Out of My League, Part 2

by Cummin, Sharon

  She walked over and grabbed the door knob. I was right there behind her, still completely naked. She turned the knob and pulled the door open a crack. Then she turned back to me.

  “I'm not sure,” she said, her voice dripping with sarcasm. “I'll have to get back to you on that.”

  She pulled the damn door open wide. I let out a growl and stepped toward her. She hurried out the door, and took off as she slammed it behind her. What a fucking smart ass, I thought. She knew I couldn't go after her unless I wanted to put on a show for my neighbors. There was no way I could do that. That shit would blow up in my face for sure.

  I walked back toward my couch feeling slightly used. That was not something I was used to. Her ass better have been on the pill, I thought. She had to be. There was no way she would have lied about that. She wouldn't have wanted Lance on her ass for getting pregnant by me anymore than I would want him on mine for even touching her. I let my body fall back onto my couch as I let out a sigh.

  “What did you just do?” I asked myself aloud. “Why the fuck did it feel like that?”

  There was definitely one thing I was right about, once was not going to be enough. She'd just left, and I was already craving the taste of her on my tongue and the feel of her around my cock.

  I was definitely in trouble, and it was all because of her and that damn finger of hers.

  Chapter 10

  Cassie

  I went over every moment of our conversation on my drive back to James' house. Parker was right. My kids were what mattered, and I needed to get moving. I was already worried about the court, but he brought that fear out even more with what he'd said. First thing in the morning, I planned to finish what he'd started online. Then I'd search for a lawyer. I wanted to find one and have a list of their fees before I talked to James. As much as I didn't want to ask for money, I needed to. It was time to show Jeff that I wasn't coming back and that I wasn't going to be his doormat either.

  Being with Parker was like nothing I'd ever experienced in my life. That kiss against the building was amazing but it had nothing on what I'd just walked away from. That man knew what he was doing. There was no doubt in my mind. Sex had always been slow and well planned with Jeff, and I'd been fine with it. It wasn't like that with Parker, not one bit. When he touched me, my body came to life. I wanted things I'd never even thought about before. When he dropped to his knees and made me come, I was blown away. Never had I had an orgasm even close to that. I'd never done anything sexual anyplace except for a bed, and when he had me against his front door, I wanted him right there. The urge to feel him moving inside of me had been so damn strong. The second I noticed he was being soft with me, I wasn't having it. He wasn't like that in my dream, and I could see in his eyes that it wasn't what he really wanted. He was holding back, and I didn't want him to. I couldn't believe he'd been able to make me come a second time, but when he hovered over me and leisurely moved inside of me, I knew he wasn't going to stop until I came a third time, and I did. By the time I felt him release into me, I was spent. The warm feeling that spread through me when the weight of his sexy body came down on mine had me instantly relaxing and my eyes closing. Then my phone went off and pulled it all away.

  I got out of there as fast as I could, but not without a few jabs from me. I couldn't hold back about all of the baseball stuff he'd collected. He also needed to know that what we'd just done wasn't going to turn me into a needy, clingy woman. It wasn't going to, I'd make damn sure of that. Not to mention, I'd have to see him again, and I didn't need him giving me shit in front of my family. They'd have a fit if they found out what had just happened. I already had enough to deal with when it came to them. I didn't need Parker adding anything extra to it.

  I pulled into James' driveway and let out a sigh. It wasn't just him and Sammie I was going to have to deal with. Lance, Lance Jr., and maybe their wives were there too.

  As I walked up to the door, I took a deep breath in and slowly released it. My evening had turned out pretty well, and I wasn't going to let anyone or anything ruin it. When I walked through the door, I heard laughing coming from the living room. They all sounded so happy. Would I just bring them down, I wondered? Knock that shit off, I silently scolded myself. Not ruining my mood.

  “Where were you?” Lance was the first one to question me.

  “Leave her alone,” Lucy said, as she narrowed her eyes at her man.

  “Narrow those eyes at me again, firecracker,” he said, as he looked back at her. “You'll find yourself.”

  “Stop!” Sammie hissed. “Do not finish that sentence.”

  “I went for a drive to think,” I said, getting it out before their conversation took a turn I really didn't want to hear it go to. “I lost track of time. I'm sorry. I hope the kids didn't bother you.”

  “Cassie,” Sammie said.

  “Get in here and play some cards with us,” Lance said.

  “You can sit by me,” Lauren said, patting the empty chair next to her.

  “I'm not sure,” I said.

  “Sit,” Lance demanded. “I don't get to see you enough.”

  I walked over to the table they'd put up, with my purse and keys still in my hands, and sat down.

  “I'll just watch for a few minutes,” I said. “I'm really tired.”

  “You okay?” Lucy asked, with a look of concern on her face.

  “I'm fine,” I answered.

  They got back to their game, but I could hear the news playing on the television in the background. It was pretty noisy, but not noisy enough that when I heard the ding of my phone, so did they. I grabbed it out of my purse quickly.

  “Already have someone texting you?” James asked with a laugh, just before a scowl filled his face. “Shit! Did you give that fucker your new number? Is that Jeff?”

  “Why do you have a new number?” Lance asked roughly, as he looked up from the cards in his hand.

  “Yeah, why a new number?” Sammie asked, as she got up and walked into the kitchen.

  When she came back, she had the pieces of my old phone in her hands.

  “Could it be because of what I found in your trash?” she asked with a mischievous look in her eyes.

  “What happened to that?” Lance asked in a serious tone.

  “If I had to say, I'd guess that Cassie coming with me is paying off in more ways than one,” Sammie said. “She really does have a good arm. You should see the wall that took the heat from the phone.”

  “I'm really sorry,” I said.

  Sammie walked back out of the room and came back empty handed. Then she went back to her seat next to James. I had no idea what she'd done with my phone, and I wasn't about to ask her. I wasn't happy with myself for damaging their wall, but I was so relieved that Jeff wasn't on the other end of my phone any longer. I didn't have that nervous feeling when I picked it up to see who it was, not until I was sitting in front of them anyway. I caught Lance narrowing his eyes at me out of the corner of my eye and was so glad when Lucy reached over and grabbed his leg.

  “A little higher, Woman,” he said.

  “Dad,” Sammie snapped.

  I couldn't help the laugh that bubbled up and out of me.

  As soon as they got back to their cards, I checked my phone.

  Wannabe: Was I better than your dream?

  Without thinking, I typed back.

  Me: Yes.

  Wannabe: Are you home yet?

  Me: Yes. You can't tell them, not any of them. Do you hear me? They already think bad enough about me.

  Wannabe: I get it. I don't really want to be on the other side of Lance's wrath either.

  Me: Not just that.

  Wannabe: I know, princess. Your secrets are safe with me. I want to talk to you again.

  Me: If that's what happens when we talk, then so do I.

  I let out a tiny giggle, and James' eyes came up from his cards.

  “Okay,” he snapped, “who the fuck is that? There's no way your ass is laughing at Jeff
like that.”

  I heard Lauren snicker from behind me, and looked over to see her eyes on the screen of my phone. Shit!

  “Leave her alone,” she said. “Get back to the damn game. I'm not like your wife. This pregnant woman's ass is tired.”

  Then she looked up at me with a smile, and I smiled back, silently thanking her. Lauren really was a pretty cool person. She wasn't nearly as bad as I'd originally thought. I could see why they all liked her so much.

  I quickly put my phone on vibrate.

  “You sure you don't want to play?” Lance asked.

  “I'm sure,” I answered.

  I felt my phone vibrate and looked at it from under the table.

  Wannabe: You just want me for my body.

  Me: That's not so bad, is it?

  Wannabe: Not funny, Cassie. If you come by tomorrow, I'll help you finish what we were working on.

  Me: I could really use the help.

  I could feel Lauren watching me and checked to make sure she couldn't see what I was typing before sending another text.

  Me: And the dick.

  Wannabe: Not funny either. I'm sorry for what I said to you earlier. I've got some shit from my past too. Sometimes I let it get to me. I'm serious about tomorrow. I'd like to see you.

  I couldn't help the excited feeling that ran through me just thinking about him wanting to see me. I like him and couldn't help but wonder if he liked me just as much as I did him.

  Me: That sounds good. I'd like to see you too.

  The noise from the table and the television were mixing together, but I didn't miss it when I heard the words Pete Parker come from across the room, and my head snapped up.

  “Hush,” Sammie snapped out, as she turned toward the screen. “There he is.”

  There, on the television screen, stood Parker, in the very same suit I'd seen him in, just before giving me his number, the day before.

  “Will the Pirates trade him, or will he be back?” the reporter said, as the picture of Parker sat still on the screen.

  Instantly, I felt sick to my stomach. I felt like my breath had been sucked from my lungs.

  “What?” I snapped out, and before I knew it said even more. “He's a fucking Pirate.”

  “You didn't know that?” Sammie asked.

  I sat, watching the screen, as I shook my head no. Then I heard Lauren laugh from next to me.

  “Seriously,” Sammie said. “How could you not know? He's worn his jersey on days you were at my place.”

  “I thought he was one of those fans, the crazy ones,” I said in more of a whisper.

  I felt my phone vibrate in my hand, but I didn't look at it. Instead, I shoved it into my purse. I could feel Lauren staring a hole through me, but I wasn't about to look her way.

  “He's amazing,” Sammie said, and James shot a look her way. “What? He is. He's put a lot of time and money into my project.”

  “So have I,” James said. “I don't see you getting all excited like that over me.”

  “You know damn well I get all excited for you,” she replied with a wink.

  “We all do,” Lance hissed. “Always fucking pregnant.”

  “You see how much he helps the kids,” she said, ignoring her dad's comment. “Shit! He even let me auction him off for a date. You really didn't know? He's freaking huge right now.”

  Sammie's attention was right back on me, as I shook my head again.

  “Maybe you coming with me hasn't paid off as much as I thought,” she said with a laugh. “You're watching the games with me next season.”

  I nodded, as I stood up from my chair. There was no way I was watching him play, but it wasn't the time to say no to her. All I wanted was to get out of that room as quickly as I could.

  “I'm really tired,” I said. “I'm going to head up to my room.”

  Everyone said goodnight, and just as I took the first step away from them all, Lauren was on her feet and following behind me.

  “They might all be missing it, but I most definitely am not,” she said, as she caught me at the bottom of the stairs. “I don't know what exactly that reaction was back there, but.”

  “He's a ballplayer,” I said, cutting her off.

  “So,” she said.

  “No thanks,” I said, as I turned away and took the first step up toward my room.

  “That doesn't make him a bad guy,” she said, as she grabbed my arm to stop me. “Look at your dad, your brother, and your uncle.”

  “Doesn't matter,” I said. “It's not happening.”

  “Why?” she snapped out. “He's a great guy.”

  “Can't risk it,” I said.

  “Risk what?” she asked in a confused tone.

  “My heart,” I said. “You see how well that worked out for me the last time. He was gone for most of the summer too, and he only had one woman falling at his feet.”

  I pulled my arm from her grip and continued up the steps.

  “Cassie,” she yelled up after me, but I ignored her.

  I walked into my room, closed my door, grabbed my phone out of my purse, threw my purse on the chair, walked over to my bed, and fell back onto it with my phone in my hand.

  He'd sent me a message. I knew I couldn't avoid it forever, so I figured I'd just get it over with.

  Wannabe: Great! What time can you be here? I'll grab dinner.

  I read his words a few times before finally replying.

  Me: I'm not going to be able to make it after all.

  I set my phone down on my nightstand and let my head fall back onto my pillow. Tears began to slide down the sides of my face, and I reached up to wipe them away. I felt like such a fool. It felt good thinking I'd found someone that I could talk to, someone that wasn't my family, but Parker wasn't at all who I thought he was. He wasn't the right someone. I couldn't talk to him, I couldn't see him, and I definitely couldn't let what had happened earlier between us happen again.

  Chapter 11

  Parker

  I read her message twice, totally sure that I'd read it wrong the first time, but I hadn't. There had been a bit of time between her two last messages, but I had no idea what had her going from I'm coming to I'm not going to be able to make it in that little bit of time. Was she just fucking with me when she'd originally said yes? That woman was slowly driving me crazy. I wanted answers, and I wasn't about to let it go, not yet anyway.

  Me: Why?

  Princess: It's not a good idea.

  Me: Why not? I just offered to help you finish the paperwork you need to file. You were the one with the dirty mind.

  Princess: It's just not.

  She was closing me out, and it was irritating the shit out of me. I wasn't offering to fuck her again. She was the one making those comments. All I wanted to do was help her. That wasn't entirely true. I couldn't wait to be buried balls deep inside of her again, but I hadn't said it, and I didn't plan on it either. Being with her was a bad idea. Maybe I should just let it go, I thought. That thought didn't last long. She needed to give me more than it's just not, not after being all over the idea just minutes before.

  Me: What the fuck happened in the last five minutes, Cassie? What am I missing?

  Then she really pissed me off.

  Princess: Everything. I'm sorry, Parker. Goodnight.

  Fuck that, I thought. Screw her. I wasn't begging, never had and never would. I needed sleep. In the morning, I'd move on to something more important. If she didn't want my help, then she could do it herself. I was just trying to be a nice guy.

  I got in bed and stared out my window at the cold, dark night, but I couldn't sleep. My body tossed from one side to the next. I even covered my head with my extra pillow, but it didn't work. I couldn't sleep. My irritation grew with each passing minute. I knew it had been a bad idea to give her my number, and I hadn't been wrong. The woman was fucking with me, and it wasn't something I needed. My mind was already a damn mess with the talks of trading me. Did I want to leave, no, but I had to go where the
job took me. That was the only time I considered what I did a job. Then I had my selfish bitch of an ex wife. Those two things were enough to keep me up. Add Cassie to that, and I was done. Even though I knew not to go near her, I couldn't stop myself. I'd heard stories, so it wasn't that I hadn't been warned. I'd promised myself never to get involved with someone like her. I'd been there, and it had bit me in the ass hard, still was. There was just something about her though. My warning bells were going off, but I kept walking toward trouble. I knew she was off limits, but I didn't walk away. We'd crossed a line that should have never been crossed, and I wasn't even sorry. It was different with her, so damn different. The harder I tried not to think about her, the more she filled my thoughts.

  “Fuck her,” I said, as I flipped my covers back and got out of bed.

  Other women would be happy to be with me, I thought. Shit! They were lined up. There was no way I was wasting my time on someone like her, and there was definitely no way I was planning to get serious with anyone. Being with her again would be the dumbest thing I could do. I was a one and done kind of guy. It wasn't always like that for me, but it had been for some time, and it was going to stay that way. We'd done our one time. It was time to move on.

  I found myself at Sammie's place as soon as it opened that morning. There was no point in staying home. It would only give me time to think about everything going on, and I needed to burn some energy. When Lance walked in, I knew I'd made the right decision. He'd put in a solid workout with me, and I'd be able to block the rest of the world out, for a few hours anyway, or at least that was what I thought was going to happen.

  “How are you feeling about those meetings?” Lance asked after only twenty minutes.

  “Okay,” I answered. “Trying not to think about it. Why do you ask?”

  “We saw you on the news last night. You were looking pretty spiffy,” he said. “Sammie was yelling for us to shut up so she could hear it.”

  I stopped what I was doing and turned toward him.

  “You were at Sammie's?” I asked.

  “Sure was,” he said. “You know how I am about my pregnant girls, Parker. Lauren and Lance were there, so I went over. Lucy went with me. I figured it would save me time since they were in the same place. They drive me nuts. I don't know why they had to do this shit together.”