Shot Caller (A Bad Boy's Baby Novel)

by Masters, Colleen

  “Glover and O’Leary don’t have a choice,” Maddox grins down at me, “I’ve already gone over their heads.”

  “What?” I ask, totally lost.

  “I’ve just come from Dale Tucker’s office. As in our owner Dale Tucker,” Maddox says in a rush, “I explained the whole situation to him, Poppy.”

  “Jesus Christ, Maddox!” I exclaim, “What happened to us talking things over before taking drastic action?”

  “Listen, Poppy,” Mad says firmly, taking my hands in his, “If you’re not a fan of drastic action, then you have no business being with me. Which would be a shame, seeing as we absolutely have Dale Tucker’s blessing to carry on.”

  “We…He said…What?” I breathe, feeling the room spin madly around me.

  “Tucker thinks that our being a couple is the best publicity ploy he’s ever heard of,” Mad laughs, “His club needs all the headlines it can get, and an Empire romance would be a press-making machine.”

  “So would we be a couple then?” I press, “Or just a ploy?”

  “Both, I guess,” Maddox says, searching my face, “Tucker gets what he wants, the fans get what they want, we get what we want. Tell me that isn’t a win-win situation?”

  “It…It does sound like that,” I allow, feeling my heart swell in my chest, “But Mad, I thought…I thought you were through with me, after yesterday.”

  “What?” he says, genuinely surprised, “Why would you think that?”

  “I mean, we had that huge fight,” I tell him, glancing down at the kitchen tiles, “I insulted Charlie, the club…”

  “We both said some stupid shit,” Mad replies, lifting my chin and locking his grey-eyed gaze to mine. “But if we’re going to do this couple thing, Poppy, we need to be able to fight once in a while.”

  “I guess you’re right…” I tell him, feeling the corners of my mouth lift into a smile, “I still can’t get over you using the word ‘couple’ though.”

  “Don’t you worry,” he says, placing his hands firmly on my hip, “Just because we’re talking about being a couple, doesn’t mean we can’t keep fucking like it’s a dirty secret.”

  I clench my thighs together as a pang of longing swells in my core. I’m suddenly very aware of the fact that only a flimsy towel separates my body from Mad’s expert hands.

  “So we’re in the clear?” I ask, resting my hands on Mad’s muscular forearms.

  “As long as we can live with Tucker making us the poster couple of the Atlantic City Empire, then yeah…” Maddox replies, circling his arms around my waist, “Do you think you can live with that?”

  “I’m sure I could learn to,” I smile, pressing my body flush against his.

  “Good,” he growls, leaning down to whisper in my ear, “Because I’ve already gone two days without feeling you around my cock. I don’t think I could go another.”

  “That makes two of us,” I breathe, my back arching as Maddox reaches up under my towel and trails two strong fingers along the length of my pussy.

  “Think we can actually make it up to your bedroom this time?” he grins, rubbing his fingertips lightly across my clit.

  “We can try,” I laugh, clutching onto him as my knees threaten to buckle.

  All at once, I feel myself go airborne as Maddox lifts me up and drapes me over his shoulder. My towel falls away onto the kitchen floor as he spins me around and makes for the spiral staircase. This is really not how I pictured tonight going for me, but I’m sure as hell not complaining. Thanks to Maddox’s quick thinking, there may be hope for us yet. Not that I have any idea what I even want out of this relationship in the long-term, but in the short term my desires are perfectly clear. I want Maddox. All of him. As many times as possible. The rest, we can figure out later.

  “I guess this means our fight is over, then?” I gasp, as Maddox lays me out across my bed, naked and ready.

  “Almost,” he growls, shucking off his leather jacket and lowering his lips toward mine, “Though you’re forgetting the most important part of any fight.”

  “What’s that?” I breathe, fingering his belt buckle.

  “Makeup sex,” he grins, bringing his lips to my throat.

  “Of course,” I moan, as my hands run along his hard, throbbing length, “How could I forget that?”

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Poppy

  Well, I think to myself as I open my eyes Sunday morning, this weekend has been far more eventful than I anticipated.

  Since Maddox showed up to my beach house on Friday night, bearing a solution to our dilemma on a silvery platter, we haven’t been able to keep our hands off each other. The relief of knowing that our coupledom is sanctioned by the highest power in the Empire has unleashed a whole new wave of sizzling lust over me and Maddox alike. It’s a good thing I stocked up on groceries before this weekend, otherwise, I’m sure we would have forgotten to eat for three days straight. We’ve only come up from under the covers for food, water, and some much-needed showers—though those too just become opportunities for hot, sudsy fucks.

  I always thought that keeping our affair secret was part of what made it so hot—but being out in the open adds a heat all its own.

  Rolling over onto my back in the early morning sunlight, I can’t help but bask in the moment. I’ve got a gorgeous man in my bed, an amazing job that I might just get to hold onto, and a deliciously sore and sated body thanks to a few rounds in the sack last night. In short, I have no complaints.

  A wave of nausea takes me by surprise, and I swing myself to sitting on the edge of the bed. OK, so I do have one complaint. This weird stomach issue that first made itself known Thursday afternoon has been bugging me ever since. At first, I thought I’d made myself sick with the stress of Glover and O’Leary finding out about my affair with Maddox. But even now, after Dale Tucker has warmed to the idea of our relationship and shut down any objections, I’m still feeling queasy. Maybe I should sit down and have an actual meal that consists of something other than diner grub, red wine, or junk food.

  But not right this second, it would seem. Another rolling wave twists at my stomach, and I hurry across my bedroom and into the adjoining bathroom. Closing the door as quietly as possible, I kneel down in front of the toilet and let myself be sick, hoping not to wake Maddox. When the nausea subsides, I sit back on my heels and flush away the evidence of my sickness. I’m not prone to stomach problems—I’ve always had a belly of steel, and quite the appetite to boot. Oh, god. I hope this isn’t a gluten allergy I’m developing. What the hell would my life be without carbs?

  Walking over to the sink to clean myself up, I smile as a warm sea breeze drifts in through the cracked window. In just a week or so, it’ll be May. Spring will be in full swing. I can’t believe how far into the Empire’s season we already are. Not to mention how quickly the time is flying now that Maddox is in my life. The very thought of Maddox prompts me to grab my birth control pills out of the medicine cabinet and pop one into my palm.

  Glancing down at the rectangular sheet, I realize with a jolt that I’ve reached the end of this pack. All three rows of yellow pills are gone, and this one is the last of the white pills. How can that be possible? I should have gotten my period at some point this week. My cycle usually runs like clockwork, especially with the help of my birth control. I look up at my reflection in the mirror, projecting an extra two decades onto my 34-year-old face.

  My mind starts to spin dizzyingly as I examine my youthful features. I can’t be going through menopause already, for god’s sake! I’m still in my thirties! But isn’t there such a thing as premature menopause, too? Failure of the ovaries before the age of forty? But I’ve always been in such great health. There haven’t been any warning signs of…

  Suddenly, I feel as though the ground has opened up beneath me. Time slows to a crawl as I stare down at my flat stomach, then back at the toilet, and finally to the empty packet of birth control sitting on the counter. My mind fights like hell to keep my next thou
ght at bay, but it’s determined to smack me square between the eyes.

  Could I be pregnant?

  I brace myself against the bathroom sink, my arms trembling as they strain to hold up my stunned body. I can’t ignore the facts as they scroll like ticker tape through my mind. I should have gotten my period over a week ago. I’ve been feeling nauseous all weekend. Mad and I have been going at it like nymphomaniacs for the last month. Haven’t I been diligent about taking my pills since our affair began? Yes, of course. Except…

  “Except for that first night,” I breathe, staring at myself in the mirror.

  I hadn’t known for sure that night at the Tangier that I would end up sleeping with Maddox. Sure, I hoped something would happen between us, but there was no guarantee. We were both too caught up in the moment to remember a condom, and I know for a fact that I’d gotten lazy with my birth control in the years since my divorce. I hadn’t been in a steady relationship since Jason, after all. And I doubled up with condoms during all my flings. Before Maddox, that is. Could that one night of throwing caution to the wind have resulted in…in…

  “A baby?” I whisper, barely able to form the words.

  All my life, I’ve been of two minds about having kids someday. On the one hand, motherhood is always something I’ve wanted for myself. But on the other, my own desire for a child never felt like a compelling enough reason to justify bringing a life into the world. My own mother had me for the sake of keeping up appearances, filling the role society expected her to. I never wanted to have a child without carefully thinking it through. Jason and I started to talk about it when we were married, but I knew in my gut that he wouldn’t be a good father and partner. And I was right. This whole year leading up to my 35th birthday, I’ve been starting to let myself down easy, getting used to the idea that biological kids just might not be in the cards.

  Unless, suddenly, they are?

  A knock on the bathroom door nearly sends me through the ceiling. With my heart in my chest, I spin around to see Maddox stepping into the bathroom, his chestnut hair mussed from sleep. He raises an eyebrow at me, knowing at once that something is up.

  “You OK in here?” he asks, leaning against the doorway.

  “What? Me? Sure!” I squeak, my voice skyrocketing up by at least an octave. Way to play it cool, Abrams.

  “Right. You’ve totally convinced me,” Mad laughs, moving toward me across the small space. I hold my breath as he slips his arms around my waist, holding me close. “Seriously, though. What’s got you so jumpy?”

  “I…I’m just…” I stall, burying my face in his chest.

  “Are you nervous about tomorrow?” he asks, smoothing down my tousled hair.

  “Uh. Yeah. I guess I am,” I allow.

  It’s not a total lie. Tomorrow is the first day Mad and I will be back on the job after the fiasco with our bosses last week. Dale Tucker had a talk with Glover and O’Leary over the weekend, getting them up to speed on his idea to turn this affair into a publicity triumph. Thanks to Jason’s tip to the papers, rumors have been swirling around me and Maddox all weekend—speculation about our status as a couple, the club’s reaction, everything. But tomorrow, Dale Tucker himself will put out the word that Maddox and I are official. My life as I know it is going to change.

  Maybe in more ways than one, I think to myself, glancing over at the empty pack of birth control pills sitting on the bathroom counter.

  “Look,” Maddox says, lifting my chin, “I know it sucks, us giving up control to Tucker like this. But it’s the only way we could keep seeing each other without getting our arses kicked out of the Empire.”

  “I know. And I’m glad you went over Glover’s head on this,” I tell him, “It’s just…scary, is all.”

  “Sure it is,” Maddox grins down at me, “But what worth doing isn’t?”

  “Beats me,” I say softly, laying my cheek against his chest, “Beats me…”

  I force myself to take deep, steadying breaths as Mad runs his hands over my back. There’s no need to get ahead of myself, here. For all I know, my cycle is just messed up from the huge change in my schedule that’s come with this new job. Or the insane amount of sex I’m having all of sudden. I can’t just jump to the conclusion that I’m pregnant. That’s crazy. I can’t even take a test for another week or so, and god knows I’ve got enough excitement coming up with me and Maddox taking this thing public.

  “Just relax,” Mad murmurs, letting his hands slip over the rise of my ass. He tugs my body to his, letting me feel the impressive enormity beneath his boxer briefs.

  “I might need a little help,” I say softly, lowering my hands to his gorgeous member, “Relaxing, I mean.”

  “I’m sure I can be of some assistance there,” he grins, brushing my ash brown hair back behind my ear.

  I let my eyes flutter closed as he brings his lips to my neck, kissing down across my collarbone. His bare chest is warm against my cheek as I press myself to him, relishing the feel of his mouth against my skin. Slowly, I slip my hands under the band of his briefs, wrapping my fingers around his massive cock. I feel him grow stiff the instant I touch him—god, I love knowing how to turn him on.

  Maddox lets his hands run up along my torso, taking a firm hold of my tits as I work my hands along his cock. We moan as one as he kneads my tender breasts, running his thumbs across my hard nipples. I can feel myself getting wet as he kisses me deeply along my throat. His every motion sends any lingering worry flying out of my mind. When this man puts his hands on me, fuck if I can think of anything else.

  “I need you in my mouth,” I breathe, tugging down his briefs and letting his hard cock spring free. Pushing him back against the bathroom sink, I start to sink to my knees in front of him. But before I can take that glorious cock between my lips, he pulls me back to standing.

  “Wait,” he says, his voice low and rasping, “I have a better idea…”

  Taking my hands, Maddox leads me back to bed, his thick cock standing at full attention as we go. His grey eyes flare with passion and purpose as he rips my tee shirt up over my shoulders, tears my panties down with one swift motion. There’s fire in his gaze as he pulls me down into bed with him. Laying on his back, Maddox pulls me firmly onto him. I straddle my mountain of a man, letting the tip of his cock brush against the wetness between my legs. The lines of his innumerable tattoos seem to stand out in sharper relief when he’s this worked up.

  “You want me on top?” I grin, running my fingers along his sculpted, ink-covered pecs.

  “You could say that,” he murmurs, a crooked smile lifting his lips.

  Maddox grabs hold of my waist and spins me around as if I were weightless. He tugs my hips back, drawing my pussy toward his eager mouth. My back arches as he licks along the length of my pulsating slit, running his tongue along my pink, silky flesh. His cock stands just before me, begging for my touch. Leaning forward, I draw Mad’s throbbing head into my mouth, running my tongue all around his bell-shaped tip.

  His fingers dig into my waist as he delves deeper into my throbbing sex, stroking me from top to bottom with his masterful tongue. I wrap my fingers around his cock, working him hard as I take him further and further into my mouth. We unleash our mouths on each other, driving ourselves mad with the doubled sensation of giving as good as we get. I can feel my knees beginning to tremble as I careen toward orgasm, and I can tell by the very taste of Maddox that he’s close, too.

  “I need to feel you inside of me, Mad,” I moan, glancing back at him over my shoulder, “Can I?”

  “Fuck yes,” he growls, licking the taste of me from his lips.

  I raise myself above Mad’s staggering form, letting his cock graze against my pussy as I steady myself. Letting my head fall back between my shoulders, I slide myself inch-by-inch onto his thick, rock hard member. My mouth falls open as he collides with the very core of me. I’ve never felt him so deep inside of me before. We rock our hips as I ride him, bouncing on his magnificent cock as if it
were a bucking bronco. God knows, Maddox is just as dangerous as any angry beast of burden.

  My clit rubs deliciously against Mad’s thrusting cock as I lean back against him, pulling him as deeply into me as I can.

  “I’m right there,” I moan.

  “Good,” he breathes, holding my hips tightly, “I want to feel you come, Poppy.”

  “Tell me,” I gasp, bucking against him, “Tell me to come…”

  “I don’t think I’ll need to,” he murmurs.

  My breath catches as Maddox reaches around my body, laying two expert fingers over my hard, aching clit. A long, low cry rises out of me as he rolls that juicy button beneath his fingertips, sending his cock driving into me with all his might. The pressure that’s been mounting inside of me bursts like a ripe fruit, lavishing me with its thick sweetness. I brace myself against Mad’s perfect form as he comes deep inside of me. Every inch of me is filled with him. His come. His seed…

  “Holy shit,” I whisper, my entire body trembling as I fall back against Mad’s steady form.

  “I know,” he murmurs, kissing every inch of me he can reach, “Holy shit is right.”

  If only he knew the real reason for my wonder: the possibility that our passion has led to something even more incredible than the way we make each other feel. Suddenly, the notion of me being pregnant seems…right. Of course two bodies that ignite each other this way are bound to spark a miracle.

  Be careful Poppy, I warm myself, curling up against Maddox’s muscled side, Don’t get those hopes up. In either direction.

  Easier said than done.

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Maddox

  Walking into the training facilities on Monday with Poppy at my side is totally surreal. After keeping our relationship under wraps for all these weeks, it feels bonkers to flaunt it out in the open. Not that too many of my teammates are surprised. They could see the chemistry between Poppy and me from miles away. Especially Barlow, the center midfielder formerly known as Captain Ginger. He shoots me and Poppy a knowing glance from the locker room door as we arrive together. Hopefully, he saves the high fives for later.