The Changeup (Men of the Show)

by Shaw, Rhonda

  As if they’d heard his thoughts, his cell phone rang and he grinned when he saw it was them.

  “Hey guys!”

  “Congrats, kid!” Chase could hear the excitement in his father’s voice. “How does it feel to shut down all those big hitters?”

  “Thanks, Dad. It feels awesome!”

  He heard some shuffling before his mom’s voice came across the line. “I’m so proud of you! You did wonderful!”

  “Thanks, Mom.”

  A click sounded and he knew his dad had picked up another phone in the house. “You kept your head on straight. I’m really proud of you, son.”

  “I wish you guys could have been here.”

  They murmured their agreement before his mom spoke up. “Is there something you need to tell us, honey?”

  “Tell you?” he asked with a frown. “What do you mean?”

  “Um, about the woman and child you pulled out of the crowd and, uh...kissed.”

  He sat dumbstruck for a second, trying to put the pieces together. He couldn’t figure out how his parents in Delaware had seen Maddie and Bree before it hit him. No doubt, multiple cameras had caught him kissing Maddie in the midst of the celebration and even though they only televised the game locally in the Detroit area, he knew his parents had paid for the baseball package with their cable in order to watch all of his games. He sighed. “Oh, uh...yeah. I have been meaning to tell you guys about her.”

  “Well?” his mom pushed. “You can tell us now.”

  “Anne,” his dad chided.

  “No, Dad, it’s okay. I should have said something before this. I just hadn’t gotten a chance. Her name is Maddie.”

  “And the child? Is that her...?” his mom trailed off, letting him finish the thought.

  “It’s her daughter.”

  “Her daughter? How old is Maddie?” his father asked directly.

  He sighed again. “Look, before we get into all that, I really want to tell you guys more about her, but I can’t right now, okay? I promise, I’ll tell you more about her.”

  “Chase...” his mom started, but his dad interrupted.

  “Anne, let the boy have his moment. Son, you go out and enjoy this and then get ready for the next game.”

  “I will, thanks, Dad. I’ll talk to you guys later.”

  Hanging up the phone, Chase leaned back in his chair with a sigh. It didn’t surprise him that his dad had cut right to the point, asking how old Maddie was as soon as he heard Bree was her daughter and not her niece or little sister or something. He knew he was going to have some work with his parents, especially his dad, to get them to accept her, but he thought their concern was going to be more around the timing of things and not her age. Once they met her they would love her, but they’d still be worried about any negative impact this could have on his career. He was going to have to prove to them that he could keep baseball and his love life separate, and one would not affect the other. Despite that, if his parents in Delaware had seen them kissing, he could only guess who else had. As difficult as it was going to be, he knew how to handle his parents; it was the rest of the unknowns he was worried about, specifically Lenore and Sandy. Now that their relationship was exposed, he could only hope it wouldn’t send Maddie running for the hills.

  Chapter Twelve

  After seeing Bree to bed, which had been uneventful thanks to the high emotions from the game having drained her, Maddie stood in her room contemplating what to change into before Chase arrived. He’d had an exciting night and she couldn’t have him losing the high he’d been riding once he spotted her in ratty sweats and an old T-shirt. No, she had to go with something that said, “Yes, my man, you’re going to get lucky!” even though her options were pathetic.

  Looking through her choices, which were a measly few since she hadn’t bought lingerie in many, many years, she settled on a halter baby doll in black lace with a matching thong, happy to find that they still fit. She grabbed a short, black satin robe that hung behind her closet door and slipped it on. Glancing into the mirror over her dresser, she gave her hair one last flip, dabbed a bit more lip gloss onto her lips and was satisfied with the results.

  When the trill of the phone rang out, she raced to the side of her bed to answer it before it could wake up Bree.

  “Hey, it’s me,” Chase said.

  “Hi! Are you on your way?” she asked, hoping to keep the uncertainty out of her voice. She’d feel like an idiot sitting in her thong only to hear he’d changed his mind and would rather stay at the bar with his friends.

  “Yeah, I’m on my way. I didn’t want to surprise you, though, and I didn’t think you’d want me knocking on the door or ringing the doorbell because of Bree.”

  “Good thinking,” she said with a silent breath of relief. “I’ll leave it unlocked and you can let yourself in when you get here.”

  “Sounds good. I’ll be there in like five minutes.”

  “Okay, see you soon. Don’t get a ticket or anything,” she teased.

  “It’d be worth it. See you in a second.”

  Maddie hung up the phone and walked out to unlock the front door before returning to her room to sit and wait on her bed. In what seemed like two minutes, a car pulled up and shut off its engine. She heard his footsteps approach and then the front door opening quietly. Standing up, she walked over to the doorway of her bedroom and watched as Chase shut the door softly behind him before looking up and spotting her. She took pleasure in the way his eyes visibly darkened as he let them slowly graze down, taking in the black satin that barely covered her thighs.

  “Hi,” he said finally, his voice rough and low.

  She smiled seductively as she slowly untied the belt of her robe. “Hello.”

  “Uh...” he stammered, swallowing thickly. “I had something I was going to say, but I seem to have lost all the blood in my brain.”

  Maddie opened the robe and slowly let it fall from her shoulders and onto the floor. When his eyes popped, she knew she’d chosen wisely.

  “Holy shit,” was all he said as he crossed over, causing her to step deeper into her room. Shutting the door behind him with his foot, he reached out and pulled her roughly against him. His kiss was greedy, all tongue and teeth and it spoke of possession. He was everywhere, overwhelming all of her senses so that she couldn’t tell where she ended and he began. Any control she’d had in the beginning she gladly relinquished to his demand.

  Lifting her up, he wrapped her legs around his waist as he pushed her against the closed bedroom door. Her arms twined tightly around his neck as his lips assaulted her neck, nipping any exposed skin he could find as his fingers tangled in her hair.

  Reaching back, she grasped for the tie of her halter top and started to tug. Chase caught her hand with his and held it above her head.

  “Leave it,” he demanded, his voice a low rumble.

  With his other hand, he tugged at his belt to loosen his jeans. Releasing himself, he scrunched up her top and shoved the thin lace of her panties out of the way. He drove into her and both of them cried out in the pleasure that quickly threatened to overwhelm them.

  “Fuck,” he groaned with his mouth close to her ear. “You make me insane.”

  Maddie mewled in agonized ecstasy. Never had she ever been so ravished, so completely devoured. Her body felt tingly and electrified from top to bottom. The air around them was so thick that she didn’t feel like she could completely fill her lungs and her breaths came in short gasps. She didn’t care what he did at this point, but all she knew was he couldn’t stop or she would go crazy.

  “Chase,” she moaned, begging. “Don’t stop, please.”

  Her plea sent him over the edge and he set forth a frenzied pace, slamming into her with powerful thrusts.

  She knew they were making a racket, banging relentle
ssly against the door, but she couldn’t stop even if she tried. Holding on tightly to his shoulders, she clung to him, unable to do anything more than receive what he had to give her. She felt buoyant, as if she was floating on air as she soared to the clouds until her release consumed her, igniting bright flashing stars behind her eyelids as she strained against the hard wood behind her.

  * * *

  Red-hot heat rushed through Chase so that there was no taming the fire that blazed inside him. He felt edgy and needy, like he couldn’t survive without touching and tasting her. The need to be with her was so powerful that it was painful, as if he was desperate to restore some vital part of him taken against his will. Somehow, his want for her grew each time he was with her and it didn’t appear as if it would ever be sated.

  Taking in a deep breath, his eyes sought out her face and in it, he saw the same desperation he felt. Her cheeks were flushed a bright red and her eyes were wild and fierce, the green of them so dark they looked like the night. The depth of her passion shot through him like a lightning bolt, causing his last thread of control to shatter.

  As Maddie’s orgasm rippled through her, he felt her contracting against him, holding him tight like a vise and urging on his release. On a low groan, he collapsed against her, his heart racing like a jackhammer inside his chest. He was sure he’d lost his mind, but he managed to widen his stance and balance her against his hip as he leaned back trying to catch his breath. It was then the cold shock of realization hit him—he had forgotten to use protection. No wonder everything had felt magnified in extremes, out of this world. It had been unbelievable, but what stunned him even more was that he didn’t really care. While he knew for sure he wanted to take their relationship to the next level, as crazy as that seemed, he wasn’t sure if Maddie was even on the same page. They hadn’t discussed things and so he had no idea if he was moving at lightning speed when compared to her. In no way did he want to force her into a position that she might not even want to be in, so he had to remind himself to slow down. This was just like a game. You couldn’t win a game by trying to rush through the motions or force a pitch over the plate. You had to get the mechanics right along with the pace and once that happened, everything else fell nicely into place.

  It was the same with him and Maddie. They had to work together as a team, but they weren’t there yet. He could toss out the pitches, provide the direction, but he needed her to be on the same page, otherwise it wasn’t going to work. And while he knew Maddie was the one for him and he wanted it all with her, he was afraid this was going to freak her out.

  Hanging his head, he shook it. “Shit.”

  Maddie lifted her head, taken aback by his tone. “What is it?”

  Stepping back, Chase gently placed her on the floor before pulling up his pants without buttoning them. He slumped down on the bed, running his fingers through his hair in irritation. Maddie knelt on the floor in front of him. “Chase, come on, you’re scaring me.”

  He finally looked up and gave her a small, helpless shrug. “I didn’t use a condom. I’m sorry, but with everything—the game, and then coming here, and you,” he said, as he waved his hand at her outfit, “looking the way you do, I lost my mind. It isn’t an excuse and I should know better. I’m sorry.”

  She sat back on her heels and gave his hand a little squeeze, forcing herself to ignore how her heartbeat skittered and her throat constricted with panic since there was nothing either one of them could do now. “Don’t beat yourself up about it. It’s on both of us, not just you. I got caught up in the moment as well.”

  “I should know better.”

  “We both know better and we’ll both be careful next time.” She gave him a smile. “I’m not trying to pin you down by getting pregnant.”

  “I know, I know.” Reaching down, he lifted her up off the floor and onto his lap. “You just look so damn sexy. It’s your fault.”

  Maddie laughed as she nuzzled his neck. “I don’t think so. It’s your fault for looking so appetizing in your uniform and standing up there on the mound looking so cocky and confident.”

  “Cocky, huh?” he asked with a chuckle.

  She trailed kisses down to his jaw line. “Yep. You stand there like you’re in command of the game. It’s very sexy.”

  Fisting his hands in her hair, Chase pulled her lips to his. “I’ll have to remember the next time I invite you to a game that I’m putting myself at risk of you attacking me.”

  She rose up on her knees and leaned over him. “It could be a problem.”

  “Tough problem to have.” Wrapping his arm around her waist, he flipped her onto her back and stretched out next to her. Moving a strand of hair away from the corner of her mouth, his expression was suddenly serious. “We have something else we need to talk about.”

  “Uh-oh. That doesn’t sound good.”

  “Good, bad.” He shrugged. “I’m not sure. My parents called me to congratulate me on the game and they asked if I had anything I needed to tell them.”

  “What does that mean?”

  “I wasn’t sure until my mom said ‘About the woman you kissed’.”

  He watched as she internally went through the same process of trying to determine how they’d been seen. When it clicked, she shot straight up, her eyes wide with shock. “The camera was on us?”

  “Yep.”

  “Oh...” she trailed off, obviously troubled by the thought.

  Chase watched as she processed everything. He knew she would now be worried about them being exposed to anybody that knew her, especially Sandy and Lenore, and how she would explain things to them. What he couldn’t be sure of, however, was if she was preparing herself for the fight or planning her flight, and that’s what concerned him. “Hey,” he asked quietly as he lightly tucked some hair behind her ear. “What are you thinking?”

  Maddie’s eyes were distant, but she quickly snapped back to the present as if just remembering he was there. “What did you say to them?”

  “I told them your name and that Bree was your daughter, and then my dad asked how old you were.”

  “And?”

  “And...” He took a deep breath, “I told them I would talk to them about it later.” When she started to say something, he quickly continued. “I didn’t want to get into it with them over the phone and I want to be able to tell them more about you before they jump to any conclusions.”

  She moaned and fell back with her hands over her face. “It’s starting.”

  Chase pulled her hands off her face and forced her to look at him. “Nothing is starting, Maddie. We eventually were going to have to get to this part. We’ll be fine.” At her look of doubt, he became insistent. “We will be fine. As long as we’re okay with it, right?”

  “Right, right,” she agreed halfheartedly

  “Maddie...”

  “I know. I’m sorry. I’m just nervous now. I wasn’t prepared for this so soon.”

  Rolling on top of her, he framed her face in his hands. “Let me make this easy. Do you want to be with me?”

  “Yes.”

  “Enough to deal with things that may get a bit uncomfortable?”

  “Yes.”

  “Then that’s all that matters.” He lowered his lips to hers and gave her a slow, deep kiss filled with passion and promise. When he pulled away, he rested his forehead against hers. “I don’t want to lose you over petty stuff, Maddie. I’m not going to let that happen.”

  She couldn’t respond. Looking at the deep intensity in his eyes, her heart lodged itself in her throat. How long had she wanted someone who would fight for her? Would do anything to be with her? Someone who knew what was important and what wasn’t? She had finally found someone and, of course, it wasn’t going to be easy. She’d promised him, and herself, she would stand up and fight. She wouldn’t let herself feel pressure fro
m anyone outside of her and Chase. As long as she had him on her side, she knew she could deal with whatever came at them.

  She finally smiled and kissed him lightly. “Me neither.”

  * * *

  A few days after Chase’s no-hitter had Maddie crashing down from her wobbly high. One minute she’d been smiling and humming as she started to prepare dinner. She’d looked out the window into her backyard, watching as Bree tossed a ball high into the air, and she’d thought, “It would be nice if she had a sibling to play with soon.”

  Almost immediately after the unfiltered thought had appeared, a flood of anguish washed through her and the next minute she felt like her world was collapsing.

  She was so happy with Chase that she’d forcefully pushed all the reasons why their relationship could never survive out of the picture. She’d even been able to get past the shock of seeing a huge picture of her and Chase kissing on the front page of the sports section. When she’d opened the paper and spotted it, she thought she was going to have a panic attack and had even freaked out on Chase when he’d called. But he, being true to form, took it all in stride and gently reminded her that this is what things were going to be like now. He’d been able to talk her down and once she’d calmed down, she’d let herself bask in the “rightness” of it all and believe that it could all be true. She had foolishly let herself believe that they could have a future together and now reality had returned to slap her in the face.

  Feeling shaky, she walked over to the table, slumped down in one of the chairs, and put her face in her hands. How could she have been so stupid...so selfish? The depth of despair that she felt when she thought of not having him in her life was nothing compared to the valuable time she was stealing away from him.