Playing to Win: A Contemporary Romance Box Set

by Romi Hart

  He pulled away and dipped his finger in the dulce de leche again. This time he smeared the cream on my sensitive nipples. Watching as he delicately licked the dulce de leche off my breasts, I gasped in pleasure delighted at the delicious sensation.

  No one had ever sucked my nipples before. “That feels so good,” I murmured. Ryan’s lips pursed sucking harder, making me tingly all over. “No one’s ever kissed me there before. It feels so good,” I confessed.

  Ryan brought his face to mine. “Really?”

  I nodded shyly. Ryan kissed me softly. “We don’t have to do anything more, okay?”

  Nodding again, I said, “Okay.”

  He handed me my bra and shirt. “You wanna watch some TV? I think the House marathon might still be going.” He pulled his own shirt back on.

  “Sure. Let’s see what other diagnoses you can make from the couch,” I giggled as I put my bra and shirt back on then Ryan helped me down off the counter.

  He carried the platter of Argentinian pastries into the living room. “Oh. You just wait. I binged watched House episodes with my mom. I consider myself a couch certified physician.”

  I followed him to the living room warmed that he hadn’t pushed me to go any further. Although I definitely wanted to explore more with Ryan, I was still a virgin. Ryan was fine taking it slow with me, making me doubt again that he was the big time player everyone warned me about.

  10

  Ryan

  My feelings for Kassie grew, but so did an unsettling feeling in my stomach. I had never felt this way about a girl before. She was more than just a hot piece of ass. The more I got to know her, she became this beautiful amazing creature who made me smile and laugh. I’d never gotten along with a girl so easily before in my life.

  Kassie was kind, genuine, intelligent, and determined in her studies. I loved that about her. She was a girl who had goals in life, more than just trying to marry a professional athlete. The perfect package!

  Kassie had made her way into my heart, and there was nothing I could do to stop it. The problem? She was a freshman, and I was a senior. I’d be leaving soon most likely for California. Three minor league teams had shown interest in me there: the San Jose Giants, the Rancho Cucamonga Quakes, and the Modesto Nuts.

  Playing for a minor league team in California wasn’t entirely what I wanted to do with my career. Growing up in Miami, I, of course, wanted to play for the Miami Marlins, a major league team, but I knew that I couldn’t jump into the major leagues right away. I’d have to prove myself in the minor leagues first.

  Regardless, California or back in Miami would mean Kassie and I wouldn’t be together. If I would have known that I’d fall for her like this, I would have stayed away. I started to feel a dull foreboding ache in my chest.

  Was it heartache? No girl had ever caused me heartache before. It was a miserable feeling. I wondered if any of the girls I had carelessly treated were ever victims of heartache because of my actions. If they were, I was truly repentant. I never knew how horrible it could make you feel.

  On the flipside of that, I never knew how wonderful it felt to really care about someone. When Kassie told me she was a virgin, it hit me all at once how much I cared for her. I didn’t push her to go any further with me because I actually cared about her feelings.

  What was happening to me?

  Kassie and I had been spending a lot of time together too. We met for lunch every day and studied together every night at Hill Memorial Library. The kicker? I dropped her off at her dorm after we studied.

  There was no ulterior motive to spending time with her. No devious plans to get her back to my apartment. We kissed good night in the car before she hopped out, and that was it.

  I was dying to sleep with her obviously, but maybe it was a good thing that we hadn’t. I’d heard of the possibility that sleeping with someone could make you fall for them even more. Up until this point, that phenomenon had never even remotely happened to me.

  I realized that I was quickly getting in over my head on Friday night after practice. Kassie came to the field again to watch me pitch. She brought her roommate, Natalie, along this time, which I was happy about because I worried Kassie would get bored watching us practice.

  Kassie looked so hot that day too. She had on a light pink sweater that hugged her in all the right places. Seeing her there in the bleachers, smiling with that tight sweater on had fired me up. I threw absolute fire from the mound.

  Coach Thomas showed me on the radar gun. 103 mph.

  He slapped me on my back cocking his head to where Kassie sat. “I’m telling you, son. Don’t lose that girl. She’s got you fired up.” He walked away to show Head Coach Marini the radar gun stats.

  Trent sang, “Ryan has a girlfriend! Ryan has a girlfriend!”

  I rolled my eyes as Neil put his arm around me. “She must be giving you some killer head or something.”

  “Or she has some kind of magical puss?” Jordan added.

  “You think her roommate, Natalie, has got that same magic? God, I’d love to get in that girl’s pants. You’re one lucky bastard, banging a chick like that,” Trent said, looking in Kassie and Natalie’s direction.

  I pushed Neil off me and hit Trent on the back of the head. “Shut up. Kassie’s not like that. Don’t talk about her like that.” I hit Trent on the back of the head again for good measure. “Don’t talk about Natalie like that either. She’s a pretty nice girl.”

  Neil raised his hands in defense. “You don’t have to cry about it. We were just kidding.”

  Jordan piped in, “You never cared about how we talked about any of your girls before. Geez.”

  Trent rubbed the back of his head. “I was congratulating you for bagging a cool chick. Relax.”

  I dropped my voice a few octaves, “We’re not even sleeping together... yet.”

  Their faces collectively froze in shock. I braced myself for their teasing.

  “Who are you and what have you done with our friend, Ryan?” Neil asked, mystified.

  Jordan flipped his baseball cap up off his forehead, his eyes narrowed in thought. “I feel for you, Romero. I wondered when you were finally going to fall for a girl.” He pushed his cap back down on his head and opened his arms walking to me. He faked a crying voice, “It’s happened. I’m so proud of you.”

  Trent and Neil said in unison, “Awwwwww.”

  Glancing over at Kassie, I walked away from those idiots seeking sanctuary on the mound. Everything that I’d been doing and saying had been uncharacteristic of me. I couldn’t blame them for being shocked. I was just as shocked myself.

  After practice, I introduced Trent to Natalie, who actually seemed charmed by his stumbling wit. They and the rest of the guys were heading to Chi Kappa’s frat party, but I didn’t feel like taking Kassie to a party. I wanted to just watch a movie with her and chill.

  On the drive to my place, Kassie reached over and ran her fingers through my hair as I drove. Her fingers twirled around my scalp. That small little touch on my head made my cock harden. I grabbed her hand from my head and held it in my hand. She was going to make me get into an accident.

  I turned down the music in the car. “You sure it’s okay we don’t go out to the party? I still haven’t taken you to your graduation required frat party.”

  Kassie raised her arms and stretched, pushing her chest out. Watching her arch her back like that was not helping my hard on situation. “No. I’m too tired. My Chemistry exam yesterday wore me out. I’m completely fine not going.” She turned to me, her eyes open in excitement. “Looked like Natalie and Trent hit it off though. She’s so sweet. I hope it works out.”

  Back in my apartment, when we got on the couch to watch a movie, Kassie snuggled up close to me and started to twirl her fingers in my hair again. Instantly, my dick grew in response to her light touch. Normally, I would make my move on a girl, but this wasn’t just any girl.

  I was still unsure if having sex with her was the best move. What i
f it made my feelings for her grow even more? What about Kassie? How could I sleep with her, knowing that I was going to leave anyway? How was this any different from when I would sleep with a girl and then drop her?

  With a smile, I took Kassie’s hand and brought it to my lips, kissing her soft skin. I held her hand for the rest of the night, letting my dick shrink back down. We fell asleep on the couch again. I couldn’t have asked for a better Friday night.

  My situation with Kassie was only getting more complicated each day I spent with her. I had to talk to someone about it. There was no way I could talk to any of the guys on the team. They would spend too much time laughing and making jokes.

  I called my older cousin, Alex, in Florida. Our moms were sisters and we were pretty close when we were growing up. I’d always looked up to Alex, despite the fact he played soccer instead of baseball, a long-running joke between us.

  Alex played soccer professionally for the Orlando City Soccer Club. I knew he went through a similar situation with his wife, Jasmine, when they met at the University of Florida. Alex was a junior when he met Jasmine, who was a freshman. They, at least, had an entire year together before Alex's fate was in the hands of whatever professional soccer team he got signed to.

  Kassie and I had only the rest of the Fall and Spring semester. By summertime, I would surely be in a faraway town, missing her so much.

  I dialed Alex’s number hoping to be able to glean advice from his experience.

  Alex answered the phone, “Ryan! How are you, man?” I could hear a baby, babbling in the background.

  “How’s the little slugger?” I asked happy to hear my new cousin’s voice. Benji was an adorable baby with big brown eyes and the happiest smile. Jasmine posted the cutest pictures of him on Facebook. He looked like the perfect mix of them both.

  “Slugger? You are mistaken, cuz! Benji is going to play soccer.” Alex chuckled.

  I heard Jasmine in the background, “Benji, will decide when he’s old enough. He might like ballet.”

  “Ay yi yi!” Alex exclaimed.

  "Tell Jasmine I said hi." Jasmine was an amazing wife and mother. She helped run her family's award-winning restaurant and their successful accompanying e-commerce site selling bison from their family farm, all while raising Benji.

  “Ryan says hello,” Alex said.

  “Hi, Ryan! You need to come visit soon!” I heard Jasmine say.

  “I will! I want to see my little newest cousin!” With Jasmine there, I decided to ask them both for their wisdom. “I have a question for both of you.”

  “Okay. I’ll put you on speakerphone.” Alex pulled the phone away and said, “Jas, Ryan’s got a question for us.” After a few moments, Alex’s voice echoed, “Okay. We’re both here. Shoot.”

  It was not a usual activity for me to talk about my feelings. This was a lot more difficult than I had expected. After taking a deep breath, I said, “I met this girl, and she’s unlike any girl I’ve ever met.”

  Jasmine exclaimed excitedly, “That’s wonderful.” I heard Benji cooing. Jasmine added with a laugh, “Benji is happy too!”

  I paused, taking another slow deep breath. “Well, there’s a problem. I’m a senior, and she’s a freshman. Right now, the only teams seriously looking at signing me are in California.”

  Alex clucked his tongue. “So, you’re wondering how to deal with that?”

  “Ya. I mean, it worked out for you guys since Alex, you, were signed to a team so close to Gainesville, but California is hours away by plane from Baton Rouge.”

  “If I didn’t get on the Orlando City team, we would have made it work. If there really is a connection between you and this girl, you two will make it work,” Ryan said.

  Mulling over what he said, a sinking feeling still weighed heavy on my chest. “What about her? Is it fair to her?”

  Jasmine offered, “Ryan, is it fair to her to not at least try? If the two of you truly have a spark, it would be sad to not explore it, wouldn’t it?”

  Benji cooed again. I really did need to visit them soon. The little slugger was already a year old.

  “I don’t want you to miss out on something really fantastic with this girl. Take a chance. If it doesn’t work out, then it wasn’t meant to be,” Alex urged.

  I was venturing into unchartered territory, but Alex and Jasmine had a point. I’d been playing it safe with girls all my life. Only going for the ones that were easy. It was time for me to grow up and take a chance.

  11

  Kassie

  Ryan encouraged me to apply for an undergraduate research assistant position working for Professor Zhu, who studied electrochemical energy recovery systems. Being just a freshman, I originally thought I wouldn’t bother even trying, but Ryan pressed me to give it a shot, reminding me of my past accomplishments even if they were in high school.

  The research position was the only one available in the Environmental Engineering department for next semester, and Professor Zhu was also the only female faculty member in the entire department. Being her research assistant would mean I’d get to benefit from her mentorship.

  The science, technology, engineering, and math industries were still plagued by low female participation. I'd heard she was a tough cookie to get where she was, and I desperately wanted guidance on how to maneuver in the male-dominated field of Environmental Engineering. Also, as the head of the Women in STEM initiative for LSU, Professor Zhu would be a valuable resource to have in my career.

  Ryan had stayed up late with me helping me tweak my application. He gave me handy advice since he’d gone through the same process when he applied for a student research assistant position his sophomore year.

  When I clicked submit, turning in my application, we did a quiet victory dance together in the Memorial Hill stacks. I loved how Ryan could be just as goofy as I was.

  Afterwards, Ryan took me for a celebration drive-thru run at Steak Shack. I reminded him that I hadn’t even gotten the position yet, but Ryan wanted to celebrate the accomplishment of just applying. With our milkshakes in hand, Ryan drove us to the Baton Rouge Pier. We slurped our shakes as we looked out at the water.

  I gazed at the Mississippi River Bridge, lit up in bright white lights while Ryan snuggled behind me, his arms wrapped around me. “Thanks for helping me with my application.” I brought my straw to my lips. “And thanks for this milkshake. Cookies and Cream is just what I needed.”

  He turned me around, and looked into my eyes. “I’m happy to help you with anything you ever need.” He kissed me gently. I could taste strawberry ice cream on his tongue.

  Every day I kissed Ryan brought me closer and closer to wanting to go all the way with him. He hadn’t pressured me at all, making it easier for me to relax around him.

  When he dropped me back off at my dorm, it was two in the morning. It was late but worth it. Kissing him right on the water was magical, right down to the milkshakes and all.

  The next day, after cheerleading practice, I needed a little pick me up before I met Ryan at Hill Memorial Library for our regular study session. Helena, Naomi, and Gloria came along with me to The Night Owl. I’d just discovered their Flat White coffee drink and was really craving one right then.

  We sat at our usual table up front near the big windows. All the girls ordered a Flat White curious about my obsession. I took a sip of my drink, closing my eyes and savoring the velvety taste in my mouth.

  Helena remarked, “You were right, Kassie. Flat White is my new drink!”

  Gloria tasted hers. “Lattes are so last year. This is amazing.”

  Naomi, who always ordered mochas, even concluded, "I thought I'd hate it because of the no chocolate thing, but it's pretty good. I'll work it into my mocha rotation."

  I beamed at my teammates. I loved cheering for the LSU Tigers because of the girls sitting in front of me. We spent loads of time together, and I’d lucked out being on a squad with girls who always had each other’s backs.

  Glancing at my watc
h, I noted the time. “I’m meeting Ryan in an hour at Memorial Hill.”

  Helena’s face darkened. “Ryan Romero?” She grabbed my hand in concern. “Are you hanging out with him?”

  I looked down at the table. “I am.” A prickle of heat climbed up my neck.

  My teammates groaned. Gloria shook her head and whispered, “Kassie, I’ve heard the absolute worst things about that guy.”

  I pulled my hand away from Helena’s. “I know you guys are worried about me, but he’s not the guy he used to be. He might have been a player before, but he’s different with me.”

  Looking around the table, I could see my teammates' faces were racked with worry. I had to explain how I felt. "I can't help it. I tried to ignore him, but Ryan was just so sweet to me that I had to give him a chance. He's been the perfect gentleman to me so far." I paused before adding, "And I'm beginning to really develop feelings for him."

  Helena muttered, “That’s how it always begins. Guys like that always lay it on thick at first.”

  Gloria weighed in. “Let’s say he is the perfect gentleman you say he is now. He’s a senior. He’s probably going to play for some team in some other city. Can you be sure that he’s not going to cheat on you?”

  “How do you know Dean isn’t cheating on you while he’s in San Diego?” I wasn’t being cruel. I genuinely wanted to know.

  Gloria shrugged. “Well, I know Dean. We had been together for three years before he left for med school. He’d never do that to me. I trust him.”

  Carefully, Naomi asked, “Do you trust Ryan?”

  I sighed. “I think I do. He hasn’t shown me anything to prove he’s the guy you all say he is.” I turned the question back on Naomi. “Do you trust Steve?”

  Naomi looked hurt. “I think I can. I’m not going to lie. It worries me, but I just have to hope he will stay true to me.” She searched our faces. “How do you really know someone?”