Sidelined: A Sports Romance

by Violet Paige

“I don’t know. You tell me.” She looked directly in his eyes.

  “Skye, come on. You know me.”

  She shrugged. “Ok, if you won’t agree to that, I’m leaving.” She slung the bag over her shoulder.

  “No. Wait, wait.” He stood between her and the door. “This is strictly professional. No wine.”

  Skye wasn’t completely convinced, but she decided it was already late. A few more hours at the office wouldn’t hurt anything. If Greg tried to weasel out of their deal, she’d figure out a way to handle him.

  The bag dropped to the floor. “Ok, I’ll be back in ten minutes.”

  “Want me to walk with you?” he offered.

  She glanced at him from the corner of her eye.

  “I take it back. You go get dinner. And I’ll see you in ten minutes.”

  Skye stepped around him and walked to the elevator. She realized as she hit the lobby, she didn’t even ask if he wanted her to order something for him. She giggled.

  The street outside the office was bustling. Sure it wasn’t New York, but there were parts of San Diego that never slept. Even on a Tuesday night. Skye waited at the corner for her turn to cross the street. Sandy’s was only two blocks from the office.

  She paid at the counter for her sandwich and chips. As she passed through the door, she felt her phone vibrate in her purse.

  “Hello?”

  “Hey.”

  She smiled at the sound of Ben’s voice. She hadn’t seen him in a few days and had to remind herself that taking it slow meant not spending every night together. She was learning early that pilots were gone a lot, including weekends. He had flown to Texas over the weekend.

  “Are you going to program me into your phone or just keep getting surprised every time I call?” he asked.

  “I don’t know yet.” She stopped to sit at one of the table’s in front of Sandy’s.

  He chuckled. “I guess that’s fair. You still don’t think I’m going to make it to your thirty-day mark.”

  Skye blushed. Did he have a way of spying on her conversations with Kari? “I didn’t say that.”

  “You didn’t have to.”

  “How did your day go?” She watched a couple stroll past her, holding hands.

  “Actually, I just landed. Eagle and I had a late flight. Was thinking about going out. Want to go?”

  “Go out now? It’s late.”

  “Don’t tell me you’re working at the office and can’t tear yourself away to go to a concert.” She thought she heard a smile in his voice.

  “I’m working on an account. I just picked up dinner and was headed back to my office.”

  “Cancel that. I’ll pick you up in…forty-five minutes.”

  Skye looked at the phone in her hand. Who was this guy? He automatically assumed she would comply with all his requests. She had serious work to do. And then she remembered Greg in the office.

  “Ok. But I can’t stay out all night.” She chewed on her lip. She hadn’t seen him in days. Why would she say something so stupid?

  He laughed. “Let’s not worry about curfews before I even pick you up. See you soon.”

  Before she could banter back, he hung up. He was frustrating at times, but deep down she knew a little part of her liked how he took control. He was sexy confidence personified. In only a few short weeks Ben had become a part of her waking thoughts, popping up when she was in the middle of a meeting, or interfering with her charts and tables. Yesterday during a conference call she completely blanked ten minutes in when she was supposed to report on model contract candidates. Instead, she couldn’t shake the funny things Ben said to her at the Padre’s game. He had a way of making her laugh that brought out a side of her she was starting to love.

  She tried to dismiss the feelings that swirled every time she thought about him, but it was harder with each phone call or night they spent together. Slowly, Skye knew she was starting to picture him as the man she wanted, and it scared the hell out of her.

  She dialed the office number and held the phone to her ear. “Hey Greg, yeah I’m not coming back to the office. Let’s work on the project tomorrow.” She hung up and dropped the phone in her bag. She may have just lost her chance to reunite with the zoo campaign and her favorite panda cubs. Cute cubs came in second to a hot Marine pilot. She headed to the parking garage and pointed the car to her apartment. There was no turning back now.

  Nine

  Bolt hopped out of the shower and reached for the closest towel. He hoped he hadn’t sounded too pushy when he called Skye. He hadn’t planned on calling her tonight, but she kept popping up in his head when he was flying. He decided the only way to cure that was to see her again. He hadn’t planned on missing her over the weekend, but he did. The Dallas trip sprung up at the last minute, or else he would have tried to see her Saturday night.

  She was different than the other women he spent his nights with. Her life was organized and together. She was smart and accomplished. Skye made it clear that she was independent and self-sufficient, and he liked that about her, but what he couldn’t get enough of was when she let down her guard. He knew he was attracted to her like no other girl on the planet. It was as if she possessed some kind of magnetic pull that he couldn’t resist even when he told himself he was headed toward dangerous territory. It was a magnet so strong that he was willing to risk breaking all boundaries just to spend time with her.

  He looped his dog tags over his head and patted them against his chest.

  “Where you headed, Princess?” Hollywood called from the other end of the locker room.

  “Date.” Bolt pulled a pair of jeans up over his legs and fastened them.

  “Same girl?”

  “Yep, Skye.” He reached for a T-shirt.

  “Are you trying to set some kind of record?” Hollywood threw a towel in the hamper. He and Ranger had flown with Bolt and Eagle on the late schedule.

  “Why do you say that?” He knew what was coming next.

  “Because as long as I’ve known you, you’ve never seen the same woman more than once. Not saying that’s a bad thing, just noticed.”

  Bolt shook his head. “Then stop giving me a shit about it. I like her.”

  “Like her?” Hollywood pretended to close his jaw with his palm.

  “Shut the fuck up, man. I can date somebody.” Bolt noticed he had clenched his jaw. He tried to relax.

  “Right. And Ranger’s going to let me make the next flight plan.”

  Bolt tried to laugh. He knew Hollywood, or any of the guys, would give him a hard time about Skye. He deserved it. They had seen him dart out of more hotel rooms than anyone at the squadron. But now that the jabs were actually happening the words weren’t rolling off his back like he wanted. .

  “All I’m saying is that you’re not really a relationship guy. You’re a fuck and run guy.”

  “See ya.” Bolt grabbed his bag. He didn’t want to hear anymore.

  “Wait, man. I didn’t mean to piss you off. I just don’t know why you can’t admit that you’re going to screw her over like all the other girls you fuck. She seems nice. I liked her. Cool girl.”

  Bolt turned toward his friend, his voice low. “Yeah, she is nice.” He didn’t want to get in a fight with Hollywood. He was only joking around, but it had gotten under his skin and started to irritate him like a bad T-shirt tag.

  “Have fun on your date, Princess.” Hollywood called after him, but Bolt walked straight ahead. There was a lot of truth in what his friend said, and he wasn’t ready to face any of it.

  “Hey.” Skye opened the door. She was wearing tight jeans and a black tank top. Her hair was down around her face.

  “Hey.” He smiled. God, she looked incredible. He had forgotten how sexy she was.

  “So, what concert are we going to?” She stepped back to let him in the apartment. “I haven’t heard of anyone playing tonight. But, I’ve been working a lot so I don’t really know—”

  He brushed against her and closed the d
oor behind him. “Change of plans.”

  He didn’t give her a chance to ask questions. His mouth crashed into hers and he nudged her against the wall, taking her face in his hands. It was rough and hard, but he could tell the kiss wasn’t one-sided. He felt her arms wind around his neck, and tug him closer toward her. The more her tongue lashed against his, the more he wanted from her. She was like lightning in a bottle.

  He reached around the small of her back and hoisted her legs around his waist. He pressed against her, wanting her to feel what she was doing to him. She let out a groan and he moved his mouth along her neck. She tasted like vanilla icing, and all he could think about was licking every square inch of her body.

  He already knew his way around her apartment. He peeled her from the wall and headed into the hallway and toward the bedroom. With each step he took she squeezed her thighs tighter against his hips. It didn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out she missed him and wanted him as badly as he wanted her.

  Her breasts arched toward him as he laid her on the bed. He reached for her tank top and yanked it over her head. Damn, she had on black lace. His favorite. He went for the button on the jeans hoping like hell there was something matching underneath. He smiled as she eased her hips off the bed and helped him maneuver her out of the jeans. It felt like he was trying to harness something wild every time he ran his hands over her skin. He didn’t want to tame her—he didn’t want her to change what she did one bit. He loved how she reacted to him. He loved that she let go and gave in to his touch.

  “Ben,” she whispered his name as he stepped out of his jeans and kicked them next to the bed.

  “Hmm…” he wasn’t watching her expression. He was too busy toying with the black lace between her legs. God, she was hot. He wanted her from the first night he saw her sipping wine in the bar. He couldn’t believe a beautiful, sexy woman like her was sitting alone. He kept waiting for a boyfriend to show up and punch him for taking over his territory, but she was alone. She was available. And for the last week he had tried his damndest to get her in bed.

  Her hands clutched at his shoulders and she let out a whimper as he stripped the lace from between her legs, making sure to let his fingers graze across her heated skin.

  “We need to slow down.” Her voice was raspy.

  Slowing down was the last thing on his agenda. He cupped a breast with his hand and squeezed it in his hand. The only thing that felt better than this, was to explore it with his mouth. He eased the fabric over the top until only half of her was covered. He descended, pulling her into his mouth, feeling the softness of her skin. His tongue moved over her until she was completely hard, and he began to suck, urging her to writhe under him. Damn, he loved it when she rocked her hips toward him. The harder he sucked the quicker her rhythm picked up. He nudged her knee to the side and settled in between her legs, feeling the heat from her core through the last bit of clothing he wore. He rocked forward, pushing hard against her.

  “Ben,” she groaned. Her head thrashed to the side. He felt her nails dig harder into his back. That’s it, he thought, no going back. He reached for his waistband, keeping one hand firmly on her breast; while the other one freed him from the boxer briefs he wore.

  As soon as he felt her between his legs he thought he wouldn’t be able to control himself, but he wanted to see her expression when he was finally inside her. It was going to be fucking amazing. He raised his head to catch her gaze as he positioned himself between her legs.

  “Wait. What are you doing?” Her head jerked forward, and she looked down where his was hand was moving.

  He smiled. “Baby, it’s going to feel so good.” He kissed her mouth, inhaling one long breath as he steadied himself over her. He didn’t know how much longer he could hold the pause button. He wanted to be inside her five minutes ago.

  “What? No. No.” She wiggled back on the bed. “I thought we agreed. One month. You said you were ok with that.”

  He didn’t like the look on her face. She was angry.

  “Yeah, I did, but we’re headed in that direction anyway. Let me show you.” He crawled toward her and grazed her neck with his lips.

  “So you thought we should just bypass the thirty day thing because you don’t want to wait? Didn’t you hear anything I said?”

  He sighed. “Exactly. We’re going to fuck, so why not do it now?”

  “Excuse me?” Skye retreated to the end of the bed with a look of absolute murder on her face.

  “What? What are you so mad about?” He scratched his head. Sure she was adamant about her sex policy, but all rules were meant to be broken. He tried another approach. “Doesn’t it turn you on to do something that’s just a little forbidden?” He traced her collarbone with his index finger and watched the chill bumps form along her skin.

  “I think you need to leave, Ben.” She shirked back, dropping contact with him.

  For a second he thought she was joking. No woman had ever thrown him out of bed before.

  “You’re kidding, right? We’re having a good time. What’s wrong?” He just wanted to go back to the part where he had her purring and rocking under his hand.

  “Because I was stupid to think you were somehow different. I told you this isn’t a game to me. All you’re interested in is sex. You’ve made that clear.”

  “And you’re not? Don’t act like you haven’t loved every second of this. You can’t wait for me to undress you.” He stood from the bed and retrieved his clothes. He had undone the agreement, but he thought they were on the same page. She wanted him. “I thought if we had sex now I could prove sooner that I can stick around. I’m not only interested in sex. There is more to me than that.” He pulled his T-shirt over his head and shoved his arms through the sleeves. Now he was getting worked up.

  “That is the most backward, twisted logic I’ve ever heard. I should ‘fuck’ you now, as you call it, just so you can prove to me you’re not interested in sex? Get out.” She pointed to the door.

  “No problem.” He zipped his jeans and walked to the bedroom door.

  He was halfway across the room when his phone started to ring. He glanced down to see who was calling and didn’t hesitate to answer. “Faith, you ok? Hold on a second.” He covered the phone with his hand.

  He kept walking, knowing he left Skye naked and angry on the bed. Dammit, Hollywood was right. He wasn’t cut out for this relationship shit. He slammed the door behind him. It didn’t feel good thinking that was the last time he would see Skye Stephens.

  “Sorry, Faith. I’m here.”

  Ten

  “Say that again.” Kari spoke the words slowly.

  “We were in the middle of a fight, or kind of at the end of a fight, I guess and some girl named Faith called. He answered the call and then he left.” Skye called Kari as soon as Ben slammed the door behind him. She didn’t know what else to do.

  “But you told him to leave?”

  “Yes, but I didn’t think he would leave-leave. I thought he would apologize, or turn around and say ‘I’m a jerk. I shouldn’t have pressured you, or broken our agreement.’ Something. He could have said something.” Skye slouched into the pillows against her headboard.

  After Ben left, she washed her face, brushed her teeth, and threw on one of her frumpier pajama sets. She felt anything but sexy after that fight. What she felt was stupid. The fight didn’t have to escalate like that, but she couldn’t believe the words he used. It made everything they did seem cheap and dirty.

  “Kari, I’m afraid he never thought of me as anything but a conquest. And now I know there’s some other girl in the picture. He’s probably with her right now. I’m an idiot.”

  “Want me to come over? You don’t sound so great.”

  “No, thanks for the offer, though. It’s not like we’ve been seeing each other that long. It was only twelve days. I’ll be fine by morning. I guess you were right after all.”

  “What do you mean?” Kari asked.

  “You told me
to beware of the Miramar pilots, and you were right. I should have listened.” She thought back to last Friday night. “I did pick him up in a bar. I should have known better.”

  “I think you should look at this as a positive experience.” Kari’s voice rose.

  Skye rolled her eyes. “Are you going for the Pollyanna approach? How can you possibly spin this?”

  “You did something outside your comfort zone. You got out there and had fun. Just think if you actually started dating. Let me set you up with someone. I know the perfect guy.”

  “Uh-uh. No way. There’s a reason I don’t date. Guys like Ben Hardcastle.”

  Kari sighed into the phone. “All guys are not like Ben. Come on, one date. One teeny, tiny, innocent little date with a gentleman. He’s someone I know, so there’s no way he’ll be a jerk. What do you say?”

  After what had just transpired in her bed, it was hard to think of opening that door again. “I’ll think about it. That’s all I can commit to right now.”

  “I guess that’s understandable. But I’m not giving up.” Kari sounded triumphant.

  “I wouldn’t expect you too.” Skye giggled, relieved to know she still had a sense of humor.

  “Well, if you can’t sleep call me back, ok?”

  It was midnight. Skye hoped as soon as she turned off the light she would be asleep. “I will. Thanks for listening.”

  “Anytime. I’ll see you at work tomorrow.”

  “Night, Kari.”

  Skye plugged her phone into the charger on the nightstand and reached for the lamp. It had been a long day. From the weird exchange with Greg, to the blow up with Ben, she couldn’t get a handle on which way her emotions were drifting.

  It was impossible to turn her mind off. Was what Ben said true? Did she want him to undress her every time she saw him? Did she somehow lead him to believe they still didn’t have twenty days to go on the time-table? She exhaled, angry that he was making her doubt herself and irritated she thought there might be something to his accusations.