I captured his lips, pushing my tongue through until we were in a heated kiss. All that tension fell away, and before I knew what was happening, I was straddling him while his hands were on the move over my body—my waist, my breasts, my ass, everywhere.
The pounding of the rain became our music as the drops pinged off the glass top of the sunroom.
He threaded his fingers through my hair, tugging my head back before he began kissing my neck.
“Mr. Steel is growing,” I said through a moan.
“I need to be inside you.” His voice was raspy.
He didn’t have to say another word. In a flash, I was naked, standing before him.
He raked his gaze up then down, slow and sure. I felt like he was kissing every part of my body.
He tore off his shirt. “You’re more beautiful than the day we met.”
I licked my lips as I admired my gorgeous husband. The man was all muscle with dips and valleys on his upper torso. But the one area that always got me right where it counted were the hearts tattooed on his chest—five of them. Four of the hearts represented his siblings. The one that sat above them had my name inked inside, and that was the reason happy tears burned my eyes.
“You know we have a problem.”
One of his eyebrows went up. “Oh?”
“I’m naked, and you’re not.”
He remedied that in two seconds flat. As we both stood naked and facing each other with the rain pouring down, all the tension, problems, life, and anything or anyone who could get in our way didn’t matter.
He erased the short distance between us, bowed his head, pinched one of my nipples, and leaned into my ear. “I’m going to fuck you until the sun comes up.”
I shivered in delight. “I love when you talk dirty. But first, you have to catch me.” I ran out of the sunroom, giggling like I was a teenager again.
He let out a belly laugh. “You know I’m faster than you.”
It was my turn to laugh as I banked a corner in the hallway that led upstairs. “Maybe. But can you find me?” Of course he could. My dad’s house wasn’t as big as our new home. The game wasn’t about whether Kade could find me or not. It was more about letting go of our problems and having fun for one night.
My bare feet slapped on the steps. I knew he could hear me.
“I always find you,” he said as his voice drew closer.
Chapter 8
Kade
I took my time climbing the stairs to where the bedrooms were located. With each step, my pulse ticked higher as my cock got harder. We hadn’t played hide-and-seek in a while, and I missed this game with her.
The house was quiet except for the creaking noise of the stairs.
“Lacey, I’m close,” I teased.
I didn’t think she was in the bedrooms, but she had a habit of hiding in the bathtub.
I squeezed my dick for no reason but to distract me from what I was about to do to her when I caught her.
When I reached the top landing, I listened for the slightest of noises but was met with dead silence.
All the doors leading into the bedrooms and a bathroom were open.
I stalked down the hall, poking my head into one bedroom. It was empty. I went in and checked the closet.
I stood in the middle of her old room, which was now a storage of sorts for her old man’s files. I listened closely and grinned. “Lace, baby, I know you’re up here.”
I proceeded to the next room. After looking into the other rooms, I still hadn’t found her.
Standing in the bathroom, I rubbed my rock-hard dick, trying to think. After she’d torn out of the sunroom, I could’ve sworn I heard her climb the stairs.
Again, I listened intently, but the pitter-patter of the raindrops on the skylight muffled my ability to hear anything else in the house.
I let go of my dick and made my way downstairs. When I reached the bottom, a faint moan tickled my ears.
“Lace,” I called. “You better not be touching yourself, at least not without me watching you.”
She giggled.
Son of a bitch. She had somehow fooled me into thinking she’d come upstairs.
My legs kicked into gear. If I didn’t get inside her, I just might lose my load in my hand. I rounded the staircase, trudged down the hall, and came to an abrupt halt.
“You looking for me?” Lacey asked innocently. She stood in front of the fireplace, legs spread, fingers circling her clit while the others were massaging her breast.
I grabbed my dick as hard as I could, stroking as I stepped toward her. My balls had disappeared, and any second I was a goner.
I got within a foot of her then pounced. I gripped her waist and carried her to the couch, practically falling onto a cushion.
She giggled relentlessly as I tried to push inside her as fast as I could.
“You think this is funny?” I asked as pain laced every word. Sure, it was fucking delicious pain, but man, I was trying so stinking hard to hold back. I wasn’t going to last. I was a fucking teenager again, ready to orgasm over the sight of her tits and ass.
She maneuvered her body expertly as though she’d straddled me a thousand times. True, she had, but the moment I was inside her and she was gripping my cock, I threw my head back and groaned so loud, I wouldn’t be surprised if the neighbors could hear me over the storm.
She laughed, a sound that only served to make me hornier than I’d ever been. But then she hopped off me.
My head whipped up, my jaw fell open, and my eyes bugged out of my head. “What the fuck?” But those words died a quick death as she dropped to her knees.
She licked her lips. “I want to play.”
Before I had a chance to nod, she was sucking me so hard, I saw stars.
My hands dove in her hair. “That’s it, baby, harder.”
Her tongue swirled around the tip of my cock, her hands pumping me. Then she took me deep, and I practically bucked off the couch.
“Fuck, Lace. I can’t hold it any longer.”
“Let go, baby. I got you.” Her words were mumbled as she sucked me off until I was screaming her fucking name. As I came down out of the clouds, she crawled onto my lap.
I crashed my mouth to hers, my tongue snaking in, taking, tasting, and devouring.
She eased back, a smile emerging. “That was fun.”
I massaged her breasts. “Which part?”
“Hide-and-seek. I had you fooled.”
“My brain wasn’t firing on all cylinders,” I teased.
She giggled. “Only Mr. Steel.”
I sucked on her nipple.
“Kade.” Her tone lost that playfulness.
I leaned back to find she had a serious expression painted on.
“I don’t want baseball to come between us. I’m scared.”
Whoa! I cupped her cheeks. “We’ll work through this.” I would do anything and everything to make sure we did. “I have to be honest. I’m scared too. I’m afraid you’ll pick baseball over us.”
She pressed her forehead to mine, and a tear slid down her cheek. “You’re my everything.”
I could hear a “but” in her tone.
She brushed her lips over mine. “Don’t ever think that our marriage is over.” She bit my bottom lip. “You made me so mad. I would die for you, Kade Maxwell.”
“I’m sorry. I was an ass to think that.”
She nodded.
“I was thinking on the drive over here.”
She pulled away, regarding me with an eager expression.
I swiped a lone tear off her cheek with the pad of my thumb.
My beautiful Lacey.
“Since you started playing for the Sea Dogs, we haven’t spent enough time together. We’ve both been going in different directions. It’s time I lock up the house and spend the rest of your season with you in Portland.”
Her jaw came unhinged. “Really?” She squealed, a sound that made my dick jerk beneath her ass.
Her excitem
ent quickly died, though. “How does that solve the kiddie problem?”
I trailed my fingers up her torso, then down, then back up. “It doesn’t exactly. But we just need the time together. So tell me about the offer.” I wasn’t exactly sure she had an offer, but considering she’d spoken to Tara, I would put money on that.
She sucked in her bottom lip. “The Iowa Cubs are interested in me.” Her green eyes lit up like an airport runway. “A Triple-A team. Can you believe that?” Her smile was radiant.
My heart soared despite my own desperation to start a family. I couldn’t deny her that opportunity. I loved her too much to see her lose that smile or that gleam in her eyes when she talked about baseball or played the damn game.
Baseball was Lacey.
Lacey was baseball.
She should be able to play and have a family. She should live her dream.
I grinned so wide, my lips hurt. “That’s fantastic news. You’re ready for the big leagues.”
“Yeah? You’re really happy for me?”
I lost my grin. “Why would you ask me that?”
She flattened her hands on my chest then rubbed her fingers lightly over my heart tattoos. “You want kids like yesterday.”
“Baby, I want you more,” I said as sure as the rain was still coming down. “We’ll figure things out. I want you to be happy, Lace. I want to see that smile on your face when you get ready to play the game. I want to hear the giddiness in your voice when you talk baseball. Above all else, I love the crap out of you, and I’m with you one hundred percent.” Sure, part of me was sad and gutted that we might not be able to start our family next year like we’d planned. But I would be even more devastated if my wife wasn’t happy.
“I love you so much, it hurts sometimes. I feel selfish that I want to live my dream when yours is to have kids.”
“Nonsense. We’re in this together. Remember? For better or worse. As I said, we’ll figure it out.”
She gave me a weak smile. “I do want kids more than anything. I just want you to know that.”
I dragged a finger down and over one of her breasts. “I know you do. And we’ll have them.”
She sighed. “I asked Tara if she could negotiate a pregnancy addendum into a contract.” She pushed out a shoulder. “I don’t know if she can, but companies give their employees maternity leave. So why not a baseball team?” She sounded like she was trying to convince herself it was a no-brainer.
Hope bloomed in my chest for the first time. Maybe it was that easy. After all, Lacey shouldn’t be penalized in her field just because she wanted to have a kid.
“We should look at renting a house in Portland,” I said.
“You’re full of surprises.” Her voice hitched. “But let’s wait until next year to do that. The season will be over in a couple of months or so. It doesn’t make sense to get a house for that short of a time.”
I pulled her to me.
Whatever fate had in store for us, I was ready. Because I would die for this woman. I would give my soul to the devil just to see her happy.
Chapter 9
Lacey
The All-Star break had come and gone, and after a month of being away from Kade, I was dying to see him. He’d had every intention of returning with me, but I’d wanted him to get a checkup before he packed his bags. He’d had two migraines while I’d been home, and that was one too many for me, especially because the second one had knocked him on his ass during my last day home, which scared the crap out of me. All I kept thinking was that he had another tumor, and this time, what if it wasn’t benign?
I leaned against a brick building outside a quaint Italian restaurant and tapped Kade’s name on my phone.
The city of Portland was hopping with traffic and people coming and going from restaurants and small shops that lined both sides of downtown.
“Are you close?” I asked when the line connected.
“I finally got off the highway.” His husky voice settled the nerves I’d had all day worrying about his doctor’s appointment. “I should be there in about ten minutes.”
“Did the doc say anything?”
“I only had my checkup this morning, Lace. He said he would call as soon as he got the results. Don’t worry.” His tone had a feather softness on the last words. I knew he was trying not to worry me. But that was like telling him not to worry about me.
For the last few weeks, my stomach had been in knots. Hell, it still was. My mind had been consumed with what-ifs. What if he did have a malignant tumor? What if we didn’t have time to have kids?
I’d been thinking I should put my career on hold and do everything in my power to get pregnant. I was selfish. I was the one living my dream, and Kade wasn’t living his.
“Is Tara there yet?” he asked.
I wanted to say I didn’t care about Tara or the news she had for me. But I did want to hear how her talks had gone with the Iowa Cubs. In all honesty, I wasn’t as eager to know at the moment, as I would have been otherwise. If my husband wasn’t in good health, then nothing else trumped him.
“She’s stuck in the same traffic.”
“So has she told you how her meeting went?” Kade asked.
“All she said was we’ll talk at dinner.” I’d tried to get more out of her, but she’d had another call coming in, and I’d had a meeting with my manager earlier that day.
“I’m pulling into a parking garage. See you in a minute.” The line clicked off.
I sent Tara a text: Kade and I will be outside the restaurant.
Tara responded quickly: I’m taking an Uber from the hotel. I should be there in a few minutes.
I lowered my phone, scanning up and down the street. A parking garage was located one block up, and another sat one block down. I didn’t know which one Kade was parking in.
The bell on the door dinged, announcing a middle-aged couple leaving the Italian restaurant. As they did, a spicy aroma floated out, causing my stomach to growl. I usually didn’t eat much before a game, thanks in part to my nerves, so I was famished. My mouth was watering for a plate of ravioli or spaghetti.
As I watched the couple walk down the street, my gaze drifted past them, and I smiled when I spotted my hunky husband jogging toward me. Before my brain could catch up with my body, my legs were moving until I was jumping into his arms as though we hadn’t seen each other in years.
His hands dove into my hair, and our lips locked in a heated kiss.
A horn blew, snapping us back to reality. I slid down his muscled body, feeling Mr. Steel along the way.
I couldn’t help but giggle. “I’ve missed you,” I said a little breathlessly.
“Is there any way we can bag dinner with Tara?” he asked. “I need to be inside you.” His warm breath fanned over my ear, causing hot lava to pinch my cheeks.
As much as I would love to reschedule with Tara, I couldn’t. She had driven up from Boston to meet with us. It was only polite to see our meeting through.
I shook my head. “We won’t stay long.”
Kade looked around. “We could go down that alley across the street while we wait for her.”
I playfully slapped him. “I’m all for an adventure, but Tara is getting out of the car.” I flicked my head at the black Mercedes.
She dashed up onto the sidewalk with a smile that didn’t reach her brown eyes. “I’m exhausted and hungry. Sorry I’m late.” She glanced at Kade. “Do you know what happened on the highway exactly?”
“Some eighteen-wheeler jackknifed and ended up on its side,” he said.
That was why Tara and Kade hadn’t been at my game earlier.
The three of us walked into the cozy and elegant Italian restaurant.
Tara took the lead and spoke to the young blond hostess.
Kade leaned into my ear. “Let’s not linger too long, please. I’m tired as hell.”
I rolled my eyes. “You just want sex.”
“Sue me.”
The restaurant was dim
and quiet with several empty tables. I shouldn’t have been surprised since the dinnertime had come and gone.
The hostess placed us at a table by the window. Then she handed each of us a menu.
No sooner had she left than a waiter in his twenties came over. He took our drink orders and spouted out the specials.
When I finally had a chance to sip some water, some of my muscles loosened but only because Kade was sitting next to me with his arm draped over the back of my chair. His presence always gave me the sense that I could handle anything.
But when I regarded Tara, my stomach churned. I’d known her for over two years, and I knew she had bad news for me. When she smoothed a hand over her short brown bob, she confirmed my suspicions. That small act was her tell that she was about to deliver news I wouldn’t like.
She set her wide brown eyes on me as she cleared her throat. “The Iowa Cubs have decided on another pitcher for their roster next year.” Tara interlaced her fingers as she set her hands on the table. She was the type of person who didn’t beat around the bush.
I liked that about her, and even though my excitement about playing Triple-A ball had waned a tad, the news still stung like an angry hornet.
“You could’ve told her that on the phone,” Kade said.
“Not my style,” Tara replied. “I don’t like to deliver bad news on the phone. Lacey, you don’t seem disappointed.” She sipped her water. “Why?”
I swallowed thickly and regarded Kade briefly. “I’ve had a lot of time to think since the All-Star break.” I placed my hand on Kade’s thigh, still keeping my eyes on Tara. “My marriage comes first.”
“Lace,” Kade said. “We talked about this. I want you to play ball.”
I batted my eyelashes at my husband. “I know you do. But I also want kids. And the more I think about the talk we had, the more I realize that we’ll be in a never-ending cycle with my career. If it’s not the Iowa Cubs, it could be some other team. Honestly, I really don’t want to have kids at forty or later when I finally decide to retire.”
Dare to Embrace: The Maxwell Series Book 7 Page 5