Spring Training

by KB Winters

  And he was more than happy to give me exactly what I wanted.

  I arched beneath him, my body wanting more, my eyes closed tight. Cody pulled back and my eyes popped open. He was looking down between our naked bodies, watching as he pounded into me. “Fuck, baby! You’re so damn tight. You got me ready to fuckin’ blow here.”

  I pushed him up and flashed him a grin. “Not yet, Mr. Hot Shot.”

  We rolled over and I straddled him. He gaped up at me, his eyes dancing with delight as I rolled my hips and put on a show. He stroked my clit with one hand and teased my tits with his other hand. “Damn, baby, that’s so hot. Bounce those titties for me.”

  I tossed my hair back and rocked harder until I was panting with pleasure and exertion. His cock pulsed and thickened inside me and I was ready to fall over the edge as Cody stroked my clit with sure circles, setting the rhythm for me.

  I yelped as I hit the ceiling of my own pleasure and sucked in a sharp breath as Cody followed right behind me. A chorus of moans and groans blended together as we each sucked out every last drop of pleasure from one another. I collapsed down against his chest until I stopped shaking and my breathing returned to normal. Cody’s heartbeat pounded like a kick drum under my ear and I smiled to myself.

  When I could breathe normally enough to carry on a conversation, I pushed off of Cody and grinned down at him. “You’re right. That was worth the wait.”

  He chuckled but it quickly faded as I pushed to the edge of the bed. “Hey, where ya going?”

  I found my panties and stepped back into them, tottering in my heels ever so slightly. I pulled them up and then went off in search of the rest of my outfit. “This was a one-time deal, remember?”

  Cody followed me—stark naked—out into the sitting area and watched me dress. “So that’s it? You’re just gonna leave now?”

  “Yep, pretty much. I had fun though.” I flashed him a smile and pulled my tank on over my head, adjusted my shirt, and headed for the front door, snagging my purse from the couch along the way.

  I opened the door and stepped out into the cool air-conditioned hallway, the blast felt amazing against the sweat glistening on my face. I glanced back into the room where Cody was standing, legs wide, arms crossed. “Goodbye, Mr. Wright,” I tossed over my shoulder as I strutted out of his hotel room, chuckling at how wrong that sounded just as soon as I’d said it.

  “See you later, Chelsea,” he called, the sound reaching me right before the door clicked closed.

  The promise shot through me and a flurry of new anticipation rose within me.

  Damn him!

  Chapter Thirteen

  Cody

  Who would have guessed that little, wide-eyed, Chelsea Brooks would be a man-eater in disguise?

  Certainly not me.

  Damn. She got me good, too.

  It wasn’t supposed to be this way. She was a hot night, maybe two, but I’d had her one night and couldn’t get her out of my fuckin’ head. It didn’t help that I had hours and hours to think since it was a team travel day. We were flying from Oklahoma City to Dallas for an away game and while the flight itself wasn’t long, wrangling an entire team, the play by play guys, the training staff, coaching staff, assistants, and media correspondents all onto a chartered jet was nothing short of a circus. An organized, scheduled down to the minute circus, but had the feel of pure chaos thanks to all the noise and activity.

  I slipped into my seat beside Robby, near the pilot’s chamber, and immediately fished out my noise canceling headphones. Robby was kicked back in his reclining seat beside mine, his eyes closed, and a pair of earbuds protruding from his ears. I flipped my seat back and tried to get comfortable but all I could do was think about Chelsea and get antsy, wondering if I should call her or text her.

  Someone crashed into my seat from the row behind and jostled me. “Son of a bitch!” I bellowed, tossing a balled up napkin over the headrest of my seat. “Knock it the fuck off back there!”

  “Sorry, Mr. Wright,” a puny voice called.

  Probably a fuckin’ ball boy.

  “Damn, Wright. What crawled up your ass?” Robby said, giving me a side-eyed glare.

  I snarled. “Nothing, man. Go back to sleep.”

  “I wish I could but it’s too fuckin’ loud and it’s hot in here.”

  I considered his scowl. “What’s up your ass?”

  He set his jaw. “Paris and I had a fight last night.”

  “Oh.” I looked away, suddenly uncomfortable. Robby and I were friends but I didn’t feel right butting into his business, whether intentionally or not. It wasn’t my place. Plus, I hated personal shit. Especially with team mates. The sports world could be a lonely place. It was best not to set your roots down too deep because you never knew when you’d get ripped up from the ground and packed off to start over again in some new city—on some new team.

  Robby shifted in his seat, obviously miserable. “She’s just so demanding about all this wedding shit. For whatever reason, it can’t wait. She has to get it going right now, in the middle of a rocky season. And when I say I’m not in the mood to talk wedding shit, she cries and pitches a damn fit.”

  “Sorry, bro.” I twisted the vent over our heads and got a stream of cool air blasting on us. “That better?”

  He growled a reply that sounded affirmative, so I left it alone and pulled my phone out of my pocket. I flicked through my favorite playlist, hoping some music could drown Chelsea’s memory out of my head for a few hours.

  “You ever been married, Wright?”

  I snapped my head to the side to look at Robby. “No way! I think you’re crazy to be engaged.”

  “Gee, thanks.” He crossed his arms.

  “Sorry man. Just the truth.”

  I hit the song and relaxed back in my seat. Robby’s irritation rolled off of him and I could see him glowering at me from the corner of my eye. I heaved a sigh and pushed one ear phone off. “What the fuck, man? I’m just giving you my two cents. You don’t have to get your panties in a bunch. You need a fresh tampon or something? Damn!”

  “Fuck you, Wright.”

  I pushed up from my seat. “Fuck this noise. I’ll go sit somewhere else.”

  I waited for Robby to drop his legs down but he didn’t budge. I climbed over him.

  “Fuck, man! I don’t need a damn lap dance!” Robby barked.

  A smile tugged at my lips and I looked back at him, my ass still in his face. “You sure? Seems like that might be just what you need. Come on, you and me, we’ll go out tonight and get you nice and wasted, find you some perky tits to gawk at.”

  I finished climbing over him and stood in the aisle. Robby cracked a smile. “All right, man.”

  I braced a hand on the overhead compartment. “Can I sit back down now, or you gonna freak out on me again?”

  He dropped his feet, but punched me on the arm as I climbed back over into my seat. “So, let me ask you, you put a ring on this chick’s finger and then don’t want to follow through and actually do the whole monkey suit, white roses, and doves thing?”

  “White roses and doves?” Robby repeated, frowning.

  I shrugged. “I don’t know. That’s what they want right?”

  He barked a laugh. “Hell if I know. Paris just wants me to set a date. We said next summer but nothing’s nailed down.”

  “Well then fix that shit. You want the girl, set the date.”

  “I thought you just said I was crazy to get married?”

  “You are. But fuck, you’re halfway there already. Finish it up.”

  He laughed. “Yeah, yeah. I guess you’re right. I don’t want her to give up on the whole thing. She’s the best thing that’s ever happened to me.”

  “Aww, now that’s romantic-ish.” I mimed blowing chunks.

  Robby chuckled and handed me a barf bag from the seat pocket in front of him. “Here.”

  I pushed it aside and went back to my phone to search strip clubs in Dallas.

 
“What about you? Why are you so fuckin’ uptight?” Robby asked while I continued my search.

  “I’m not.”

  “Seriously?” I glanced at him and he frowned. “Just shoot straight with me. We’re friends, remember? Friends talk.”

  I sighed and set the phone aside. I couldn’t talk about Chelsea while staring at stripper tits at the same time. “Chelsea and I hooked up last night.”

  A grin spread over Robby’s face and he punched me in the shoulder. “Damn! That’s a tough one to crack. How was she?”

  I glared at him, a bubble of protectiveness rising to the surface. “That’s not the point. The point is that I didn’t want this to happen. I’m not a relationship guy, but a girl like her…that’s what she’ll want.”

  Robby shrugged. “I wouldn’t be so sure about that. Like I told you before, she hasn’t had one the whole time I’ve known her. And trust me, I would’ve known. Paris can’t keep a secret for shit.”

  I nodded. “Then what does she want with me? She doesn’t date, doesn’t party, but then she goes back to my hotel last night.”

  “Maybe she was just horny.”

  “I don’t know…” I frowned, my lips forming a thin line. That wasn’t really the problem, was it? The problem was what would happen if that really was all she wanted with me. One night. Done. Finished. Played me. All for a great fuck.

  I ached for her. She’d woken up something deep inside of me and I wasn’t done.

  Not even close.

  * * * *

  “All right, gents. Let’s all take our seats. We have an hour to go over this shit and then we need to get ready for the game tomorrow.” Coach Robinson was holding court in the hotel conference room. After an exhausting day of travel, we’d arrived at our posh hotel and had less than an hour to rest before converging in the conference room for a team meeting.

  I took a seat beside Robby and sucked down the bottle of water on the table in front of me in two gulps.

  “First order of business, the schedule is on the table in front of you. Stick to it or it’ll be your ass doing double drills. After the clusterfuck of a day we’ve had today, I think we all see the value in sticking to things.” He shot a glare at a few people around the room. I supposed they were the ones responsible for the shitty travel day.

  “Secondly, we have a new staff member to introduce. She’s going to be working with the PR department. She was living here in Dallas and joining us to go back to Oklahoma City after the game tomorrow. We thought this would be a good introduction. So everyone, let’s give it up for…”

  The rest of coach’s words drowned out because the world faded from sight as I craned to look in the direction of his outstretched hand. A woman walked through the double doors, hips swaying, perky tits bouncing, and a Texas-wide smile on her perfect face.

  Mother fuck.

  She was a ghost. A nightmare. A walking memory.

  I gripped the edge of the table, trying to anchor myself in place before I got swept away with the tidal wave of fury cresting inside of me.

  Coach beamed, oblivious to my unrest. “Summer Pratt, from all of us, we welcome you to the Warriors and hope your time with us will be enjoyable and successful.”

  “Thank you, Coach Robinson,” she drawled, her Southern accent poured on like honey.

  Damn it, Summer. What the fuck are you doing here?

  She smiled at everyone sitting at the table, and her eyes came to rest on my face. Her smile tugged up another fraction of an inch and her eyes went wider. Not with surprise. No. She knew I’d be here, in this room, surrounded by my team and unable to release all the things I wanted to say—scream—at her.

  She kept her eyes trained on mine. “It’s such a pleasure to be here.”

  Coach picked up, offering her a seat, and then went into talking about the upcoming game, but my ears felt like cotton balls were stuffed inside them. All sound and thoughts were muffled. It was all I could do to keep from glaring at Summer from my place at the opposite end of the long conference table.

  When the meeting came to a conclusion, Robby jumped up first and clapped me on the shoulder. “Let’s go, Wright! I got Lawrence and Henderson to agree to go too. We’re gonna live it up.”

  I nodded, only vaguely hearing him. Summer rose from her seat and took her time smoothing her hands over the curves of her waist and hips, ironing out invisible wrinkles in the green dress clinging to her hot body. A body I knew so damn well. Her peaches and cream complexion covered every inch of her. Strawberry blonde hair. Natural. And a smattering of freckles on the bridge of her nose and cheeks when she wasn’t wearing her expensive ass makeup. She had a beauty mark on her left ass cheek and a scar from a burn on the inside of her left wrist from a curling iron when she was sixteen.

  Son of a bitch. This could not be happening.

  “Wright?”

  I held up a finger. “I’ll be down in the lobby in fifteen minutes. I need to change first.”

  “Change?” Robby repeated.

  I was already wearing jeans and a button down shirt. The same outfit I planned on wearing out to dinner and the club. “I’ll be there.”

  Robby shrugged and left the room. The other staff filtered out, but Summer hung back and flashed me a mega-watt smile when we were the last two in the suddenly hollow feeling space.

  “Well, well, Cody. I bet you never thought you’d be seeing me again,” she purred, taking deliberate, slow steps to close the gap between us. She stopped a foot away. The scent of her all-too-familiar perfume floated over to me. Something expensive and exquisite. Delicate but overpowering.

  Just like her.

  “What are you doing here, Summer?”

  A corner of her lips pulled up in an amused grin. “You heard Coach. I’m working for the team. I’ll be helping the PR—”

  “That’s not what I meant. What are you doing here?” I growled.

  Her sapphire blue eyes narrowed into slits. “I’m getting on with my life, Cody. You obviously didn’t care the day you left me high and dry back in college. Why should you care now?”

  “Because you’re here, on my turf.”

  “Your turf?” She snorted. “You’ve been on the team less than a week, Cody. This is hardly your turf. So get over yourself.”

  I shook my head, still in disbelief that she was there, standing in front of me. My college girlfriend. My first and last real relationship. And it didn’t end well.

  Not at all.

  “I’m here. You’re here. So the way I see it, we have two choices. We can play nice. Very nice, if you’re up for it,” she purred, a knowing twinkle in her eyes. She traced a hand up the front of my shirt.

  I grasped her wrist. “What’s the second option?”

  “You stay out of my way and I’ll stay out of yours. But, Cody, you should know you’d be breaking my heart all over again if you pretend I don’t exist. That what we had wasn’t real. Wouldn’t it be more fun to play together? We used to be so great.”

  She closed the gap between us, stepping in close to me. The heat from her body and her perfume flooded my mind with memories. Her naked, riding me with her beautiful tits bouncing. Her lips parted, eyes closed, crying out my name while I fucked her from behind. The way her thighs grabbed mine when she ground that sweet pussy on my cock.

  I shook my head violently, desperate to clear the memories.

  “No, Summer. Those days are gone and you know it just as well as I do.”

  She frowned. “So be it.”

  She gave her wrist a tug and I released her. She started to step around me but stopped and leaned back to meet my eyes. “I should mention one more thing…I happen to have a very close relationship with Willis, you know, the owner of the Warriors. He listens to anything I say, and I’d hate for word to reach him of any…impropriety on the part of one of his players.”

  “What the hell is that supposed to mean?”

  Summer smiled—a wicked evil smile. “Oh, that’s right. I forgot you’re
a little slow. It means I’m fucking the owner of your team. If I say the word, your ass will be sent back to Holdenville so fast your head will spin. So watch yourself, Cody. You do not want to piss me off.”

  My jaw flexed but I kept it clamped shut.

  She smiled sweetly. “We straight?”

  Before I could answer, she swept past me, and I turned to watch her just as she sashayed her perfect hips through the glass double doors.

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chelsea

  “Can you believe he said that? He doesn’t care when we get married? I mean am I just being delusional about this whole thing, Chels? Am I wasting the best years of my life on some flaky, commitment-phobe?”

  I sighed and glanced down at the plate of veggies and artichoke dip between us. As soon as Robby had left the house to leave for his trip to Dallas, she’d called an emergency meeting at one of our favorite cafes, Ruby’s, and while I couldn’t really afford to take the time away from the computer, I pried myself away because of how upset she sounded.

  Although now that she’d given me the play-by-play of the argument with Robby, I found myself on his side instead of hers. Not that I was going to tell her that…

  “No, Paris. It was one argument. You can’t throw away the entire relationship. Most guys don’t care about the wedding planning. I hardly think Robby is the minority here.”

  Paris whined. “I just want him to care. Is that so much to ask?”

  I didn’t have the heart to break it to her that I barely cared. At least not about the different paper materials for the invitations, the best place to register for gifts, or whether a dove release was inhumane or not. And I certainly wasn’t holding my breath to see who would win the war between oval vs square tables at the reception hall.

  “It’s not. Paris, listen, I know this is a crisis for you, but I promise it’s not that bad. Cody will be back in two days and you can figure it all out.”