Extra Innings

by Michelle Lynn

  He chuckles lightly at my incessant talking. “I’m not sure what I expected us to be after summer, but I liked you—a lot. After you broke it off and refused to talk to me, I just thought that I should thank my lucky stars that you didn’t get clingy. After spending so much time together, I thought it would be more like missing a friend, and then, eventually, I’d forget you.”

  “And did you?”

  Because not a night went by when I didn’t go to sleep, wishing he were next to me.

  “Forget you?” he asks, our eyes finding one another again. “No. I tried. Believe me, I did. I moved on, but every girl who approached me, I’d compare to you. Then, when I saw Delaney at the party and her running out, I knew you would be coming for her. After I saw you, I just couldn’t deny it any longer. I needed to at least find out why you broke it off.”

  He’s so forthcoming; it’s refreshing.

  “Can you really be with only one girl?” I ask the question that plagued me every night. The thought that kept me from seeking him out during the months of agony.

  “I want no one else.”

  “That’s not an answer.”

  He chuckles, his hands gripping mine, his eyes focused on mine. “For you, yes.”

  “I’m scared you’ll hurt me.”

  His hands squeeze mine again. “I’ll try my damnedest not to.”

  Not exactly the promise every girl wants to hear.

  “What about the draft? Are you entering?”

  If he does, he will leave after this year, and then I’ll be abandoned.

  He shrugs. “I don’t know, but that has no bearing on us. I want this”—he signals between the two of us with his finger—“as long as it’s going good—whether I’m here or I’m in the pros or on some farm team.”

  I sit up straighter, removing my hands from his for the first time. “I’m positive this won’t end well.”

  He slides over to the edge of the bed, his legs locking onto either side of mine, and his arms wrap around my waist. “You think it will end in heartbreak?” he whispers.

  He urges me to lean into his hold. His chest is so strong that I actually think he could hold the weight of fifty of me.

  “Yes,” I softly say.

  “So, if it’s either heartbreak now or later, why not take a chance with me?”

  Of course Brax sees this as black and white, but there’s so much gray, it clouds the benefits.

  “Either break my heart now or later?” I tip my head up to stare at him.

  He’s smiling. “There might never be a later.”

  There will be. No way can I ride into the sunset with a ballplayer who has dreams of going pro. It’s an impossible dream, and too many girls fall into that trap.

  “But there’s definitely a now.” His lips kiss my shoulder. “Why not have some fun?”

  Sentiments I’ve heard before.

  His hands move up, and each one grabs one of my breasts, his thumbs running along my nipples. My back arches, pushing them further into his hands.

  A thought occurs to me. He’s right. I’m hurting right now by not being with him, so why not just ride this out until it dies? I deserve to be selfish. I stayed back from an Ivy League school to raise my brother. I haven’t gotten to live a typical college lifestyle.

  Brax’s right hand grips the hem of my shirt, snaking it up, leaving goose bumps along my skin, and then his callous palm slides down the boxers I’m wearing, his finger circling my clit.

  My body explodes with more frazzled nerves. Yeah, I’m taking this one for myself.

  Tilting my head, I place my hand on the back of his neck and bring his lips down to mine.

  12

  Brax

  Ainsley is cravable. I’ve never wanted a girl all the time. I want her in the morning, at night, in the middle of class. I even sported a woody during practice the other day, remembering her blowing me the night before.

  She’s halted all affection during the week, stating she has classes to concentrate on.

  What the fuck is that?

  But, being the genius I am, I have a plan.

  I knock on her back door even though I’m certain she knows I’m here. Ainsley hears and sees all movement in and around this house.

  Cade is the first to answer the door. We both know he owes me one because he snuck into that party with his friends. I was out at practice, and when I showed back up, he was throwing up in my toilet.

  “Hey, Brax.” He holds his hand out to me, and we do the whole shake and pull into one another.

  “What’s going on? Did you practice that move today?” I ask.

  It’s weird that I’m his mentor and also dating his sister. Well, I’m not dating her, according to Ainsley, but I’ll fill her in on that fact later.

  “Yeah, it helped the pressure on my knees a lot. You here for Ains?”

  I nod.

  Is it uncomfortable for him to know that I’m about to screw his sister? Probably, but ask me if I care. The answer is no. I guarantee, he and Olivia aren’t holding hands at the movies.

  “I’ll see you. Do you need me to pick you up for Coach’s practice?”

  Coach is having the high school come to our practice this week, and we’re going to work on drills with them. We’ll kick their asses, but I hope the weather warms up to play soon.

  “Nah, Olivia’s going to drive me.”

  “Cool. Drag your sister with you. She’s never seen me play.”

  I’ve never cared if any girl saw me play. I mean, they’re more of a distraction, but with Ainsley, I want to see her reaction. Ella jumps in Crosby’s arms every time he finishes a game, and she’s mentioned how hot it makes her. Information the best friend doesn’t need to know, especially since I hear his headboard banging all the damn time.

  “She’s always buried in her books. I’ll see though.” He laughs.

  Delaney walks into the kitchen. Her hair is in a high ponytail, and she has on pajamas, a robe, and slippers.

  “What’s up, big man?” she asks.

  I eye her.

  I haven’t seen her since the night she was with Derek, and I’ve been meaning to talk with her about it, tell her that she needs to stay away from the baseball house. She pulls a Coke out of the fridge and a bag of chips off the counter, and then she leaves the room. Conversation for a later time. Plus, I’m not her dad, but I know Derek won’t listen to me. The possibility of Derek fucking with Delaney could ruin my relationship with Ainsley, which is a no-fucking-fly zone right now. We’re just getting started again, and we don’t need any hiccups to halt her movements forward.

  “What’s up with her?” I ask Cade.

  He grabs his hat and jacket from the coat hook by the door. “She’s ragging.”

  I nod a few times. Never thought about the hell that is on Cade while he lives with two women.

  “Remind me to buy a quart of ice cream next time. I might get a warmer reception.”

  He laughs and opens up the back door. “I’m out to Olivia’s. See you later.”

  Just like that, he’s gone. One out of my hair, but it doesn’t look like Delaney is going anywhere tonight, so I figure Ainsley and I will have to be quiet.

  “Enjoying the drama?” I ask Delaney as I pass by, noticing she’s watching The Bachelor.

  “Funny,” she mumbles over her chips.

  I shake my head, walking to the stairs.

  I run up them two at a time. Second door on the right, I knock lightly even though I know Ainsley is in there, and she knows it’s me.

  “I told you, not during the week,” she calls out.

  I laugh. “Open,” I say.

  “Nope. Rules were clear. It’s Wednesday, not Friday.”

  I lean my ear to the door and don’t hear any feet coming to let me in. I twist the knob, finding it locked. “I have a gift,” I bribe.

  But no footsteps come.

  “Go away, Brax.”

  “Can’t I have one kiss before I go?”

  “
No, because it won’t end with one kiss.”

  I chuckle. My girl is a fucking genius.

  “I promise, I’ll come in five minutes. A quickie.” I’m down to pleading.

  “Don’t make me inflate your ego with a bunch of compliments about how once is never enough.”

  A roar of laughter rumbles up my throat.

  “Do you mind?” Delaney screams. The volume from the television rises.

  “You forgot your Anatomy textbook at the house,” I say, tapping said book on the door.

  Footsteps come but not toward the door.

  “Shit,” she says.

  “I’m guessing you know I’m speaking the truth.”

  “Did you steal it?” she hollers.

  I did. How else was I going to seal my plan?

  “You want it, right?” I lean my shoulder on the door.

  “Leave it at the door, and I’ll call you later.”

  “Now, babe, do you really think I’m going to do that?”

  Silence on the other side of the door.

  “If you were a really nice—” She stops, not declaring what I am to her.

  “I am really nice. If you open your door, you’ll see how nice.”

  “Two minutes, Brax. You give me the textbook and one kiss, and then you leave, got it?”

  “Your bossiness is making me hard.”

  A low growl comes from the other side of the door.

  She swings the door open, and my girl is standing there in her black pants and white shirt from her required uniform at Covington’s—an uppity restaurant in downtown Ridgemont where she waitresses.

  I hold the book out to her, and she immediately grabs it, holding it to her chest like a life preserver.

  “You promised a kiss.” I pull her toward me, and she comes way too easily. Easily enough for me to know I can push a little more.

  Her eyes peer up to me, and she puckers her lips, but I release my hold on her, shut the door, flick the lock, and step into the room.

  “What are you doing?”

  Exactly what you want me to do.

  The hell if I say that because she’ll kick me out.

  I unzip my jacket and toss it on the chair. The chair I sat in the entire first night I met her.

  “Brax.” It’s a sound of warning, the same sound of her mom voice that she uses with Cade.

  “Ainsley.” I mimic her tone, toeing out of my shoes.

  “What part of two minutes didn’t you understand?” She sits at her desk chair and props her feet on the edge of her bed.

  “I’m a dumb jock, remember?”

  She shakes her head, smiling, which only encourages my behavior.

  “You hold a three-point-four GPA, Brax.”

  “Fucking foreign language.” I excuse why my GPA should be higher.

  Her head falls back, and she giggles. “Maybe should have picked something simpler than Japanese.”

  “True that.”

  I’m not sure I can even recite the alphabet. That class kicked my ass, but I thought it would be helpful for business.

  I grab the hem of my T-shirt, and she stands, holding her palm out at me.

  “No, Brax. That’s a hard line.”

  “A hard line?”

  My T-shirt hovers mid stomach, and her eyes dip to my abs. She must see the scribbles because she leans forward.

  “What is that?” she asks, crawling on her bed to reach me.

  Her fingers brush along my abs, and I take my shirt off the rest of the way.

  “You didn’t?” Her hand flies up to cover her mouth, but her eyes are inspecting every inch of my skin.

  “Oh, just wait.” My thumbs hook on either side of my track pants, and I pull them off. They puddle to the floor, and I step out of them, leaving me naked in her bedroom.

  “You are way too much,” she says with a glint of arousal burning in her eyes.

  “I’m yours.” I hold my arms out to my sides and spread my legs wider. “Now, study, baby, and when we finish, you get to wash me up.”

  A coy smile crosses her face, and she nods, coming to the edge of the bed. Her fingers graze along my leg. “Femur,” she mumbles.

  She moves up to the collarbone and works her way down my arm, placing my hand on her breast once she’s finished. I massage her tit in my hand, and her breathing labors.

  “What if I get it wrong? Do I get punished?” she asks with seduction, looking at me through her eyelashes.

  “I’ll spank you,” I say, not even knowing if she’s into that sort of thing.

  “You tease me.” Her hand brushes along my cock, and I twitch in response.

  “There are no bones there,” I comment.

  She laughs. “Well, I do need to know my muscles, too.”

  Again, those gray eyes through her eyelashes make me grind into her hand now covering my dick.

  “You’re the one turning this naughty.” I stare down at her, my fingers pinching her nipple through her shirt.

  “Oh, Mr. Brentwood, you knew exactly what was going to happen if you came here tonight and stripped naked.” Her mouth covers the tip of my dick, and her tongue twirls around like it’s an ice cream cone.

  “Fuck.” My hand leaves her tit, and I grab ahold of her ponytail, her dark hair winding around my fist.

  Her hand starts jacking me off, up and down, as she swallows more of me down. My dick hits the back of her throat, and she pulls it out before doing it again and again until I’m tugging on her hair, directing her.

  Her free hand digs into her pants, and I watch as she plays with herself while she blows me.

  I let go of her hair, and she starts this twisting maneuver I’ve never had another girl do to me before, and I push back the orgasm that wants to blow. I’m enjoying her on me too much to stop so soon. And, hell, girls aren’t usually so forthcoming with the blow jobs, so I need to make sure this one lasts.

  She moves her mouth up and down on me as her hand works at twice the speed, and then she removes her hand from her panties and cups my balls, rolling them around.

  Fuck, it’s over.

  My hips start moving back and forth into her mouth. Our mixed moans bounce off the walls as I explode and she steadies until I twitch for the final time inside her mouth. She swallows down my load, and I’m hard again when she licks the tip clean.

  “You did this,” I say to her, watching her tongue slide along her lips.

  “Who? Me?” She’s coy and innocent.

  I pick her up by under her arms and toss her onto the bed.

  “You’re a bad influence,” I tell her.

  She giggles, her hands already pulling off her shirt.

  “Just remember, you touched me first.” I dip my head into the crook of her neck, devouring the skin that I crave every second of every day.

  Hours later, with sweat having vanished the lines around the bones, Ainsley names them, and then she washes me clean before we get dirty all over again. I get a better workout with her than during hell week.

  13

  Ainsley

  “How do you think you did?” Ethan asks me as we walk out of Anatomy.

  “Actually, I think I did good.” I nod. I’m usually a fair evaluator on how I do on tests, and I aced that bitch.

  “You want to study together for the next one?” he asks.

  I glance over. He’s hopeful for more than just a study session, I worry.

  “Um…”

  He holds the door open for me, and I walk out of Manchester Hall. My feet stop in my tracks. Ethan runs into my back, and I falter forward until I gain my footing.

  There’s Brax, sitting on the edge of the concrete stoop along the landscaping of the building. He’s on his phone, his thumbs moving like crazy.

  “Hey, Braxton.”

  A group of girls walk by, and I swear, their hips are swaying so far, they’re like bouncing balls on strings, knocking into one another.

  He looks up for a second and nods but concentrates on his phone again. No
other engagement, but still, it unnerves me.

  Braxton Brentwood catches a lot of girls’ eyes, and I’m still searching for that self-confidence that I’m the only girl who catches his.

  “Are you with him?” Ethan’s voice says next to me.

  The question of the week. What are Brax and me? I’m not sure yet.

  I look over, and he stuffs his hands into his pockets, his shoulder indenting forward, as though he’s preparing to shelter the pain I’m going to inflict.

  “Well, it’s complicated,” I answer as truthfully as I can.

  “Ainsley Winslow!” Brax screams from the bottom of the stairs.

  My eyes search for him, a smile immediately plastering to my face.

  I shake my head as all the students around peer over at him making a spectacle of himself.

  “I’m thinking it’s not that complicated. See you around.”

  I swivel my head to say something, but Ethan’s already being swallowed by the crowd of students coming and going to class.

  “How was I as a study partner?” he yells.

  I smile, nodding my head.

  “That good, huh?”

  I laugh.

  He holds his arms out to me, and my feet step forward before a shoulder knocks into my back. I can’t grab the railing fast enough, and my feet trip over themselves. I tumble down the concrete steps until my shoulder hits Brax’s shoe.

  “Shit.” He bends down, and his hands fall under my arms to help me up. “Are you okay?” he asks.

  I quickly nod a few times. “Yeah, I’m good.” I wipe the grime from my legs and my arms as best as I can.

  “That’s some high school shit.” Brax moves away from me and gets right in front of who I’m guessing is the girl who pushed me.

  “It’s not my fault she tripped.” The girl sneers at me.

  I have no idea who she is.

  “Ainsley, are you okay?” Ella comes to my side, her eyes inspecting me.

  “I’ll be fine.” My eyes focus on the girl, narrowing to warn her to fucking mess with me to my face next time and then we’ll see who the tough one is.

  “The girls can be nasty. I only survived because Crosby was new to campus when we got together.”