Hard to Catch: A Bad Boy Sports Romance (The Beasts of Baseball Book 3)

by Alice Ward

Her eyes widened. “Anything?”

  “The bigger the ride, the bigger the information,” I clarified.

  We walked out onto the Boardwalk. The shops lined the concrete path with neon colored shirts, plastic sunglasses by the droves, and sunscreen displayed neatly on spinning racks. The smell of fried food took over the ocean’s salty air as we neared a small restaurant with café style tables out front and arcade machines blasting inside. “You still hungry?” I asked.

  She nodded.

  I gripped her hand, pulled her toward the counter, and stared up at the menu. “I heard they have the best corn dogs on the beach.”

  She grinned. “Well, then I have to try one.”

  “You heard the lady,” I told the aging man wearing a colorful hat and pink-rimmed sunglasses behind the counter. He smiled, showing every single one of his yellowed teeth.

  “And make me four,” I added.

  Katrina’s eyes went wide. “Four?”

  “I’m a big boy.”

  “Yes, you are,” she half mumbled, half laughed.

  My cheeks hurt as they pressed upward into a broad smile. “Easy now, Kitty-Kat. We’re supposed to be keeping it professional.”

  “My dad called me Kitty-Kat,” she said softly, the smile fading into oblivion.

  I looked for that sadness, but it wasn’t there. She rallied and smiled, took the corndog from the man behind the counter, and laughed as I reached with both hands to grab mine. “Ketchup or mustard?”

  She rolled her eyes. “Mustard of course.”

  “My kinda girl.” I gripped the mustard from the small counter along the wall, and she held her dog out for me as I squirted the yellow goo onto the top, then down the side.

  “Do me?” I asked, moving two of my dogs to my free hand.

  She blushed as she lined my fried dogs with mustard.

  I motioned for her to follow me to an open table. As we sat down, a man came up, immediately wanting an autograph. Some of the other players hated when fans approached them, but not me. I loved it. They were the reason I played. I used to be one of them. I handed Katrina two of my corn dogs and took the pen the man handed me. I wrote a quick note to his son as he requested on the back of a brown bag from the store next door and then scribbled my name. “Good luck this season,” he said, continuing his journey down the Boardwalk.

  “That was sweet,” she said, her eyes flickering with a hint of admiration.

  “What? It’s just an autograph.”

  “Yeah. But to him, it’s so much more. And his son, when he takes that home to him. You just made his day.”

  I took a large bite of my dog, reached to grab the other two from her, and ignored the compliment.

  Katrina Delaney took tiny bites of her corn dog. Her perfect white teeth barely grazed the breading as she nipped away to the inner meat. I watched with delight as I remembered how she guzzled my cock down her throat the night before. Damn, this woman was driving me wild.

  I’d finished two of mine and was working on the third when a little black kitten with long frizzy hair rubbed against my leg. Katrina squealed, reaching down to pick it up.

  “What are you doing?” I asked.

  “It’s all alone. Oh my God, it’s so little,” she cooed, nestling the small creature against her cheek.

  “Someone probably dropped it off here. They figured some sap would feel sorry for it and take it home,” I said, realizing I wasn’t being as sweet as she would’ve liked me to be.

  “But what if no one does? It could drown in the ocean.”

  “Cats don’t get near water.”

  “It’s probably scared,” she insisted.

  “Does it look scared?” I asked, watching as the furry kitten snuggled into her neck.

  It was purring so loudly, I could hear it from across the table, even over the loud arcade games blasting just feet away.

  “It’ll starve,” she gasped.

  My heart suddenly ached for this kitten. Not because I thought any of the things she said were true. But because she loved it so deeply, so quickly. It was just a little kitten, but she immediately felt a sense of responsibility for it. Katrina Delaney had a very soft side to her. She did indeed.

  “Give her your corndog,” she said, eyeing my last one.

  These were the best corndogs I’d ever eaten. This kitten had probably already had ten meals today by the looks of the fat belly Katrina’s fingers were rubbing. I really didn’t want to give up my meal.

  Her large eyes widened, her lips pouted. I was doomed. I handed her the corndog, smiled as if I didn’t care to lose it, then watched her feed the little furry creature from her hand.

  “Is that your kitten?” a little girl asked.

  Her mother stood at the counter ordering their food, looking back at her to make sure she was safe talking to strangers. Katrina moved the kitten toward the little girl’s open hand, letting her pet it, and creating a wide smile on the little one's face. “I just found her. I think she’s lost.”

  “Mommy, Mommy, can we keep her?” the little girl whined to her mother, who looked exhausted.

  “Please, Mommy!” the little girl continued as the mother handed her a corndog.

  “Is this your cat?” she asked Katrina.

  “No. I’m afraid someone just left it here.”

  The mother looked worn down by the child’s pleas, and the story of the abandoned cat. It was amusing to watch the women all fawn over the animal, unable to walk away from its plight for a home. “You sure you don’t want it?” the mother asked, obviously hoping for Katrina to say yes, she was taking it home, naming it Fluffy, and loving it forever, and ever, and ever.

  “I’m only here for a few more weeks,” Katrina explained.

  “Aren’t you Todd Morris?” the mother asked, suddenly no longer interested in the kitten.

  “Yes,” I replied with a smile.

  Her entire demeanor changed. “You can have the cat, baby. On one condition,” the mother said, her eyes still on me.

  “Anything,” the little girl squealed with delight.

  Her mother smiled. “You have to name it Morris.”

  Katrina laughed, handed the kitten to the little girl, and waved as they walked away.

  “I think that mother liked you,” she said, bobbing her eyebrows up and down.

  “That was very sweet of you to find the kitten a home,” I said, ignoring her last comment.

  “Me? I’m pretty sure the only reason that kitty has a home is because the mother wants to sleep with Todd Morris every night,” she said with a laugh.

  The sun was going down, and the lights from the rides just past the boardwalk all lit up the sky. “Ready to ride?” I asked, changing the subject.

  “I don’t ride rides,” she insisted.

  “Ever?”

  “Nope.”

  “Well, how are you going to learn anything about me?” I teased.

  “I’ll just have to ask you, I suppose.”

  “Ask away. But like I said, anything good is gonna require a ride.”

  She asked about my mother, I told her I had one. “Brothers, sisters?” she asked.

  “One of each,” I responded.

  “Are you the oldest?”

  “Nope.”

  I was loving this game. I wasn’t giving her anything, not really. My answers were so short, so meaningless, that she was asking question after question and coming no closer to getting to know me than the man who fried my corndog.

  “What was it like growing up in your family?” she asked, trying to push for more personal details.

  “Typical,” I smirked.

  “C'mon. You’ve gotta give me something,” she pleaded.

  “Then give me something.”

  Her cheeks reddened. I wondered if she was thinking about what she’d already given me. I was.

  Her eyes moved to my lips. I could see the desire forming in her eyes, the lust growing in her breathing, and the inability to refuse me in her demeanor.


  “Slingshot?” I asked, pointing to the large ball hooked to what looked to be a giant rubber band.

  Her eyes widened as it was released high into the sky. The people inside screamed out into the night as the ball whipped back and forth until finally lowering back to the ground.

  “There’s no way in hell you’re ever getting me in that deathtrap,” she declared.

  “You scared?”

  “No.” I knew that was a lie.

  “Okay. We can start out small. How about the Ferris wheel?”

  I couldn’t believe she was still displaying panic. The Ferris wheel wasn’t scary, was it?

  She shook her head.

  “I’m trying here. But you’re gonna have to work with me,” I explained patiently.

  “I told you I don’t ride rides.”

  “And, I told you, I don’t talk unless you do.” I smiled, my lips firmly closed. “I mean, if you want to start out super slow, we could do the fun slide. I could tell you the name of the girl I had my first crush on in third grade.” I leaned back in the metal chair, watching her eyes shift with panic, excitement, curiosity, and desire.

  I knew she wanted to let loose. Just like she had last night in that club. She wanted to be pulled from her comfort zone, shaken up, and made to feel alive. We all had that craving somewhere. Some of us held it deeper than others, pushing it down every time it reared its hungry head. Others, like me, we fed that hungry beast, giving it every last drop of adrenaline we could muster up.

  “You weren’t exactly in your comfort zone last night,” I brought up carefully.

  Her cheeks brightened, and her eyes glistened against the shimmering moonlight. She nodded in agreement.

  “Did you enjoy yourself?” I asked.

  It was obvious she didn’t want to respond. But just as obvious she wanted desperately to respond. That war inside of her was so evident, so fucking exciting to watch.

  “Yes,” she finally answered in a whisper.

  “Do you trust me?” I asked.

  Her eyes glazed over with desire as her lips pursed tightly together. Yes, she trusted me. She let me handcuff her in a strange room, whip her with leathers, tease her body into submission, and fuck her delicious pussy while she moaned out my name. That wasn’t what you did with someone you didn’t trust.

  “Yes,” she whispered.

  I stood from my chair, extended my hand, and waited for her to accept. When her fingers stretched out, touched mine, and gripped onto me, I knew she was ready to feed her hungry beast. It had gotten a taste, and a taste was never enough.

  I knew that from experience.

  CHAPTER TWELVE

  Katrina

  Why did I agree to this?

  My heels were sticking into the metal stairs, which were growing higher and higher with each step. My stomach twisted and turned, the corn dog that I'd once loved was now a hated burning in my gut I feared I might spew out all over my Louis Vuittons.

  “Are you sure this is safe?” I asked, staring up into Todd’s beautiful blue eyes.

  He took my hand, held it tightly, and smiled. “You really don’t like heights, do ya?”

  I shook my head. Don’t like wasn’t strong enough to describe what I felt for heights. I hated them. Despised them.

  The roller coaster flew by, taking the corner at speeds I couldn’t begin to calculate. I tried not to look down, but I did anyway. Oh God, I was going to be sick.

  “It’s okay,” Todd whispered in my ear.

  I felt foolish. There were kids behind me, in front of me, and already on the roller coaster. They couldn’t have been older than ten, some maybe younger. Here I was, a grown ass woman, ready to piss my panties as I stood in this line. I wasn’t even on the ride yet and I was already reeling with fear.

  “I’m proud of you.”

  His words did soothe me a bit, but not enough to make this okay. My breathing started to accelerate, my heart pounded hard against my chest, and my pussy tingled like it was growing numb.

  Todd was sweet. Sweeter than I'd expected. I squeezed his strong hand, closed my eyes, and took long, deep breaths to calm my nerves. “Why are you so afraid of heights?” he asked.

  My mind flashed with wicked memories of why my fear had grown out of control. It wasn’t an irrational fear like some, it had merit.

  “Were you always afraid?” he asked.

  I hated that word, afraid. But, it was true. I was more than afraid, I was terrified.

  “No,” I managed to mutter.

  “When did that change?”

  I took a deep breath. “I used to go on road trips with my dad when I was younger. My mom always told me to take plenty of pictures for my scrapbook. To remember all the places I’d seen,” I started my story, suddenly feeling better with the distraction.

  The line continued to move. As I spoke, it didn’t seem to bother me as badly that I was climbing higher into the sky and moving farther from the safe ground below.

  “At a hotel where we stayed once, I loved looking over the railing. We were on the top floor, high above the city. It was magical. The elevators were made of glass. The hotel spiraled like a circle, so when we walked into our room in the open halls, we got to see the view of the entire city before reaching our door.”

  Todd squeezed my hand. We took another step upward. The line in front of us was growing shorter. We’d be on the ride soon.

  “There was a waterfall in the lobby. It looked so cool from above. From the top floor. I wanted a better picture, so I climbed on top of a planter to get the shot I wanted. A couple of drunk guys walked by, knocked into the planter, and sent me flying downward, toward the ten flights below.”

  “You fell?” Todd’s eyes widened, his grip on my hand tightened.

  “No. I grabbed the railing, but I couldn’t hold on. I knew I’d fall. Probably die. My dad showed up, on his belly, his hands stretched out through the railing and holding onto mine. As my fingers slipped from the metal, he grabbed me, holding me there until help arrived. He was so sweet, talking to me, keeping me calm. But I thought I was going die. I stayed calm for him, not me. I didn’t want to see him upset. I hated that look of fear in his eyes. I hated that I’d made him that scared.” I sighed, stepping up to the front of the line.

  “I’m so sorry. I should’ve never pushed you. We don’t have to do this,” Todd offered, genuinely concerned, and ready to leave the long line we’d just waited in. “I won’t force you to do anything else.”

  I felt a relief come over me at his offer to let me off the hook. The coaster screeched to a halt in front of us. I watched as people exited, all excited and smiling. “No,” I said.

  “I want to do this. I need to.”

  His eyes filled with admiration, and his smile grew wider than I’d ever seen. “I’m so proud of you right now.”

  I was proud of myself too.

  I stepped onto the coaster, sliding into the deep seat. Todd climbed in beside me, pulled down the heavy bar to our lap before ensuring it was locked in place. The worker pulled on it to double-check, quickly making his way down all the cars. The tracks cleared, the worker hit a button inside a small box, and we were off.

  The hill was higher than I’d imagined. My stomach churned, my body tensed. I screamed out with both fear and excitement as we dropped down the hill. It felt like we were flying, and I was terrified every second of the way down. The coaster whipped around corners, climbed more hills, and then dropped again and again. By the time the ride stopped, my throat was sore, my knuckles were aching from gripping the metal bar so tightly, and my stomach felt as though I would puke. But, I didn’t. I made it. I survived, and that was exhilarating.

  My body raced with adrenaline as we exited the ride. Todd gripped onto my hand, pulled me into him, and held me close to his chest. His heart was beating so hard, so fast. “You amaze me, Kat,” he whispered.

  I trembled in his grip. My entire body was wild with excitement. He leaned down, pressed his lips against min
e, and all that excitement blasted through my veins and landed between my legs. Holy fuck. I could’ve sworn I saw fireworks when I closed my eyes.

  “I’ll tell you anything you want to know,” he whispered, pulling his beautiful lips from mine.

  My mouth was still open, my eyes still unfocused, and my heart still racing in my chest. What did I want to know? Everything!

  He held my hand, walked me to a bench that faced the ocean, and sat me down right beside him, close. So close. Damn, he smelled good.

  “What was it like growing up in my family?” he asked the same question I had earlier.

  “It was nice actually. My mother was a strong woman. She raised three kids on her own. My sister, Teresa, she’s the chief of surgery at her hospital. She’s the oldest. Marcus, my younger brother, is artistic, and can play the piano like no one I’ve ever seen.” I watched Todd’s eyes fill with a strange sadness as he spoke about his family, especially Marcus.

  “Are you and your siblings close?” I asked.

  He nodded. “As close as we can be. We all have very different lives.”

  “And your mom?”

  “Yes.”

  “She’s still living?” I asked.

  “Of course.”

  “It’s just you said she was a strong woman.”

  Sadness filled his eyes again. So, maybe it wasn’t Marcus who created the pain. It was his mother. I didn’t want to push, but my heart ached to know what caused that look in his eyes.

  “She’s still very strong, but she struggles more now,” he said softly.

  I reached out for his hand, slid my fingers in between his, and gave him time to tell me what he wanted me to know, and not to tell me what he didn’t. I had to respect that. There was plenty I didn’t want to talk about. I vowed to respect all that Todd Morris didn’t want to tell me.

  “She was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s about five years ago. It’s gotten a lot worse, and we had to move her into a nursing home recently.”

  My heart cracked just a little. “I’m so sorry.”

  “I feel selfish for saying this, but one of the hardest parts has been looking into her face. Into her eyes. The same face, the same eyes I’ve looked into since birth, and have her not know who I am.” His voice cracked as he spoke.