Walk Off (Double Play Series Book 5)

by Nicole Rodrigues

  I'm so close. Don't fuck this up, Nico. This is your family, this is your woman.

  “Okay class, let us begin. My name is Samantha and I'll be your instructor today. First and foremost, I want you all to know that if at any point you cannot do the exercises, please don't push yourself. Listen to your body, continue to breathe and ask your partner for help if you need it.”

  “I'll be hands on, don't worry, Mama,” I whisper to her.

  “That my new nickname now, daddio?”

  “It's got a nice ring to it,” I say as I smack her ass lightly as she gets to her feet.

  She looks up at me smiling, shaking her head.

  “Don't test me, Hulk. I'll drag your ass outside and christen that dad-mobile.”

  “Oh Blondie, you promise?”

  She rolls her eyes and looks up front to the instructor.

  “Okay, we are going to start with a couple of hip rotations just to get the blood flowing. Stand about shoulder width apart, bend your knees slightly with your hands on your hips. Slowly rotate your hips, trying to keep your upper body still. Make sure you’re breathing; inhaling rotating forward, exhaling rotating backwards. Partners, if you want to keep your hands on their hips just to keep them steady that is advised.”

  I smile and put my hands on Lacey’s hips as I hear her huff out a breath. She moves her hips slowly and of course, I’m just a man after all. I look down, eyeing her butt in her leggings, watching her move forward and back. I’m trying not to picture those hips moving forward and back on top of my body but of course, I’m failing, miserably.

  I drop my head down to her ear and growl.

  “I swear I’m keeping you barefoot and pregnant for a very long time, Blondie. You are so damn sexy moving these hips.”

  She swats my hand off her hip as she keeps moving back and forth.

  “Shut up!” she snaps.

  I laugh and put my hand back as the instructor comes up next to us.

  “Great hip movement back here,” she instructor says smiling.

  “She practices a lot,” I say squeezing her hip.

  Lacey shakes her head and I smile as the instructor tells everyone to kneel on the mat.

  “Okay, next exercise is going to be a cat cow, and that will bring us into child’s pose. It is important to strengthen your core muscles, lengthen your spine and relieve some of that pressure off your back, allow for better circulation. Partners, if you want to kneel next to them or behind them, hand on their back to help them breathe and stay calm.”

  Lacey and I both get to our knees as she braces her hands on the mat in front of her, arching her back up, getting into position.

  “Another position you’re super familiar with,” I whisper. I put my hand on her lower back and slowly creep it down. “Except my hand is a little bit lower usually, no?” I put my hand on her ass and give it a soft smack as she sits up, murder in her eyes.

  “Do you wanna die, Nico? I swear to God, you’re so close.”

  “Easy, Blondie, relaxation remember?” I say smiling.

  “It’s kind of hard to relax when all I’m thinkin’ about is cat cowin’ on your dick,” she whisper-yells.

  I choke on my laugh and we get a couple angry stares. I put my hand up in defense and Lacey gets back to her yoga pose. I’m careful to keep my hands off her, not wanting to rile her up. I thought I was making her laugh but clearly, she’s more wound up than I thought.

  When the instructor tells us to now lean down into child’s pose.

  “This pose is great in between contractions to relax your body and mind,” says the instructor.

  Lacey looks up from her position at me and shakes her head.

  “Of course, now you make no jokes or moves to cop a feel, right?”

  I smile sheepishly and put my hand on her lower back, keeping her steady and keeping my paws off her butt.

  “Relaxation. If you want to relax in other ways, I can make that happen too.”

  I hear her let out a soft moan and I rub her back, her body rising and falling with her breathing. It’s moving faster and she hops up quickly to her feet, grabbing my hand and dragging me out of the yoga studio.

  “What happened? Are you okay?” I ask turning her around and examining her.

  She pulls my t-shirt and drags me towards my car.

  “Get in the car. Right. Now,” she says, her voice shaking.

  Shit, what the hell did I do? I run around to the other side hopping in the car and before I can open my mouth to speak Lacey is grabbing my hand and putting it down the front of her leggings.

  “Make me come,” she whines, moving my fingers against her clit.

  “Lace, hold on. Let’s go home. I can-”

  “No!” she interrupts. “Right now, Nico. Please or I swear I’ll do it myself. That was torture, you’re torturin’ me and you know it.”

  She moves my fingers faster against her and I wrap my other hand around the side of her face.

  “Lacey, I’m not gonna make you come in the car half-assed like this in front of the yoga studio. Let me take you home, let you come undone on my fingers and tongue in your own bed so then you can sleep, okay?”

  She burrows her cheek into my hand closing her eyes as she drops her hand off mine in her pants.

  “You...it’s okay. Just drop me home,” she says softly.

  “Lacey. you need to relax, you need a release, I’m your guy. Let me make you feel good and put you to sleep. You need rest, you need to be taken care of. I know you’re a tough bitch, but let me do this, okay?”

  She exhales and nods and I start the car and drive straight to her house before she changes her mind.

  I hop out as soon as we get into her drive and run around to open her car door. She fell asleep in the car, so I unbuckle her, grabbing her keys from her bag and carry her to the front door.

  I get the door open with a little struggle and walk upstairs, laying her on her side on the bed. She opens her eyes, slowly sitting up as she watches me with sleepy eyes.

  “Undress me,” she whispers.

  I gulp, trying so fucking hard to keep my promise. I drop to my knees in front of her, slowly lifting her t-shirt off her body and dropping it to the floor. She motions down to her bra and I flick the front clasp open, watching her full breasts spill out. I stifle a groan somehow as she stands from the bed. I pull down her leggings and thong and she is in front of me, gloriously naked and beautiful, her full belly on display.

  She slowly sits back down on the edge of the bed, leaning back on her bands.

  “You shouldn’t lay on your back, right?” I ask rubbing her belly.

  I don’t do this very often, being as we’re so hot and cold and when I rub near her belly button, I feel a soft thump against my palm.

  “What the...was that the baby? Was that a kick?” I ask excitedly.

  She smiles and nods and I laugh again, keeping my hand in the same spot, feeling another kick.

  “We got a little kickboxer like Aunt Normani, huh?” I say to Lacey’s belly, pressing my lips against it.

  She sighs and I look up, watching her eyes close.

  I reach my hand down to her center and slowly run my fingers through her folds, literally watching the stress leave her body. It’s all floating away and I swear she looks happier, and happier with every stroke.

  “Come more to the edge. I wanna taste you.”

  She scootches more to the edge of the bed as I bend lower, pressing my lips to her clit and she gasps, gripping the back of my head.

  “Oh God, I swear Nico, I’m gonna come in five seconds.”

  I’ve never heard that desperation in her voice before and it fuels me. I dig my face further into her, using two fingers to hook inside her, my lips and tongue wrestling for a spot against her clit, both wanting to be the one to bring her that release. Her hands are wrapped behind my head, pushing my face against her, her cries growing louder.

  “Yes, right there, like that. Yessssss.”

  I c
ontinue licking, sucking, kissing her everywhere, soaking up her juices as she rides out wave after wave. Her grip on my head loosens and she pushes my head away slowly, dropping to the bed on her side.

  I laugh getting to my feet, her eyes already closed.

  “Let me at least tuck you in, Blondie,” I laugh, adjusting myself in my jeans.

  “Stay with me,” she whispers. “My body pillow sucks. You promised me somethin’ hard.”

  I groan and know I will have to pull every ounce of self-control I have in my 300-pound body not to really give her something hard.

  “Now who’s the one torturing who,” I say smiling.

  I pull my t-shirt off my body along with my shorts but keep my boxers on. Not that it will do much considering I’m already rock hard, but at least it’s something.

  I crawl into bed behind a naked Lacey, as she turns to face me, throwing her leg over my hip and her arm around my stomach.

  “You’re literally gonna use me as a body pillow, aren’t you?” I laugh.

  “Yes. Now shh.”

  I run my hands through her hair as I hear her breathing even out in seconds. The heat coming off her body and the fact that my arm is slightly going numb underneath her head should make me want to move, but it doesn’t. Lacey let me in tonight, there is no fucking way I’m going anywhere.

  Lacey

  I wake in my bed alone and naked, the sun streaming in through the window and I glance over at my nightstand.

  8:30.

  I get to my feet, looking around on the floor and finding Nico’s t-shirt from yesterday. I pull it on over my head and laugh at how big it still really is on me, even with an almost eight-month pregnant belly.

  “Morning baby girl, and Mama,” I hear from the doorway.

  “Hey, I stole your shirt.”

  “All yours. Keep it. Want breakfast? I was just gonna wake you. Your mother came by to see if you wanted to spend the day with her later. I told her we had therapy in a little bit, she said she’s gonna call you.”

  “Oh my God, I forgot about therapy,” I groan smacking my forehead. “Did she...you’re pretty much naked,” I say now noticing Nico is only wearing his shorts.

  “Yeah well...I didn’t know it was her. You can explain things over girl’s day later I guess,” he shrugs.

  “Alright, let me just get dressed. Maybe can you drop me by her place after we’re done?”

  “Yep. Let me get some clothes on too.”

  He walks slowly over to me and puts a hand on my cheek, his thumb stroking my nose and I close my eyes.

  “Wanna put the crib together tonight? I can come bring some dinner, maybe say fuck the crib and bang on the floor?”

  I laugh and shake my head, opening my eyes.

  “You wish, Hulk.”

  “Oh Blondie, I still have the taste of your pussy on my tongue. Boy do I wish.”

  I smack his chest going over to my drawers for clothes and watch him, watching me out of the corner of my eyes. I’m so close to trusting him again, so close to just forgetting everything. He’s been nothing short of amazing. I want to just forget it. The small voice in the back of my head though always comes back and shuts it down. He could have cheated, he could have really broken your heart, Lacey.

  Chapter 17

  Lacey

  “So how are we doin’? We look better,” Rose says smiling.

  “We are,” I smile over to Nico.

  “We’re getting there,” he says grabbing my hand.

  I still have those doubts in the back of my head, but I’m just going with it. Just feeling. I know in my heart he would never hurt me, but I just can’t get past the unknown.

  “Well that’s great. What changed?” Rose asks.

  “I...I’m not sure. We’ve been doin’ a little more together. Baby shoppin’ and Nico brought me to yoga class. We’ve just been...normal.”

  “Let me ask you somethin’ Lacey, that I haven't asked yet. You used to sleep around with men because we surmised it was for control and your past history with Weston. How did Nico get past that? What made him different?”

  “I guess...I don’t really know. It was just a feelin’ I got with him. He pushed me, he made me want to do somethin’ different. He made that part in me that fought the happy ending sit down and shut up…”

  -----

  Three years ago..February

  Bella, Normani and I laugh in the kitchen of our apartment after our night out. I sit on the counter and sip my wine thinking about Nico’s text this morning.

  Nico: Headed to Miami for a couple days to check on my apartment. Be back Friday. Dinner when I get back?

  I still haven't responded because I don't know what the hell to even say. We've spent the past days after our Valentine’s night banging like bunnies but it's not dinner. Dinner leads to dates, dates leads to a relationship and that is something I'm staying far away from. I lost myself last time and I can't do that again.

  “Have you talked to Hulk? Apparently, you've broken down his ‘I don't sleep with a woman more than once’ barrier. Proud of yourself?” Bella asks me.

  “I don't need to be proud of myself. He's lucky I'm givin’ him the time of day more than once myself,” I smirk.

  I take another sip of my wine as Bella continues.

  “You're such a fraud. You know what I think?” Bella asks.

  I laugh and open my arms. “Please almighty one, tell us what you think.”

  “I think you actually like him and you're tryin’ to keep him at a distance so he don't hurt you first. Familiar?”

  I grit my teeth at the memory. She doesn't know the whole story, but I still can't believe she's bringing this up.

  “That's bullshit,” I seethe.

  “Is it? I think you believe he's too good for you, so you plan on lettin’ him loose at the first sign that he's bored. No?”

  I hop off the counter and finish my wine tossing it into the sink with more force than I intended.

  “You know what I think? I think you should mind your own fuckin’ business,” I snap.

  “So it's okay for you to tell me like it is, but I can't do the same, huh? Be careful Bella, he'll hurt you Bella, I can't believe you slept with him Bella, can't believe you got a tattoo Bella. Wake up Lacey! Nico as a good guy. How about you stop runnin’ away from somethin’ for once and see where it goes, give someone a chance outside the bedroom! Stop punishin’ him for the shit Weston put you through.”

  “Wow, we’re goin’ there?” I yell.

  “I...shit. I'm sorry, Lace, I didn't mean to-”

  “I'm goin’ to bed. I've had enough of the Dr. Bella show for one night.”

  I stomp out of the kitchen and walk to my bedroom, slamming the door behind me. I put my hands over my face and will the tears to stay inside my damn eye sockets.

  “Don't cry, Lacey, don't you dare cry!” I chastise myself.

  I lay down on my bed and close my eyes, trying to forget about my past, trying to forget about my future. Sleep, just sleep.

  ___

  I wake up and head into the kitchen, teasing Bella for her day out with Damon.

  “You gonna text Hulk back? Your phone’s been buzzin’ on the counter all mornin’. I wasn’t snoopin’ it was right there,” Bella says handing me my phone.

  I glance at it and a couple texts are from my mama but there are a couple from Nico.

  Nico: Or dessert, I’m not picky.

  Nico: There are still things in that bouquet I wanna try with you, Blondie. For instance, I think there happens to be a green vibrator in there nicknamed ‘Hulk’. Funny coincidence, no?

  I bolt to my room and take the basket out of my closet. Sure enough, a big, green vibrator sits on the bottom and I laugh, shaking my head. Another couple nights with the big guy won't hurt.

  Lacey: Good thing you hooked it up. I will keep mini Hulk very busy in your absence. Dessert Friday it is. Get your ass here...commando.

  -----

  “Brownies, cookies
, four different flavors of ice cream and donuts,” Nico says as soon as I open the door.

  He brushes past me towards the kitchen and starts unloading the bag on my table.

  “Well, hi to you too.”

  “Hi, Blondie.”