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

by Alice Ward

  I felt my eyes welling up with tears. “That’s not selfish at all. It’s understandable.”

  “I just want her to know me. It’s hard to explain. It’s not just for me, but that look of pride she’d get when she saw me. I miss that light in her eye. It’s what made me work so hard to get where I am. For her. I wanted to make her proud.”

  I squeezed his hand and then leaned my head onto his shoulder. There was more to this man than just baseball and jumping out of airplanes. He made me want to learn everything I could about him.

  “It’s getting chilly,” he said, wrapping his arm around me.

  “I guess I didn’t dress for a night on the beach,” I said.

  He laughed, his eyes dancing on me. I watched as his smile widened, and he shook his head in my direction. “No. You certainly didn’t dress for the beach.”

  I looked around at the other people walking by. Some wore shorts and flip-flops, others jeans and hoodies. I wore my business skirt suit, too-high high heels, and dangly jewelry that the seagulls kept eyeing like it was dessert. “I look ridiculous,” I laughed.

  Todd smiled even wider. “Yes. Yes, you do. Let’s get you back.”

  He stood, held out his hand, and pulled me close to his side as we walked back out onto the main drag. A cab was parked at the curb. He quickly gripped the back door, motioning for me to get inside. The driver gushed over Todd, complimenting him on his past season, and growling over the trade. “I can’t believe you’re a Beast,” he said.

  “I’m proud to be a Beast,” Todd boasted, giving me a squeeze.

  I wasn’t sure if it was entirely true or not, but I appreciated that he played the game and kept a smile on his face.

  Back at the condo, I hated to leave Todd’s company. He was much more than I’d ever imagined, but I still had a job to do.

  He pushed the button for my floor, and when the doors opened, he stepped out into the hallway with me. “I’ll see you home safely,” he said with a smile.

  My body was tingling from the events of the day, the memories of the night before, and the moment Todd was creating with his charm. At my door, I fumbled in my purse for my key, finally finding it, and unlocked my door. “I had fun tonight,” Todd said.

  “I did too.” I took a deep breath. “Do you want to come inside?”

  He seemed to hesitate. “I don’t want you to do anything you don’t want to do.”

  I leaned in, lifted onto my tippy-toes, and kissed him softly on the lips. I lowered myself, opening my eyes to see his reaction. His blue eyes were dilated, narrowed, and hungry. His lips were parted, his breathing heavier than it had been moments earlier, and his hands now gripped my hips.

  “Are you sure?”

  “Just one more time,” I said softly.

  “One more time?” he asked.

  “Yes. Then we do have to stop.”

  “Absolutely. We’ll stop. Just one more time,” he said, lifting me off my feet and into his arms.

  He carried me into the room, kicked the door shut behind him, and pressed his mouth onto mine as he made his way to my bedroom.

  My body fell back as his grip loosened on me. I plummeted to the soft mattress below, bouncing once before settling into the comforter tossed into the center of my bed.

  “What will we do this one more time, my pretty Kat?” he asked, his eyes gazing into mine.

  I kicked off my shoes, sending them in different directions on the floor. Todd pulled his tight t-shirt from his body, tossing it behind him on the chair. My eyes became lost in the ripples on his chest. The dark nipples on his pecks were hard and tight. I wanted to reach up and take a bite out of his flesh, his perfect, hard flesh.

  His hands glided up my legs, slowly caressing my skin as he pushed my skirt high above my hips. Bright red silk panties greeted his eyes, trimmed with black lace, and sheer enough to peek at my pussy beneath the fabric.

  A single finger slid between my lips, separating my folds, and flicking at my swollen clit. The sheer material of my panties clung to me, the wetness from my excitement sticking to it.

  I leaned up, unable to wait for my reward any longer. I’d ridden the roller coaster, I was brave, now I wanted what was behind that denim. My hands gripped his pants, tearing open the button, and then the zipper. His cock pressed against the thin fabric of his briefs, the shape formed perfectly in the cotton. My mouth watered as I lifted myself from the bed and onto my knees.

  “Do you want me?” he asked.

  “Yes.”

  His hands pushed at the material on his hips until it was gone, and all that remained was flesh. His cock stood at attention, begging for my mouth, but I waited.

  “Do you want my cock in your mouth?”

  I shook with excitement at the thought. “Yes,” I gasped.

  His hands slowly ran along my sides, slowing at the small of my waist. “Undress for me,” he whispered.

  I slid off my jacket and slowly unbuttoned my blouse as he watched. I loved the hunger in his eyes when he looked at me. I felt desired. Wanted. Sexy.

  My matching red bra was obviously something he liked. I watched as he licked his lips, his eyes tracing the outline of the silk material. I reached behind me and unlatched the hooks before letting the material drop to the bed, revealing my swollen breasts.

  His mouth lowered, immediately taking one nipple between his lips. He sucked hard, causing me to arch toward his mouth and let out a soft sigh.

  “Those sweet moans drive me wild,” he gasped, lifting before paying the same attention to my other breast.

  I pushed my skirt and panties down past my hips. My body fell back onto the bed while I arched my ass upward to remove the material that once covered me.

  “Do you want this?” I asked, opening my legs to reveal my swollen flesh.

  “This what?” he asked, smirking a bit as he spoke.

  “This… pussy,” I said, feeling a strange rush of excitement as I said the word.

  His smirk grew as he noticed my reluctance. I didn’t talk dirty, I never had. He brought something out in me, something wild. I loved it. I could tell he loved it too.

  His hands gripped my hips and pulled me to the edge of the bed. His cock hung close to me, touching my thigh, twitching when I moved my hips. My body was burning with desire for this man. I’d never wanted someone so badly in my life.

  My hands reached out, gripping his cock. He was warm, hard, and smooth. I stroked him slowly, lowering to cup his balls. He groaned with pleasure at my touch. My fingers rolled around his flesh, tugging it, massaging it, making it tighten with excitement.

  His hand pushed into my chest, forcing me back onto the mattress where my hand no longer reached him.

  “I’m going to make this ‘one more time’ count,” he said, his words dripping like honey onto my flesh as he slipped on a condom with his one free hand.

  His cock pressed into my thigh, then found its way to my slit. My legs spread open, his hands holding me tightly in place as he forced himself inside my tight opening. I moaned out with pleasure, my head fell back onto the mattress, and my back arched as he slammed inside of me.

  He continued to hold me down, his hand against my chest, pinning me to the bed. I couldn’t lift up. I could barely move, though I wanted to, needed to. He thrust into me, sometimes slow, then fast, never warning me of the change of pace. Just the tip teased me while I tried desperately to connect with him harder, but he backed away as I got close to breaking free from his grip.

  My body trembled like thunder was rolling through my veins. My orgasm built quickly, and I cried out as I exploded beneath him, releasing all over his hard flesh. His thumb circled my clit, pushing against it as it pulsated beneath him.

  “You’re so beautiful,” he whispered as he moved faster, then abruptly pulled away.

  My body felt so empty, so cold as crawled down the bed. He lowered between my legs, licking my inner thighs, slowly working his tongue upward. My body relaxed at the sensation of his tongu
e lapping at my folds. It found its way into my center, lapping and sucking until I was crying out again.

  I screamed his name as he sucked my clit in between his lips, tugging it away from my body as I arched toward his mouth. “You like that?” he asked.

  “Yes,” I gasped.

  “Turn over,” he commanded.

  I looked into his beautiful blue eyes before doing what I was instructed. I wanted to see them in my mind while they were out of sight. I rolled over onto my belly, scooting higher onto the bed. His hands caressed my legs, my feet before roaming to my ass cheeks.

  “I could play with you forever,” he mumbled. I wasn’t sure I was supposed to hear that, but I did.

  I pushed my ass off the mattress, high into the air. His tongue slipped between my cheeks, licking and sucking my heated flesh. The mattress shifted with his weight as he moved on top of me.

  His cock pressed into me, first gliding through my ass cheeks, teasing me with fear of ass play, but then slowly gliding to the wet, warm place he’d just left.

  He pushed into me slowly, filling me up as he hit new spots inside of me I didn’t know existed. My moans grew uncontrollably louder with each thrust. My hips bucked backward toward him, pushing him deeper and deeper into my body.

  Warm breath soothed my neck, sweet whispers filled my ears. Soon, our bodies had become one, shaking, pulsating, and orgasming in sync.

  I felt the weight of him against me pressing me down into the mattress. He slid out of me, rolled over. I released a long breath from my chest as the pressure disappeared. “I have to admit. I’m gonna miss that, Kat,” he said, rolling out of the bed.

  I turned over and watched as he disposed of the condom, wishing I could’ve felt the warmth of his cum in my body.

  He picked up his briefs and his pants. He slowly slid into them, then reached for his shirt. “I know you’ve got a lot of work to do,” he said sweetly, leaning over to kiss my cheek.

  I hated to see his ripples covered but hated more to see him leave. That’s what I'd told him I wanted. I loved that he was being so considerate of my needs. But fuck, was this really what I wanted?

  “You’re the sweetest secret I’ve ever had,” he whispered to me before leaving my room.

  I heard the front door shut as he left, and suddenly, my bed felt cold, empty. I’d never felt more alone.

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN

  Todd

  Calvin’s spit splattered against my skin. His breath was hot, and his temper hotter as he continued to argue about pitches with a louder than necessary voice. I was on edge, my mind struggling to stay focused in the game, but I was right, and he was wrong. It was that simple.

  Katrina had been spending time with each of the players. I knew she had to get the interviews, but it was still hard to watch her smile, laugh, and become so acquainted with my team members while pretending I didn’t exist.

  Sure, there were a few stolen glances. I caught her looking at me when she thought I wasn’t paying attention. But since the night at the Boardwalk, her demeanor was all business.

  “You need to call the pitches I fucking tell you to call,” Calvin screamed.

  His face was so close to mine that our noses nearly touched. I thought we were cool. He’d apologized for being a dick that first day, and since then, he’d been pretty easy to deal with. Not now. Now, he was back to being a dick.

  “I know these players better than you,” I said calmly.

  He rolled his eyes, tossed his head back, then kicked the dirt under his feet. I knew he wanted to hit me. I could sense it in his body language. A part of me wished he would. I needed to let off some steam, and I couldn’t think of a better place than on Calvin Malone’s face.

  “That golden arm of yours got you this far, but the players are on to your switches,” I insisted, raising my own voice now.

  “I’m the fuckin’ pitcher. You listen to me. Follow my rules.”

  Wow, what a big head this one had.

  “Yeah, you’re the pitcher. But without me, you can’t see shit. You see me, and you see the batter. If you can’t learn to trust me, you’re not only fucking yourself. You’re fucking the whole damn team.” My voice was louder than it should’ve been. I was pissed.

  Coach was quick to push between us, tossing Calvin back a couple feet with his force. I avoided the smirk that itched to show on my face, instead, staying calm. “Enough,” he screamed.

  “He’s refusing to call the pitches I told him to call,” Calvin whined like a little bitch to his Mommy.

  “Because these hitters know what’s coming. They’re ready for it. Your bag of tricks have all been exposed, Malone. It’s time to wise up.” This time my smirk displayed without reluctance.

  “That’s it. You two can’t finish this game together,” Coach said, his face turning a strange color of deep purple with his anger.

  Calvin smirked, stepped back onto the mound, apparently feeling he’d won this battle. “Singleton,” Coach yelled, motioning for him to come out of the dugout and out to the field.

  Calvin’s smirk quickly faded as Luke Singleton raced out to the mound. “Yes, Coach,” he said.

  “You’re finishing the game.”

  “What the fuck?” Calvin groaned, tossing his glove into the dirt and stomping off toward the dugout.

  A part of me felt sorry for the guy. I knew what it was like to be tossed out of the game. We were halfway through an exhibition game, and nobody liked to be pulled.

  I hadn’t worked much with Luke, but he didn’t fight me on my signs. I told him to pitch a fastball, he threw a fastball. I wanted it on the outside, he pitched to the outside. He was easy to work with, but he wasn’t nearly as accurate as Malone. He was slower, showing either his lack of strength or his over partying, probably both.

  After the game, I avoided Calvin in the locker room. We’d won, but barely with Luke’s weak pitches, overly tired arm, and lazy eyes out on the field. He was still easier to work with than Calvin.

  My body ached as I stripped down for my deep tissue massage. My shoulders were on fire, and my knees felt like they would snap apart at any moment. While the rest of the team showered and took off for a night on the town to celebrate, I was being manhandled by a therapist named Ben.

  I knew that with Calvin on the mound I wouldn’t have had to work so hard to keep the field safe. Coach knew we were the best team. I knew we were the best team. I wasn’t sure Calvin was ever going to realize that.

  “Ice that knee tonight for at least twenty minutes. And stay off it if possible,” Ben told me, slapping me on the back to signal he was done working my sore muscles.

  “Sure thing,” I agreed.

  Everyone was already long gone when I stepped into the showers. My thoughts drifted to Katrina. Why was she being so cold, so professional? This was just a fuckin’ job, and not a glamorous one. She didn’t even need it. She was Katrina Delaney.

  The water penetrated into my pores, pushing out the toxins that Ben had stirred up. Don’t be a dick, Todd. She wants to do a good job. Quit whining like a little bitch that you aren’t getting enough attention. It still drove me crazy not to push her into the wall and kiss her each time she walked by.

  I’d been on her floor a dozen times at least. I would ride the elevator down to her floor to get ice, passing a perfectly good ice machine outside my own door to do it. I never knocked. I didn’t linger. But I did hope with each visit that I’d bump into her in the halls.

  My dick twitched at the thought of what would happen during that not-so-chance meeting. I needed some action, something exciting. If I couldn’t have Katrina, I’d have to find something to smooth over this jagged edge looming around me.

  “Thanks, man,” I slipped the cab driver an extra twenty for picking me up so quickly. I stepped out, looking up at the tall white condo building, wondering if Katrina was already inside. Maybe she wasn’t alone. She could be finishing up interviews, possibly Kane’s? That smooth talking mother-fucker worried me ea
ch time I caught her smiling into his dark, mysterious eyes.

  Shake it off, Morris.

  The lobby was flooded with players, all congregating around Ace Newman. “Hey, Morris,” he called out to me as I tried to walk by unnoticed.

  When he turned toward me, I noticed a baby straddling his hip. He had a full head of black hair, thick and wild like Ace’s. His eyes were large and bright like his mother’s, who stood beside them with an uncertain smile.

  “Hey, that’s a handsome man you got there,” I said, stopping to greet them properly.

  “Yeah. He’s growing like a weed. Won’t be long, he’ll be out there on the field,” Ace boasted.

  I watched Holly’s eyes narrow, and her smile turned to a frown at his words. It was obvious she wasn’t so anxious to raise another ball player. After experiencing Ace Newman at his finest not-so-fine hour, or decade, I could understand why.

  “Have you met my wife, Holly?” he asked.

  I had. Yes, indeed. I’d partied with Holly and Whitney several times. I wasn’t surprised that Ace didn’t remember. “I believe we’ve met,” I said with a little nod.

  Ace was blasted back then, throwing parties, fucking anything that’d hold still, so I was certain he’d not realized exactly how I’d met his wife. It didn’t matter. That was the past. Holly had actually asked me to stick with Whitney once she’d realized how poorly Calvin was acting.

  “So, this is Rip Newman, the next baseball legend?” I asked, changing the subject.

  “Not if I can help it,” Holly said quickly, reaching to take the baby from Ace’s arms.

  Calvin was glaring at me from across the room. Seriously? The game was over. There was no need for his anger to carry on off-field too.

  “Let me,” a soft, familiar voice sounded close to me.

  I could hear Rip fussing and Holly telling Ace she was going to take him upstairs to change him when that voice, that sweet, familiar voice chimed in.

  Calvin’s eyes burned through me as I knew my surprise, possibly my excitement at the voice displayed openly on my face without consent. I turned to see Whitney, the beautiful Whitney, standing just a few feet from me.