Rookie Mistake: A Sports Romance Novel (The Beasts of Baseball Book 1)

by Ward,Alice

  The dark ambiance of the room was made more romantic by the flickering of candlelight and the soft music playing just in the background. It was almost too much with me sitting across from the handsome man from my dreams.

  “Are you worried that we’ll lose the case against Melissa? Is there anything that’s bothering you related to it?” His change of subject was a little surprising, but I was happy to go with it.

  “I’m not worried in the slightest. I want to go to your office after things settle down a little, and out to the cabin. I want to get the full picture to better understand anything they might throw up against us.” I swallowed the hot ball of nervousness in my throat and took a quick sip of my wine.

  “I’ll take you up to the office, and out to the mountains whenever you want to go. We might have to get the trip to the cabin okayed with the authorities. It would seem that they have a tight watch on my comings and goings.” He swirled the wine in his glass as his eyes remained on me.

  “I can make sure that happens. We’re going to win this case.” I pressed my teeth into my bottom lip and nodded. “We have no way to lose it now. I owe you a thank you for letting me push it.”

  “No, you don’t. I believe in you. I always have.” He pushed the bread basket toward me.

  “Then, when we were kids, why didn’t you say anything the day you left? I just need to know.” I took a roll and lathered it properly with butter before handing it to him. He seemed a little surprised by my offering, but took it nevertheless. I buttered another one for myself.

  “You deserved better than me, and I figured once you grew up that you would see me for who I really was, and leave. I honestly thought your affection for me was just part of a silly school girl crush. Are you saying it wasn’t?” He smiled, and my insides melted.

  “Not at all.” I picked up my wine and lifted the glass toward him. “To silly crushes. May they benefit everyone as much as this one is benefiting you.”

  *

  We enjoyed dinner a bit too much, and laughed the whole way back to the hotel as each of us told story after story on my brother. There was a lot to share, and a huge handful of years missed between the two of us. He touched my back as he opened the door to the hotel and chuckled once more.

  “That story of you in college with that frat house will be one I’ll remember forever. I’m not fond of them taking bets on getting in your panties, but you showing them up?” He laughed again and opened the door. “Hot. It’s just fucking hot.”

  I moved in and turned to stand in front of him as he closed the door. “You think so?”

  “I know so.” He reached out and touched the side of my face. “I want to pay you back for taking a chance on me. I want to give you something to remember that all of your personal sacrifice and hard work was worth it.” His voice grew deeper. “If I could give you anything… what would you want?”

  My heart almost stopped in my chest as I stood there, looking at the one thing I wanted. I would never tell him in a million years, but I sure as hell wanted to.

  “I don’t need money.” I cupped my hand over his and pressed my cheek against the roughness of his palm, brushing my nose by his fingers. “I don’t need fame.”

  He moved closer, sliding his free hand around my waist until it gripped me tightly. “What do you need?”

  “Warmth?” I’d had too much to drink. I knew the moment things were going to go too far, but I couldn’t force myself to stop it.

  “Love?” He moved closer, turning us and walking me backward until my back hit the wall behind me.

  “I don’t know about all of that. I want to feel needed, adored, worshiped.” I closed my eyes as his lips moved up my neck. “Not for anything more than pleasure.”

  “I understand so much more than you think.” He kissed my face just in front of my ear before licking it softly.

  I groaned and slid my hands around his waist, latching on tightly and pulling him in closer. “I want you.”

  “You’ve had too much to drink.” He sucked the flesh at the bottom of my ear into his mouth and my body flooded with desire.

  “I know. Take advantage of me.” I tugged at his shirt as he pressed the fullness of his thick body against me.

  “I want to.” He dragged his hand down my neck, over my shoulder, by my breast and down to my hip.

  “I need you too. I’ve wanted this for as long as I can remember.” I let out a soft cry as he slid his hands down my dress and ripped the hem up, pulling it up to my waist in one jerk and sliding his strong fingers around to grip my barely clad ass.

  “Your lust isn’t anything compared to mine, Alisa. Believe me.” He pressed his tongue to the base of my throat and ran his tongue up as his fingers slid into my panties.

  His strength was impressive as he picked me up and pressed me against the wall again. He urged me to wrap my legs around him, and he didn’t have to ask me twice.

  He moved to brush his nose past mine, and all hope was lost. Having his handsome face in front of mine left me with no reserve left where he was concerned.

  “God, I’m so fucking lost to you. Why?” I cried out softly as he ground against me, his thick cock pressing against the softness of my center.

  “Because we were supposed to be together, and I fucked it up. You know it would have been good. So good.” He pressed his lips to mine as his fingers slid against my wetness, one finger pressing deep into me as my breath lodged deep somewhere in my throat.

  There was a moment where I knew I had to push him away, or I would never recover. It was the thought that passed by just before desire to undulate my hips and ride his finger like the needy whore I was consumed me.

  I released myself to the fact that he could have anything from me that he wanted. We could figure out the rest in the morning.

  “So hot, Alisa. Let me lay you down and press my mouth to you. I want to taste you.” He licked at my mouth as he jerked his finger in and out of my body.

  I nodded and tightened my legs around him. “I want that.”

  “Of course you do, baby.” He chuckled low in his chest and moved us to the bed, laying me down and running his hands up my body, dragging the dress with it to reveal my white panties and matching bra. “I imagined red. This is much better. So beautiful.”

  Closing my eyes, I lifted my hips and tugged on his shirt as he groaned and made his way down to his knees at the edge of the bed. He licked at the side of my panties as his fingers dug into my thighs.

  “Zek. Fuck.” I squirmed and reached for my panties, needing to pull them back, but he popped my hand away.

  His tongue flicked along the tiny triangle covering me, and I cried out in frustration. Between the liquor and finally knowing that I was about to have the object of my lust between my legs for the night, I was hungry and demanding about it.

  “Tell me what you want, and I’ll give it to you.” His teeth pressed against my mound, and I arched my back and let out a shaky cry. “That’s it, Alisa. So incredibly sexy, baby. Tell me what you want. You want me to lick you here?”

  His finger dragged down my center as I shook. “Under my panties. Take them off. Please, just take them off.”

  “Of course.” He tugged them down, sliding his hands down my thighs to my knees, parting my legs and pressing soft kisses all around my need, but never giving in to me.

  “Zek. Stop fucking around and take me.” I glanced down and almost lost myself at the sight of him memorizing the most intimate parts of my body.

  The sexy smirk on his mouth left me coming undone. “You want me to make love to you, Alisa, or am I allowed to fuck you tonight?” His voice deepened, his tone darkened.

  I jerked back, crying out again. “Fuck me. God, please. Just fuck me.”

  His hand slid up my body, his fingers wrapping around my throat tenderly as he whispered something and pressed his warm mouth to my swollen flesh.

  It didn’t take but a few minutes, and fire burst deep inside of me, spreading out and teasing eve
ry nerve ending I had. I jerked and lifted up off the bed, letting myself drown in the deliciousness of it.

  Zek licked and sucked at my flesh until I pushed at his shoulder, begging him to stop.

  His tongue moved across his lower lip. “So delicious. I’ve wanted to do that all of my life.” He worked on his shirt and dropped his slacks and underwear as I crawled backward on the bed and pulled off my dress. I worked on my bra as he took a few seconds to roll on a condom before crawling up on the bed, but my eyes were only for him.

  His body was magnificent, so much better than anything I could have imagined on my own.

  I reached for him and pulled at the back of his neck as I moved to my knees. “My turn.”

  “Next time. I want to feel you wrapped around me.” He settled on top of me and pulled my knee up to the side, locking his thick arm under it and opening me wide. “If I hurt you—”

  “I’m not a girl. Shut up and fuck me.” I pulled him down and pressed my lips to his as he pushed himself inside of me.

  The groan that left both of us left me dizzy. I gripped him tightly and worked to suck on his tongue as he pushed again.

  He broke the kiss and locked gazes with me. “Almost there. Your body’s so tight. I love it.” He pushed once more, and I could feel just how incredibly large he was. I was completely filled and stretched to the limit.

  Moving down my body, he sucked one of my nipples into his mouth and started his assault, his thrust slow and deep.

  I moaned over and over, unable to help myself from expressing the intensity of his touch. My nails scored his back as he moved back up and made love to my mouth, his hands careful, his tongue soft and wet.

  The lower half of our bodies looked nothing like the top as he fucked me harder and harder. I screamed his name as I came, breaking the kiss and letting every part of me dive into the extreme pleasure he brought.

  “That’s it, baby. So beautiful. Come hard for me.”

  I arched my back and rode him from beneath as he gripped my hips hard and worked me through it, only intensifying the high. His words were sensual, his hands greedy, and his mouth hungry as he licked and bit at me while we fucked throughout the night.

  “More,” he grunted against my chest as he pressed into me again. “I wanna hear you come one more time. At least once more.”

  “Turn me over,” I whispered against the damp flesh of his neck.

  He moved back and I reached for him, missing his warmth immediately though I was the reason for its loss.

  His fingers dug into my hips as he rolled me over and pulled hard on my ass, forcing me to my knees as I slid my arms above me and curved my back as far as I could.

  “Fuck. You’re so far beyond anything I deserve, Alisa. Tell me you won’t run from this tomorrow. I’m not going anywhere. I want you in my bed every night. In my life—”

  “No!” I moved to my hands and pressed back, taking his cock back inside of me as I gritted my teeth and spoke with the fear that pumped through me. “Fuck me, and no more talking about anything else. I want this right here.”

  His hand slid up my spine, then back down to my ass. “Alright. Whatever you want.” He gripped my hips tightly as my upper body collapsed back on the bed.

  I closed my eyes, taking in every sensation as I let him have his way with me. When he collapsed, spent, I fell asleep underneath him, his warm body covering me, his smell staining me, his love destroying me.

  CHAPTER 6

  e

  Zek

  Two days later…

  The meeting with the Security and Exchange Commission was a blur, but Alisa handled most of the business anyway. I couldn’t seem to get my mind off of the sex we’d had the night before. I wasn’t an addict, but she had the power to quickly turn me into one. She’d done a good job of playing off the tension pumping through her the next morning when we’d woken together. I knew then that she had only bent, but hadn’t even come close to breaking.

  There had never been another woman I fit so well against, who gave me every ounce of what I needed in the bedroom, but she had. She was on my mind nonstop over the days after our trip to Austin. She’d feigned busyness with the trial and a few other cases, and where I knew it was true, I also knew that a lot of her ignoring me had to do with the feelings laying untouched between us.

  How could I offer her the world when I wasn’t sure if I’d have a shirt on my back in a few months? I’d picked up the phone a million times over the last two days, just wanting to hear her voice. Sleeping was out, and drinking was my go-to vice, though nothing dulled the desire I had pumping through me when I even began to think of her.

  I woke just before my alarm that morning, knowing it would be a long day due to having to meet with the press at ten. They were relentless, and I had finally caved to their desires. I wanted so badly to show the public that I wasn’t at all the monster I was being painted to be.

  Nothing about me had changed. I was still the man that half the city invested their money in and believe in from the on-start. The stories that were published over the last few weeks left me nothing like the man I’d built myself to be.

  “Today we set that straight.” I glanced in the mirror and smoothed down my shirt and tie. Some part of me knew that I should have involved Alisa or Lizzy in the press conference, but I wanted the public to see me as a man who could stand on his own. Besides, no matter how many times I analyzed it, I was still alone. Alisa had been avoiding me, and I guess by not reaching out, I’d been avoiding her too. I just didn’t need to hear that she regretted giving herself over to me for the night.

  My body hardened painfully as my mind danced through the long sweaty night, her cries for another round never leaving me for a minute. I almost didn’t think I’d be able to keep up, but about the time I felt like I couldn’t thrust again, she collapsed, sated and emotionally whipped. I held her while she cried and kissed her sweet face more times than I could count as she slept against me.

  Sorrow raged through me, but I forced it back down. I could lament and stew in my losses when I was behind bars from the SEC scandal. She hadn’t asked me about it, but I knew she had already deemed me guilty in her mind. Me not denying her soft accusations would lead her to believe I’d purchased the stock against inside-trader rules, and I had.

  I drove to the office in silence, letting my mind tear me down with one sweet memory after the next. By the time I pulled into my old parking spot, my chest ached, and I had little to no desire to defend myself of anything. I wasn’t just lusting after the beautiful blonde who’d left me needy and hard, but I was falling in love — again.

  The press met me at the door, shoving their microphones in my face, but I smiled and slipped inside. I pulled a list from my pocket and opened the door, lifting my hand as a security guard moved in to help me. Kellington Investments was still my company, and I still owned the big building we stood in the middle of. None of that had changed, though I was sure it was about to.

  “Carrington, Martin, Park, Terril and Jepson. I have you on the list. Please come this way, and hold your questions until it’s your turn.” I turned on my heel and thanked the guard before walking toward the elevator.

  The tension on the faces of the reporters when I turned to face them was almost too much. Three guys and two girls watched me as if I might sprout a second head and turn into a bird. It was disturbing, and yet society had forced these young people to rush after the next tragedy in order to be heard, to be seen.

  The elevator opened and I nodded. “Here we are. Please come this way and I’ll have you wait in a conference room. I’ll be talking to each of you individually. My partner, Jeffery Dallings, will be joining us.”

  A few started to ask questions, but I lifted my hand as I opened the conference room. “Follow the rules, or get out. It’s quite simple.” I gave a tight smile and let out a breath I didn’t know I was holding. It was going to be a long morning.

  *

  Alisa showed up at the office ju
st as the interviews were wrapping up, and she was less than happy with me. The security guard from downstairs walked her into the office as I watched the door close on the last reporter.

  “Zek. Why didn’t you tell me that you were talking with the press this morning?” She walked toward me with a grimace on her beautiful face.

  Jeffery stiffened next to me, and I forced a warm smile onto my lips. Just seeing her left me aching in ways I hadn’t ever remembered aching.

  “Jeffery, this is my legal counsel, Alisa Beeler. Alisa, this is my partner, Jeffery Dallings.”

  She extended her hand to Jeffery. “Alisa Manning from Dellup and Brown. Nice to meet you.”

  “I forgot about your last name changing. Forgive me.” I smiled and nodded toward my office. “Do we need to talk?”

  Jeffery shook Alisa’s hand and took a few steps back. “I’m heading out. Great job today. Hopefully, all of this is behind us. We’re routing for you, Zek. Let me know what I can do to help.”

  “Thanks, buddy. I appreciate you being here today.” I turned and pressed my hand to Alisa’s back, forcing her to walk down to my office with me. I was in a full business suit and more comfortable than I had been in weeks. She was in a pretty cream-colored dress that was professional, but sexy as hell. Of course, she could have been wearing a paper sack and I would have thought as much. I was in trouble. Deep trouble.

  She walked into my office and sat her briefcase down before turning on me. “Just because we’re getting closer doesn’t mean that I’m not still to be updated when something is going on. Your masculine need to be ballsy and prove yourself today could have cost us the case if you weren’t careful.”

  I stopped in front of her and slid my hands down her arms as she glared up at me. She was so much the woman I wanted that I couldn’t help but take my time to simply watch her.

  “Stop staring at me and say something!” She pushed at my chest.

  I tightened my grip and leaned down, pressing my lips to hers and forcing her against me. She struggled for only a moment before she relaxed and snaked her arms around my neck. Her tongue pressed deep into my mouth, and I reached up and tugged on her bun as I licked and sucked at her delicious mouth.