Here for You

by Wright, KC Ann

  “Shit. I’m sorry, Ash. I didn’t even think about protection.”

  Her eyes open half way. “It’s okay. I’m on the pill.” Then she opens her eyes all the way and I see the panic in them. “But …”

  I cut her off. “I got tested after I found out she was cheating on me. I haven’t been with anyone since.”

  Her smile slowly gets bigger. “I guess it’s your lucky day then.”

  I have a feeling I’m going to love this side of Ash just as much as the rest of her, if not more. I smile back at her as I carry her over to the bed.

  • • •

  I brush the hair off her forehead. “I really should get a few hours of sleep, baby.” My body is still half covering hers, and when I lean down to kiss her she runs her fingertips up the back of my arms. “Please don’t.” I smile. “I won’t be able to resist you.”

  Even though I have spent the last four hours worshipping her body like I promised, I still haven’t had enough of her. But I have to get some sleep or I will be a mess for the game. Pitching or not, I need to be in game form.

  “Maybe I don’t want you to resist me.”

  I kiss her forehead. “Of course you don’t want me to because you know what amazing things I can do to your body, but I need to get a few hours of sleep.”

  When she puts her lower lip out, I run my tongue along it. “Don’t do that. You know I can’t say no to you. Ever.”

  Her mouth lifts up on one side as she nods her head. “I know, Mr. Hottie. Why do you think I do it?”

  I chuckle. “You’re pulling out the name too? Wow, have I really not done a good enough job yet this evening?” She shrugs her shoulder up. “Seriously?” Now I can’t keep the shock out of my voice.

  I have had the best night of my life, which is saying something considering the last time I said that was with her too. If she needs one more time to satisfy her, I will sacrifice the sleep.

  I trace the contour of her collarbone with my tongue, but I glance up at her face as I feel her body shake slightly. When I see her holding her hand over her mouth to hide the smile and her eyes dancing with amusement, I switch tactics. “Oh, you are going to regret teasing me. If you recall, I have found nearly every ticklish spot on your body this evening.”

  Her smile falls just slightly and she tries to squirm out of my hold. She makes an attempt to catch my hands on the way to her waist, but she doesn’t stand a chance. I squeeze, and she starts laughing even harder. “This isn’t fair! You know you’re a hundred times stronger than me!”

  “You should have thought about that, sweetheart.” I grab her wrists and lift her arms over her head, securing them in place with one hand. My fingertips brush over her neck and she tries to move away from it laughing. “Oh, I recall how ticklish your neck is.”

  “Please. No more!”

  “What are you going to give me in return for mercy?”

  “Whatever you want.” Tears are in her eyes, and I squeeze her around the middle one more time.

  “Anything?”

  “Yes. Yes. Oh God, yes!”

  Just as I’m about to give in to her begging, my phone starts ringing. I look at the clock, and I’m immediately on alert. Very few people actually have my cell phone number outside of the team and my family. A call at three in the morning is cause for concern. When I glance at the screen and see an unknown number, my stomach drops.

  “Sorry. I better get this.”

  She sits up and motions toward the phone.

  “Hello?”

  “Wills?” Shit. Not a great time for my ex to be calling.

  “Listen, Crystal, this isn’t a good time.” I feel Ashley stiffen next to me, and I don’t want to look over at her yet.

  “I need help.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “I’m at a bar and they want someone to pick me up.”

  What the hell is going on? I know Ashley can’t hear her, but I get up from the bed anyhow.

  “Why?”

  “They called the police.”

  “What the fuck? For what?”

  “I was drunk, and I was yelling.” Her voice has dropped to nearly a whisper, and it’s taking everything not to throw my phone against the wall. “A lot.”

  Pissed doesn’t even begin to describe how I feel. Not only am I furious that she would be so stupid, but to call me rather than Anderson isn’t fair to me.

  “Where is Anderson?”

  “At the hotel. I think.”

  “What do you mean you think? Was he with you?” I swipe my hand through my hair for the hundredth time. I risk a glance at Ashley, who’s staring at me with her mouth open. She still doesn’t know what’s going on, but I know she can feel the anger rolling off me.

  “Yeah.”

  “Why did he leave you there?”

  “We broke up.”

  “Why the hell can’t you just take a cab?”

  “Please, JC. They won’t let me leave unless someone picks me up. Otherwise I have to go with them until I sober up. Will you get me?”

  “Where are you?” She rattles off the name of the place, and I hang up. I close my eyes and take a few deep breaths.

  Ash’s voice snaps me out of it. “What’s wrong, Cam?”

  I know I need to get going, but Ashley deserves a moment of my time before I go pick up my ex in the middle of the night. I sit down on the bed and pull her onto my lap. She tucks her head in the crook of my neck. “I’m so sorry, Ash. I need to go pick up Crystal.”

  “Why?”

  “I don’t know. Apparently they’re holding her at some bar until someone picks her up.”

  “Has she been arrested?”

  “No, but there’s a police officer there. I’m not sure what’s happening. I would make Anderson go, but he has to play tomorrow and I don’t. I would rather sacrifice my sleep than the team having a player down for the game.”

  “Umm … okay. I guess I understand.”

  “I’ll be back as soon as I can.”

  She doesn’t say anything else, and I know it’s not fair of me to do this to her. But I’m not sure what else I can really do. I can’t leave Crystal there. Even though she’s not my girl to take care of anymore, I can’t turn my back. It’s not in me, and she was my fiancée. All I can hope is that Ashley will ultimately understand.

  I throw on a pair of jeans and shirt followed by a fleece pullover. I pull a hat down over my head and turn back to Ashley. She’s staring off to the side and not looking at me. It kills me that I’m hurting her right now. I walk over and squat down next to the bed near her.

  “I’m so sorry about this. I’ll wake you up when I get back.”

  The laugh she lets out is forced and filled with bitterness. Something I’ve never encountered with Ashley before. “Right. Because I’m going to sleep while you’re off at three in the morning picking up your drunk ex at some bar. Give me a break, Cam.”

  “Ash.” When I reach out to take her hand, she pulls away. Fuck. She’s never resisted my touch, and that hurts more than anything. “I’m sorry, baby.”

  I know there’s no point trying to talk to her because she’s pissed and no matter how angry she is I still have to go. We’ll deal with it when I get back. I’m hoping she is quick with her forgiveness.

  • • •

  The cab pulls up to the address. The outdoor lights are off but I see the police car parked near the front. What the hell has she gotten herself into? I give the cab driver enough to cover the fare plus a very generous amount to have him wait. He agrees and puts his car in park while I get out.

  I reach to open the bar door, but it doesn’t budge. I knock and wait about twenty seconds. The door swings out and an older woman with a slight build and black hair is standing in front of me. I can tell by her eyes that she’s a kind person, and I’m guessing she held Crystal here to make sure she was okay. I’m not sure if I’m thankful she did or not. I’ll know in less than an hour, depending on whether or not Ashley forgives me.
>
  The woman motions with her arm for me to step in. The room is dimly lit, but I see Crystal’s form at the bar. Her shoulders are slumped and her head is resting in her hands.

  “I hope you weren’t too alarmed. Dan here is a good friend of mine, and I asked him to come by just so we could be sure this young lady got home safe. I’m sorry you had to come out so late tonight.”

  “It’s no problem, ma’am. I appreciate your concern.”

  She pats my arm. “Listen to you. A true southern gentleman.”

  I want to sneer at the woman but I do my best to form what I hope is a believable smile. I nod at the officer as I make my way further into the room. Crystal must finally hear the talking because her head comes up. As soon as she sees me, she jumps down from the bar stool and runs to me. Her arms reach around my neck, and I stand stiff. When confusion starts to cross the woman’s face, I wrap one arm around Crystal. I don’t want to have to be here longer than necessary and I figure it’s better to play nice so I can get her out of here.

  “Ready?”

  She nods her head. “Yeah. Thanks so much for coming, Wills. I knew I could count on you.”

  “Sure.” I turn back to the woman who is standing near the officer now. “Thank you to both of you for keeping her here safely until I could get here.”

  “Of course. I can see that she trusts you, so thank you for coming.”

  I drop my arm from around her back and hope she gets the hint to drop her arms. Finally she does, but then she grabs my hand. Rather than make a scene, I keep her hand in mine and lead her to the door. “My cab is waiting, so we should be good.” I nod again toward the officer and he does the same in return.

  I open the door, and Crystal stumbles in the back seat and slides over. “Back to the hotel, please.”

  The driver makes eye contact with me in the rearview mirror. “You got it.”

  Crystal wraps herself around me and looks up. “I miss you, JC.”

  “You’re drunk, Crystal.”

  “No. I’m not. I overreacted when Tommy and I broke up, so the bartender was concerned. That’s all.”

  “Why did you guys break up?”

  “I told him I still loved you.”

  I close my eyes willing this evening to end. “As I said before, you have a funny way of showing it.”

  “I never stopped loving you. I just got confused for a little while, but I want to come home. Can’t we try again?”

  “You’re a few weeks too late, Crystal.”

  “But I think in honor of your brother’s memory we should stay together. He would want that.”

  Even drunk, she knows how to go for the jugular.

  “You can’t just throw that out there. I have someone I really care about right now.”

  “But I love you. And I know you still love me. Don’t give up on us. I know I was a bitch that night, but I promise it won’t be like that anymore. I couldn’t be around you because I felt guilty too. And being in bed with you reminded me of the pain we were both suffering because of our loss. That’s the only reason I had to take a break. But I’m back now.”

  When the driver pulls up I hand him another twenty for his trouble. I step out and Crystal slides out behind me. I close my eyes as I reach out my hand to help her out.

  Chapter 28

  Ashley

  If it hadn’t already been after three in the morning, I would have gone to Quinn’s room. Actually I would have anyhow if it was just Quinn, but since Johnny has a game tomorrow, I didn’t want to wake him.

  I’m beyond pissed right now, but even more than that, I’m terrified. I know that Cam warned me in the beginning he couldn’t give me everything. He couldn’t give me his heart freely. We just shared the greatest evening any person could imagine. He treats me like I am a treasure and he wants nothing more. He’s so giving and caring that I melt in his arms. He knows where and how to touch my body. He pays attention to every reaction, and it amazes me how he makes me feel more and more.

  I finally got out of the bed and put on a pair of shorts and his jersey. I’ve been pacing the room for the last ten minutes and have looked at my phone at least every five seconds. There has been nothing since he left. No text to say he made it. No text to say he found her. No call to say he was on his way back. Nothing. I don’t know what I expected, but not hearing from him is miserable.

  I’m not sure if I can immediately forgive him. I honestly don’t know what else I expected him to do. Should he have left her there? No. Should he have found someone else to go? Yes. He could have sent Fonz even. He’s not scheduled to play tomorrow, and I’m sure he would have done whatever Cam asked him to do. Maybe I should have insisted that. No. It wasn’t my place to tell him what to do. But was it a mistake on my part? Should I have forced him to take me with him?

  All I keep thinking is that I’ve ruined my own future with him by not requesting he do something different. For the hundredth time I start a text to him so he knows I will be okay when he gets back. Although I will still be angry, I’m not going to hold it against him forever. I know he means well and wants to do what he feels is the right thing. I don’t know that I would be able to leave my own ex stranded if he really needed me. Shit. Where the hell is he?

  I look at the display on my phone. One hour. Should he really still be gone? Cam is the good in my world. Without him, I would struggle to move forward. He’s shown me an entire life I’ve been missing and I want him. I need him.

  When I hear the key card beep in the slot, my breath halts and my stomach lurches. I’m guessing he didn’t call me because he didn’t want to wake me up. At least he’s home now and we can figure this out. I stay just inside the bedroom door and wait for him to turn the corner. I want to resist running to him but I know as soon as I see his face I will jump into his arms. One thing I have determined over the last hour is that he’s my world.

  But when I see him rather than run to him my blood runs cold. Time stops along with my heart. The only thing I can focus on is what Cam is holding. I don’t make eye contact with him at first because I can’t pull my eyes away from Crystal in his arms. I keep my eyes down on purpose because when I see the look in his eyes I’m going to break. Physically, I will not make it. All I know is that my world has just ended and I need to make it out of this room somehow. I can’t be here with them.

  Knowing it’s the last time I will look at him this way, I glance up. The emotion in his eyes tells me he’s sorry but I also know it means she’s not just here for the night. He’s choosing his past over me. My legs are moving but I have no idea how. I hold in the emotion as I fly by him.

  “Ashley. Wait.”

  I turn back to him. I don’t know why or even how I have the strength for this moment. “Quinn will get my stuff tomorrow morning.”

  I head for the door and my hand is shaking so bad, I struggle to get it open. I finally manage and my legs take off in a sprint down the hallway. The number on the door is a blur but I know it’s Quinn’s room. My palms slap the door. I hit again and again and then my fists are pounding the door.

  “Quinn! Quinn!” I hear the word come out as a sob but I don’t even recognize the sound as my own voice.

  Finally the door swings in and I see Q standing there. I throw myself at her and the sobs shaking my body are so much that I can’t stand anymore. She sinks to the ground with me.

  “Ash, what’s wrong?” I hear the panic in her voice but I can’t speak. The sobs have taken over my body, and it’s all I can do to get enough air in my lungs.

  I’m vaguely aware of Johnny’s voice. “Let me go check. I’ll be right back.”

  My head is on Quinn’s stomach, and she’s running her hand down my hair trying to do whatever she can. I still can’t get enough air in, and the panic and pain together are overwhelming.

  “Ash, whatever happened, we’re going to get through this. I’m so sorry about whatever is going on.”

  My body continues to shake as the tears flow. I finally get one
deep breath in, but I can’t stop the sobs, and no one can do anything to make me feel better. Even though Quinn doesn’t know what’s happening, I hear a sob catch in her throat.

  “He chose her.”

  Quinn pulls me tighter to herself, and her tears hurt as much as my own. I have no idea how much time has passed but I hear the door open again and click shut. Someone slides his arms under mine and I’m hoisted up against a hard body.

  “I’m so sorry, Ash.” The concern in Johnny’s tone is so sincere I sob into his chest. “I’m so fucking sorry.”

  He walks with me and when he lowers me I feel my body sink into a mattress. Something in me registers that he’s putting me in their bed. “No! You stay here. I’ll stay in the front.”

  “Ash.” My hair is plastered to my wet face and he brushes it back. “You stay here with Quinn. I’m going to stay with Fonz.”

  “No. I can’t do that to you guys.”

  “Yes, you can. Please stay with Quinn. I won’t sleep the rest of the night unless I know you’re here with Quinn.” He steps away from the bed, and I have no energy to move from my spot. His concern makes the tears fall faster, and my body starts shaking even harder.

  I can barely hear them, but I register that he says Cam brought Crystal to his room and he doesn’t know anything else right now. I hear his heavy footsteps move toward the door. The mattress dips, and I feel Quinn curl up behind me. Her arm wraps over me tight, and I break all over again.

  “What am I going to do?”

  “I don’t know, Ash. But we’ll get through this. Whatever happened, we’ll get through it.”

  “I don’t know if I can survive this one, Q.”

  “You will. We’ll get through this like we always do.”

  I have zero energy remaining to speak so I use the last of it to allow every last sob out.

  • • •

  When I roll over in the bed, my head is pounding. My eyes feel like they’re swollen shut. I’m sure it’s a possibility. All I can remember is crying until I ran out of tears and energy in my body. I’m not sure if I ever actually slept. Then without warning the vision of Cam carrying his fiancée in his arms flashes in my head, and I feel nauseous.