Balls (Cruz Boys #1)

by Danielle Slater

  “Congratulations, little brother!” Dante said as he stood up and rounded the table. He wrapped Leo in a hug and then pulled me in as well.

  “Welcome to the family, Alex,” he said. “I couldn’t be happier for you two.”

  Gio reached across the table and patted Leo’s and my hands.

  “You two could’ve been so happy together,” he said.

  “Ignore him,” Leo said. “He has a mental affliction that prevents him from being likable.”

  Gio grinned and clapped his hands. “Seriously, that’s cool. I can’t wait to babysit!”

  Gio babysitting our newborn?

  “Yeah,” I said, “our people will call your people.”

  “They have my digits, right?”

  “I don’t think so,” I said, “and I’m okay with that.”

  He laughed and leaned back in his chair grinning at both of us.

  I glanced at Josh and paused. His normally bright expression was clouded over. His mouth was twisted up in a grimace. He picked at his Spaghetti Bolognese and didn’t look up.

  Leo wrapped an arm around him. “Hey Sport, aren’t you happy for us?”

  Josh dropped his fork and it clattered to the plate.

  “Yeah, sure,” he said. “Whatever.”

  Leo cupped his cheek and turned his head to face him. “Listen to me,” he said. “Alex and I having a baby changes nothing between us. Do you understand that?”

  Josh shrugged and blinked hard as tears welled up in his eyes.

  Leo kissed his forehead. “You know I’ll never give up on you, don’t you?”

  Josh nodded.

  Leo wiped away a tear with his thumb and then pulled Josh close under his arm.

  “Think you could be a good big brother?” Leo asked him.

  Josh looked up in wonder.

  “I know,” Leo said. “It’s a big responsibility. Ask Dante. He did a terrible job.”

  A laugh that sounded like a frog croaking bubbled out of Josh’s throat.

  Dante ruffled Josh’s hair. “Stick with me, Josh,” he said. “I know all the tricks. These two have no idea.”

  Gio tossed a bread knot into Josh’s lap.

  “Hey! You gotta do better than Dante did! I’m damaged goods over here thanks to him.”

  Leo squeezed Josh on one side and me on the other.

  I reached across his waist and intertwined my fingers with Josh’s.

  “I need your help,” I said. “I have no idea what to do with a baby.”

  Josh considered and then brightened. “Well, I’ve been around a few. You wouldn’t believe how something so small could poop so big!”

  I was going to be a mother.

  To my baby.

  And maybe to this beautiful young boy that wanted nothing more than to be loved.

  What did I do to be so fortunate?

  “So, uhh,” Josh said, “if you’re gonna be, like, my mom or something, does that mean I can’t say you’re hot anymore?”

  I laughed so hard I did the farm animal snort thing.

  “We’ll figure it out.”

  CHAPTER FIFTEEN

  Leonardo

  The sun peeked up over the level horizon of the Balearic Sea. I stood at the railing, listening to the crash of the surf below and the squawk of seagulls pursuing their morning meals. The sun rose on a new day and I couldn’t help but feel a kinship.

  Alex was an amazing woman. Being around her was better than the best I’d ever known. The future I didn’t know I needed was the one I wanted most now.

  I glanced over my shoulder and watched her sleeping peacefully under a blanket with a huge lion printed on it.

  If she didn’t wake up walking funny, I wasn’t the man I thought I was. But even that didn’t capture the whole truth.

  I was a better man with her. A man my parents would’ve been proud of.

  A man I was proud to be.

  And now I was going to be father.

  I gripped the railing as my heart squeezed tight.

  Could you prepare for that kind of news?

  Not that I’d tried, but still. It was the kind of thing that was gonna be a shock no matter how you approached it.

  What a wonder.

  And then I experienced the strangest feeling in the world.

  She chose me.

  I didn’t know what stars and planets had lined up into what configuration, but for some reason she chose me.

  I couldn’t have been more grateful.

  Talk about strange feelings.

  Alex’s eyes fluttered and slowly focused on the waking world.

  God.

  She was gorgeous.

  Even with the sun’s rays catching the arc of the sky above, her amber eyes sparkled. They regarded me with an intensity that was both unsettling and thrilling.

  A tingling spark erupted in my groin.

  She had that effect.

  I took a seat next to her head and she scooted into my lap. Her lustrous black hair spilled over my legs. She looked up with mischievous eyes.

  “This pillow is kind of lumpy,” she said.

  I laughed and tried to scoot so she was resting right on top of my growing erection. I took her hand and kissed it.

  “Good morning, beautiful.”

  Her smile warmed my soul.

  I took her hand and kissed the open palm. “Did you sleep well?”

  “Did we sleep?” she asked.

  My heart almost burst with adoration. “A couple of hours maybe.”

  A crooked smile crept across her face. “A couple of wasted hours if you ask me.”

  “We need to sleep occasionally. But the good news is that we have all day.”

  Her smile melted away.

  “What?” I asked.

  “I hate to be the bearer of bad news,” she said. “But I have to fly to Madrid this evening for an interview. A last minute request from Mr. Garcia. He wants me to do a quick piece with the president of FIFA about the upcoming World Cup.”

  No.

  She wasn’t going anywhere.

  How could I phrase that so she would accept it?

  I knew saying no straight out would make her dig her heels in harder. A more sophisticated approach was required.

  “Should you be flying with a baby in your belly?”

  She rolled her eyes. “You don’t know a lot about this process, do you?”

  “I could write volumes about getting here, but the actual arriving is a first for me.”

  She slapped my chest so hard it made the skin pink.

  “I don’t walk to talk about your sordid past!”

  I laughed and squeezed her tight. “You asked! Indirectly, at least.”

  “Moving on,” she said. “Flying is perfectly safe for an expectant mother. Besides, that’s not even a consideration until the last month.”

  Dammit. That didn’t work. What else?

  “Come on,” I said. “It’s Saturday. It’s date night.”

  “We’ve been together every night for the past few weeks.”

  “I mean out out. Dancing. Excessive PDA. Pushing the story about how I’m such a great guy.”

  “Well, you are right. You don’t get a lot of coverage stuck in your hotel ordering room service to survive.”

  “Exactly. We have–”

  “We can go out tomorrow night. I’ll be back Sunday afternoon.”

  There was no use arguing. She had a fire to push her career and I respected that. But I still wanted to throw a tantrum. I’d never felt more childish. I wanted what I wanted because it was what I wanted.

  Why couldn’t she understand that?

  “Fine. I’ll figure out something to do all by myself on a Saturday night.”

  She lifted her head and stared into my eyes. “You’d better be good, Mr. Lion of Spain.”

  I chuckled. I hadn’t meant it like that, but if a little healthy jealousy made her cancel the trip, I was all for it.

  “Me? Of course, I’ll be good. It’
s all those sex-crazed women chasing me that I’m worried about.”

  She grabbed my cock and squeezed it hard.

  It would’ve been painful if it didn’t feel so damned good.

  “This is mine,” she said. “If any of those skanks get near it, I’ll tear them apart. And then I’ll come after you.”

  “You never come after me,” I said with a grin.

  “I’m serious.”

  I whipped off the blanket revealing her deliciously naked body. I scooped her up and straddled her legs over me. She smelled sweet and musky all at once.

  My cock twitched and sent my brain an urgent SOS. Something about sinking into her silky warmth.

  I hugged her tight and reveled in the feel of her full breasts flattening on my chest.

  “My lioness roars.”

  She did her best roar and it came out sounding more like a bullfrog’s croak.

  “I’ll work on it,” she said.

  Alex traced the lion on my chest, my animal spirit inked for all to see.

  “I mean it, Leo. You have to be good.”

  “I’m messing with you. I’ve only got eyes for you. Every other woman in the world may as well be a sexless eunuch as far as I’m concerned.”

  She crinkled her nose in disgust. “Thanks for that image, but that’s not what I’m talking about. I’m talking about your image with the public.”

  “Oh, that’s a lost cause,” I said.

  “It is not. But it takes time to turn around something that dysfunctional.”

  “Are we talking about my image, or me?”

  “I’m talking about you staying home on a Saturday night for once in your life. Stay home, watch a movie, drink beer, listen to music, whatever. If you’re lucky, I’ll call you and phone sex you.

  “Really?”

  That sounded fun.

  “I’ve never done it before so it would probably make you laugh more than anything.”

  “I’ll take my chances,” I said.

  “I’ll think about it,” she said.

  She kissed my lips and I hoped that was a signal that breakfast was ready to be served. She pulled back before I’d had my fill.

  “Leo, don’t get into trouble. Okay?”

  “Yes, ma’am. One thing though,” I said. “You gotta leave me something. I’m gonna miss your taste, your scent.”

  “I would’ve considered leaving you my panties but you have a habit of tossing them over the railing.”

  “Yeah, in hindsight, that wasn’t the best choice.”

  She tapped my chest, right on the forehead of the lion.

  “That’s what I’m talking about, Leo. You have to use your head to stay out of trouble.”

  * * *

  I couldn’t remember the last time I’d spent a Saturday night twiddling my thumbs and watching the clock wondering when I could justify going to bed.

  It wasn’t like I didn’t need the extra sleep.

  But something inside me rebelled against the thought of turning in so early when the weekend was normally two days of lively fun.

  I’d endured a few weeks of torture at practice and indulged in the same of all-night marathons with Alex. Sleep was just what the doctor ordered.

  But I never followed orders.

  It was one night. Why was I making such a big deal of it?

  I kicked off my shoes and decided to go for a swim. A couple hundred laps would be just the thing to relax.

  My mobile rang and Rodrigo’s number popped up on the screen. This was the last call I should’ve been answering if I was trying to be a good boy on a Saturday night. At the same time, he was my best friend and I had the biggest news in the world bursting out of my chest.

  I answered it.

  “Lion!” He said. “Dude! We haven’t hung out in years. That hot little package has got you all bundled up.”

  “You don’t know the half of it, man.”

  “She on your pole right now? Come on, is she? Tell me what she’s doing.”

  “Shut up, you sick bastard,” I said. “She’s not here tonight. She had to fly to Madrid for work.”

  “Dude! Then why aren’t we chugging beers right now?”

  “I’m busy.”

  “What do you mean you’re busy? Unless you’re busy dipping your wick into that chocolate wax, I don’t want to hear about it.”

  “I’m staying home tonight,” I said. “You know, just chillin’.”

  The phone went quiet.

  “Did she tell you to stay home?”

  “What are you talking about, man? I wanted to stay home for once. No big deal.”

  “You fucking liar! You pussy-whipped little bitch! She’s got you leashed and potty-trained already!”

  “Fuck you,” I said. “Nobody tells me what to do.”

  “Sounds like the lioness is running the show,” he said. “I never thought I’d see that day when Leonardo Cruz—“

  “Would you shut up for second?”

  “Oh, sure. I’ll shut my mouth so I can hear what a meow sounds like coming out of yours.”

  “I’m gonna remember that at practice on Monday,” I said. “The Lion’s gonna take a bite out of your ass.”

  Rodrigo laughed and I heard voices of some of the other guys in the background.

  “Listen,” I said. “I have some big news.”

  “I’m messing with you, bro,” he said. “What’s up?”

  I hesitated. I wanted to scream from the top of my lungs but at the same time I felt like letting the news escape into the wider world would somehow make it too real.

  Nah, I was just getting too heady about the whole thing. That’s what happened when you hung out by yourself all night. No good came of it.

  “I’m waiting,” Rodrigo said.

  “You’re not gonna believe this.”

  “Yeah? Try me.”

  “I’m gonna be a father.”

  There was a long, quiet pause.

  “Was it an accident?”

  “No, you son of a bitch! I couldn’t be happier!”

  “Oh, okay. That’s great news! Hold on a second.”

  I yelled into the phone but it was too late. His distant voice related the news to whichever of my teammates was with him. A chorus of shouts erupted.

  Fantastic.

  “Congratulations, man! I figured one of us was gonna have to walk that plank eventually. I’m glad it was you first.”

  “Very funny,” I said.

  “Bro, come have a beer with us! We gotta celebrate! It ain’t every day The Lion of Spain has his first kid…that we know of.”

  “Very funny,” I said.

  But it was true. I did feel like celebrating. A couple of beers raised in honor of my future child couldn’t hurt.

  Hmmm.

  Alex wanted me to stay put. The problem was she didn’t think I could handle myself.

  I knew I could. I’d been doing it my whole life.

  Besides, what better way to prove her wrong?

  “Come on,” Rodrigo said. “One beer so I can congratulate my best friend on some big news.”

  “Fine,” I said. “One beer and that’s it.”

  “Scout’s honor,” he said.

  “Where are you guys?”

  “The Thirsty Hole. It’s a new bar just opened on Las Ramblas. I’ll text you the address.”

  “Sounds good. See you in half an hour.”

  I hung up and sucked in a breath of fresh ocean air. It felt good to be going out. Not to be all cooped up like a rooster with his cock cut off.

  One beer, maybe two. High-fives and hugs and then back home.

  What could go wrong?

  * * *

  I cracked open my third beer with only the slightest pause of hesitation. It was three beers. I was well under my limit. I’d knocked back a dozen or more on countless nights and never went to the stupid place.

  The sappy I love you guys phase.

  Three beers?

  No big deal.

 
Rodrigo and I were kicked back with our feet up on the table in a private room at the back of the bar. The rest of the guys were out in the main area fishing for a hot catch.

  There were a lot of fish in the sea tonight.

  “Thanks for getting me out,” I said.

  He shrugged. “Just wanted to celebrate with my best friend, that’s all.”

  He raised his beer bottle and smashed it against mine so hard a shard of glass cracked off and tumbled to the table.

  “To being a dad,” he said. “To being responsible and all that shit.”

  “You make it sound so appealing.”

  I rotated the bottle around and carefully took a drink to avoid slicing my lip. The bottle was bad but the beer was still good.

  “I don’t mean to be a shithead,” he said. “I’m in shock. That’s all.”

  “Yeah, it was a crazy surprise for me too.”

  “I’ve never seen you like this, man.”

  “You and me both.”

  “What is it about her?”

  “I can’t explain it. When I’m around her, I feel like a part of my life I didn’t know was missing is suddenly there.”

  “Are you messing with me?”

  He didn’t get it. He hadn’t met his Alex yet. If I hadn’t met mine, I’d still be just as clueless.

  “She’s got the sweetest honeypot I’ve ever tasted.”

  He nodded and knocked back the rest of his bottle. Some dribbled down his chin, and he wiped it away with a sleeve.

  “I knew it,” he said. “You found yourself some magical pussy.”

  It sounded stupid, but he wasn’t wrong. Alex’s pussy felt like the home I never knew I was missing.

  “I’m happy for you,” he said. He grinned wickedly. “More fish in the sea for me.”

  “Don’t get too excited,” I said. “You’re still fishing with a tiny, little hook.”

  He was mid-drink on a fresh brew and busted out laughing. The swallow of beer in his mouth spewed out over the table. He choked and gagged and laughed harder still.

  Damn, it was good to be having a beer with a friend.

  The door to the back room flew open and a teammate ran in screaming, “We need back up out here! Martinez is mouthing off to some drunk Irish fucks, and they’ve mentioned more than a few times how pissed they are that we knocked them out of the World Cup this year.”