Bet On It

by Elizabeth Perry

  “Right.” I reach down, grabbing one out of my pocket before tearing it open with my teeth and sliding it on.

  “But know one thing, baby.” I whisper as I shift my hips and begin to slide inside of her.

  “I’ve never in my life went inside of a woman bare. That’s only with you. Only will that ever be for you. I’ll wear a rubber whenever you want me to, but know this, baby. I don’t want to. I want no barriers between us, ever.”

  Her eyes lock on mine as I push myself inside of her tight folds. “Fuck.” I mutter, as her head falls back against the door. “Fuck you always feel so good.”

  “Yes.” She murmurs, squeezing me tightly as I pull my hips back before thrusting inside of her again.

  “I love you Laci.” I whisper into her ear as I trail kisses down her neck. “I love you so damn much.”

  She freezes in my arms, and I stop all movements as her eyes open wide and land on mine.

  “What did you just say?”

  Our eyes lock, hers wide and questioning.

  “I love you.” I repeat. “I don’t ever want you to question what you mean to me. I love you, Laci. I didn’t even realize what love was until I met you. And someday? Yeah. I’d love to move here, and have a family, but it only matters if you are with me. I’ll do whatever you want, be whatever you need. I know it’s sudden, and the future is uncertain, but I can promise you one thing. You will always be the only woman for me.”

  Her eyes fill with tears as she grips me tighter, her head falling against mine.

  “You don’t have to say it. It’s ok. I know it’s really sudden. I just wanted you to know how I feel. I don’t ever want you to question the way that I feel about you.”

  “I love you too.” She whispers, before her lips crash onto mine. She opens wide, letting me inside, as I pull back so far, that she whimpers as we lose all the contact.

  “Say that again.”

  “I love you, Jake.” She smiles, before pulling me back towards her. “Now, please…”

  “Not here.” I wrap her in my arms before turning and damn near running her through my house.

  “I need you in my bed, so that I can take this slow and stare into your eyes the whole time that I’m inside of you.”

  “Mr. Romantic.” She teases, as I drop her onto my bed, my heart racing, more from the words that she just said to me rather than just having run up my staircase.

  “Only for you.” I smirk at her, before reaching down and tugging off the condom.

  “No more of those. I need to feel just you.”

  “Jake, you shouldn’t. You do know that birth control fails, right?”

  “I’m counting on it.” I tell her, as her mouth drops open.

  I slide myself back inside of her, except this time, without any barriers between us. She doesn’t say anything else, except my name, for the rest of the night.

  “I cannot believe that this is your house.”

  I grin up at her, to where she is perched on my kitchen island, her hair tousled from a very sleepless yet fulfilling night, wearing nothing over her gorgeous little body except my t-shirt, my name and number plastered across the back.

  “It’s great, right?”

  She glances past me, to the full wall of windows, which face the river, before nodding her head.

  “Better than great. It’s beautiful. Like a little slice of heaven.”

  “No, you are a little slice of heaven. This house is just a house.” I smack a kiss to her lips, making her giggle again, before turning my attention back to the omelets that I have cooking on the stovetop.

  “It’s just so pretty. Everything here.”

  “Not as pretty as you.”

  She rolls her eyes before laughing again.

  “Easy there, hot shot. You’re going to give me a head as big as yours.”

  “Your welcome. I aim to please.”

  I’m met with another eyeroll.

  I step towards her, slowly caging her in as she shakes her head. “Oh no. No, you don’t. I have no energy left for whatever it is you have on your mind.” She points her finger back to the stove and shoo’s me away.

  “Make me food, Matthews. If you want any more of my body, you have to feed me.”

  “I’ll feed you.” I wink at her. “I’ll feed you a ten-inch sausage…”

  “No!” She hops off the island and darts around to the other side, as I grin wickedly at her.

  “Baby, you should already know, I love the chase.”

  “Jake, no. Food.” She points back to the stove. I shut the burner off and within two steps, have her caged back in on the other side of the counter.

  “Jake.” She cries, as I push her against the countertop. “I can’t.”

  “No?” I question, before reaching my hand up her thigh. “So, if I touched you right now, you wouldn’t be wet and ready for me, right?”

  She groans again, before dropping her head into my chest. “Of course, I would be. I’m always ready for you. My body defies me.”

  “I’m glad, because I love your body.”

  She sighs into me, as I lift her up, setting her back onto the island.

  “But, I love the rest of you more. I’ll feed you. Don’t you worry your pretty little head, baby. I got you.”

  She swats me from behind as I go back to the stovetop, finishing up our breakfast.

  She continues to sip her coffee as I serve her the omelet She stays seated on the island, and I sit down on one of the stools next to her.

  “How far away is the airport?” She asks, dousing me with a hefty dose of reality.

  “Like 45 minutes.” Disappointment washes over me, knowing that we have to go back. I would love nothing more than to stay just like we are right now, all alone, together in this big house, with nothing to do but to spend our time wrapped up in each other.

  “Our flights are at 2, so,” she glances up at the clock on the wall before looking back at me.

  “We probably should shower and get ready after we eat.”

  “Yeah.” I look glumly back at my breakfast. I don’t want to go back to South Carolina. She will go back to her place, and I will go back to mine. And that means that I won’t get to spend every night with her, like I have for the last four nights. I won’t get to wake up to her face, to the feeling of her body wrapped around mine.

  And I hate it.

  “You guys leave again on Thursday.” She blinks, as she begins to push her food around on her plate.

  “What do you mean us guys? You will be leaving too.”

  “No.” she shakes her head, before glancing up at me. “I don’t go to Cleveland.”

  “Why?”

  “Just because.”

  There’s more to the story, and I know it. I’m about to pry, when realization washes over me. There is no better place to tell her about the bet, than right here, right now. Because for one, we’re out in the middle of nowhere together, and she has nowhere to take off to if she gets pissed. Plus, I would have the entire flight to convince her that while she may have started out as a bet to me, she instead has turned out to be the love of my life.

  “Laci, there’s something that I have to tell you.”

  “There’s something that I have to tell you too.” She rushes on, interrupting me. “You’ve been so honest with me, Jake, that I need to be honest with you about a few things too.”

  “Ok.” She has my full attention.

  “Ok.” She swallows, before pushing her plate away and meeting my eyes.

  “When I told you about my family situation, I wasn’t completely honest with you.”

  “No? How so?”

  “Just.” She holds up a finger to shush me before continuing. “I told you my dad traveled a lot, and cheated on my mom all of the time.”

  I just nod, as she takes another deep breath before continuing.

  “What I didn’t tell you, is that my dad is…” her eyes close. “My dad is Eric Monroe.”

  “Eric Monroe.” I re
peat, before understanding dawns on me. “Holy fuck. The Eric Monroe?”

  She nods again, keeping her eyes closed.

  “One and the same.”

  “Holy shit, Laci. He’s like…he’s a legend in this sport.”

  She nods again, as my eyes are surely wide as hell.

  “The Eric Monroe is your father. The all-star player, homerun record holder, recently inducted into the hall of fame Eric Monroe?”

  “Yes.”

  “So that’s how you knew what was wrong with my batting, wasn’t it? Because you grew up around all of the greats.”

  “Yes.”

  All my excitement dies, as the reality of everything that she told me comes crashing back over me.

  “That’s the asshole who left you behind?” My wonder turns to anger, at the knowledge that while he may have been one of the greatest baseball players to ever have lived, he is also one of the biggest assholes.

  “Yes.”

  “That’s why you don’t go to Cleveland. Because he coaches there.”

  She just nods.

  “And that’s why you said you would never date a baseball player. Because of the way he treated you. And your mom.”

  She nods again.

  “Fuck.” I blow out my breath, before shaking my head. “I had no idea. Does coach know? Mr. McAbey?”

  “No one knows.” Her eyes fly open and she tilts her head at me. “And I don’t want anyone to know. Ever. I wanted this job based on my own accord, not his.”

  “Right.” I reach up, squeezing her hand. “I get it. Your secret is safe with me.”

  She scoots off the island and I lean back in my chair, as she settles herself onto my lap.

  “Good. Thank you. That’s it, that’s all I have. My big, deep dark secret.”

  “That’s a pretty big secret, baby. He’s a pretty famous guy.”

  “That he is.” She nods, before reaching out and placing her hands on my shoulders. “Except, I was wrong to ever try to loop you into the same category as him. He is an asshole, but Jake,” her eyes flutter up to mine before her lips smack softly against my cheek. “You are amazing, and I should have never doubted you. I love you.”

  The pit in my stomach grows.

  “So, what did you want to tell me?”

  I swallow hard, as her eyes meet mine. Now is my moment to come clean, and to tell her the truth before she finds out on her own. Except as I try to form the words inside of my head, I just can’t.

  It makes total sense as to why she never wanted anything to do with a professional athlete. Her dad, while maybe not biological, but the dad who raised her let her down. He broke her heart, and made her feel like she wasn’t good enough.

  She’s seen the bad, and lived through it.

  So how in the hell can I hurt her right now? When she is looking at me with her eyes filled with love, and that big goofy grin on her face?

  I can’t fucking do it. I just can’t.

  I’ll have to just figure out a way to get the guys off my back, and explain to them that I’m out on the bet, and that I’m in love with Laci.

  They’ll understand. They will keep it quiet.

  Then next year, I’ll sign on with the Devils and Laci will come with me.

  I’ll marry her, and knock her up, keeping her barefoot and pregnant for the rest of our days.

  She will never find out about the bet. It was just a stupid bet anyways.

  One that will be buried in our past and never spoken of.

  “Nothing. It wasn’t important.”

  I swing her up, making her giggle again as I turn us towards the stairs.

  “Now that I’ve fed you, woman, I expect you naked and bent over in the shower in two minutes.” I tell her, setting her down at the top of the stairs and smacking her ass.

  “Such a chauvinist.” She rolls her eyes.

  “Oh yeah? Tell me you don’t want it.” I grin wickedly at her, before dropping my shorts around my ankles. Her eyes travel down my body, to my raging boner.

  She licks her lips, before a little grin flashes across her face.

  “I do want it.” She tilts her head, her eyes locking with mine, before dropping down to her knees.

  “What are you…” I grip the banister as she grabs my shaft in her hand before I feel her sweet lips suction around me.

  “Oh.” I hiss. “Fuck.” Her mouth travels down, as she licks and sucks on my head.

  “Ok. Ok.” I groan, wrapping one hand into her hair.

  “This works too.”

  “Did you see that press release?” Eddie asks me, as we jog off the field after practice on Wednesday.

  “Yeah.” I tell him, not paying direct attention to him as my eyes lock on the woman who has been haunting my dreams for eternity.

  Ok, so in reality, it’s only been two days, but it has been two very long days.

  Between our practice schedule, and Laci’s work schedule, I haven’t gotten to spend any time with her since we got back from Georgia on Monday. And its driving me insane.

  “Laci did an excellent job of spinning the story.” Eddie says, nodding in her direction.

  “What story.” I ask, not really caring, since I’m hardly paying any attention to him.

  “It was about our charities, bro. And she threw in a piece about you donating some tickets for a kid’s birthday party.”

  “Oh, yeah. Cool.”

  I’m barely hearing him, because I’m completely focused on Laci, or more so, the fact that she is throwing her head back and laughing at something that some guy is saying to her, as his hand is on her elbow.

  “Who the fuck is that guy?” It comes out as a growl instead of a question, and it doesn’t pass Eddie by. He stops and spins around, staring at me as if I have two heads. He follows my glare, before shrugging.

  “Not sure. Coach said we were getting a new PT, maybe that’s him?”

  “Whoever he is, he needs to learn to keep his hands to himself.”

  “Jesus, man. He’s just talking to her. What’s your problem?”

  I stand, staring, hoping like hell that my glare cuts into him, but he doesn’t seem to notice. I’m sure he doesn’t, because he’s too fixated on staring at her. At my girl. Not that I can blame him, because she’s beautiful. But she’s also mine, and that fucker is going to need to learn to back off.

  “Jake, man. Hold up.” Eddie reaches out, grabbing my arm and stopping me, as my body starts to propel towards them.

  “Dude, what. I need to go…”

  “You need to chill for a second. You look like your gonna kill someone, man. What’s your deal?”

  I take my eyes off Laci for a second, before turning back to Eddie, noticing that Eric and Brock are also standing by him, staring at me curiously.

  “Fuck.” I mutter, before turning in the opposite direction, towards the dugout, away from Laci and fuck face.

  I stomp into the dugout, tossing my glove on the ground, sitting down on the bench, and crossing my arms, keeping an eye on Laci.

  “Who the fuck is that guy? Does anybody know?” I gesture towards him, and Brock bursts out laughing.

  “He’s our new PT. Why are you so bent about it? What’s your problem today? Oh, hell.” He glances back to Laci, his grin wide as fuck before turning back to me.

  “Oh shit, Matthews. You nailed that didn’t you?” He laughs, then whistles before clapping his hands.

  “Hey, guys. Mommy problem solved. Matthews got all up in that. Time to tell coach!” His grin widens, but fades when I stand up, leveling my eyes at him.

  “I didn’t have sex with her. It’s not like that at all. I just don’t like the way that guy is looking at her.”

  “Oh please. So, you’re just all bent out of shape over the way some guy is looking at her? Sit the fuck down, man. Maybe it’ll be a good thing for her crotchety ass to get laid. Might distract her from us.”

  “You know what, Brock? Fuck you.” I drop my head into my hands, running my hands through
my hair, trying like hell to calm down.

  My blood fucking boils at the thought of anyone other than me putting their hands on her. She is mine, all fucking mine, and I swear to god I will personally end anyone who even tries to lay a hand on her.

  “Ah, Matthews? I love you man, but your being kind of a dick. What gives? It’s just a bet, man. No need to freak out over some other guy talking to her. You don’t have to marry the girl, you just have to fuck…”

  I stand up quickly, before taking a step towards him. “Listen, she’s way fucking more than just a bet, ok? The bets over. I’m done with it, and I don’t ever want to hear about it again. And anyone who even thinks about laying a hand on her, is gonna have to go through me first.” I scan them all, my eyes fixed in a glare. “She’s mine. She’s all fucking mine.”

  “Whoa.” Eric’s eyes are wide, as he glances behind us as coach jogs down the dugout steps. “Listen, man. Obviously, we need to talk. This may not be the time or place.”

  “Sit down.” Eddie presses his hand to my chest, pushing me back down onto the dugout bench as Brock, eyes still wide, sits down next to me.

  I am acting like an asshole, and I know it. But watching some other guy try to move in on my girl while I can do nothing about it is not going over well with me.

  “Alright, fellas, listen up.” Coach steps down into the dugout, followed by Laci, and the fucking asshole. I watch him, as his eyes travel down to her ass, my ass, before a smug smile crosses his dickish face.

  “I want to introduce you guys to Mac.” He gestures to the guy with a death wish before turning back to us. “Mac here is being brought on as our new Physical Therapist. He also does a lot of personal training, and has his minor degree in fitness. So not only will he be working with the guys on the injured list, he’s available to work with all of you if you choose. And I highly recommend that some of you choose to do so.”

  “Mac? Is that your real name? Or a nickname.” I level my gaze with him, staring daggers at him, as he shifts uncomfortably in front of us.

  “My full name is Mackenzie. You can call me Mac for short.”

  I snort, before rolling my eyes. “I thought that was a chick name.”

  Eddie nudges me hard in the side and Laci shoots me a dirty look. I just shrug and sit back against the wall, keeping my eyes firmly on Mac.