by Jean Joachim
“Shit,” he muttered.
She tightened her grip on his leg and licked her lips. Jake’s dick responded, leaping to life.
“If you continue, I won’t be able to get out of the car,” he said.
“Let the doorman be jealous,” she purred in his ear.
Jake focused on the traffic, zigging and zagging in and out of cars, speeding up when he could. He needed to get home fast before it was all over in the car. Damn she was sexy, and she knew exactly what to do to drive him crazy.
When he pulled into the driveway at his building, he maneuvered Kate in front of him as he tossed the keys to the valet and nodded to the doorman. When the elevator doors closed, he pounced on her like a hungry cat on a mouse.
He pushed her into the corner, his mouth crushing hers, his body trapping her. His erect shaft poked her belly. Kate softened against him. Luckily, there were no other riders and they rode up express, and alone. He walked her backward down the hall, never taking his mouth from hers until they reached the door. He fished his keys out of his pocket but fumbled with the lock.
* * * *
Kate could barely stand the heat coursing through her veins. Jake’s arm trembled, shaking the key. Frustration took over, and she pushed his shoulders, then grabbed the key and jammed it into the lock. She turned it and opened the door.
He pursued her, reaching out, but she eluded him. Wagging her finger at him.
“Uh, uh, uh,” she said.
“Oh, yeah?” A salacious grin on his face, he lunged for her. She dodged him and ran for the bedroom, with Jake close behind. She took a flying leap for the bed. Laughing, she rolled over in time to dodge his airborne body aimed at the bed. He landed next to her, making her bounce up. When she came down, he was there, trapping her legs between his, her torso between his arms.
She lifted her hands to either side of his head and gazed at him. Lust sparkled in his eyes. The longer she stared the warmer his look. Something she swore was love mixed with the desire in his baby blues as his hungry look stripped her bare.
A thrill shot up her spine at the realization that she loved this man, and he just might love her back.
“I want you,” he croaked, his voice husky.
“Come and get me,” she uttered, her hands pulling at his shirt. Sitting up for a split second, he yanked his shirt over his head and rifled it to a chair. “Now you,” he said, nodding at her chest.
She pushed up on her hands. “You do it.”
“My pleasure.” He slipped his fingers under her sweater and eased it up over her rib cage. She giggled as his soft touch tickled. She lifted each arm and he slid it off, then jerked it over her head and tossed it. With one hand, he unhooked her bra and watched it shimmy down her arms. When she was exposed, he stared, moving his hands to touch her.
Kate arched her back, pushing her flesh into this palms. “God, Jake! Touch me, take me. I want you bad.”
He focused on her breasts, kissing her neck, then inching his lips down. When he reached a nipple, she pushed him back and sprang up off the bed.
“Last one naked is a rotten egg,” she said, attacking the zipper on her long skirt. He wasn’t far behind, unzipping his pants but staring at her. She bumped her hips at him while she eased her skirt down. He shoved his pants and boxers to the floor in one move.
“You lose,” he said.
She quickly slid her panties down and stepped out of her skirt. She had worn sandals and had no stockings on.
“Nope. You lose,” she replied, pointing to his socks.
“Damn!” He sat on the bed and ripped them off his feet, tossing them wherever.
“Rotten eggs make the best lovers,” he said, sliding on his butt back against the headboard and pillows. “Come to this egg, lady.” He motioned.
She licked her lips. He was an amazing specimen of a man. Broad shouldered, firm chest, with just the right amount of blond hair on his pecs. Strong biceps and forearms. His thighs were lean but muscular as were his calves. And his shaft pointed up, calling to her. She curled her fingers around it.
Jake pushed her away. “No, no. No way this time. Next time. Not happening this time.” He grabbed her securely at the hips and lifted her up. Settling her on his thighs, he spread them, reaching under her.
“You’re wet and ready, honey.”
“Duh. I’ve been like that since the red light.”
Talking was over. He covered himself, rubbed himself against her to lubricate his dick, and then eased inside her. She pushed up on her knees to give him room, then lowered herself onto him. Her knees straddled his thighs and hips. She sat up as if she were riding in an English saddle. He clutched her middle and guided her. Her nipples tightened as he pushed in and out. Emitting a groan, she arched, steadying herself with her hands on his shoulders. Face to face, they gazed at each other.
The intensity almost overwhelmed her. Lust and love joined in her. He slid his palms up her sides until his thumbs came in contact with her nipples. She widened her eyes at the additional stimulation.
“Good?” he asked.
“Fantastic,” she breathed. “Don’t stop.”
He chuckled, then leaned in to claim her lips. She kissed him with a hunger that had been pent up for years. She wanted this man in every part of her, especially her heart. She took his mouth, meeting his tongue with her own. With his free hand, he squeezed her breast, then slid it down her flat stomach to press against her nub. She gasped, her eyes fluttered shut as his touch ratcheted the heat up to an inferno. She sensed her orgasm forming, growing tighter, gathering in intensity.
As the climax gripped her, she pushed off him to tilt her head back and give out a roar that ended in his name. He sucked a peak into his mouth hard, extending the contracting and flutter of her muscles around his dick.
Panting to catch her breath, she opened to stare at him. The look on his face started another fire. Color crawled up his chest into his neck and cheeks. As she bounced on him, controlled by his hand their rhythm started her up. She watched him reach his peak, as he slammed into her three times, then held her down as he sweated through his release.
He muttered her name, his eyes closed, and his hands clutching her butt. A mini orgasm whipped through her as he came. She’d never had such a totally mind-blowing sexual experience before. The anticipation had sent her into overdrive. Wanting him had piqued her sensitivity to the touch of his fingertips and lips. Each caress created a small fire, which burst into a huge blaze when he touched her in the right places.
He was out of breath, too. She lowered her forehead to rest on his shoulder. He stroked her back and kissed her hair.
“I didn’t know it could be like this,” she whispered.
“Only with you, baby. Only with you.”
He closed his arms around her. His warmth, mixed with a bit of sweat, surrounded her. This was her safe place. Lying in Jake’s arms, nothing bad could happen to her. He was her protector, the man who could ward off evil spirits and disasters. He made everything whole again for her.
She pushed up and off him. He trotted off to the bathroom. Kate stretched out, pointed her toes and pushed her arms up over her head. Everything felt good, every part of her hummed. When he returned, he pulled down the covers and slid her in like a letter in an envelope.
“Will you hold me all night?” she asked, hope growing in her chest.
“Of course. Come here.” He motioned to her, opening his arms.
Lying there, nothing bad existed in her life. Protected against the world, Kate snuggled into her cocoon with Jake, savoring every second.
“Comfortable?” he asked.
“Very.”
“Good. Me, too.” He eased down, holding her to his chest, stroking her bare shoulder. “Your skin is like silk.”
She smiled. She said a prayer of thanks before her eyes drifted shut, and she enjoyed the best night’s sleep she’d had in years.
* * * *
Jake awoke with new energy after a night of making love wit
h Kate. They had both stirred around three and had had a shorter but also intense encounter. The clock said seven, so he bounded out of bed and headed for the shower.
When he padded back into the room with a towel fastened at his waist, he stopped for a moment to watch his sleeping beauty. She rolled over, exposing her breasts to his view for a moment, before turning on her side and covering up. If he lived to be a hundred, he’d never get tired of looking at them.
Time was a wasting, so he trotted into the kitchen and started coffee and cracked a couple of eggs into a frying pan. Then he turned on his laptop and printed out a calendar. After retrieving it from the printer in the den, he laid it on the table.
As he ate the eggs, he pulled out his pocket schedule. One-by-one, he wrote each game on the calendar. When he finished the month of June, he stuck it on the fridge using two magnets. He downed his eggs, another cup of coffee then threw on sweats.
Kate rubbed her eyes and sat up when he hit the bedroom.
“You’re leaving?”
“Game today,” he said.
“Oh. Okay.” Even hazy with sleep, Kate was pretty. Jake couldn’t take his eyes off her.
“It’s a good thing you’re asleep when I have to leave,” he said.
“Why?” She cocked an eyebrow.
“Because if you were awake, I’d never be able to go.” He leaned down to kiss her.
“Pick me up tonight?”
He nodded. “I’ll be there.”
“I love you, Jake.”
“Love you, too, honey.”
The valet had his car ready. Jake sang the song Friendship as he drove to the stadium. He wished all his teammates could be as happy as he was, but, that wasn’t to be. Dan Alexander was on his cell in the locker room.
“I know, Mom. Yes. No, I don’t want a fancy wedding either, but no one asked me. What? Yes, yes. I know that. Really, Mom? No. I don’t care. That’s right. Please, can’t you let it go?” Dan paced. “Okay. I’ll see what I can do.” He shoved his phone in his pocket and let out a breath.
“What’s up?” Jake asked.
“Stupid, fucking wedding,” Dan muttered.
“Really?” Jake’s eyebrows rose.
“It’s not Holly. It’s her pain-in-the-ass mother. She wants to have some gigantic wedding costing a mint. My mom is appalled. They can’t afford anything fancy and she’s afraid they won’t even be able to pay for the rehearsal dinner. I told her I’d pay for it, but she’s adamant. Women.” Dan shook his head.
“Are you pitching today?”
Dan nodded.
“How’s the leg?”
“Healed.”
“You’d better get your head in the game and away from the wedding, buddy.”
“I know. But when everyone’s bitching at you, it’s not so easy.”
“Just visualize your future mother-in-law in the face of every batter,” Jake teased.
“I’ll get thrown out for intentionally hitting the guy,” Dan retorted.
Jake laughed and patted his teammate on the shoulder. Matt Jackson was scowling, banging his locker shut.
“What the fuck?” Jake asked as he got to his locker.
“Dusty’s playing in Pittsburgh, then Columbus, Cleveland, and Philly.”
“Miss her?”
“Yeah. She’s spoiled me. Not used to going so long, sleepin’ alone.”
“I know what you mean.”
“You and that road trip chick still together?”
“Yup. She’s playing at Freddie’s.”
“Not bad,” Matt said, nodding.
“At least it keeps her here.”
“Not like Dusty,” Matt said, frowning again. “It had better not rain.”
“Didn’t you promise her you weren’t going to be a pain-in-the-ass about her being on the road?”
“Yeah, yeah. But promising was easy. Not worrying about the safety of her fuckin’ bus is something else.” Matt shoved his cap on his head, pulled the visor down, and headed for the field. Jake watched him walk away, thanking his lucky stars his girl was in New York, didn’t have much family, and loved him. He was sorry for his friends but wouldn’t change places with either of them.
He hung his backpack in his locker and ambled toward the workout room. Skip and Nat joined him. Bobby Hernandez was the last of the infielders to warm up at the treadmill. Within forty-five minutes, Jake was in the batting cage.
At one o’clock, they started a three-game series with the Boston Blue Jays. Jake expected to beat them easily. Their star pitcher was on the disabled list, along with their starting centerfielder and their shortstop. But the lack of their strong players simply motivated the others to work that much harder.
Dan didn’t have his usual edge. Matt appeared grouchier than ever, but the slugger had no problem concentrating. No worries about Kate entered his mind. Peace in his personal life gave him the freedom to put all his energy into baseball. His focus was sharper than ever.
They got good wood on a few pitches, racking up a score of four to three by the bottom of the eighth inning. Cal Crawley was grumbling on the sidelines. Jake stepped up to the plate. Skip and Nat were on first and second base.
Jake shouldered the bat. He turned steely eyes on the man on the mound and waited for his pitch. He didn’t have long to wait. Two balls and a strike later, there it was, sailing low down the middle. Jake swung and lofted the ball high in the air. It soared toward the stands. He ran half-way to first and stopped. Nat and Skip hugged their bases, waiting. The right fielder raced full speed to the warning track. The ball came down as fast as it went up, dropping in the far corner.
That was all the men needed. Skip took off, with Nat right behind. Jake followed, careful not to pass Nat Owen. Skip flew across third and slid into home. Nat stopped at third and Jake at second. The game was tied. And Matt Jackson came to bat.
Jake gave a nod to Matt. Although he didn’t have the highest batting average on the team, he was their clutch hitter. The ‘Hawks could count on Jackson for a hit when they needed it most. Jake took a healthy lead off second, crouching a bit with his knees bent. He had to be ready to go at any moment.
Keeping his eye on Matt and each pitch, Jake took a breath. Swing and a miss by Matt Jackson. The third baseman glanced at Skip, then back at Matt. The signals from the third base coach were for a long fly ball, to bring in Skip.
The pitcher went into his windup. Jake noticed Skip switch his weight to the balls of his feet. That meant this would be Matt’s pitch. The ball sizzled across the plate and the catcher swung. He connected and the ball took a shot to right field—exactly where he was supposed to hit it. The right fielder backed up to the warning track and reached up. Skip and Jake tagged their bases. As soon as it was caught, Skip took off.
Jake did as well, hoping to confuse the Blue Jays and distract from Skip racing toward home. But the other team didn’t get confused. The right fielder rifled the ball toward home. But it took a bounce, slowing and slicing to the left. Skip slid into the catcher who was blocking the plate—which is illegal.
The shortstop knocked the catcher down, and the ball whizzed over Skip, missing him. The catcher fell backward, unable to field the ball. Jake loped into third standing up. Timeout was called while they checked that the catcher was okay. Skip got up and dusted his uniform off. He was grinning from ear to ear. Jake raised his hand and shouted to Skip, who returned the sign.
The Blue Jays were not able to come back in the top of the ninth, so the Nighthawks won. Skip and Matt were mobbed and teased in the locker room. Jake couldn’t wait to get to his girl.
“Out of the way, move aside. Man with a woman waiting, here,” Jake said.
“Go fuck yourself, Lawrence,” Chet Candelaria, center fielder, said.
“Okay, okay. Go ahead. You need a very long shower,” Jake said, a smile teasing his lips.
“Fuck off.”
“Who’s waiting for you, Chet?”
“About a million women who haven�
��t met me yet, asshole,” he said, stepping in front of Jake.
The third baseman laughed and moved aside, giving his teammate the last available shower.
“The longer she waits, the hotter she’ll be,” Matt said.
A few minutes later, Jake stepped under the warm spray, his mind crowded with thoughts of Kate. Looked like living with her was good for his game. He’d never been more confident, more invincible, than he had been against the ’Jays.
He dressed in his best blue button-down shirt, khaki pants, and stuffed a green tie in the pocket of his navy blue blazer. He slid his feet into soft, Italian, black leather loafers, twirled his car keyring on his forefinger, and waved farewell to his teammates.
There was a parking space right in front of the bar, which he took as a good omen. He headed for the Nighthawks’ table after a brief wave at Kate. She wore a silvery, shimmering long strapless dress. His mind immediately imagined what he could do to a dress like that. His dick twitched at the thought of yanking it down and off.
She was singing a song from the new Broadway show whose producers had turned her down. She told him that even though she didn’t get hired, she still loved the music. He had to admit it was catchy, and he found himself tapping his foot to the melody.
Tommy brought him a beer and took his order. While he sipped, he took a long look at his girl. She’d used money she was making at Freddie’s to expand her wardrobe for this job. She had good taste. The silver dress made her look like a movie star—maybe from a glamorous movie from the ’40’s or something. Jake didn’t know what, exactly, but he knew she looked stunning and every male eye in the room was glued to her.
Nagging doubts as to how she’d fare being faithful to him while he was on the road returned. He had to believe her. When he entered the bar, he’d lingered by the door and watched her for a minute before making eye contact. She’d been smiling at the clutch of folks around the piano, but not in a flirtatious way.
He’d breathed a sigh of relief. Then she spotted him and her face lit up like a Christmas tree. It warmed his heart to see her response. Yep, he’d made the right decision about her. She was one in a million.
