“Where would be the fun in that? So what time do I need to pick you up?”
“Five p.m., but I can just Uber over.”
“Like I would let my favorite girl Uber?”
My lips part into a smile. Of course he would if he was getting laid. I let out a laugh at that thought. Oh my, Cole. “What’s got you laughing over there?”
“Nothing. Okay, I’m hanging up on you if you have nothing important to say.”
“Everything I say is important,” he says, and with that I roll my eyes.
“And on that note… See you mañana.”
“Love yaaaaa,” he drawls and I just laugh and hang up.
It takes me two more hours to basically pack my whole room. It looks like I’m moving in for good, but who the hell knows what I’ll need, so I just bring it all.
Now all I have to do is fall asleep. I head to the bathroom, brush my teeth, and get into PJs. Tomorrow should be interesting. Hell, the next few weeks should be interesting. To be honest, I’m actually super excited. This will be the first time I’m really treating someone and the prospect has me tossing and turning. Thank God it’s Cole. I can’t imagine how nervous I’ll be with my first patient who isn’t completely biased to my talents.
I smile to myself with what tomorrow will bring. My eyelids flutter shut and finally I fall sleep.
9
Cole
What the actual fuck did I get myself into? Makenzie is everything. After all the late-night inappropriate thoughts I’ve had of her lately, I have no business living with her. None. I’m an idiot. My phone begins to chime annoyingly. I walk across the room to get it in case it’s Makenzie calling.
“Hello,” I say without checking the caller ID.
“Hiya, Cole bear.” I cringe at the sound of my mother’s voice. They must want more money.
It’s sad it’s come to this. We were so close once, but money changes everything and I currently have it in spades. I gave my father a loan of $100 grand to invest. I even hooked him up on my tab with my financial guy. Next I learn, they never bothered to invest it and that $100 grand turned to $500 grand; none of which I got back. I never saw my money again and not so much as a thank-you. They are too busy traveling. The fact they haven’t run out of my money yet is a miracle.
“What do you want?” I grate. She only calls when she wants something.
“That’s not a very nice way to speak to me. I raised you.” I grunt. “Your father and I are heading home and wanted to stop by. Makenzie called and said you hurt yourself. Baseball is still on, right?” I roll my eyes.
Of course she only cares if the cash cow stops. I’m not sure why it would matter I haven’t given them a dime since my initial payout and I won’t. I have cut them off.
“I’m fine and I’m busy. I don’t think a visit will work.”
“Hm…well, maybe we’ll just schedule to have lunch with Makenzie.”
I groan.
“Mom, just come out with it. Why are you two really coming to town? You haven’t been here for over a year.”
“We don’t want anything. I’m sad you’d even accuse us of only wanting to see you because we need something.”
“Call me when you get into town. If I can squeeze a lunch in, I’ll let you know.” I sigh. “Oh, and Mom? Leave Makenzie alone.” I end the call.
My lack of respect came at their hands. I can’t bring myself to feel bad about it. They disappointed me far worse than I could ever return the favor. Nothing is worse than realizing your money is more important than you to your own parents.
My phone rings again and I groan.
“What?” I bark when I connect.
“Cole? What the hell is wrong with you?” Makenzie’s voice rings through loud and clear.
“Oh, hey. I thought you were my mother.”
“Why?”
“She called. Wants to have lunch next week when they come to town.” Silence on the other end. “Kenz?”
“What do they want?”
“Your guess is as good as mine.” I sigh. “You almost here?”
My attempt to change the subject doesn’t work.
“Don’t,” she says.
“Don’t what?” I ask.
“Don’t try to avoid the question. It’s me, Cole. Talk to me.”
I breathe in once and then twice to clear my head.
“I’m fine, Makenzie. Really. I’m getting used to it. I’m not that boy they can hurt anymore.”
“I don’t believe you. You need to have it out with them.”
I sigh. We have this talk almost weekly.
“Okay. I will. Can we talk about something else?”
“Sure. I’m almost there,” she sings.
“How long?”
“I-wh-can’t-hear you. Gotta-go. ‘Bye.” She disconnects.
There’s a knock at my door and I smile. Makenzie is so predictable. She’s here. I swing the door open and my breath hitches. I feel like I’ve been sucker punched. She’s fucking gorgeous. She’s dressed down in athletic shorts and a tank top, but she still blows every other girl out of the water. Her hair is piled on top of her head and I can’t help but stare at the blond mass. She clears her throat, drawing my attention to her eyes alight with humor.
“See something you like?” She waggles her eyebrows. She is clueless how accurate that statement is.
“Nope. You look like a bum.” She huffs but begins laughing when I do. “Get in here,” I say, folding her into a hug.
“Watch the girls. They are sensitive today.” I raise my brow in question. “Period is about to start.” She shrugs. I scrunch my nose. “Shut it. It’s a normal girl thing.”
“Yeah, well, it’s not a normal girl thing to talk about it in front of me.”
“You asked for me to live with you. You might as well be apprised of my feminine issues. Besides, I’ll be a raging bitch for the next few days. So saddle up, cowboy.” She grins.
“Pass.”
“On what?”
“On the whole period talk. You can call your boyfriend for that.” She chuckles. Despite the unsexy conversation and the mention of that douche, my dick hardens. The way her tits bounce when she laughs is fucking sexy as hell.
Her phone rings and she quickly reaches for it. She seems a little too eager, which spurs a foreign feeling in my bones. Jealousy. This is getting old.
“Hi, Mrs. Callahan.” Her eyes dart to me.
“What the fuck does she want now?” I mouth. Makenzie shrugs.
“Uh-huh. I see. I really don’t want anything to do with that.” Her eyes narrow and she turns her back to me, trying to walk away.”
I go after her, spinning her around.
“What the fuck is going on?” I ask again. She raises a finger in the air to give her a minute.
“I don’t think that’s my place. He deserves to have his parents want to see him just to see him.” She pauses, as my mother obviously has more to say. I can tell that whatever it is, Makenzie is bothered by it. I’m pissed. “Mrs. Callahan, with all due respect, I think that is the shittiest thing I’ve ever heard. I won’t be a party to it.” She takes a deep breath. “I think you need to call your son yourself, but I think you should try to invest some time with him before you ask him for yet another loan. He deserves better.” My cheeks burn with a mixture of hurt and anger. How dare they put Makenzie in the middle.
She disconnects and looks at me like I’m a breakable puppy and I snap.
“Don’t fucking look at me like that, Makenzie Marie.” I narrow my eyes. “Don’t fucking do it.” I start to pace. I’m not sure of the entire conversation, but I can surmise they only planned to swing into town because their travels have left them broke…again.
“I’m so sorry,” Makenzie whispers. “Your parents suck.”
“Nothing new there. I’m nothing but a paycheck to them.” A tear slides down her cheek.
“Why are you crying?” I grab her, pulling her to my chest. She melts into me.
<
br /> “You’re my best friend and they are awful.”
“Kenz, this has been going on for a long time. I’m used to it. Don’t cry for me.” She looks up, a frown on her face.
“Don’t tell me how to feel, Cole. I know this hurts you. You can lie to everyone else, but don’t lie to me.” She is seething. I throw my hands up in surrender.
“Okay, yeah…it sucks. But what can I do?”
She puts her finger to her chin in contemplation.
“Tequila.”
“Tequila?” I grin.
“Yep. We’re going to take that shit by the neck and drown in it. Then at the end we’ll purge the worm and start life over.”
“That was the worst analogy I’ve ever heard. Seriously, Kenz…don’t ever say that again.” She begins to laugh, which does the trick. Our moods are on their way to being better. But yeah, tequila will definitely be happening tonight.
“No tequila until after you show me the training facility and you ice and stretch.” She lasers me with a pointed look. My hands go up in surrender.
“This would be why you’re here. Get me back in the game. You can play hardball with me.” I wink. Her eyes rolling only serves to make me laugh.
10
Makenzie
My eyes are wide as I take in the training center. This place has everything. If I can just get Cole to be diligent with cold compressions and resting his arm, he should be ready to go within a week or two.
“Where do we start, Kenz?” Cole’s voice snaps me out of my daze.
“Let’s get you icing. Why don’t you take a seat on the massage table and I’ll get your cold compress.” He nods, heading toward the table and hopping up to sit.
I watch as his weight is placed on his mending arm. His wince tells me he’s in a lot of pain.
“You can’t do shit like that, Cole. You have to baby that arm and that hand. Do not use it. Do not put weight on it. Nothing,” I scold.
“Yes, mom.”
“I’m serious, Cole. You want to pitch anytime soon, you’ll listen to what I’m telling you.”
“All right. I got it. No more dicking around.” My eyes roll.
Grabbing the compresses, I get him situated and finally icing. We sit in comfortable silence before Cole can’t take it any longer. The guy seriously can’t just sit and relax.
“How’s studying coming?”
I groan.
“Not as well as I hoped. Since I’ve been here I’ve hardly cracked a book.”
“Let’s study, then.” I narrow my eyes at him.
“You think you can help?”
“Sure. Throw something at me.” I recall some of the questions I’ve been studying the past month.
“After sitting at a computer station for two to three hours, an individual reports experiencing a sharp, localized pain in the left arm. When asked to show the location of the pain, the individual points to the area of insertion of the deltoid. The pain disappears when the individual stands up and walks around briefly. Which of the following interventions is most likely to correct the problem?”
Cole’s eyes go wide.
“Do I get choices?”
“Isometric strengthening of the deltoid or lumbar extension exercises in prone?” I offer.
“Definitely lumbar extension.”
“Wrong,” I sing, feeling pretty tricky. “It’s actually instruction in correct postural alignment in sitting.”
“That’s hardly fair, you cheated,” he accuses.
“Yeah, but at least I can put that one into my know pile.” I smile widely.
“You need to make sure you make time to study. Bring your books here. Whatever you need, but you need to study.”
“I will. Thanks for recognizing how important this is to me.”
After compressions, we work on some short exercises to work the flexor muscle. Griping and pick-ups have Cole groaning in pain. They are necessary to help strengthen the tendon. I decide he needs to ice a bit more.
“Can you rub my shoulders?” Cole’s voice is strained. He’s clearly uncomfortable.
“Sure.” Moving behind him I begin massaging his deltoid muscles. His moan signals it’s helping. The sound sends chills down my spine.
The simple act of rubbing his arms has my cheeks flushed.
What the hell?
“Why don’t you lie down on your stomach. Place your hands above your head.” He does as he’s told.
I arrange his arms so the compresses are still in place. My hands return to his back. Getting lost in my work, I recite the name of every muscle that I touch. But it never slips my mind how incredibly built Cole is. Every inch of his body is spectacular. It isn’t fair to the male species. He’s a god. No wonder the girls flock to him.
11
Cole
Her hand runs across my back, working the muscles. Kneading at my skin. I should be relaxing, but instead I feel my cock hardening. Goddammit, I have no control left. We’re supposed to be fixing my shit so I can pitch but instead I’m thinking about flipping her over and pounding into her. My dick is so fucking hard, a groan escapes as I readjust my pants.
“You’ve got to stop, Kenz. I can’t take much more.”
“Do you want me to stop?” Her voice turns sultry and all composure leaves.
“Kenz,” I warn.
“What do you want, Cole?” Makenzie says the word like a challenge. A dare to finish that thought. I take the bait, not willing to go another minute tiptoeing around the inevitable.
“I can’t take another moment of your hands on me without being inside you.”
I spin her around and cage her in. Her ass hitting the edge of the massage table, her chest rises and falls as she locks eyes with me. There’s heat in her stare. She wants this as bad as I do.
With one hand I push her back so she lays flat against the surface, while with my other hand I start to pull down her pants. When she’s fully bare before me, I sit her on the edge of the massage table and pull her legs apart. I spread them wide, giving me a perfect view of her pussy. I need to make sure she’s ready, primed for my cock.
Her sweet cunt glistens up at me, begging me to have a taste. Not being able to wait another minute, I put my mouth on her. My tongue swipes out, licking.
She tastes so damn good.
Her cream coats my tongue and makes me desperate to be inside her. The harder I lick, the heavier her panting becomes. Knowing she’s close to coming, I latch on to her clit. Sucking her into my mouth completely, I keep increasing the pressure until her hand reaches into my hair, pulling at my roots, and she begins to grind against my face.
“Cum. I need you to cum before I fuck you.” Those final words are her undoing, as she starts to quiver and shake, moaning until she falls over the edge.
Pulling away, I look up to her as her eyes begin to refocus and a small smile spreads across her face. Once she fully comes down from her orgasm, I know I can’t wait until I am inside her.
I pull my dick out my pants and start to stroke it up and down. A small bead of cum leaks from the tip. Reaching into my back pocket, I grab a condom and slide it down my length. Then I grab her legs and I wrap them around my hips, placing my cock at her dripping wet entrance.
I plunge inside her, sliding into her warmth.
Fuck. She feels good.
Her juice coats my cock. She’s so tight, with just the one thrust I feel I might explode. I pull back and watch my dick withdraw from her pussy. The condom glistens up at me as I retract all the way to my tip and when her body starts to shake from need, I plunge back in.
Thrusting in and out.
The friction has her pussy clenching around me. Fuck, she feels amazing around my dick.
Reaching out, I place my finger on her clit and start to stroke her as I move in and out of her.
Her pussy starts to tighten again, making my balls want to release. I pick up my pace and soon I can feel myself jerk inside her, releasing everything, until I’m…
&nb
sp; “Cole, wake up.” Makenzie’s voice has me springing up off the bed.
Shit. I fell asleep. It was only a dream.
The reality leaves me feeling as though I’ve been doused with cold water.
It’s getting harder to remind myself of all the reasons I shouldn’t go there with her. I want to say fuck it and finally get her underneath me.
12
Makenzie
An hour later, Cole and I are back at the apartment. We have our bottles of tequila in hand and salt and limes to help tame the burn. Tequila has always been my drink of choice when I need to purge the demons from my system. Cole can say what he wants, but I know this crap with his parents is killing him inside. They used to be so close, and I know the betrayal he feels at them simply using him for his money goes bone deep. Cole is going to talk tonight. He's never going to start to heal physically or emotionally until he faces up to how he really feels.
“All right, you ready for this, Colegasm?” I can't help but giggle at the stupid name I've given him.
“Sure thing, Kenz-good lay.”
I purse my lips. “Seriously, you couldn't come up with anything better than that? It’s the dumbest thing I’ve ever heard.”
He throws his head back and laughs.
“You wanted to play games. I'm here to play.” He raises his hands in the air, looking around for—God knows what.
“Just take your shot, jackass.”
I pour two shots, sliding his to him.
“Ready for this?” I lift mine. “We do it on the count of three. Together.”
“I was born ready, princess.” He winks.
We clink glasses. 1…2…3. We both chug. I shudder as it burns going down my throat, coating my insides as it goes. I quickly swipe my tongue across my wrist and place the lime in my mouth. Juice drips down my chin, but I shake it away as I try to rid my mouth of the taste.
But Cole doesn’t. “You didn’t use the salt and lime,” I squeak.
Hard Ball Page 4