Darren leaned forward some more and Lexi closed her eyes turning her head. She didn’t want Darren to kiss her. She didn’t want him near her. All of sudden there was a burst of wind and a loud crack. She looked up and saw Jake standing over Darren who was now on the ground with a bloody face. She looked at Jake and he was shaking out his hand.
Lexi gasped and lunged at Jake when he went to throw some more punches at Darren. She wrapped her entire body around Jake, straddling his hips. She wrapped her arms around his neck and looked him in the eyes. The fury that was in his eyes disappeared when he looked at her. She wriggled on him and kissed his mouth with all her might. When she pulled away he grinned at her, that boyish grin that stole her heart every time she saw his dimples appear.
“What are you doing, baby?”
“Let’s go home.” She said while smiling back at him.
“I’m not finished here.”
Lexi looked down at Darren who grabbed a paper towel from one of the girls at the party. He was applying pressure to the cut on his face. “I think you’re done.” He ran his hands up her side and nodded.
When they got back to his apartment, he decided he wanted to go to his place for more privacy, he started to take off his shirt. She stared in awe at the perfect male specimen in front of her. He was so incredibly good looking it took her breath away. His muscles were more defined than when she first met him due to his intense workout regimen and every last bit of his body was chiseled. Muscles rippled when he took off his pants and pulled her closer to him. When she grabbed his hand she noticed it had swelled up from where he punched Darren.
“Jake.” She gasped. She went to go get ice but he stopped her. “I need to get you ice.”
“I’m fine.” He said with a growl.
“Jake, you can’t afford to mess up your hand, especially over some drunken idiot. Let me get you some ice.”
“I don’t care if I broke my hand on that fucker’s face.”
“Jake he was drunk, he was harmless.”
He pulled her in tightly, so close she felt his bare skin on her exposed skin. It made her nipples go hard which she knew Jake could feel through her shirt.
“No one,” He said in a territorial voice. “I mean, no one gets that close to my girl. You’re mine Lexi. When I walked in and saw him pinning you against the counter I lost it. No one gets to be that close to you besides me. You hear me?”
Lexi should have been insulted by his blatant display of machismo but she was instead turned on. What was wrong with her?
She pulled his head close to hers and kissed him, letting him know she understood. She threaded her hands through his hair as his hands made their way up her stomach just below her breasts. His touch made her tremble in her boots and all she wanted to do was get naked with him. She pulled away from him and shimmied out of her skirt, leaving her boots on. Then she grabbed the front tie of her shirt and undid it. She watched Jake’s eyes widen from the display of the itty bitty red lace bra and panties she was wearing. She watched his chest heave and could see the almost animal instincts running through his eyes.
She gave him a little twirl and flipped her hair over her shoulder. “What do you think?”
Jake swallowed, hard. “I think I’m the luckiest son of a bitch this side of the Mississippi.” Jake said with a twang. Lexi giggled and ran into his room, throwing herself on his bed. She started to take off her boots but he stopped her. “Leave them on.”
Lexi grinned and slowly sank into his warm inviting bed. She was the luckiest little lady this side of the Mississippi, she thought as Jake slid his boxers down, revealing how turned on he was. Yes, she was extremely lucky indeed.
Chapter 16
Lexi sat in the home dugout before the game retying her cleats. Excitement bubbled through her body. She received one of the best phone calls from Jake last night. He was drafted by the San Diego Thunder. She couldn’t believe it when she heard the news. She wasn’t able to watch the draft on TV because she was playing a double header against their ever present rival. Luckily, they won both games making the day that more glorious. Jake was trying to catch a flight home so they could celebrate but he wasn’t sure exactly when he would get back.
Lexi had the hardest time going to sleep last night. She thought about where they could live, how she would be close to Margo and not have to leave the hometown she loved so much, plus she got to stay close to the beach which was always a major plus for her. She talked to Jake for hours on the phone, discussing parts of town they wanted to live in and how they were going to go furniture shopping. He told her anything she wanted she could have. She felt at ease. She didn’t have to worry about life, she was taken care of by Jake.
Even though she knew her life was set now, a little voice in the back of her head kept nagging her. Ever since she talked to her mom, she got the feeling that her mom was right. Lexi wondered constantly if she was doing the right thing, if being by Jake’s side was what she needed in life. When she talked to Jake about the new chapter coming up in their lives he kept saying how she could stay at home and relax, make him dinner, be the little housewife he always wanted. Even though that sounded like heaven. It made her feel a little restless, like if she settled for that life, she would always feel like something was missing.
She pushed the negative thoughts to the back of her head and instead surveyed the field. The grass had never looked greener. If they won this game today they would be one step closer to a spot in the championship tournament, something her and her teammates worked so incredibly hard for. She watched the grounds crew put their final touches of chalk around the pitching circle and wheel their chalk cart off the field, making sure to avoid any pristine lines they already made.
“You ready for this?” Her coach asked while standing next to her.
“Always, coach.”
“Good, I wanted to make sure your head was in the game.”
“Why wouldn’t it be?”
“Well after such news about your boyfriend last night I for sure thought your head would be out of it.”
Lexi frowned at the suggestion. Except for the beginning of the year, her head had always been in the game, especially when it mattered. She prided herself in being able to close off the rest of the world when she was on the field.
“No worries coach. I’m here to play.”
“Good.” Her coach paused for a second and then let out a long breath. “I’m assuming you’re still going to stick to your original plan and stay with him?” Her coach had an annoyed tone to her voice. Lexi just nodded not being able to look at the disappointment in her coach’s eyes. “Well, I hope everything works out for you. It’s a shame though.” With that her coach walked away, making the nagging voice come back in full force.
To avoid punching the cinderblock wall of the dugout out of frustration, Lexi grabbed her bat and went to hit a couple more balls off the tee before the game started.
It was the third inning and Lexi had already hit a double in the first that spiked a little hitting sequence in her team, giving them a two run lead. She was feeling really good today, even though there was an emotional war going on in her head. The opposing pitcher was warming up while Lexi was waiting on deck, loosening her back with her over dramatic swing. Warm up music was playing but was instantly faded out and replaced with chanting. What the hell was that?
She looked around and spotted ten incredibly ripped men wearing jeans with their shirts off walking in a line over to the field. There were hoots and hollers from the crowd and the line of men took up residence amongst the fence. They all had a letter painted on their chests. They scrambled and stood in formation. Across their chests spelled out “Let’s Go Lexi.” They were cheering her name and making a huge production, so much that the opposing team stopped warming up and just stared. Lexi shook her head and knew Jake was behind this. He couldn’t be there to support her in person, so he sent his guys in his place.
Margo leaned over in her ear and said, “Uh, how a
m I supposed to concentrate now?”
Lexi laughed. “I have no clue. Let me know if you find out.”
The number nine batter, Mary, got on base with a surprise bunt. She was a lefty slapper just like Lexi and coach was hoping she would be the lead off next year. Lexi had been working with her all season and Mary showed a lot of improvement.
Lexi stood up at the plate and the football players let out a huge whoop, causing a scene once again. Lexi blocked them out and went through her routine before she got in the batter’s box. She watched her coach as she ran through a bunch of different hand signals, giving Lexi the sign to execute a hit and run, one of Lexi’s favorite things to do. Lexi patted the top of her helmet, then the middle of her bat and stepped in the back of the batter’s box, giving herself plenty of room to slap the ball.
As the pitcher started her motion Lexi started to move her feet and instantly made contact with the ball sending it flying over the right fielders head. Lexi was off sprinting around the bases, she watched as Mary rounded third giving Lexi the open base. She made eye contact with her coach as she waved Lexi to get down and slide. Lexi hit the dirt, reveling in the feeling of sliding in the dirt as her hands gripped the white base in front of her. After she touched the base she felt the third baseman touch her back with her glove but she was too late, Lexi was already safe.
Her coach called time out as Lexi stood up and shook the dirt off of her. Her coach patted her on the head showing her satisfaction in Lexi’s execution.
Her coach leaned over and said, “A single would have been just fine but I’ll take a triple any day.”
Lexi chuckled and settled herself back on the base.
The announcer cut in before the next pitch was thrown. “Excuse me ladies and gentlemen. I would like to announce that Lexi Knox just surpassed the leader in all-time hits for college softball. Please join me in congratulating her.” Everyone stood up and gave her a cheer. The pitcher threw the ball Lexi just hit to her coach which her coach pocketed, letting Lexi know her record breaking ball would be safe with her until after the game.
There was a loud cheer and a whooping that caught Lexi’s attention. She looked over and saw Jake running up to the field with an exclamation point painted on his chest .He looked mouthwatering good. He winked at her and everyone took notice. More cheers erupted from the stands that almost blew Lexi over. She had never felt so much love but then she noticed no one was looking at her. They were all looking at Jake who stood there waving at the crowd.
“Ladies and Gentlemen. What a surprise.” The announcer chimed in. “Our very own Jake Taylor is here at the stadium today. For those of you who might be living in the dark, he was just drafted to our home team the San Diego Thunder. We could not be prouder of you Jake and will be cheering you on as you move forward in your professional career. Let’s give Jake a round of applause for his accomplishments.”
Lexi watched as Jake stood there and shook peoples’ hands, signing autographs and soaking up the lime light that was instantly taken away from her. Lexi tried not to let the pain that was festering in the pit of her stomach to take over but it was. She had just broken a national record and received two seconds of praise before Jake came waltzing in.
Her coach turned to Lexi and whispered in her ear. “Get your head back in the game, Knox. I see those wheels turning, wait to break down afterwards.” Her coach gave her a hard squeeze with her hand and then went back to her coach’s box to give the next batter her usual signals of swing away. No squeeze bunt, Lexi thought. Probably because her coach knew Lexi needed a second to regain her composure.
They ended up winning the game, granting them one step closer to the playoffs. Lexi ended the game going four for four and was a homerun away from hitting a cycle. She had only hit one homerun in her college career, it was very rare since she was slapper. Lexi cheered with her team but didn’t feel the excitement everyone else did. Instead she felt empty.
The school sports reporter came in the dugout and pulled out his recorder. It was the usual bit they went through after every game. “Hey Lexi, got a second?”
“Of course.” Lexi said to Harry who had a huge head of curly hair on him. His parent’s named him right, he was hairy for sure.
“Great, thanks. Good game today. Tell me how excited you are that Jake was drafted by the San Diego Thunder, how did you find out?”
Lexi almost stumbled backward. Not the question she thought he was going to ask. What happened to, how does it feel knowing you are almost headed to the playoffs or how about that record breaking hit you had? Lexi looked over Harry’s shoulder and saw the school photographer taking a picture with Jake with his guys. Harry followed her gaze and smiled.
“We want to do a whole story on Jake and how even though he just got drafted he still came to the softball field to cheer the girls on.”
Girls? Lexi refrained from punching Harry in the face. Jake was here for one girl and that was her, not that she really wanted to welcome him home right now. He was soaking up the lime light like it was his job. She always knew he had to put on a good face but the Jake she was seeing right now was different. It was as if he came back as a different person. She shook her head, she was being too sensitive.
She went back to answering his question. “I’m very excited for Jake. He called me last night to let me know who drafted him. Since we were playing a double header, I was unable to watch everything go down but I know he is extremely excited to stay in his hometown. That was the ideal situation he wanted.”
“That’s great.” Harry said. “Do you think he is going to stick with number eight and carry on the tradition?”
Lexi had to mask her face from the ridiculous question. “Uh, I’m sure if it is available he will want to snatch it up. It’s his go to number.”
“Did you pick number seventeen because it added up to Jake’s number?”
Ok, this was getting absurd. She crossed her arms over her chest and sat back to enjoy the Jake ride. “No, I didn’t know Jake when I first came here. We just started dating this year.”
“Oh, I didn’t know if you switched your number.”
Lexi was burning with fury. “What do you think I’m some lovesick puppy that my world revolves around the man I’m dating? Well it doesn’t I have been able to take care of myself and make decisions on my own way before Jake came around, I don’t need him convincing me about what God-for-saken number I slap on my back.”
“But I heard you had a job opportunity to work as an assistant coach with Texas but dropped the offer because you would rather be by Jake’s side.”
Lexi was inches away from slapping the idiotic reporter in the face. Instead she grabbed her bat bag and said over her shoulder. “We will see about that.” Then she stormed off, using the back exit to avoid Jake and the crowd that had formed. She wasn’t quite ready to face him just yet.
***
The softball field was completely empty. Jake looked around but didn’t spot Lexi anywhere. He knew he had to stay longer at the game to accommodate all the well-wishers but he thought after she was done talking to the reporter she would saddle up next to him and be by his side, like she always did. When he went back to the parking lot, her car was nowhere in sight. Frowning, he pulled out his cell phone to find out where Lexi went.
Jake: Babe, where are you?
He went to the locker room and took a quick shower to wash off the paint on his chest. His plan to surprise her was well executed and he was happy he had the chance to catch her record breaking hit. He could not have been more proud of his girl. His phone chimed back.
Lexi: At home, in bed. Have a terrible headache.
Jake threw his clothes on as quickly as possible after drying off from the shower and went out to his Jeep to drive to her apartment. He felt like an ass that he stayed longer with his fans when Lexi wasn’t feeling well. He asked if she wanted him to pick anything up while he was out, she said no. She must have been feeling really bad because her text messages wer
e short and lacking any kind of emotion. It was so not like her.
He pulled up to her apartment and let himself in with his key. Her door was shut and he saw no light coming from underneath. Slowly he opened the door and went to her bed. She was lying still so he assumed she was asleep. He closed the door quietly and tore his shirt off. He pulled back the covers of the bed and slipped in next to her while wrapping his arms around the soul reason he was able to function.
He must have startled her because she stiffened in his grasp
“It’s just me baby.” He kissed the side of her head and pulled her in closely. “How are you feeling?”
“Fine.” She squeaked out with a nasal like tone. Maybe she was coming down with something.
“Do you need anything?”
“No, I’m just going to sleep.”
“Ok.” He pulled her in closer and lifted the back of her shirt so her skin was touching his. He always felt so at home when they were touching so intimately.
“Good game by the way, baby. You were amazing.”
She must have drifted off to sleep because she didn’t say anything to him. He snuggled in closer and buried his head in her hair while closing his eyes. This was perfect he thought, he had the girl, he had the NFL contract, he got to stay in his hometown, nothing could be sweeter.
***
Lexi lay stiff in her bed while Jake held onto her tight. She quickly wiped away her tears when she heard Jake come into her room. She couldn’t let him see her crying, he would instantly want to know what was going on and she wasn’t ready to dive down into her feelings just yet. She faked a headache hoping Jake wouldn’t come over but she should have known better. She knew he would want to make sure she was ok.
Being ok was the farthest thing from her feelings right now. She wasn’t ok at all. Today was like a huge slap in her face. She knew Jake was the center of this schools attention but she couldn’t get past the fact that she was doing what everyone told her she was; living in his shadow. She tried to deny it but everyone was right and she finally saw the ugly truth today. While she made a huge accomplishment in her life, it was over looked by Jake’s presence. Not that she needed a parade but a little acknowledgement was all she was looking for and it wasn’t like Jake helped. He could have stopped everyone and reminded them of why he was at the game and who he was cheering for but he didn’t. What did that say about him?
Fair Catch (Love and Sports Series) Page 26