SPORTS BABY (A Secret Baby Romance)

by Mia Carson

  Jack held the front door open for Danny, and she stepped out. She was pulling her cardigan around her and wondering if she should duck back in for a heavier jacket when Jack stepped out beside her and she forgot all about it. Standing beside him again, she glanced up at his six-foot-three frame and broad shoulders, perfectly outlined in his shirt.

  “So, I hope this is okay,” he hedged, and they strolled down the short walk to his truck parked along the curb. “I haven’t had a chance to go yet, and it ends tonight.”

  “No, music is perfect,” she said, her voice a higher pitch than normal. She mentally kicked herself and watched as he opened the passenger-side door for her. “Thanks.”

  He climbed in behind the wheel, and they took off towards the center of town. “Your classes go well today?”

  “Fine, I guess. I just can’t wait to get out of here.”

  “Yeah, me too. I think we’re all on the same page.”

  “I want to go somewhere new and get out of this small town,” she rambled. “Dad’s been driving me crazy, and Mom keeps trying to get me to move in with her, and I don’t want to be around either one for a while. I just want to figure out what I want to do… God, I’m sorry.”

  Jack’s brow furrowed as he glanced her way. “For what?”

  “Venting like that. You probably don’t want to hear about it.”

  He remained silent until they reached the park, and Danny bit her tongue, knowing she’d already ruined a date she hadn’t even known she wanted to go on in the first place. Jack tapped his fingers on the steering wheel.

  “Danny, I don’t care if you vent to me,” he said finally. He ran a hand through his hair and blew a breath out.

  She didn’t know what to say, so she sat there, trying to figure out what was going on. He looked confused and… flustered? She’d never seen him like that at school and definitely not with his ex-girlfriend, Wendy. In fact, Jack had never seemed happy with her at all.

  “Look, you’re always so closed off. I know what happened to you was rough, but then you come back from spring break and you look… look… I don’t know, more open? Lighter?”

  “Hotter? Did you only ask me out because I dressed up?” she snapped.

  “No, no, that’s not what I meant,” he defended quickly. “I missed you—as a friend—and today, for the first time in a long time, I saw a bit of that Danny back in your eyes and wanted to take you out and see who you are now.”

  Danny’s anger disappeared in a shot. “Oh, well that’s all right, then.”

  Jack laughed. “That’s all right, then? Why else did you think I asked you out tonight?”

  “I have no idea. You’ve never tried to talk to me before.”

  “Maybe because you were hiding yourself away all these years. Damn, Danny, you’re beautiful I won’t say you’re not, and you were always fun to be around. Cocky and out there. I’ve missed it.”

  Her cheeks puffed out as she sighed and laughed. “Are we going to listen to some music or what?”

  “Waiting for you to make up your mind, Sparky.”

  Danny’s eyes lit up at the old name he’d called her when they were kids. She’d been a crazy one, always bouncing around and running, so Jack had called her Sparky. When was the last time she even heard that name?

  “Right, then, let’s go,” she said, and together, they joined the crowd on the grassy lawn to listen.

  ***

  Danny laughed until her cheeks hurt, and she nearly dropped her ice cream cone, but Jack caught it at the last second. “Oh, my God, I can’t believe you remember that.”

  “How could I forget? I almost broke my arm.”

  “You didn’t have to follow me up the tree,” she argued.

  “You challenged me! I was not going to be shown up by you,” he countered. They finished their ice creams between bouts of more laughter, and Danny tried to remember when last she’d had such a great night with anyone.

  They’d listened to the music, talking the hours away as they did so, and for a little while, Danny had forgotten about everything she hated in her life. The bitterness her mom had for her dad and how heartbroken he still was. The money troubles her dad faced, even with her working and contributing when she could. How she was ready to be finished with school so she could disappear to another state where no one knew who she was. That night, it was just her and Jack.

  “You know, I wanted to talk to you more,” he said when they reached the front porch.

  “Hard to do when you’re surrounded by half the football team and the cheerleaders—oh, and Wendy. What’s up with her?”

  Jack shot her a look and barked a laugh. “Yeah, should’ve seen that bad ending coming. I don’t know. We’re teenagers, and we date?”

  “Normal teenagers do,” she replied. “Apparently, I’m not normal.”

  “Who said that?”

  “My mom. Who else?” she muttered, annoyed.

  She pivoted for the door when Jack’s hand slipped into hers, warm and comfortable, where it had been for most of the night while the music played around them. At first, when he’d reached for it, Danny had flinched, unsure what to do, but she’d entwined her fingers with his, and it felt right. This wasn’t the Jack from her childhood. This was the Jack on his way to becoming a man, and a damn hot one. They’d shifted closer during the night when she shivered from the chilly air. When he put his arm around her and pulled her close, Danny felt something she hadn’t ever felt in her life.

  She belonged there. Safe. It was stupid, and she knew there was no way he could really feel the same way, but on her porch, with his hand holding tightly to hers, her breath caught and she wondered what was running through his mind.

  “Danny, would you want to do this again?” he asked, his eyes looking away as his feet shifted.

  He was nervous. Danny smiled. “Yeah, it was fun.”

  “Just fun?” Jack moved closer, and Danny felt body heat coming off him as his frame shadowed hers. His fingers brushed back her curls and both hands cupped her cheeks. He leaned down and barely brushed his lips over hers.

  Danny didn’t know what made her do it, but her hands gripped his t-shirt and pulled him back for more, her lips moving against his as they kissed—her first real kiss with a boy, with Jack Pearson, the most popular guy at their school and the richest boy in town. But she didn’t care about any of that.

  The kiss deepened, and he wrapped his arms around her, pulling her close. His body was firm beneath her hands, and Danny sighed at the new sensations rushing through her body. They came up for air, and he grinned, his eyes alight and his arms tightly around her.

  “What are we doing?” she whispered.

  “Kissing. Want to stop?”

  “No,” she said and pressed her lips against his again.

  His tongue danced gently along her lips until they parted, and Danny’s whole body tightened in response, as did his… all of it. The sudden bulge against her front made her very aware of how attracted to him she was, and vice versa.

  “My dad’s probably waiting up for me,” she said and stepped back, though his arms stayed around her, keeping her warm.

  “Guess I’ll let you go, then,” he mumbled. “What are you doing tomorrow night?”

  Danny wanted to see him again, to hold him again and to feel his lips against hers. From the look in his eyes, so did he. “I’m sure I can make time to do something.”

  “Good. Put your number in my phone, and I’ll call you.” He dug it out of his pocket.

  “Wait, Jack, are you sure about this?”

  “Why wouldn’t I be?” he asked, confused.

  “People at school… they’ll talk, and I don’t want it to be a thing with them.”

  Jack gripped her shoulders and bent so they were eye level. “Then it won’t be a thing. Listen, Danny, I know we haven’t been around each other in a long time, but tonight… Didn’t it just feel right to you?”

  She couldn’t argue with him—it had felt right, despite
everything her mom had said about boys being manipulative and her not having any experience. Having Jack beside her was comforting. She took his phone, put her number in, and handed it back as she kissed his cheek.

  “Call me tomorrow,” she whispered and ducked inside the house.

  She made it to the bottom of the stairs before her dad called out. “Have a good time?”

  “Yeah, I did, actually,” she called, wandering into the living room to see him with his feet propped up on the coffee table, pouring over files for work. “You need anything?”

  “Nope.” He smiled brightly at her, though he looked exhausted. “Get some sleep, kid. You have school in about six hours.”

  “It’s midnight? God, Dad, I’m sorry.”

  He chuckled and waved her worry away. “You had a good time. That’s what matters.”

  She hugged him. “Best dad ever,” she whispered, kissed his cheek, and bounded up the stairs to her room.

  There was no telling what would happen with Jack. It might last a week or a month. She might end up heartbroken and hating him, but Danny didn’t care. She ignored her mom’s words and focused on her night with Jack. Her lips still tingled from their first kisses, and as she fell asleep that night, she hoped they wouldn’t be the last.

  CHAPTER 2

  Jack didn’t sleep a wink that night. His mind drifted back to Danny and the woman she’d turned into every time he closed his eyes. The same old Danny was underneath the new look, but her beauty made his stomach tighten and every muscle in his body tense when he remembered how she felt pressed against him, so warm and solid beneath his hands. And so damn kissable that he never wanted to stop.

  His eyes were wide open before his alarm screamed, and he threw off the covers. Time for school, and what a day it was going to be. He didn’t have any classes with Danny, but he did think he could surprise her by picking her up on the way. He was up earlier than normal so he could catch her in time. Jack took a quick shower, gelled his hair into sharp points, dressed in jeans and a t-shirt, and grabbed his keys to head out the door.

  “Where are you off to so early?” his mom, Penny, asked as he walked out.

  “Just school. Why?”

  She glanced at the clock behind her and frowned. “You’re leaving a half hour early.”

  “Yeah, so?” he drew out slowly, smiling and unable to stop it.

  “So, why are you leaving early?” Penny raised a brow at him as she set down her coffee, nudging his dad, David, in the arm at the same time.

  “Hmm, what?”

  “Your son… I think he has something to tell us.”

  Jack rubbed a hand over his neck and took another step towards the door. “Can we talk about this later? I don’t want to miss her.”

  Penny grinned, and David chuckled. “Snagged another one, did you, son?”

  Jack shrugged. “Maybe, and this one… She is a hell of a lot better than Wendy.”

  “Good, then bring her by this weekend. I want to meet the young woman who makes my son get out of bed early,” Penny said. “Go; we’ll see you when you get home.”

  Jack hurried out the door to his truck and hopped inside. Bring Danny to meet his parents? Yeah, that might not be for a while. He knew his parents and loved them, and they had always liked Danny when they’d been growing up, but Danny’s mom had caused a ruckus after the divorce with her dad. He didn’t want his parents to hold that against her.

  He pulled up at Danny’s house just as she stepped outside. He honked once, and she whipped around. At first, he worried she wouldn’t like the surprise, but then her eyes brightened and she ran to the truck. He rolled the window down and leaned over the center console.

  “Would you like a ride this morning, Sparky?”

  “Yeah, I think I would,” she replied with a grin and opened the door. “How’d you know you’d make it in time?”

  “Lucky guess,” he said. “You look happy today.” He pulled away from the curb, his hands tightening on the wheel as she leaned over and kissed his cheek.

  “That’d be because of you. I couldn’t stop thinking about our date.”

  Good, so I wasn’t the only one, he thought and smirked. “Ready for another one, say… I don’t know, tonight?”

  “It’s Tuesday. What are we going to do on a Tuesday night?”

  He shrugged and glanced at her with bright eyes. “Study group?”

  “You know,” she said as she dug through the black and green tote bag she used for school, “I do have a test to study for by Friday. Could always use extra help with it.”

  Jack laughed with her, and they held hands the rest of the way to school. They attended a small public school in northern Montana, far enough away that Jack could enjoy the drive and holding her hand. That would get him through the day. She was wearing tight, dark blue jeans and a black sweater that clung to her body, showing the tops of her breasts. His groin tightened, and he forced his gaze away. She had pulled her hair back from her face so he could admire the curves of her cheeks and the smoothness of her skin.

  She was definitely not just his friend Danny from middle school anymore. She was Danny the woman, and he was falling for her more every second he spent with her.

  “We’re here,” he said, and Danny cracked up. “What? Something I said?”

  “Never seen the old Poltergeist movie?”

  “No… why?”

  She squeezed his hand. “Maybe I’ll dig it up out of dad’s collection and we can watch it tonight. My place or yours?”

  That was a good question. Her dad was laid back and was already comfortable with them dating. Though he had threatened Jack about what would happen if he hurt his daughter. He told Rick that he had no intention of doing so, not when he had a chance to have Danny back in his life. There was more on his mind, but if he’d said that to any dad, he was pretty sure he’d get decked. But Jack’s mom would ask an unending amount of questions. She was nosy, and he had a feeling Danny wouldn’t want to talk about her own mom all night.

  “Your place? I’ll bring the popcorn.”

  Her smile fell for a second, and he knew exactly why. She nodded and said that’d be fine, but when she reached for the door handle, he stopped her.

  “Danny, I want you to come over, but my mom—she’s going to want to know about your mom,” he said quickly. “And she’s a pain-in-the-ass with the questions once she gets going.”

  “Is that the only reason?” she pressed.

  He kissed the back of her hand, his lips lingering on her skin, and she shivered. “Promise.”

  She smiled slowly, her eyes bright as she leaned in closer and kissed his lips gently. “All right, then, my place it is. I’ll have to amp myself up to have that talk with your mom.”

  “I do it every morning,” he joked, a chuckle in his words. “Ready to go?”

  He held her hand as they walked to the school courtyard and turned to go their separate ways to class. He didn’t want to let her go, but the warning bell rang and her hand slipped from his. She bounded off, a smile he hadn’t seen in years brightening her face. He shoved his hands deep in his pockets, a weird sensation shooting through his body. Jack couldn’t even begin to explain it, but he liked it.

  A hand landed on his shoulder, and he turned to see Brent and Tom watching him, wide-eyed. “So, you had your date last night?” Tom asked. “How was she?”

  Jack frowned and shrugged his hand off. “What do you mean?”

  “No one would ask her out unless it’s to… you know,” Brent winked. “So?”

  “We didn’t. We went to the park for the music festival,” Jack snapped. “You thought the only reason I asked her out was to get laid?”

  His friends shrugged together, their grins telling him they still thought he wanted to have sex with Danny and nothing else. Did he want to? Hell, yeah, he did, but he wasn’t going to do it like that, not with her. He liked her more than he originally thought, and his face flushed with heat.

  “I like Danny. I�
��m not dating her just to have sex with her, so shut it, both of you,” he growled and stormed off across the courtyard.

  “Dude, since when?” Tom asked as he and Brent followed. “You dominate this school, and you’re telling me you’re not just trying to get laid? How long has it been since Wendy?”

  Jack’s steps faltered at the thought of what he’d done with Wendy. Things he wasn’t proud of and moments he never wanted to relive again with that girl. She’d been bad news from the beginning, but then again, wasn’t he the bad, rich boy of the school? He could have any girl he wanted, could pretty much get away with everything and had been doing so for most of his life.

  So why was it suddenly different with Danny? While she’d turned inward, he’d grown louder, harsher. Jack didn’t know what to think or why he wanted to be around Danny.

  Until he remembered her laugh as he held her in his arms. Her smile as it lit up her eyes.

  “You know,” he said, turning to his friends, “I think I just realized what it means to grow up. I’ll see you guys later.” He walked away, leaving his two friends behind him looking dumbfounded. Jack was still the bad boy of the school, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t fall for a girl—a woman—like Danny and not just want to have sex with her.

  As he reached his first class and sat down, he knew he wanted all of her. Every last bit he could have.

  ***

  Danny had barely paid attention in her classes. She should’ve been taking notes, but the pages remained blank in class. She was content, instead, to doodle in the margins as her thoughts drifted to Jack holding her hand, pulling her close. His lips on hers.

  The bell rang, signaling the end of another class, and she jumped.

  That boy is going to be trouble, she thought as she packed up her empty notebook and tucked everything into her tote. She hadn’t been able to focus on anything at all the entire day and wondered how far this was going to go. At the end of the summer, she’d be leaving for some college, hopefully on the east coast, and he would go wherever he accepted a football scholarship. She heard he’d already picked his school, but she hadn’t cared and hadn’t paid any attention. Now, she desperately needed to know before she let him get too close. Did she want to have a long-distance relationship with the man he would turn into? Could turn into?