Dolce (Love at Center Court #2)

by Rachel Blaufeld

  I hadn’t even spoken one word, and the fuck-face was taking over my date.

  Cate snorted. “I say don’t refer to yourself in the third person, and I’ll think about it.”

  “Really?” Shocked, I turned to Cate.

  “Yeah,” she mumbled.

  I grinned like a fool. “Great! Now that’s all settled, Sonny, you can run along and go wherever you were going.” Giving him a pointed glare, I added, “And leave Cate all to me.”

  “Talk soon.” Sonny gave me a mock salute and walked off, yelling over his shoulder, “And, Catie, make sure he has enough energy left to win the trophy.”

  His laughter trailed behind him until he slammed my apartment door. The hallway was quiet other than Jay Z’s rapping.

  “Come on.” I took Cate’s hand and led her to my place, a little nervous about what we might discover behind the door. But we’d already survived Sonny, so it couldn’t be that bad, right?

  “Ho! Look who it is!” Ashton yelled from the couch, game controller in one hand and a beer in the other.

  “And look who else.” Alex strode over to us, grabbing Cate’s hip and pretending to grind up on her.

  “Cool it, White.”

  I shoved him off my date and took her hand. We walked into the common area, which was crawling with ball babies and players. Mo sat in the corner with his lady on his lap, D had some girl cornered in the back of the room, and everyone else was jamming and drinking as Ashton played his video game.

  “Want something to drink?”

  “Water?” Cate asked me with a wary look in her eyes.

  “I’ll be right back.” I squeezed her hand and made my way to the kitchen for some bottled water.

  When I got back, Alex was cozied up next to Cate and they were laughing. Fury burned through me, but I tamped it down. This was all new for her, and he was probably just being welcoming. Of course, he also probably wanted to get in her pants.

  Fat fucking chance.

  “Thanks for keeping Cate occupied, White, but I’ll take it from here.” I slapped him on the shoulder and passed Cate a bottle of water after cracking the cap for her.

  Alex looked back at me. “Oh, I was just hearing about life in Jersey, near NYC and all that.”

  “God, you are dead set on going to New York. You already know Mo is going to Brooklyn, and they’re not going to take two guys from Hafton again. That was a one-time deal with Tiberius and Jamel.”

  “Bro, there are two teams in NYC. I’m thinking about my boys, the Knickerbockers.”

  “I’ve seen them play once,” Cate offered.

  “Yeah? Who knew?” Alex said.

  When he wrapped his arm around Cate, pulling her tiny body next to his, I glared up at him and his big head of dreads.

  “With my dad,” she added. “A guy who was a regular at his restaurant gave him tickets once. Dad is a sports fan with three daughters, but I’m the only one who was into it too.”

  As Cate lifted her face toward Alex and explained her childhood, I clenched my free fist at my side.

  “That’s what got you into sports?” I said, interrupting their walk down memory lane.

  “Yep. My other sisters were easily poisoned against my dad, but not me. I loved how easy he was, and nurturing. I guess it’s weird how I found comfort at a sporting event. I loved the hot dogs and the action, and my dad explaining it all to me.”

  Suddenly she waved her hand in front of her face, clearing any expression. “Ugh, this is getting too deep for now.”

  Alex grinned down at her. “Well, take a good look at me, girl, because I’m going to be playing at the Garden one day.”

  “Yeah, for the championship,” I reminded him. “Got to win that first, my man.”

  “You already know, Steele. We got that in the fucking bag.”

  A tall beauty who looked like an African princess slinked up next to White and purred his name.

  “Gotta go, lovers.” He gave me a chin bump and blew a kiss at Cate before sauntering off with the ball baby.

  “Who’s the little girl?” she purred at him as they walked away. “She’s not your type, babe.”

  A frown spread across Cate’s face, and I gave her a squeeze.

  “Slough it off, beautiful. She’s a hanger-on and you’re a keeper.”

  At my words, she looked at me with starry eyes. “For years I thought when women said in romantic comedies their knees went weak, I thought they were bullshitting. But now I know what they were talking about.”

  For some reason, this excited me. Cate’s eyes weren’t starry you’re-going-pro eyes. They were more what-you-said-meant-the-world-to-me eyes. The kind of shit my mom wrote about, but I also thought only happened in people’s imaginations. Now it was directed at me.

  And it made me feel like Michael Jordan.

  Enough was enough; I had to get Cate alone.

  “Want to go back to my room where it’s quiet?”

  She nodded and I led the way, my hand on her lower back, my fingers itching to run over her bare skin.

  Inside my room, I asked, “Are you okay with me locking the door?”

  Another nod.

  “It’s not that I want to go all hot and heavy on you, but I don’t want any nosy people poking in,” I lied.

  “You don’t?”

  “No, I don’t want anyone coming in, and yes, I do want to go hot and heavy, but only when you’re ready.”

  “I think I am.”

  You think or you know, Cate?”

  We stood facing each other, our bodies barely an inch apart, not touching but sparking off each other. I reached out to take one of her curls between two fingers, sliding down its length as I focused on its silkiness rather than her eyes.

  “I don’t want you running off again, saying what happens between us is wrong or forbidden. It’s not. When a man likes a woman and the woman likes him back, it’s okay. When there’s respect and shit—” Frustrated with myself, I ripped off my sweatband and ran my fingers through my hair. “God, I sound like a freaking psychologist. But I like you, Cate. You excite me, and not just sexually. In a lot of ways.”

  “I know,” she whispered, and took one small step to close the divide between us.

  I didn’t hesitate. My mouth came down on hers, nipping and tasting. Unable to wait another minute, I ran my fingers over her back, under her shirt but on top of the tank.

  “Can I take this all off? It’s in the way,” I said, still feeling the need to ask permission.

  “Yes,” she breathed into my mouth.

  I broke free and tugged her shirts off. She stood there in a red lace bra, her pulse beating a rapid rhythm in the curve of her throat as she gazed up at me with wide eyes.

  “You’re gorgeous, Cate.” My finger wound a path from her collarbone to her cleavage and back up to her heart. “Inside and out,” I mumbled before kissing her earnestly. My cock raged in my jeans, but my brain told me to slow my pace.

  I turned her around and backed her toward my bed, gently laying her before me, never breaking free of her mouth. When I finally releasing her lips, she fell back on my bedspread, her dark hair fanning out everywhere, and I stood to admire her.

  She was soft where she was supposed to be, although a few places were softer than others, and I fucking loved it. There was a tiny scar above her eyebrow that she didn’t bother to cover up with layers of makeup, and her hip bones didn’t jab into me when I pushed against her. Cate was a woman, all woman, more woman at a mere five foot and a few than I could handle.

  I sank to my knees and ripped my shirt over my head, running my hand down her thigh until it met her boot, then tugged it off and made fast work of the other. My fingers roamed back up her legs to her belly and circled her belly button. She was nothing like any other woman I’d ever been with, I thought, but were they really women or just girls?

  I looked up from her navel. “God, Cate, you’re all fucking woman.”

  Her eyes were glassy, and when she bit her
lower lip and swallowed, her chest heaved up and down.

  “S’okay?”

  “Yes,” she said, but the word came out hoarse, froggy almost.

  I tugged at her pants. “Lift your hips.”

  She did and I slid them off, revealing a slight pair of red panties. They were snug at her pussy and stretched across her hips, and Christ, my dick surged to get inside them.

  I smoothed a hand over the front of the satin and Cate whimpered. Her pelvis lifted off the bed, reaching for me, and that was all the invitation I needed to bend down and lick along the trim of her panties.

  With the very tip of my tongue, I ran along the border between satin and skin, leaving goose bumps in my path. I took a deep breath and blew warm air, making the goose bumps more pronounced. It also made Cate’s pelvis reach higher and her whimpering louder.

  I could barely register the music coming from the party over the sound of my pounding heart. My dick didn’t agree with my teasing her, but I knew I couldn’t rush this or push her. Waiting would make it better.

  I slipped my hand under her, between her ass and the flimsy satin, and squeezed. She moaned, and I let my tongue linger for only a second more before I tugged her panties down.

  “Okay?” I asked, and her whole body shook from her nodding.

  And then, pow, my tongue made contact with the wet, silky skin inside her small bush. I lapped first one side and then the other before landing on her clit. I licked and drank from her pussy with a fever consuming my whole body, somewhere between an extreme state of bliss and sheer torture. My jeans were so tight against my crotch, I was pretty sure my dick wouldn’t be in one piece if and when it came time to fuck.

  Or make love? Be intimate?

  No, fuck.

  Gone was the gentle lover. Tasting Cate did peculiar things to me, namely making me the horniest bastard alive.

  She quivered under my mouth, and I begrudgingly took a quick break.

  “You taste so fucking good, Cate.”

  I spoke my thoughts aloud before I dived back in, reveling in every inch of her pussy. All too soon, she convulsed and lifted her hips into my face, coming on a scream. I licked her quiet before crawling back up her body.

  “God,” she mumbled. “I never . . . God, just never.”

  I kissed her then, hard and hungry, sharing her flavor with her before pulling away.

  “I have to take these jeans off. My dick is going to break if I don’t,” I muttered into her ear. “No pressure, it just hurts,” I assured her.

  “I’m not a virgin.”

  “I’m good either way, but you’ve turned me into stone. Fuck, you’re amazing,” I said, shoving my jeans and boxer briefs down.

  I fell next to Cate and began stroking myself with my leg tossed over hers. Our mouths came together again as pre-cum slipped from my tip, wetting my cock.

  “Watch me,” I said. “I want you to see what you do to me. Big, bad me falling prey to little you.”

  I pumped my cock, my mind on eating her as I gripped tighter and stroked harder, my lips fused with Cate’s until I broke free. “Do you see how fucking hard I am? My dick is reaching for you, all of you,” I muttered while my hand worked a furious pace.

  She glanced down at her hip where my cock was leaking and jutting, my groin shifting with every sweep of my fist. Her eyes were darker than normal, her pupils dilated as she looked on, and the pulse in her neck throbbed.

  “I’m so hot for you.” I breathed on her neck and bit down, careful not to leave a mark.

  A whimper tumbled from her lips, and I came like a teenage boy, making a mess all over Cate’s stomach. She watched in awe, and it was the most beautiful fucking thing I’d ever seen.

  I smoothed my come over her stomach and left one more closed-mouth kiss on her mouth. Then I snagged my T-shirt off the floor and cleaned her off.

  “Was that good for you?”

  She nodded and tucked herself into my side, her head on my chest. “Was it okay for you?”

  I pulled her tight. “Absolutely and perfectly sweet.”

  My breathing began to slow, and I felt her hair tickling my pecs. I pulled the cover over us, and within moments, Cate was asleep.

  Looked like we weren’t going to have a repeat performance of last time.

  Catie

  Disoriented.

  Surreal.

  I must be dreaming.

  I wasn’t quite sure how to explain what it felt like waking up next to Blane, so I closed my eyes and willed myself back to my dorm room. When I reopened them, I was still there—in Blane’s bed, my back to his hard front with his arm draped over me, and his breath hot on my neck.

  I tried not squirm, but I couldn’t help it. This was a first, waking up next to a guy.

  Cupping my hand in front of my face, I surreptitiously tested my own breath and nearly gagged.

  “Shit,” I whispered, and Blane’s arm tightened around me, drawing me even closer.

  I sniffed. Oh boy, was that his?

  “Hey,” he mumbled from behind me. He pushed the mass of tangled hair away from my neck and kissed a path to my ear before licking his way back down.

  When I squirmed again, he said, “What?”

  “My breath is really bad,” I foolishly admitted.

  “Yep, and so’s mine.” Blane flipped me over before I could respond and spread over me, making his way toward my mouth.

  “No! Just no.” I pushed on his chest, and he jumped out of bed.

  “If I give you some mouthwash, will you not run out on me?”

  I ducked my head, feeling heat steal over my face.

  “Talk to me,” he said.

  Lifting one shoulder, I mumbled, “I’ve never done this before.”

  “Used mouthwash?”

  Annoyed, I threw a pillow at him, and it wasn’t until it dropped to the floor that I noticed the enormous bulge in his boxer briefs.

  “Oh, you’ve never been with a dick this big before?” He winked at me before he picked the pillow up and lightly tossed it back.

  I couldn’t help but laugh nervously. “No, I haven’t been with one. Or sleep over with one either.” I ducked my face into the pillow, desperate to hide the red I could feel spreading over my cheeks, even though it probably wasn’t too noticeable.

  “Really?” Blane crawled next to me. “Huh, I’m pretty happy it was with me. I think it’s cause for a little celebration, like breakfast in bed.”

  He ran his hand over my back, which I just realized was bare.

  Oh. My. God.

  “First, mouthwash.”

  I nodded quickly. “And a shirt.”

  “Definitely a shirt to go out to the bathroom. I have to share it, you know.”

  Blane hopped up and threw a large Hafton Athletic Department T-shirt my way. I slipped it on before I stood, giggling a little when it draped to my knees and fell off my shoulder.

  He took my hand and led me to the bathroom, where he gave me a few minutes of privacy to use the facilities, and then he came in and held us steady in front of the mirror.

  “You’re so stunning like this, all natural,” he said to my reflection. He bent and ran his lips over the tattoo on my shoulder where the T-shirt had fallen again. “Love this.” He flashed me a grin on his way up, and I pulled away to scurry back to his room.

  I was curled up under the covers when he came back in and asked, “Bacon and eggs?”

  “Yum,” I murmured

  He bent over me and gave me a closed-mouth kiss. As I watched, he pulled on low-hanging sweats. His large shoulder muscles were on display since he wasn’t wearing a shirt, and my gaze lingered on the deep V his abdominal muscles formed.

  My mouth watered, and it wasn’t because of the bacon. Definitely yummy.

  Blane went on the road with the team after our breakfast in bed, which included cinnamon rolls, the kind from the freezer section but incredible nonetheless. He dropped me at my place with kisses and promises before driving off in his truc
k.

  Now it was Tuesday, and I sat like a fool glued to his game on TV. Blane looked awesome, his hair pinned back by his sweatband. I could see the sweat glistening on his body, even on the TV.

  And to think I slept next to that very same body.

  I shook my head, making sure I didn’t get lost down the rabbit hole of the night I slept next to Blane, and focused back on the game.

  Ashton had just put up a three-pointer when my phone beeped.

  SARINA: You okay?

  CATIE: Yep. I told Frank I needed some time after we spoke on Saturday.

  SARINA: Good. You’re a good person, Catie.

  CATIE: I don’t know about that, but I’m making my own choices.

  SARINA: We’re still going to help you. The girls and I want to. Want to have a glass of wine tomorrow?

  CATIE: Yes.

  SARINA: Usual time and place?

  CATIE: Yep. Goblet @ 9?

  SARINA: See you then. Oh, and the girls are up for next weekend. Another “show and tell” session.

  I sent her a thumbs-up emoji, and made it back to the TV in time to see Blane dunk. The crowd cheered, even the opposing team.

  “Yes!” I said to the empty room, and pulled the blanket over my legs to settle in for the remainder of the action.

  Several hours later, my phone beeped again, waking me up from a deep sleep.

  BLANE: Hey! You awake?

  CATIE: Now I am. Great game!

  BLANE: I’m pumped! Big party down the hall, but wanted to say hi to you.

  CATIE: Don’t let me keep you.

  BLANE: Don’t do that. I mean it.

  CATIE: OK.

  BLANE: Want to have breakfast in bed again when I get back?

  CATIE: Yes, that bacon was so good.

  BLANE: How about the chef?

  CATIE: Not bad either.

  BLANE: I’ll tell him to step up his game. Maybe some croissants.

  CATIE: Go to your party.

  BLANE: Bye.

  I snuggled under the covers and fell back to sleep with a smile, thinking about bacon. And the memory of hard muscle and an adorable shit-eating grin.