My Lucky Catch
A University Park Series Novel
By CM Doporto
My Lucky Catch
A University Park Series Novel
Version 1
Copyright © 2016 CM Doporto
All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this book, or portions thereof, in any form without written permission except for the use of brief quotations embodied in articles, reviews, or posts.
Published by:
http://www.cmdoporto.com
Cover design by Indie Solutions
Photo by Gandee Photography
Edited by Lindsey Medenwaldt
Copyright 2016 by CM Doporto
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, educational facilities, events, or locales, is entirely coincidental. Any trademarks mentioned herein are not authorized by the trademark owners and do not in any way mean the work is sponsored by or associated with the trademark owners. Any trademarks used are specifically in a descriptive capacity.
Acknowledgements
I’d like to thank my husband for his continual support. I can’t do this without you babe. To my son and daughter, for allowing me to write when I should be playing with both of you.
Many thanks to my fan club, CM Doporto’s Heroes and Heroines. I appreciate your dedication and the time you spend supporting my books. Thanks to Lindsey for editing the book for me. You know I’m not perfect. Thanks to Murphy for creating another beautiful cover!
I would be remiss if I didn’t mention the bloggers and reviewers who take the time to read and post reviews. Your support of indie authors helps get the attention of readers we work hard to obtain.
A huge thank you to you, the reader. Without you, there would be no one to read my story. I appreciate you taking the time to read it. I hope you enjoy it because I’ve been waiting patiently to tell Delaney and Luke’s story, planting hints along the way.
Most of all, I want to thank our Heavenly Father for providing me with the opportunity to do what I love, write.
Dedication
To my husband,
You are My Lucky Catch!
Table of Contents
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
DEDICATION
CHAPTER 1
CHAPTER 2
CHAPTER 3
CHAPTER 4
CHAPTER 5
CHAPTER 6
CHAPTER 7
CHAPTER 8
CHAPTER 9
CHAPTER 10
CHAPTER 11
CHAPTER 12
CHAPTER 13
CHAPTER 14
CHAPTER 15
CHAPTER 16
CHAPTER 17
CHAPTER 18
CHAPTER 19
CHAPTER 20
EPILOGUE
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Prologue
Fourteen years ago
“Delaney, I’m not going to tell you again.” My dad shot me an evil eye through the rearview mirror. Even in the darkness, I could see the white of his pupils widening as his brows furrowed.
“But why, Dad? Why can’t I spend the night with Alanna?”
Dad sighed and shook his head. “Because I said so.”
Anger boiled through me, and I was so mad that he wouldn’t let me stay the night with my best friend. I just couldn’t understand why he refused when I had stayed with her a few times before. “Why? There are lots of adults there. It’s safe.”
“Oh, Delaney.” Dad reached over and turned off the music. “For once, don’t talk back.”
“Sweetie,” Mom quickly chimed in, like she always did when my dad was getting mad at me. “You have to understand that dad and I are making decisions to protect you, not to harm you. We love you.”
“But Alanna and I built this neat house with sheets in her room. It was our white mansion, and now her brothers are going to tear it down.” My throat tightened, and I swallowed hard. “We were going to sleep in there tonight.” I grunted and pushed with the balls of my feet on the back of my mom’s seat.
“Stop it, Delaney.” Mom turned around. “I’m warning you now. You won’t be going over to her house next week if you keep this up.”
“Whatever.” I rolled my eyes. “Her parents are your friends, too. We’ll be back over there next weekend.”
“Delaney!” Dad snapped, and I jumped in my seat. “I’m not going to tell you again. That’s enough.”
I settled back in my chair and huffed. “Just tell me why you won’t let me spend the night?”
“Ugh.” Dad sighed as he gripped the steering wheel tighter.
“Oh, my, where did we go wrong?” Mom breathed out a heavy breath and ran her fingers through her long, dark hair.
“Tell me,” I demanded.
“Damn it!” Dad hit the steering wheel with his fist. “Because it’s New Year’s Eve, and they’re having a party. I don’t want you to stay at a house with a bunch of a people who are drinking, okay?”
“Alanna’s mom wasn’t drinking.” I made it a point to call that fact to their attention.
“Delaney, just trust us, please.” Dad’s voice was getting more irritated by the minute, but I knew I had him on the verge of changing of his mind. All I had to do was beg and whine a little more.
“Please, take me back. I promise I’ll call you to come get me if things get crazy.” I narrowed my eyes, pretending I had powers to change his mind. “I know our phone number now.” For a brief moment, I stopped and repeated the numbers, making sure I did know the number.
“Delaney, Dad said no,” Mom scorned. “So, stop asking.”
I groaned as I fought back the tears. “I hate y’all.” I muttered through tight lips as tears streamed down my cheeks. They weren’t being fair, and I hated them for that.
“You what?” Dad’s voice deepened, and his jaw clenched.
Fear shot through me, and I knew I had messed up.
“You’d better never say that again.” He reached his arm behind the seat, his finger pointing directly at me. I immediately recoiled as his hand shook in the air. “You hear me?”
“I’m sorry, Dad. I didn’t mean it.” I whimpered as tears poured from my eyes. Retracting as far as possible in the corner of the back seat, I pulled my knees to my chest and wrapped my arms tight around my legs.
“We do so much for you and this is how you treat us.” Dad continued to hold his finger in the air as he shook his head. “I can’t believe—”
“Lorenzo!” Mom screamed. “Watch out!”
“Oh, shit!”
I glanced out the front windshield and quickly turned my head when a bright light shined on my face. The car jerked to the right, and the tires screeched as they hugged the street. What was going on? My heart raced, and I tried to focus on what was happening, but everything was spinning so fast, like we were on a ride at Six Flags. A loud bang thundered inside of the car, and metal scraping metal made the hair on the back of my neck stand on end.
“Mom! Dad! What’s happening?” I tried to reach for them but the force inside of the car was too much.
I closed my eyes and ducked my head, like the way they taught you during a practice tornado drill, and I pulled my legs tight against my chest as our car tumbled and crashed against the ground. I squeezed tighter, praying to God to protect my family.
To forgive me for being a brat.
I yelled and screamed, pleading for someone to hear me. For someone to help us. My head spun, and my stomach turned and twisted, pushing up through my throat. Another loud rumble crashed
against the car, and everything went black.
Chapter 1
End of Spring Semester—Sophomore Year
Luke
“That was fucking amazing!” The hottie peeled her body off mine and moaned a few times before falling to her side of the bed.
“You were damn good, too.” I panted for air, trying desperately to refill my lungs. This woman was desperate to wear me out. After a few deep breaths, I rolled to my side, eyeing the gorgeous brunette next to me. “So, are you going to tell me your name?”
“No.” She laughed, finger-combing her messy hair. “You don’t need to know it. Trust me.”
Strike one.
I grunted. “That’s not fair.”
“What’s not fair?” She stared at me with a dubious look, even though she knew what I was talking about.
“You know my name, and I don’t know yours.”
A slight smile emerged through her fake stare. “Everyone knows your name, Luke Thompson.”
I shook my head and said, “I doubt it.”
“Whatever, first baseman for Park Hill University. You’re known around here.”
Despite what she thought, I wasn’t that popular. Unless they followed baseball, most people on campus didn’t know me, which was fine. I could do without all the attention—helped me keep my focus. Or at least what my parents wanted me to focus on—landing a spot with a Major League Baseball team. I loved playing, but wasn’t sure I wanted to do it for a living. My passion was in the training room, and earning a degree in sports exercise would hopefully work to my advantage.
“Are you a stalker or something?” I retracted slightly, hoping she wasn’t some kind of bat-shit crazy woman.
“I guess you can say that.” She gave me a sexy shrug. “I’ve had you on my To Do List for a while.”
“Your what?” I half laughed, half shuttered at the thought that this woman was after me. I normally kept an eye out for those only interested in a Mrs. Degree, but between the beer and shots, I’d somehow gotten careless. She made it damn easy to get in her pants so I figured what the hell?
“Yeah, you know, a list of guys I want to have sex with.”
I choked on my spit and coughed. “I guess you don’t have any issues with consensual sex, huh?”
“Not at all.” Her bright, sparkling blue eyes surveyed me purposefully. I wasn’t sure if she wore color enhancing contacts or what, but I’d never seen eyes that blue before. “We’re adults.”
“In that case, you want to hook up again?” I rose up on my forearms as she crawled out of bed. Long, dark hair cascaded down her back leading to hips I’d never seen before. With a perfect ass and a tiny waist—I couldn’t wait to get her from behind.
“Maybe,” she said, gathering her clothes.
“Can you at least give me your phone number?” My eyes stayed fixed, unable to stop watching her get dressed. She didn’t seem to mind, giving me a full frontal view of everything. And boy, do I mean everything.
“Nope.” Her voice was blunt, without a hint of teasing or flirting present.
Strike two.
I fell back against the pillow. How I managed to get this woman in bed was beyond me. Then it occurred to me that she was the one who got me in bed. This game was totally in her control.
“But don’t worry, I know how to find you.”
“You do?” I threw the covers back and sat on the edge of the bed. Picking up my boxers from the floor, I stepped into them and then stood up as I put them on.
“Well, duh. Isn’t this your place?”
“No,” I laughed. “In fact, I don’t know who the hell’s house this is.” I glanced around the room, knowing damn well it belonged to my teammate, Riley Stotz.
“Oh, shit!” Her hand flew to her mouth. “So, we were screwing in someone else’s bed?”
“Yep.” I grabbed my jeans and slipped them on, not bothering to button them. I had no problem keeping a straight face. If she liked playing games with me, then I would have some fun with her.
She rolled her shoulders and tossed her hair over her shoulder. “Oh, well.”
“Do you typically have sex with guys you don’t know in a stranger’s bed?” I approached her as she hopped up and down, squeezing into a pair of tight jean shorts.
“Not usually.” She latched on to my arm as she shoved her feet into a pair of wedge sandals. “Besides, we’ve met before tonight.”
“We have?” I arched a brow.
“Yes.” Her hand glided down my arm, and her nails tickled my skin. “I believe it was at a frat party.”
I searched my mind trying to recall meeting her, but it was pointless with her breasts pointing straight at me. With heels and Daisy Duke’s, she was freakin’ hot.
“Are you sure?” I ran my thumb under her chin. “With a pretty face like yours, I’m sure I’d remember meeting you.”
“You were doing shots and were wasted, so that’s probably why you don’t remember.” She picked up her bra from the floor.
“That was a waste of a night.” I snorted a laugh.
She laced her arms through the straps of her bra and turned around. “Do you mind?”
I stared at her back for a few seconds before realizing what she wanted me to do. “Not at all.” I connected the hooks on her bra. That was a first.
“Thanks.” She slipped on her tight PHU T-shirt and grabbed her purse. “I appreciate the night of hot sex, Luke. You were amazing!”
Before she could slip away, I tugged on the strap of her purse, pulling her close to me. “So, you gonna tell me your name?”
“I kind of like it like this, don’t you?” She latched on to her bottom lip, pulling off an erotic look that had me ready to toss her back on the bed.
“No, not really.” I released the strap, realizing I was headed for a third strike. It was better to stay where I was so I could keep playing her game.
“Don’t worry. I’m confident we’ll see each other again.” She walked toward the door.
“But it’s the end of the semester. Are you staying for the summer?”
“In fact, I am.” She stalled for a moment. “What about you?”
“I just got an apartment and plan on taking a few classes.” Maybe she was right, and we would be seeing more of each other, after all.
“Then I’m positive we’ll see each other.” Her lips parted in a huge smile before opening the door. Glancing over her should she said, “See ya around, Luke.”
I ran my hand through my matted hair, trying hard not to grin. “Yeah, see ya around.”
I immediately felt the tug in the center of my heart. What was it about her that had me anxious to know more about her? Was it her wild, adventurous, carefree attitude? I wasn’t sure, but I was going to make it my quest to find out who in the hell this girl was—even if I had to call every girl at PHU. I’d find her.
***
Fall Semester—Junior Year
Delaney
“This is the last bag.” Martin, also known as my adoptive dad, huffed as he placed my over-stuffed Vera Bradley duffle bag on my bed. “Here’s your key card.”
“Thanks.” I took the key from him. Charter Hall was an all-female dormitory that required a key card for access. It made me feel safe, but it was also an inconvenience at times. I argued with my parents that they could at least let me stay in a co-ed dorm, since they wouldn’t allow me to stay in an apartment, but I lost that battle, too.
“Sure thing, sweetie.” He wrapped an arm around me, and I rested my head against him. Something that took me a few years to do. “I can’t believe you’re already a junior.”
“It’s going by so fast.” Veronica, Martin’s better half, and the woman that served as my mom for the past eight years, said with a shaky voice. “Before long you’ll be graduating.”
I shook my head. “Y’all act like you’re never going to see me again once I graduate.”
Martin retracted his arm slowly and shoved his hands in the pockets of his twill
shorts. “You never know. You could run off with some guy to another country.”
“Not happening.” I rolled my eyes and yawned. Partying last night with some of my high school friends had lasted until five in the morning, and I was feeling it today. “I don’t have time for all of that.” I waved my hand in the air. Being tied down with one guy was the last thing I wanted. I enjoyed my freedom too much and intended on keeping it that way.
Veronica shook her head and Martin gave me a one-shoulder shrug. “You say that now but wait until you meet the right guy.” Veronica placed a hand on her husband’s chest, gazing at him with goo goo eyes. It was great to see them in love with each other, when most of friends were bitching about their stepmother or stepfather. I guess I was lucky my parents were still married—even if they were my adoptive parents.
“Yeah, well, I’m not holding my breath for that.” I grabbed a stack of clothes from my bed and hung them in my closet. “This closet is too little,” I moaned as I pushed my winter clothes as far to the side as possible. “Apartments have bigger closets.”
“Delaney, we already talked about this.” Martin’s voice switched to a more serious tone, indicating he didn’t want to discuss the subject any further. Several thousand dollars later and a fine for disturbing the peace left a spoiled taste in my parents’ mouths after I held an end of semester party at the apartment I shared with two other girls. As expected, they stiffed me with the bill for replacing the carpet that caught on fire and repairing a wall that someone kicked. That also cost me summer tuition, and instead of staying at PHU for summer classes, I ended up at my local community college, which totally sucked.
Asshats!
If I found out who did it, I was going to rip their balls off with my hands.
My Lucky Catch (University Park #6) Page 1