Hardball: A Sports Romance

by Alexa Reiss

  She was at utter loss for words. It took Arabella a moment to gather herself before looking him straight in the eye.

  “If you want this to be real,” she said, seriously, “you have to stay loyal. You can’t run around with a whole bunch of women.”

  “I wasn’t planning on it. And you,” Chance started, tucking an errant strand of hair behind her ear softly, “have to open to me even if it’s hard. Just give into what you want.”

  He didn’t give her a chance to mull those words over. Chance leaned in for another kiss that immediately distracted her from the confusing emotions swirling in her stomach. They kissed for a long time on the back porch step before Chance’s hands started to wander gently around the curve of her legs.

  Unable to resist, Arabella wrapped her arms around his shoulders to deepen the kiss a bit more. Maybe there was a small part of her that had hoped this would eventually happen, but opening up for either one of them wouldn’t be easy. There were long suppressed memories in the back of Arabella’s mind that she didn’t wish to ever remember, and she had a gut feeling that Chance’s womanizing ways didn’t happen overnight.

  “Do you want to tell me what happened?” Chance asked, pulling back to look at her gravely.

  Arabella lowered her gaze to where Chance’s hand rested on her knee again. She gently traced the outline of his fingers while chewing on her bottom lip in contemplation.

  “It was a few years ago, but his name is Toby,” she said, softly. “We had a few classes together, and he asked me out, so I accepted it on a whim. He just didn’t stop when I asked him to stop.”

  “So, he tried to force himself on you?”

  “Yes. I was lucky that my hall mates heard before—” She broke off, swallowing harshly against the onslaught of emotions. “After that, I just couldn’t stand having a guy try to tell me things, or convince me otherwise.”

  “But, you let Robert convince you into this publicity stunt.”

  She smiled thinly at that. “There was money motivating that decision. I trust Robert. He doesn’t give me things that he knows I can’t handle on my own.” She nudged him in the leg with her own. “What about you? Why don’t you tell me what happened to you?”

  Chance blew out a long and heavy breath. “That’s sort of complicated,” he replied, rubbing a hand through his hair. “My mom died when I was little, and I think my dad couldn’t handle it the right way. It just completely changed him. I can’t even tell you how many women he’s been with since then, but never committed to. He used to tell me it’s because he couldn’t ever love again after losing my mom. He pushed me to succeed at anything I did, but when it comes to women he thinks that they are distractions.”

  Her heart truly ached at that information knowing that Chance only acted upon what he knew as a child. It made complete sense— the party lifestyle, the endless women, and the temperamental attitudes. All of it clicked together perfectly.

  “I’m sorry,” Arabella said, squeezing his hand warmly. “I guess you and I both have some screwed up parts of us that we wish we could forget.”

  “For real,” Chance said.

  He was quiet for a moment before turning to look back at Arabella intently. “Do you trust me now that I told you all of this?”

  She frowned at the question, unsure of where he was going with it.

  “More than I did before,” she replied, slowly. “Why are you asking that?”

  “Because I want you,” he said, fiercely. “I want you more than I want anything. It’s not because you’ve told me no, or whatever. I just want you.”

  A shiver went up Arabella’s spine at those passionate and husky words. She stared up at him as he waited patiently for a response.

  Desire burned in her chest.

  “I want you too,” she said. “I just don’t want you to think that this is going to be a one time thing, or that you can fool around.”

  “I’m not going to. At least, I’m going to tell myself not to. I honestly never wanted someone like I want you. You have no idea how much it kills me when I kiss you.”

  There was still a voice that cautioned her that Chance’s word could be a ploy. He stared at her with such desire that it nearly burned every inch of her skin. She was playing with fire, but she was already burned enough from it.

  Arabella kissed him hard. An appreciative and masculine groan filled her mouth as Chance eagerly hooked his hands about her knees, lifting her up as though she weighed nothing. They kissed each other as Chance stumbled blindly back through the kitchen, knocking a chair over in the process.

  “This way,” she breathed out, pointing to her bedroom door when they stumbled into the hallway.

  Chance kicked his shoes off, and it slammed them both into the wall briefly as he tripped. His hot breath fanned the delicate skin of her neck as he attacked there with enthusiasm, running his tongue along a throbbing vein. His hands refused to hold still long enough to properly carry her into the bedroom as they squeezed her buttocks, or smoothed up her back.

  The back of Arabella’s knees finally reached the mattress of her bed. They both sank onto it without missing a beat. His tongue was demanding against her lips, and she parted them a gasp as he plundered her mouth until it felt swollen and bruised. She let out a disappointed moan when he pulled back with a painful nip at her bottom lip, but it didn’t last; his fingers rubbed at her hips sensually, and the hard planes of his body were pressed up against the curves of her own. He ground himself against her with a loud groan, and it heightened the unbearable throbbing between her legs.

  Chance sat up on his knees to reach for the button of her jean shorts. He looked up at her in a silent question, and at her nod, unbuttoned her shorts.

  Arabella’s heart slammed into her ribcage repeatedly as she sucked in deep breaths to keep herself under control. Just the sensual touch of Chance’s fingers slowly dragging the fabric of her shorts down her legs put her heart into overdrive. Feeling bold herself, she sat up to gather the hemline of Chance’s shirt in her fingers, and tugged it up over his head. She took her time while taking in the well-sculpted chest and hard lines of years from being a trained athlete. The skin beneath her fingers felt hot and soft as she explored the expansion of Chance’s flat stomach, raking her fingernails against him at the last second to leave red marks.

  Chance winked at her roguishly. He nudged her back with a firm push of his hand to settle back against the pillows. While one hand smoothed alongside her inner thigh, Chance used his other hand to push past her bra. Heat flared in her lower belly while Chance’s hand worked at the clasp of her bra. The other one grazed the sensitive skin between her thighs and area that begged to be touched.

  The first stroke of a finger through the fabric of her underwear sent Arabella’s senses spiraling out of control. A gasp tore through her throat at the tortuously slow stroking that followed. Hot lips pressed against her cheek in a fluttering kiss.

  “Do you want this?” He murmured into her ear.

  The heat building in her lower belly was unbearable. She squirmed against Chance’s fingers in desperation to keep up the feeling.

  “Yes,” she whispered. “Please, Chance.”

  “Say it again,” he commanded with a growl, those wicked fingers slowing down in their rhythm again. “Tell me what you want.”

  “Please,” she cried out. “I want you. That’s what I want.”

  Within a matter of seconds, Chance ripped her shirt and bra off with one clean tug over her head. He lavished her breasts with attention next with his fingers, expertly needing the flesh beneath his palms. A fingertip ghosted the tip of her nipple before rubbing there lightly until Arabella couldn’t take it any longer. She leaned up on her elbows to nip at the skin between Chance’s shoulder and neck to taste the salty skin there. Hungrily, he returned the gesture by biting at the swell of her breasts before a warm and heat enveloped her nipple, a tongue swirling there teasingly followed by suckling. The sensation caused Arabella to cry out and b
ite her lip from the fervor threatening to tear through her skin.

  His fingers hooked into the hemline of her underwear to tug them down. He moved his hand, parting her moist center, before setting a rough rhythm. She moved against him helplessly as the small bundle of nerves twitched in hot waves of pleasure that crashed over her repeatedly.

  Chance’s hand lifted without warning. It took all of Arabella’s self-control to not reach down, and to keep rubbing just to ease the ache in her lower belly. The brush of Chance’s bare thighs against the center of her own thighs alerted her that he had slipped out of his own shorts. Something hot and hard pushed up against her teasingly. He arranged himself perfectly to just barely enter her.

  “One last time to back out,” Chance said, cradling her head in his hand. “I can tell you right now that I’m not going to be able to stop after this.”

  “Don’t stop,” she breathed out, hands wandering down to grasp at his firm backside.

  The force of Chance entering her in one smooth stroke made Arabella lose her breath. The pain quickly burned out into something much hotter. She sucked in a shaky breath to keep herself from tensing up at the feeling of Chance filling her to the hilt with a satisfied grunt. She squirmed underneath Chance’s body to better adjust herself as pain continued to fade away. The movement immediately caused Chance to inhale harshly, and drop his head against her shoulder.

  “Fuck,” he moaned, every inch of his body trembling against her. “You have no idea how good this feels, baby.”

  Arabella caught sight of the expression on Chance’s face. His eyes were squinted closed in pure rapture while his skin appeared to be a simmering red. He was trying to hold still to see if she was all right.

  She wrapped her legs securely around his waist in silent encouragement to pick up the pace. The first hard thrust sent Arabella sliding up the bed, and stealing the breath right out of her lung as a flood of new sensations spiraled through her. The second one made her cry out in pleasure. Then, the third one she had to use the palm of her hands on the bed board to keep herself from sliding further.

  The pace of Chance’s hips didn’t slow after that as he set a deep and desperate pace. The rushing heat building in Arabella nearly consumed her, and it was only drawing closer than further away as she squirmed against him in pleasure. She dimly heard Chance’s muttered swear words in his ear as he thrusted harder. All she could do was hold onto him as she dashed across a platform toward a bright light.

  Chance writhed against her, pounding into her furiously. Bright dots flashed in Arabella’s line of sight before the throbbing between her legs spread throughout her deliciously like hot water skimming through her veins.

  He slammed into her one last time with a low groan as his body tensed up in a rather violent spasm. His hips bucked into her with his release, spilling into her hotly. He collapsed down onto his elbows with a trembling breath as sweat dripped from his shoulders onto her chest.

  They laid there for a long time tangled together from the waist down as they caught their breath. The click of sprinklers turning on drew them both back from the pleasurable haze that had settled around them.

  “Wow,” Chance murmured, propping himself back up on elbows to look down at her with a smile. “That was fucking amazing. No?”

  Then genuine smile and sparkle to his eyes immediately washed away her nerves. So did the way Chance pressed a warm and moist kiss against her lips.

  “We’ve only had a few months worth of foreplay,” she said.

  Chance chuckled at that before rolling off to lay on his side. They stared up at the ceiling for a moment before curiosity finally got the better of Arabella. She rolled onto her side, propping her head up with a hand.

  “We’re still cool with what we talked about before right?”

  He turned to look at her with an arched eyebrow. “Why wouldn’t we be?”

  “I don’t know.”

  “Are you cool with me?”

  “Yes. Why wouldn’t I be?’

  “Then, I’m cool with you, and with everything we talked about,” Chance said, tucking an errant strand of her hair back from her face. “You really need to stop thinking so much when it comes to this. Overthinking destroys everything. Take it from personal experience.”

  “That’s what worries me sometimes about you,” Arabella quipped.

  “That I’m a over thinker?”

  Chance trailed his fingers over the swell of her breasts. His eyes were already dark with desire again as they followed his fingers.

  “I’m worried you are going to change your mind,” she said, shivering despite herself.

  To her surprise, Chance hooked a hand behind her knee, and dragged her effortlessly on top of his hips where a hardness waited there for her already. He looked up at her with a wide grin that showed off his white and straight teeth.

  “Not a chance in hell,” he said.

  ***

  Chapter Eleven

  Arabella

  The sounds of dogs barking stirred Arabella from a pleasant dream that involved Chance. She clung stubbornly to the remnants of the dream, and cuddled back into something warm and smelt of soap. She could lay there forever and be perfectly content.

  Yesterday’s events flashed through her mind.

  Arabella’s eyes popped open. A strong arm was draped heavily across the middle of her torso while a long and muscular body was pressed up against her back. She was entirely enveloped by Chance’s limbs.

  Her heart thrummed nervously. She had somewhat expected him to be gone by the morning hours, but he still slept on completely oblivious to the dog barking next door. Not that she was complaining. It felt good to lay next to a warm and strong body for the first time in a long time.

  Taking a deep breath, Arabella slowly rolled onto her back to take in Chance’s sleeping face. One side of his face was burrowed deeply in the pillow next to hers, and his lips were parted slightly as warm breaths touched her bare shoulder. He looked utterly relaxed and at peace, a rarity to see since he kept a partially composed face at all times.

  Images from last night replayed over in her mind. How many times did they make love last night? If it weren’t for the soreness between her legs, she would’ve guessed at least two more times, but somewhere between recovering and talking there had been more times. She didn’t even know where any of that stamina had come from.

  But, it was all so incredibly worth it just to see Chance sleeping next to her without a care in the world.

  Arabella reached over to gently trace the sharp curve of his cheek bone. She had no idea where any of this would lead to. Robert would undoubtedly throw a fit if he found out that they had sex. He had threatened Chance’s career several times if Arabella breathed word that things had gone too far.

  This was the last thing that she had ever expected to happen given the past week. She wasn’t even entirely sure if Chance’s words were honest, or if he would follow them up. The man had a golden heart, but it was dysfunctional and a bit reckless at times. Little things sent him spinning off course sometimes.

  Chance stirred awake from underneath Arabella’s fingers. He blinked hazily at her a few times before a grin tugged at his lips. The sight of it made Arabella’s stomach flutter crazily.

  “Good,” he mumbled, voice husky with sleep still. “I thought I was dreaming about everything last night.”

  “No,” she said. “You’re awake, and this isn’t a dream.”

  “I’m happy about it either way.”

  He curled his arm tighter around Arabella’s waist. “You’re not having any second thoughts about what we did last night, are you?”

  “Well—”

  Chance lifted his head to look at her.

  “Because I have no regrets about it,” he said, firmly. “So, don’t you get all worried about it now.”

  “I’m not.” At Chance’s skeptical look, she let out a resigned sigh. “Okay, I’m worried about it a little bit. I didn’t think things would happe
n the way they did last night.”

  “You don’t think any of it was for real?”

  “No, I do. That’s the part that scares me,” she said, softly.

  “Hey.” A finger hooked under her chin to bring her gaze up to clear blue eyes. “I’m not faking any of this. I meant what I said last night. I want to give it a try. Even if takes me all of me, I’m still going to do everything I can to make things work.”

  “I don’t doubt that part. I just know how hard a commitment is going to be for you.”

  “Hard,” Chance assented, but the expression in his face never wavered. “I never said I would get anything right. Hell, I’ll probably screw shit up more than once, but I’m always going to be trying to figure things out. Okay?”

  She thought about those words for a long moment. Blonde tresses of his hair were mused from the night before, but the morning light made them appear honey colored.

  “I don’t expect you to be perfect,” she told him then. “You wouldn’t be you if you were trying so damn hard to fill a role.”

  A rumble of laughter escaped Chance’s chest. He gathered her tightly against him, and Arabella felt the familiar poke of hardness on her thigh.

  “You’re absolutely right, darling,” he said. “I wouldn’t be myself if I were trying.”

  They managed to escape the bedroom to the shower thirty minutes later. While Chance finished drying off, Arabella poured herself a cup of coffee right as the front door to her house opened wide.

  “Where the hell have you been?” Lindsey demanded, striding into the kitchen with the steady clicks of high heels. “I’ve called you like five times wondering if you’re coming into work, or what happened to you yesterday.”

  “Shit,” Arabella said, spilling a bit of coffee on the counter in her surprise to see Lindsey. “I totally forget about going to the mall, Linds. I’m sorry. I, um, well—”

  “Wait a minute.”