Fastball (Wilde Players Dirty Romance)

by Hargrove,A. M.

  Ryder seems to understand my need for quiet. He doesn’t add anything else and lets me brood in my thoughts. I’m back to thinking about New York. It’s like the ground beneath my feet is shaky with the aftershocks of an earthquake. How much more change can I take before I break?

  Eventually, we pull into a gated underground garage. I feel air lifted because I don’t remember leaving the car and making it to his floor, my mind is spinning. I thought the plan was made, and now everything is changing again. He opens the door, and the condo is large but not ostentatious.

  “What a place,” I mutter.

  “It’s more than what I need with two floors and over four thousand square feet. But it was the only place available in this building where I wanted to be at the time, which is why Riley lives with me.”

  He escorts me around. My eyes travel to the open concept living room, dining room, and kitchen area. He could throw a party with maybe a hundred guests no problem, but what do I know. “Nice. Who decorated?”

  “Don’t like it?” he asks.

  The floors are dark wood, the furnishing tasteful and not the museum kind. It certainly differs from the palace my birth mother lived in. That place had a sterile quality that made me feel out of place. Ryder’s home is different. It has a homey feeling like you can put your feet up without fear of being yelled at. Creams and blues are the primary colors, and my eyes soak it all in.

  “It’s pretty, but you didn’t answer my question. Who had an eye for decorating, you? Or was it Riley?”

  “Neither of us. My agent hired a decorator who got the place ready for me.”

  “Must be nice.”

  He stops me halfway to the stairs. “Don’t,” he warns. “I see it in your eyes.”

  Meeting his gray ones, I say, “See what?”

  He studies me for a moment longer. “You look like you’re going to run.”

  This time, he’s wrong. I’m not running away, but toward him. Looping my arms around his neck, I press my mouth to his. Slipping my tongue between his parted lips, I pour all my feelings into him.

  Strong hands that can throw a ball faster than any starting pitcher lock on my hips with a bruising grip.

  “I told you I’d never run again. Make love to me, Ryder.”

  My back hits the stairwell wall, where he was taking me to see the second floor, and my dress disappears from my body in record time. His sister lives here, too, but I don’t care. I can’t wait a second longer to be closer to him.

  “I’m not wasting time to find a bed to have you,” he says, voice gruff.

  A zipper pierces the silence of the house before my leg is hiked up and I rise. The head of his cock takes position at my entrance a second before I gasp as he pushes inside me. His hips work, he slides in and out of me because I’m always wet and ready for him. The angle of his thrusts change, and I have the vague sensation of falling. My butt hits a solid surface. The stairs are beneath me as he spreads my legs, pulling out. I want to protest, but then his mouth is on me. Moans and cries of pleasure leave my lips and would be so embarrassing if anyone heard.

  “I’m going to come,” I cry out.

  His tongue and fingers work every part of my lower anatomy, igniting a fierce storm that vibrates through me. I’m pretty sure I scream. The fact that my back rams against the edge of a stair doesn’t affect me at all. Then he’s sliding home, and his mouth devours my shouts. I taste my orgasm on his tongue as another builds with his dick buried deep inside me. Another lightning strike rips through me and causes me to go limp. When he pulls free, I want to argue that he hadn’t gotten his yet. Words must have left my lips.

  “We’re going to finish in my room.”

  My eyes flutter as we pass by doors. Nothing really registers. Loose and limber, I’m so sated, I want to close my eyes and drift off into oblivion as he carries me in his arms.

  The cloud I land on feels heavenly. I start to roll from my back to lie on my stomach, but I’m caught in a web of hands that touch me places and stir another fire within me.

  “You remember agreeing to marry me?”

  “What?” I say as if I’m in a dream state.

  “You heard me. We’re going to get married, and you’re going to stop taking the pill.”

  Fingers hook my chin, and he turns my open mouth to greet it with a kiss. Unable to think and breathe, he pulls back.

  “Ryder,” I start to protest.

  “You don’t have to say anything but yes.”

  So many arguments come to mind. But staring into his earnest eyes, I crush all of it down.

  “Yes.”

  Out of all the decisions I’ve had to make, this one is the easiest. The one that feels right. And he’s right, I already said yes. Had I really scared him into believing I was going to run?

  “And now, you are going to let me have you here.”

  His fingers slide down to the crease of my ass. They circle an area I haven’t let anyone have other than a small toy or a finger. It may seem crazy, but I hadn’t saved myself for marriage. Oddly, in the back of my mind, I might have subconsciously saved that one part of me for the man I married.

  “Yes, take me, Ryder.”

  He’s prepared with lube. As his slick finger breaches that part of me, the sensation is strange, not in a bad way. With everything new, I feel when a second finger joins the first, and he scissors them inside me.

  “Just breathe, baby.”

  I do as he asks, and he slides them in deeper. There is a slight burning sensation, but Ryder isn’t new at this. His other hand distracts me by circling my clit, driving me mad and wild.

  “We’re going to take this slow,” he whispers. “Do you trust me?”

  There is no need to think. “Yes.”

  “You know I love you, right?”

  The question sounds dumb, then I get it. He’s in need for reassurance because of my mini freak out. “Yes,” I say again. “I love you, too.”

  His cock crosses my virgin barrier, and I suck in a lungful of air.

  “No matter what happens, where this life leads us, I want you by my side.” His gentle rocking and the pressure in a place that hasn’t known such fullness seem like a backdrop to his words. “I’m going to make you happy. No matter what it takes.”

  His dexterous fingers glide into my pussy, adding to the fullness between my legs.

  “I’ll move to New York,” I say. And I mean it. Although, I believe Riley when she said he didn’t know. It really doesn’t matter if he did or not. I love this man, hard. His balls slap my ass as he seats himself inside me. “Now shut up and fuck me.”

  He does just that. I’m taken to new heights, something I’ve never experienced with anyone else. I hadn’t thought I could derive pleasure from this. But Ryder warms me up and soon I’m catching a wave that will crest like no other. His sure and even strokes at some point lose their rhythm. His thumb presses down on my clit, and I shatter beneath him. He follows me over that cliff, leaving us both breathless and satisfied.

  My limbs are so wobbly; there is no way I can move. I’m so grateful he finds the strength to get up and come back for cleanup. He kisses me hard as I come down from the euphoria.

  “Ryder.”

  “Too late, Gina. You already said yes.”

  “I know. It’s just… are you sure?”

  It’s a question I’ve never asked him.

  “As sure as I’ve ever been.”

  “How can you be?”

  “Because every game when I step out on the field, I have to talk myself out of nerves. Each time I wonder if I’m truly good enough or if it will be the night I fuck it all up.”

  “You’re awesome. You’ve proven that. Your owner is wrong about you. You will be the next New York Yankees’ ace. I know this.”

  “Maybe.” He plants a fast kiss on my mouth before continuing. “One thing I didn’t have to talk myself into was you. I look forward to the day you’re not only wearing my jersey, but my ring.”

 
I reach for him, but he’s moved over to the side of the bed. When he rolls back, he presents me with a box, and I forget to breathe. I’ve never been the girl who dreamed of a wedding. My heart begins to race as it’s opened. The sparkle blinds me and shocks me stupid. Emotions well out of me and stream down my face. It’s gorgeous. I know nothing about diamonds and can only say it’s dazzling.

  His words distract me. “And you know what’s better than having you wearing my jersey and my ring on game night?”

  “Me seeing you make history with that famous fastball of yours?” He shakes his head. “What then?”

  “You in the stands watching me play with our son or daughter growing inside of you or sitting by your side.”

  The funny thing is, I can see it, too. When he slides the ring onto my finger, a door opens in my heart, and I eagerly walk through it. I may not have wanted love, but I found it.

  “You weren’t supposed to stick,” I say.

  “But I did.”

  “You did,” I admit. “You struck me out with your fastball.”

  “No, my fastball is nothing compared to when you rounded the bases of my heart after knocking me out the park.”

  “Baseball analogies, Cowboy?”

  “Yep, and you better get used to it.”

  Epilogue

  RYDER

  My world has come together so nicely, and temporarily, I have two of my favorite women under one roof. The problem I have now is pacifying the third.

  “Don’t do it,” Riley warns.

  “What?” I ask innocently. I scrub a hand down my face, pretending not to know what she’s talking about. But I do. Gina wants something small. Mom wants everyone we’ve ever met to attend our wedding.

  “Don’t choose Mom over your wife.”

  I’m actually surprised to hear my sister chose Gina over Mom.

  “You think I would?”

  “I see you actually considering whatever she was saying to you on the phone.”

  I glance at the thing in my hand where I just ended a conversation with my mother.

  “What the hell am I supposed to do? She’s guilting me by saying I might be the only one of her children to get married,” I say, glaring at my twin. I wait for shock to appear on Riley’s face, but it doesn’t. “Seriously, you told her that?”

  She shrugs. “No man will ever be able to deal with me.”

  “That’s because you don’t give anyone a chance.”

  She’s never been one to need me to defend her honor growing up. Riley can handle herself. And I may have overheard guys claim she’s a lesbian when she doesn’t give in to their advances. I might have had a few scrapes that she doesn’t know about when I had to set the record straight, not that if she were gay it would be a problem. They, on the other hand, said it like that was a problem. And talking about my sister isn’t permitted in my presence. But I’ve also been there for her when some asshole has broken her heart. It’s only happened a few times. Now I think she’s given up on dating anyone.

  “Stop.” She holds up a hand. “Mark’s on his way over, so let’s end this conversation.”

  My brow arches. “Mark?” I waggle my eyebrows at her.

  “It’s not like that. He may help me out of a jam.”

  “What jam?”

  “Well, if you weren’t so busy winning the World Series and falling in love, you would know I’m short a caddy and I’ve been asked to participate in an event for the Make-A-Wish Foundation.”

  Suddenly, I’m a shitty brother, and I go to apologize. But Riley waves me off and gives me a smile that lets me know I’m forgiven. The doorbell rings, and Riley moves to answer it. That gives me my opportunity to sneak back upstairs. There’s someone I left slumbering soundly on my bed.

  When I open the door, my future wife sits up, and with no modesty, which I like, lets the sheet slip down her gorgeous body. Her beautiful tits jerk my cock to life. I didn’t think it would be possible. We’ve been fucking nonstop all weekend.

  “Are you just going to stand there, Cowboy, and stare at me?”

  She has no idea how long I could just look at her and be amazed that she’s mine. The fact that she’s agreed to marry me and come with me to New York with no conditions feels like I’ve won the World Series all over again. In fact, we are leaving for New York in a few hours, where I have to meet with the manager while she goes apartment hunting. I would go with her, but we are short on time. She’s going to weed out the places she doesn’t like. Because I don’t care. We could live in a box as long as we are together.

  “Is that coffee for me?” she asks, as I continue to stand like a doofus, dumbstruck by her beauty.

  Only it’s not just her outer layer that has me enthralled. She’s told me all her plans, which include a charity that supports kids without families. She wants to make sure kids in foster care aren’t forgotten. A lot of money she’s inherited has been granted to the state of North Carolina for that purpose. I don’t bother to tell her I thought she would sleep in longer, and so the coffee I hold is technically mine. Everything I have is hers, including my first cup of joe in the morning, which I hand over.

  She cradles it in her hands as if it’s the Holy Grail. The way her eyes roll up reminds me of when she comes. My woman is a super hero and a sexy siren all rolled into one.

  “If you continue to look at me like that, I’m going to attack you,” she says.

  I have to chuckle. She has no idea the things we’ve yet to do. I haven’t told her yet that I want to tie her to the bed spread eagle. I also want to try that swing again, but using it for leverage while I take her ass. It’s fast becoming one of her favorite things to do. I can’t say that it doesn’t turn me the fuck on to know I’m the only one to have had her there.

  She’s also made me want to beat my chest because she’s agreed to stop taking the pill. I can’t wait to see her pregnant, so her pussy is always my first mission.

  “We can’t. Mark is here, and I plan to make you scream,” I tease.

  Her grin is wicked, and I say fuck it to myself. It’s my house. Diving for her, the coffee spills some, and I don’t care. I’ll take my girl any way I can get her, coffee stains or not.

  Gina months later

  “Have you told him yet?” Cassie asks.

  I shake my head, unable to speak. I pace the small room. How will I tell him?

  She stops me. “It’s going to be okay. You look gorgeous.”

  It will be. Ryder and I have formed a partnership. We’ve agreed to no secrets. Thus, I can’t hold back what I’ve learned for very long.

  I glance down at Cassie’s extended belly. “You’re going to make a fantastic mother. You know that, don’t you?”

  “Stop deflecting, Gina. You look perfect. His mouth will be open so wide, the photographer will catch drool.”

  I laugh while I take a final look in the mirror. The ivory gown I chose is designer, but not couture. Off the rack is what some call it. All the fashion terms I’m learning as the queen of a privately held corporation. It’s form-fitted and flares at the calf for a small train. It has cap sleeves and a sweetheart neckline and fits my body perfectly after trying on a half a million gowns with Cassie, Riley, and Ryder’s mom for support.

  But I don’t let her get away with it either. “Don’t deflect, Cassie,” I mock. “You can’t take a compliment. You and Fletcher are going to make great parents.”

  Her laughs turn to a few tears. She hides them with her hug, which isn’t unexpected. I hold on, remembering how just over a year ago, it was us against the world. How things have changed in a short time.

  “It’s going to be great,” she says, just as a knock comes at the door.

  Her smile is huge as she greets my father. She gives me a wave before ducking out of the room.

  “Are you ready?” he asks.

  That’s another change in my life. My dad. He’s rooted himself in my life, and I find I like him here. He’s refused any financial support I offer. But one wi
n is his bitch of a wife is gone, and he tells me he wants to fly solo for a while. Just the fact that he’s here is proof that anything can change and for the better.

  “I’m glad you’re here... Dad.”

  The word sounds so different now even though it’s the same. It tastes sweet and not sour. It’s me that dives in for a hug. It’s hard not to let the tears spill and ruin my makeup.

  “I wouldn’t miss it for the world, baby girl.”

  It’s taken us time to get here. We’ve had many talks where I told him of all his failings. It was something I needed to get off my chest in order for us to find the harmonious place we’re in now.

  As he escorts me out the door, I have precious moments to reflect. Life threw me several curveballs, but it was Ryder and that damn fastball of his that knocked some sense into me. If not for his persistence, I would still be in a rut. He showed me life’s possibilities and opened my eyes and heart to love. Dad and I stand at the opening, and I have a moment to lock eyes with Ryder before the music starts. Mendelssohn's “Wedding March.” Who knew I would be a traditional girl? It’s surreal how I seem to float toward that beautiful man of mine.

  When my dad hands me off, I hear him murmur softly, “Take care of my girl. She’s all I have.”

  Ryder says something I can’t make out. Then my hands are in his. Words are foreign to me because I’m caught up in my head, seeing my future, my heart planted with the man I didn’t know I’d dreamed of until he showed up in my life.

  After we trade vows and exchange I dos, we are pronounced man and wife. Before he kisses me, I tease him.

  “You know, now that we’re married, I think I’m going to start withholding sex. I only used that as a means to get you.”

  Then I plant a kiss on him to stop his protest. Teasing me back, he grips my hips and nudges me enough for me to get how much he’s not on board with my plan. Our lip-lock grows into something more. That gets us a round of applause and laughter as it lingers longer than appropriate. But when did we ever do anything by the rules?

  “You know I’m teasing you, right?” I whisper as we walk. “I married you because you are the best man I know. And you make me a better woman. I love you for that. I love you for you.”