Sex, Vows & Babies: Cherry Picked (Kindle Worlds Novella) (Shots On Goal Book 3)

by Kristen Hope Mazzola

  “Be careful,” she whispered. “Not everyone is welcoming.”

  I let her words sink in as I nodded. “Okay.”

  Once my busy first day came to an end, I couldn’t help but be a tad bit sad. Chase was still at practice, and that meant I had to go to my apartment and not back to his, where I had been spending the majority of my time. Walking up the stairs, I felt like I was going to a foreign place, but a sweet surprise was waiting for me at my door.

  It was a dozen roses with a handwritten card. I rushed into my flat, pulling the note from its holder as fast as I could.

  Hey Baby,

  I know you were a little nervous heading out this morning, and I just wanted you to know I am thinking about you and hope today is even more wonderful than you had imagined. I will call you when I get out of practice.

  Yours, Chase.

  P.S. Check the bottom of the vase.

  I picked the clear glass up and found a key taped to the bottom of it with the words To our home written on a piece of paper wrapped around it. Right as I was melting into a gushing, swoony mess with tears starting to flood my eyes, Chase’s ringtone started to blare on my phone.

  “You are even more perfect than I could have imagined,” I exclaimed right as the line connected.

  His gruff voice came through quickly. “I am glad you got the flowers. Where are you?”

  “My place,” I answered.

  “Damn.” His disappointment was palpable even with just one word. “I was hoping you’d already be at the apartment when I got there.”

  I yawned. “Babe, it is so late and I have to be up ridiculously early in the morning.” I hated to think about spending a night away from Chase, but there was no way I wouldn’t fall asleep on the subway on my way to his place.

  “I understand,” he stated. “But you only get one free pass. My place is closer to your work anyway.”

  I couldn’t argue with facts. “We’ll see.”

  “I think you should move in.”

  I was so glad I wasn’t face to face with Chase in that moment. Even though we had spent every night together for two weeks, the idea of moving in that quickly scared the living daylights out of me.

  “Can we talk about this later? I’m too tired to stand, let alone have you talk me into something that extreme.”

  A deep, throaty chuckle came through. “How about we talk about it over dinner tomorrow night?”

  “Deal.”

  I hung up and barely made it to my bed. Even with how exhausted I was, I barely slept, tossing and turning throughout the better part of the night. It felt so wrong not having Chase loudly breathing next to me. Maybe moving in with him wasn’t the worst idea in the world, but that was a thought I needed to leave for another time.

  Chapter 9

  Chase

  It took a little bit of convincing, but finally I was moving the last of Nikki’s boxes into my tiny flat. I hadn’t realized how small my place actually was until all her crap was being shoved into it.

  Nikki bounced around our home, excitedly putting her things away anywhere she could find the space.

  “Babe! Help! Chase!” she yelled urgently from the living room.

  I rushed in thinking something was wrong but just found her up on a chair, trying to hang frilly curtains over my window.

  “Oh god,” I huffed, going over to help. “Do they really have to be lavender?”

  She leaned over and kissed my cheek. “Yes, yes they do. Aren’t they precious?”

  “That’s one word for them,” I teased, rolling my eyes as I smoothed out the fabric. “I’d call them girly. Should I hand you my man card now, or do I get to hold on to it for a bit longer?”

  “Oh stop. You’re the one that wanted me to move in.” She hopped down then pulled out matching sparkly throw pillows to put on the couch.

  “I wouldn’t have this any other way—frilly, glittery, unmanly crap and all.” I smacked her toned bottom as she rushed over to the couch to continue decorating.

  “I promise I will make up for this later, babe,” she cooed, fluffing a pillow.

  I grabbed a Gatorade from the fridge. “I am going to hold you to that, babe.”

  After a long day full of moving and organizing and reorganizing, a hot shower felt amazing. The steam overtook my entire bathroom as I sat in the bottom of the tub letting the scalding water relax my muscles.

  “Chase?” Nikki popped her head in.

  “Yeah, beautiful?” I heard the door shut and before I knew it, Nikki was climbing in on top of me.

  “You’re hogging all the hot water,” she complained as she sat herself on my lap.

  The sight of her bare body, soaking wet on top of me lit every cell in my body on fire within a second.

  “Luckily for you, the building has huge water heaters in the basement.” I playfully splashed some water in her face.

  As she gasped, I crushed my mouth over hers, letting my growing need for her be known. After shifting her hips, she was positioned perfectly, and without warning, I thrust deep into her.

  Nikki panted loudly before biting down hard on my shoulder.

  “Fuck, Nikki,” I growled as she rocked on top of me. Her slick body moved against mine as I let my head roll back and rest on the cold tile. “You feel so incredible.”

  Her knees started to shake a bit as she moaned into my ear. As her shaking started to consume her, I lifted her into my arms, carried her out of the shower, and set her on the counter.

  My fingers gripped her ass firmly as I pumped into her harder and harder as she cried out my name. Feeling her orgasm crash around my dick was so intense, and I couldn’t control myself. My release happened without warning, and quickly I was filling her.

  With her head on my shoulder, she tried to steady her breathing. “Did you just…?”

  I nodded. “Fuck, yeah, I did.”

  She kissed me gently on the side of my neck. “I just finished my period yesterday, I’m sure we’re fine.”

  Her calm was shocking to me. “Don’t you think it’s better if you take the morning-after pill or something?”

  “I barely even get my period. It’s so hard for dancers to get pregnant because of our lack of body fat, it screws up our whole system.”

  I shrugged. “If you say so. I don’t want to take that chance again though.”

  She hopped off the counter, diving back into the warm haven of the shower. “I agree,” she called out, and I could smell the fruity scent of her shampoo wafting into the small space.

  A few minutes later, after toweling herself off, Nikki joined me in bed. Even though this wasn’t our first night sleeping next to each other, it was our first night where she didn’t have another place to retreat to if things went south. I knew that was what she had been worried about most when she sublet her apartment, and I was going to do everything in my power to ease her mind.

  “How did your family take it when you told them I was moving in?” she asked, throwing her wet hair up into a messy bun that looked like a wrung-out mop on top of her head.

  I shrugged. “Mom thought I was nuts, Charles doesn’t give a crap, Dad just grunted while they were on speakerphone, and Hannah hasn’t returned my calls. What about your mom?”

  Nikki pursed her lips. “I haven’t had a chance to tell her yet.”

  I waggled my finger in front of her face. “Oh no, don’t you lie to me about this one. You made a big stink about telling our folks before you would agree to move in here, and I held up my end. What’s wrong?”

  She threw the covers over her head. “I’m scared to tell her.”

  I dove in after her, wrapping my arms around her small frame. “And why is that, missy?”

  “Because my entire life, it was just my mom and me. She never needed a man, and I don’t even remember her ever dating. I don’t want her to be disappointed or judge you prematurely.”

  “But she knows about me, right?”

  Nikki nodded frantically. “Of course! She knows
everything except for the sex and moving in parts.”

  “Well, I would hope our sex life wasn’t something you discussed with your mother.”

  She shrugged. “I mean, I might. I tell her everything.”

  I kissed her cheek. “Try starting with you moving in and see how that goes over before you tell her I deflowered you on top of making you live in sin.”

  She gasped. “And this is why I didn’t want to tell her!”

  “You’re going to have to tell her eventually, Nik.”

  She exhaled dramatically. “Fine.”

  “But it can wait until after this.” I dove under the covers, licking and sucking on her swollen bud as her body relaxed into the mattress.

  We spent the better part of the rest of the night wrapped up in each other, going round after round. We had come a long way since the first time together, and each time we did it, it felt closer and closer to making love—something we were experiencing for the first time together.

  Chapter 10

  Nikki

  As the weeks went by, Chase and I fell into a comfortable little routine, but the beginning of his season was fast approaching and we were on the brink of him leaving for the first time since we had started dating.

  “It’s only preseason, can’t they do without you?” I complained while sitting on the kitchen counter as Chase sautéed chicken and vegetables in a pan.

  “That’s not how a team works, babe. Could the corps de ballet go on without you?” he asked with an eyebrow raise.

  “Ugh! Fine. I just don’t like it.” I threw my hands in the air dramatically before grabbing his shoulder to pull him in for a quick kiss.

  “Think of this as a practice run for when the season hits. I am going to have away games, it’s a thing.” He nipped the nape of my neck. “We’ll just have to make the most out of the time we do have together.”

  “I know, but that doesn’t mean I have to be okay with you being gone.”

  “Just set up more privates with Lisa and that other dancer you gush over all the time, what’s her name again?” He cut one of the chicken breasts open to make sure they were cooked through.

  “Juliette. Yeah, I will see if they have some free time to keep going over a few of my routines.”

  He grabbed plates from the cupboard. “Dinner is served, my lady.” Chase helped me down from the counter and put our dinner on the kitchen table.

  “Are you excited?” I asked before blowing on the steaming bite of chicken on the tip of my fork.

  “Not really, to be honest. It doesn’t seem real yet.”

  “I can’t wait to watch it. I’ll be cheering you on from the couch while wearing my blue and white jersey as I ice my feet tomorrow night.”

  He smiled at me. “Thanks, baby.”

  When I woke up, Chase had already left. It was terrible waking up without him next to me, but it wasn’t going to be for too long. I knew I needed to stop being so dependent on him, but I couldn’t help falling for him and wanting to be around him twenty-four seven. I was stuck to him like glue and loved it so freaking much. I rolled over to find a note on his pillow.

  Good morning, baby!

  I love you.

  -Chase

  It was the first time he’d ever told me those three simple words and it was so romantic seeing them scrawled in his chicken scratch, but my ears longed to hear the words from his lips.

  Suddenly, the sound of the front door opening and shutting broke through my love-drunk daze and I leapt to my feet.

  “Is someone there?” I called through the shut bedroom door.

  “Hello?” a woman’s voice responded.

  After throwing my robe around my body and grabbing the baseball bat Chase kept next to our bed, I flung the bedroom door open. I was met with Chase’s same honey eyes as the woman cried out, “Who are you?”

  “I’m Nikki and this is my apartment. Who are you?” My voice was shaking as I gripped the bat tighter.

  “Hannah. Where is my brother?”

  As the dots connected in my head, I dropped my weapon. “Oh goodness, you scared the life out of me.”

  Her hand flew to her heaving chest. “You must be Chase’s girlfriend.”

  I nodded. “It’s nice to finally meet you. Chase talks about you all the time.”

  “I brought bagels. I feel awful that I keep missing his calls and wanted to bring a peace offering.”

  I followed Hannah into the kitchen. “That was so sweet of you. Unfortunately, Chase left this morning for an away game.”

  Her eyes got wide. “Oh crap! Is it Thursday already? The hospital has been changing all my shifts around and I swear I don’t even know which way is up anymore.”

  “Do you want coffee or anything?” I asked, pouring hazelnut grounds into the coffee machine.

  “That would be amazing. I have to be back for a shift in a bit so the caffeine would be most appreciated.” Hannah took a seat at the kitchen table and opened the brown bag full of different types of bagels.

  “Do you like plain, everything, or cinnamon raison?” she asked as she smeared cream cheese on her poppy seed covered pastry.

  “Everything, please.”

  We sat and chatted for the better part of an hour, and she told me all about how devoted Chase was to hockey even when he was a kid.

  “I have to say, I think he would have rather been an English or history teacher than a jock. Dad would not hear of that though,” Hannah stated while putting away the cream cheese.

  “I could see him as a teacher, for sure.” Thinking about all the times I’d watched Chase read from the other side of the couch, it really did make sense. I always loved catching him when he was really into a section of a book. He was so handsome with his thick-framed reading glasses, biting his lower lip as he sifted through the pages, not able to turn them fast enough.

  “This has been really great. I am sorry for just barging in like this, I just can’t believe my little brother is actually living with someone. I really am happy it’s someone as sweet as you.”

  I got up and hugged her. “That means a lot to me. I really do love your brother.”

  Hugging me back, she sighed. “It shows, and I couldn’t be happier for both of you.”

  My stomach started to churn a little and I leaned against the wall to catch my breath.

  “Are you all right?” Hannah asked, grabbing my wrist to check my pulse.

  I started to laugh. “Just a little bit of a stomach thing. Nothing to worry about. That was so doctor of you.”

  She blushed. “Habit.” Her eyes searched mine. “How long have you felt nauseated?”

  “Since last night. I think I just didn’t drink enough water yesterday. I don’t think it’s anything to worry about.”

  She tapped her finger to her lips. “Okay, but if you start to feel worse, you can give me a call. I can get you in to see a doctor pretty quickly, perks of the job and all.”

  “Thanks, I’ll keep that in mind.” I walked her to the door. “Maybe we could do this again sometime? I don’t have too many friends in the city other than dancers and your brother, and it would be nice to have another lady to talk to that wasn’t complaining about sore feet or being on a diet to cut weight for a performance.”

  “I would like that too.” With a quick smile, Hannah was out the door.

  After locking the deadbolt, I shot off a text to Chase.

  Me: Well, your sister knows I live with you now.

  Chase: What?

  Me: She tried to surprise you with breakfast and she was the one surprised to find your girlfriend here alone.

  Chase: How’d that go?

  Me: I almost bludgeoned her with your Louisville Slugger, but other than that, we got along swimmingly.

  Chase: haha I am glad you didn’t bash my sister’s head in. What did you think of Hannah?

  Me: That I am sad it took so long to meet her.

  Chase: She’s pretty awesome. We’re just getting to the hotel now. I will call yo
u later.

  Me: Sounds good. And…by the way…

  Chase: Yes?

  Me: I love you too.

  Chapter 11

  Nikki

  My stomach was still killing me as I started to stretch for practice, and I could feel every bit of my insides twisting and turning. I was sure I was every shade of green as I rushed out of the practice room, barely making it to the trashcan just outside the door in time. My abdomen was in knots as I dialed Lisa’s number, and she answered right away.

  “Hey, I think I have to head home sick. How do I do that?” I choked out while trying to wipe my mouth the best I could. A few girls walked by snickering and I rolled my eyes.

  “I am just finishing up a meeting with Serena. I will be right there.”

  It couldn’t have taken Lisa more than a few minutes to rush into the bathroom I’d staggered into next to the practice room where I was supposed to be doing pirouettes. I was splashing cool water on my face when I heard her voice come from behind me.

  “Stomach bug?” she asked, and I nodded my head.

  I pulled my hair out of its tight bun, trying anything to get more comfortable. “I thought it was lack of water this morning, but now I think I might actually be sick.”

  Juliette walked in and I was even more mortified. “Lisa? Nikki? Is everything all right?” Jules asked.

  Lisa shook her head. “No, Nikki is a little under the weather.”

  Juliette put her hand on the back of my neck. “I don’t think you have a fever, which is good.”

  “I have been feeling awful for days.” I whined.

  Lisa tapped her finger to her lips. “Have you been eating regularly? I know that how busy your schedule is, it’s easy to forget.”

  Toweling off my face, I nodded. “I am really good about that. I got really sick once from under eating and that is a mistake I will not make again.”

  Then Juliette gasped. “You’re not pregnant, are you?”