally Ty cried out his release. Harper followed close behind.

  Harper collapsed onto Ty’s chest, breathing hard and giggling. “Well, that’s one way to start our day,” she said. “I suppose we’ll n
eed a shower before we go to…wherever we’re going.”

  They showered, washing each other’s bodies with her orange-scented body soap, then made love for the second time under the spray of hot water before they toweled off and dressed, this time appropriately for the day trip he’d told her they were taking.

  “Liking the shorts,” he said as they loaded the car with a tote she’d fill with picnic type foods. “You have gorgeous legs.”

  “Thanks,” she replied, looking down at his well-muscled calves covered in light brown hair. He wasn’t a hairy guy in general, but had just the right amount dusting his chest and legs. “Same to you.”

  He loaded the car, opened her door, and offered her a hand climbing inside. “So, ready for some state park fun?”

  Oh God, what had she agreed to? She should never have accepted the invitation without him revealing the plans first, not that she’d have turned down a chance to spend the day with him. But there’d better be some wine in that cooler.

  “I think you’re really going to enjoy this.”

  Harper felt his positive attitude rubbing off on her. He really was cute when he was excited about something, and she didn’t want to say anything that might wipe away the dimple in his cheek that his wide grin had put there. Plus, he’d mentioned this was the first Saturday he hadn’t had practice or a game in weeks. She didn’t want to spoil that.

  “I have a feeling you might be right,” she said, then relaxed as much as possible for the drive.

  As they drove over the Mississippi River, she watched the barges moving at their snails’ paces, and wondered what the cargo might be. Cars? Imported furniture? What did those metal containers hold? She’d never really considered what traversed up and down the river before.

  “I suppose I should have asked before, but do you like the outdoors?” he asked.

  “We used to go camping when I was a kid,” she said. “My stepfather took us during the summer. We did the usual stuff, s’mores, hot dogs over the campfire. You?”