Dropped Third Strike (Portland Pioneers #1)

by Micah K. Chaplin

  She didn’t put up any effort to stop him even though she had plenty of opportunities to do so. Reid pulled his lips from hers to remove her clothing and to let her take his off. Her mouth was free while his traveled over the rest of her body, producing bursts of pure bliss wherever they landed. He whispered a faint apology for delay as he searched for his pants and the square package tucked away in one of the pockets. This left her several moments to change her mind to put a stop to the path they were on. But she didn’t. “Stop” never entered her mind. In fact, she whimpered with longing when he pulled away to search for protection and it seemed to be taking so long even though it was probably less than a minute.

  Katie probably should have been nervous, self-conscious, or scared. This was the first time she’d ever been naked with a man, and as she watched him fumble a bit with the condom, she realized he was about to be inside her. But she didn’t experience even a hint of trepidation. The passion Reid had ignited drowned out any negative emotions that might have tried to surface.

  When he returned to her, she eagerly pulled him close, desperately wanting to feel his skin against hers. Reid seemed to want it just as badly. He wasted no time settling between her legs, and her body seemed to be a perfect fit for his. She experienced only a fleeting moment of discomfort as he eased into her. Reid gave her a few seconds to adjust before he slid out and then back in. At first, she just lay there, unsure of what to do, but then he whispered for her to move with him and she instinctively lifted her hips against his. He groaned in response, which encouraged her to match his rhythm. As their pace went from slow and easy to hot and frantic, she pressed her fingers into his muscled back and let out soft cries mingled with his name.

  Between kisses, she looked up into his eyes, noticing that they looked darker than usual. In the soft light from her small lamp, she thought she saw a little green in them, but then his eyes were closed again and her study of him was forgotten as her body began to tremble uncontrollably. She’d never been here before, but she was pretty sure she was on track for something really amazing. Her eyes opened wide and she arched her back as the most decadent sensations coursed through her until she finally came undone. He wasn’t far behind, and she thought she could still feel his body shaking as he collapsed on top of her and then beside her.

  When their bodies were still again, they lay there for several moments, silent except for their ragged breathing. Katie could hear her heart pounding, and it seemed so loud she wouldn’t be surprised if he could hear it too. As her mind cleared and her thoughts returned, she remembered Casey and immediately felt guilty.

  How could I do this? Casey has been good to me. He’s waited months for me. And for what? So I could completely forget about him and give my virginity to someone else? A guy I haven’t spoken to in almost two years?

  Katie turned her head and looked at the guilty party. Well, the other guilty party. His face was relaxed in sleep. The only movement was the gentle flutter of his closed eyelids. She watched him for a moment, trying to figure out how he’d managed to get to her like this. In the span of a few short hours, he’d somehow made her forget his post-prom actions, her boyfriend, and her long-held desire to wait for the right moment and person – and there was no reason for her to believe Reid was that person. Her mind was a mess of thoughts and emotions, and he was sleeping like nothing in the world had changed.

  She woke him up a short while later and sent him home. Her parents were cool, but they wouldn’t be too thrilled to discover Reid had spent the night. Katie bit her lip and watched him as he dressed. She wanted to ask him all the questions swirling in her brain, but she didn’t. She simply pulled on a robe, walked him to the door, and said goodnight.

  Later the next day, Katie made one of the toughest phone calls of her young life. Her heart was heavy with guilt as she told Casey her feelings for him had changed. She blamed the distance and having a lot of time to think. She didn’t burden him with any further information. He was crushed enough. He didn’t need to know about Reid. It wouldn’t do him any good. She hated herself as she hung up. She had always thought people who broke up over the phone were cowards, but in this case, it couldn’t be helped. She had no way to get to Chicago to see him face-to-face, and she couldn’t delay the break-up until September.

  Her guilt lingered, but it seemed to go away whenever she was with Reid. Which was a lot. Over the next few months, they were together several nights a week. Sometimes they would go to the ballpark, but more often than not, they spent their evenings in her basement bedroom. On those nights, they didn’t even pretend they were going to watch movies. They never really discussed why any of it was happening; they just got lost in each other.

  Katie didn’t have any problem with that arrangement. But as the summer was coming to a close, and Reid was getting ready to return to Durham, she knew they needed to have that dreaded conversation. She asked him about a long distance relationship.

  “I don’t like labels, but I also don’t want to lose you,” Reid told her, touching her cheek in a way that made her weak in the knees every time. “Let’s stay in touch and see what happens.”

  So she settled for phone calls and texts, where they talked about their daily lives and planned future visits. In the fall, she went to North Carolina every month. His schedule didn’t allow him time to get away, but she was happy to travel to him. It cost her nearly every extra dime she’d earned at her summer job, but she kept telling herself it was worth it. And when she was with Reid, it felt worth it. The distance was getting tougher though, and even though she tried pretending she was okay with it all, she wasn’t. And by December, it was starting to show.

  “What is wrong with you?”

  Katie looked up at her roommate, Jill. They had met freshman year, bonding over mutual disgust for their roommates at the time. By the end of the year, they were best friends and had lived together ever since, first in the dorms, now in an apartment, which was surprisingly cheaper than campus life. Jill was an education major and was still dating her high school sweetheart, who was at college in Alabama. Jill was the only one who knew about Katie’s summer affair, and although she told Katie she was surprised, she didn’t judge her. She’d been very supportive of Katie and Reid’s long distance relationship, even though she had yet to meet the guy.

  At the moment, the girls were taking a break from studying for finals and watching A Walk To Remember.

  “You have never been the kind of girl who stares at her phone all day?” she asked. “It’s like you’re not even noticing Shane West is on the screen. You picked out this movie because you said he’s your favorite.”

  “He is,” Katie said. “And I’m not that kind of girl, but I haven’t heard from Reid all week.”

  “I’m sure he’s just busy,” Jill said. “That happens with Nick and me sometimes. Guys lose track of how many days go by between calls.”

  “Reid’s not like that though,” Katie replied defensively. “He always calls at least twice a week.”

  “Well, maybe something came up this week,” Jill said, shrugging. “And you were just with him last weekend, so maybe he had a lot to catch up on.”

  “Yeah, like another girl,” Katie said.

  “Okay, now I know this isn’t you,” Jill said. “You were never insecure with Casey. Come on, Katie. Give Reid a little bit of credit. And a little more time. If you say he always calls, then he’ll call.”

  Katie shrugged and pushed her phone aside, attempting to focus on the movie. But her thoughts wouldn’t leave her alone. She wasn’t sure why she was so worried about Reid cheating on her. Maybe it was because of what she’d done with him over the summer. She still felt guilty for her actions, and she wondered if that feeling would ever go away. For the rest of the weekend, she went over and over it in her head and finally convinced herself that her own misconduct was the reason she was so insecure about Reid.

  Those feelings floated away when he finally did call Sunday night. Hearing his voice chan
ged her mood from nervous to happy. But her relief lasted only for a few moments after she answered. As they exchanged stories about their week, she noticed a difference in his voice. She finally asked him if he was tired.

  “Yeah, a little,” he said. “But, Katie, I’ve been thinking...”

  Her heart sank a little. Those words never led to something good.

  “I don’t think this distance is working for me,” he continued. “You deserve so much better, and I just can’t give it to you right now.”

  “Why don’t you let me decide what I deserve?” Katie pleaded.

  “Because I care too much about you,” Reid said. “My life’s busy now, and it’s only going to get worse when baseball season comes around. And you have a lot of things you need to do. You can’t be flying out to see me all the time. It’s just not right.”

  “I guess you have a point,” Katie said. “Is this what you really want?”

  “No, but I think it’s what’s best for both of us right now,” Reid said.

  “It’s pretty arrogant of you to think you know what’s best for me,” Katie said. “But clearly, you’ve already made up your mind, so I guess this is it.”

  “I’m sorry, Katie,” Reid said. “I’m really sorry.”

  He hung up, and she stared at her phone, which flashed with the time of the call. They had only been on the phone for ten minutes – their shortest conversation ever – but it’d been long enough to break her heart.

  She set the phone down beside her on the bed. Lying on her back, she just stared at the ceiling until it became blurry. Finals were a bit of a blur too, but somehow she survived all of them. Returning home for Christmas break, she offered only vague answers when her parents asked about Reid until they eventually stopped asking. She felt foolish, hurt, and embarrassed, and she didn’t want anyone to know the truth about what had happened.

  It still made Kate angry – among other things – to think about that time in her life.

  She’d given Reid a second chance. He’d taken her virginity and broken her heart. That’s when she learned that second chances only brought pain.

  Okay, so that wasn’t completely true.

  She couldn’t deny that Reid had given her plenty of pleasure as well. First times were supposed to be awkward, but it wasn’t with him. And it only got better after that. Those nights were some of the most blissful she’d ever experienced. He had set the bar very high, and she wasn’t sure if it was just because he was first or if he was really that good. But of all the men she’d been with since then, none compared to Reid.

  No one had ever hurt her like he had either. She’d cried for days, wallowed for weeks, and stayed bitter for months. The college break-up felt like repeat of the post-prom avoidance. And then some. It seemed each heartbreak at his hands took a little longer to remedy. Clearly, with Reid, she couldn’t have that kind of pleasure without equal parts pain.

  And that wasn’t a price she was prepared to pay again. Keeping distance between them was best.

  Chapter Five

  Reid’s resolve broke first.

  After two weeks of glancing at the administrative elevators on his way to the cages, he finally gave in and went up to the general manager’s office. Kate’s secretary said she was on the phone, so he agreed to wait even though there was no promise of when she might be free. He wasn’t in any hurry.

  His batting appointments had begun dwindling as the players took advantage of their few last days with family before heading to Arizona. The slowdown had given Reid a little more time to get settled. He’d unpacked and purchased some furniture. Only the basics though. A bedroom set, a couch, a coffee table, and a TV would get him by. At the moment, his TV was only hooked up to a Blu-ray player. He figured there was no need to get cable until he got back from spring training. If at all. He probably wouldn’t need it. Once the season was in full swing, he didn’t expect to spend a lot of time at the house except for sleep. On the occasions he was home, awake, and not working, he figured he could find other forms of entertainment.

  He hadn’t yet explored the Portland nightlife scene. It wasn’t likely to be as lively as New York’s, but he was certain he could find some women to keep him company. His affinity for female companionship probably made him look like a womanizer to outsiders, but that was an unfair assumption. He worked in a male-dominated profession. He spent countless hours with other men, so he preferred to spend his precious free time in the company of the fairer sex. Their softness and sensuality helped provide balance in his life. And, even though it didn’t appear to be the case, he was actually quite picky about the type of women he dated. Sure, they were all attractive, but he was also drawn to the strong, independent type. Uncovering their softer side was always thrilling, and they rarely asked more of him than he was willing to give.

  Lately, he’d been thinking a lot about the days when Kate had kept him company. Or rather the nights. Admittedly, he mostly only recalled the physical aspect of their relationship. He’d tried to remember other things but failed, and that made him wonder if there had been anything else. Surely, there had been. Kate wouldn’t have been with him if there wasn’t something more. But he couldn’t drum up many memories of her in which she wasn’t naked. Attention to unpleasant events and conversations had never been one of his strengths, and apparently he had blocked out any bad that had happened between them. Kate seemed to have done the opposite.

  After 20 minutes of waiting, Reid was granted entrance to Kate’s office. She was seated on the couch with her laptop in front of her, dressed in jeans and a button-down blouse in deep purple. Even with the formal top, it was the most casual he’d seen her look since he’d arrived in Portland. The Kate before him was a stark contrast from the Kate he’d seen at Fan Fest and the cocktail event, but she looked as good as ever.

  “What can I do for you, Reid?” she asked, without looking up from the computer screen.

  “I was hoping you might join me for lunch,” he said.

  She looked up and just stared at him for a moment. He couldn’t read her expression, but her response didn’t surprise him.

  “I’ll have to pass,” she said. “I don’t have time for lunch today.”

  “You work too hard,” he said. “Then again, you always have.”

  “I have to work hard, Reid,” she said. “This business is tough. And being a woman in this business is even tougher.”

  He wondered why she chose to go on the defensive instead of accepting his compliment. He took another swing at turning the conversation around.

  “Probably true, but you’re not just any woman; you’re Katie ... sorry, Kate Marks,” he said. “You don’t have to work as hard at this as the average woman would.”

  “I appreciate the kind words, but I disagree,” she said. “I do have to work hard. And I don’t mind it one bit. I love my job.”

  “That’s great, but I hope someday you love more than that,” he said.

  “Are you really giving me advice on priorities?” she asked. “You?”

  He sighed. He hadn’t meant for this to become another confrontation between them. It seemed they couldn’t have a regular conversation without the tension rising.

  “Is this going to happen every time we talk?” he asked.

  “What?” she asked.

  “Me making a harmless comment and you getting upset with me,” Reid said. “Look, Kate, I’m sorry if I did something to you in our past that makes you hate me, but we’re working together now, and I want us to be friends again. I don’t want these arguments to get in the way of that. What can I do to make you hate me less?”

  “I don’t hate you, Reid,” she said. “You wouldn’t be standing in my office right now if I hated you.”

  “But you don’t think much of me either, do you?”

  “I think you’re a gifted athlete with a lot to offer as a coach.”

  “Is that all?”

  “That’s all that matters to me.”

  It was Reid’
s turn to stare blankly. He’d lost the respect of a lot of people in recent years. Adding Kate to the list shouldn’t have affected him. But it did.

  “Wow. Okay then. Sorry I bothered,” he said. “See you in Arizona.”

  Kate saw the hurt flicker in his eyes before he turned to go. She sighed as the door closed behind him.

  When her secretary told her he was there to see her, she’d braced herself for his presence. Even though she hadn’t seen him in more than two weeks, his invasion of her mind and dreams had been enough to rattle her. And put her on the defensive, apparently. She couldn’t hear his words for what they were. Her comprehension remained clouded by her past experiences with him. Or rather her past vulnerability to him. She was determined not to let him get close to her again. For her, the only way to do that was to start pushing him away the minute he walked in. And that wasn’t as easy to do as she made it look. Her anger with him had resurfaced upon his return, but the resulting dreams had reignited her attraction to him. The polarizing feelings made her head hurt sometimes, and she had a history of giving into attraction when it came to Reid. She couldn’t let that happen now. When he asked about lunch, she had to turn him down even though she was hungry and this was one of her lighter days at work. She had resolved not to spend any unnecessary one-on-one time with him. It was the only way to combat those eyes, that mouth, that body, and how good they all looked up close. Not to mention how good he was at using that mouth and body on her. The thought alone made her shiver, and she blinked a few times, trying to clear her mind.