The Perfect Game: A Complete Sports Romance Series (3-Book Box Set)

by Samantha Christy

  “We do warm up. I do it with earbuds in.”

  “And they let you do that?”

  He laughs. “Murph, if they think that we think something will make us perform better, they will bend over backwards to make it happen. Especially when we’re on the road.”

  I lay my head back down on his chest, not wanting to think about him being on the road.

  “What is it?” he asks. “I just felt you tense up.”

  I shrug into him. “I guess I’m just not sure what comes next,” I say. “What are we going to do when you have to travel all the time? We’ll never see each other.”

  He kisses the top of my head. “We have over two months to figure that out, babe.”

  “Two? I thought baseball season didn’t start until April. That’s four months away.”

  “It doesn’t, but spring training starts around the third week of February.”

  “Oh, well, how bad can it be? It’s just a bunch of practices, right? We’ll still get to see each other. That is unless they have a no-girlfriends rule or something.” I suddenly get a bad feeling in the pit of my stomach. I look up at him. “There isn’t a rule, is there?”

  He chuckles, his chest bouncing under me. “No, there’s no rule.”

  “But what about you?” I ask. “I remember you once telling me you didn’t want a girlfriend because you didn’t want distractions. What if I’m a distraction, Caden?”

  His hand rubs up and down my arm. “You are anything but a distraction. You’re my good luck charm, remember? But, Murph, spring training isn’t here in New York. It’s in Florida.”

  I sit up and pull the sheet around me. “Florida?”

  He runs a hand through his hair and then sits up against his headboard. “Yeah. We’ll be down there for about six weeks.”

  I sigh. “I guess six weeks isn’t so bad.”

  He pulls me to him, settling me between his legs so my back is resting on his chest. “You could go with me.”

  I glance back at him, giving him a look. “I have a job, Caden. One I like very much.”

  “I know,” he says. “How about I fly you down every weekend then? I’m in tight with one of your bosses, so maybe he’ll agree to let you fit your hours into four days or something.”

  I shrug. “We’ll see. We have some time. We’re not even sure where this is going yet.”

  “This? You mean us?” He surprises me by turning me around and pinning me down onto the bed. “This is going all the way. All nine innings.”

  I smile. “You say that like you know we’ll be together. But we’ve just gotten started. How can you be so sure?”

  He leans down to kiss me. He starts out softly, kissing each side of my mouth and then my top lip, followed by my bottom. He kisses my cheeks, taking extra time over my imperfections. When his lips move back to mine, he devours my mouth with his tongue, exploring, tasting, savoring.

  When he’s kissed me breathless and is growing hard on top of me, he pulls away, running a finger across my scar. “Don’t you know by now that you’re my perfect game?”

  I’ve known him long enough to understand what saying that means to a guy like Caden. A guy whose whole life has been dedicated to one thing. I look into his eyes and see how much he means it.

  A knot forms in my throat as I feel emotion pass between us. My eyes pool with tears. “Getting hit by your ball was the best thing that ever happened to me.”

  He nods and I can tell he’s trying to keep his emotions in check. “I … I’m not good at this romance stuff, Murph. I never wanted to be good at it. You’ve changed everything for me. I know I freaked you out last week when I told you like wasn’t a strong enough word. After that, I promised myself I wouldn’t move too fast and risk scaring you. But if I’ve only got two months to convince you this is real—that you’re it for me, then I’m not holding back. Because I’m pretty sure I love you, Murphy Brown. And I don’t know if me saying that is going to make you run out that door or not. But if you do, I’ll chase you. I’ll always chase you. And I’ll make you realize you need to be with me. I’m never going to be happy that I hit you with my ball, but now I know it was fate. The beautiful scar on your face brought us together. And every time I look at you, all I see is a reminder. A reminder that you belong to me.”

  I can’t even see him clearly anymore with the steady stream of tears escaping my eyes. I gently push him off me and get out of bed.

  “Shit, Murphy, I’m sorry.”

  I pick up the unused condom he threw on the floor and climb back into bed, right on top of him, smiling. “Whoever told you you’re not good at the romance stuff is wrong. Is there anything you don’t excel at?”

  He laughs. “Damn, woman. You scared me for a second.” His eyes fall to my breasts that are dangerously close to his face now. “You’re not mad?”

  “Mad?” I lean down and feather kisses along his jaw. “How could I be mad when I feel the same way?”

  His breath catches and he cups my face in his hands, forcing me to look at him. “I’m going to need to hear you say it.”

  More tears threaten to fall. “I love you, Caden.”

  His eyes close briefly and he sighs. “Again.”

  “I love you, Caden Kessler.”

  “I never thought I’d want to hear those words,” he says, brushing some hair out of my face and tucking it behind my ear. “And now, I hope I never have to go a day without you saying them.”

  “This is going to work, isn’t it?” I ask hesitantly. “We’ll be apart a lot of the time, but we can make it work, can’t we?”

  “We have to make it work,” he says. “Us not working is not an option.”

  I hold out the condom. “Then we better get started, because I plan on showing you over and over what you’ll be missing when we’re apart.”

  He takes the square package from me, leaning up to give me one more kiss. “We may not always be in the same city, Sweet Caroline. But we’ll never be apart.”

  We stop talking. But we don’t stop telling each other everything we need to hear.

  Chapter Forty-three

  Caden

  My eyes scan the arrivals terminal as people make their way to the luggage carousels. Every time I see a head of blonde hair, my heart jumps. And maybe another part of my anatomy as well.

  It’s been three weeks since we’ve seen each other. We just haven’t been able to get our schedules to mesh. Taking on more responsibility at the gym means it’s harder for her to get away. But now she’s on vacation and I get her for an entire week.

  I used to love spring training. Being down in Tampa for six weeks when it’s bitter cold up north was just another perk of the job. But this year is different. This year I have someone to go home to. Someone who is waiting for me.

  A smile splits my face when I see her. When she notices me standing here, her steps quicken and she walks as fast as she can without running. Our eyes are locked together. Hundreds of people surround us, yet we only see each other. I want to go to her but security would probably apprehend me.

  I start laughing when I realize what she’s wearing. Shorts. A halter top. Flip flops. Appropriate attire for Florida, but not for New York City the first week of March. She must have frozen her butt off in her excitement to get here.

  She passes security and jumps into my waiting arms, wrapping her legs around me. Cameras come out and photograph us, but I don’t care. In the past four months, we’ve graced the covers of so many tabloids it doesn’t even bother her anymore. Just like everything else in her life, she’s taking this in stride.

  We kiss like we’ve been apart for three decades, not three weeks.

  This, right here, makes everything worth it.

  When we finally pull apart and I return her to her feet, she tries to compose herself. “Well, that ought to give them something to write about,” she says, nodding at the paparazzi who caught wind of us.

  Several photographers follow us as we retrieve her suitcase and walk out t
o my rental car.

  “Caden, is there a wedding in the future?” one shouts.

  “Miss Cavenaugh, does it bother you that he’s down here bar-hopping?” another asks.

  Having heard enough, I turn to them. “I haven’t seen my girl in weeks. We’ll be happy to pose for a photo if you’ll then give us our privacy.”

  Murphy pastes on her best model smile as the cameras snap repeatedly. Then, just as asked, they leave us alone. Sometimes I find it easier to give them what they want rather than try to fend them off.

  I open the door for her and she gets in the car. “It’s not true, you know. I don’t go bar-hopping. I mean, I’ve been to a few bars, but I’m not out trolling or anything.”

  “Caden, I don’t expect you to sit in your hotel room twiddling your thumbs while you’re down here. I hope you’re going out with your friends. You deserve to have a little fun after working so hard.”

  I stick my head in the car and lay a kiss on her. “Are you for real?”

  “I’m for real in love with you, Kessler.”

  I smile, knowing she’d find some way to tell me she loves me. She does every day. “Right backatcha, Murphy Brown.”

  I walk around the car and get in, starting it up and backing out.

  “Where are we going first?” she asks in excitement.

  I stare at her. I sure as hell don’t need words to tell her what I have planned.

  She wiggles out of her flip flops. “Okay then, I guess the beach will have to wait.”

  “I have big plans for us and the beach,” I say. “But not today. I don’t have the tent with me.”

  “You have a tent? Why do you have a tent?”

  “You don’t expect me to make love to my girl out in the open do you? That shit would end up on YouTube.”

  I glance over to see her swallow. Hard. “We’re going to make love on the beach?”

  “It’s one of your fantasies, isn’t it?”

  “Well … yes, but—”

  “But nothing. It’s happening. I even got a tent that opens at the top for star-gazing.”

  “It sounds like you thought of everything,” she says, smiling.

  “I did. Wait until you see the hotel suite. We could hole up in there all week and never leave. I’ve stocked it with all your favorite snacks and drinks. And with room service … hell, we won’t even have to get out of bed until Monday.”

  She reaches over to grab my hand. “Sounds like the perfect vacation.”

  I laugh, settling our entwined hands on her bare leg. “Don’t worry, babe. I’ll get you to the beach. Maybe you can hang out there when I’m at practice.”

  “That might be okay for a day or two, but I’d also like to watch a few practices if that’s allowed.”

  “Of course. Anything you want.”

  Her phone chirps with a text. When she looks at it, she seems upset.

  “What is it?” I ask.

  She shakes her head. “It’s Tony. He says he wants to talk to me.”

  “Give it to me,” I say, reaching over to get her phone. “I’ll text him. I’ll tell him where he can shove his misguided attempts at extortion.”

  She holds the phone out of my reach. “You are not going to text him, Caden. I don’t care what he wants, I’m not even going to answer him. Plus, you’re driving.”

  “I wasn’t going to text him this second,” I scoff at her. “I’m not stupid, you know.”

  She taps around on her phone. “Problem solved,” she says. “I blocked his number.”

  “How does that solve the problem, Murph? It’s not like he’s some random caller. He has your number. He can call it from anyone’s phone.”

  “Well, it solves the problem for now,” she says. “And if he keeps texting from another phone, I’ll turn the thing off. He’s not going to ruin my vacation.”

  A few months ago, the snake contacted her, threatening to sue her for throwing his home run ball out the window. He said he could have gotten money for it so she should pay him to compensate. Asked her for a few thousand dollars. It was ridiculous. I hadn’t even signed it. I wonder what other scheme he’s come up with now.

  I’ve considered filing a restraining order against him, but Ethan said if he hasn’t physically threatened her, they won’t issue one. So, the prick continues to be a thorn in my side.

  We pull up to the valet parking at the hotel. I pop the trunk and leave her suitcase for the bellhop so I can quickly get us through the swarm of the dozen-or-so girls who have decided to camp out in front of the hotel this afternoon.

  I get no less than two marriage proposals on our way by. But it’s not those that bother me. It’s the remarks about Murphy. Girls asking why I’m with her when they can offer me a perfect face. It takes a lot of willpower not to stop and tell them off. But I learned a long time ago, that won’t accomplish anything.

  Once we’re safely inside, Murphy asks, “Do you have to deal with that every day?”

  “Pretty much.”

  “That’s awful. Can’t the hotel do anything about it?”

  “If the fans get unruly, they will ask them to leave. But they always come back. The hotel does a good job of keeping them out of the lobby, but sometimes an overzealous fan will slip by them, going to great lengths to pretend to be a guest.”

  Murphy gives me an incredulous look. “What’s wrong with people?”

  I grab her hand and lead her into the elevator. “You know as well as I do, everyone wants a slice of the pie.”

  “People suck,” she says.

  I cage her into the corner of the elevator, not wanting to wait another minute to kiss her again. “You don’t suck,” I say, looking down on her.

  “You don’t suck, either,” she says, pulling my head closer to hers.

  When my lips are about to touch hers, I say, “Now that we’ve cleared that up, what are we going to do with each other?”

  “Anything,” she says, longingly. “Everything.”

  I kiss her until the door opens on my floor. Then I sweep her into my arms and carry her to my suite, having every intention of holding her to her unspoken promise.

  Chapter Forty-four

  Murphy

  There is a knock on the door to our suite. Caden’s still in the bathroom getting ready for practice, so I throw on a robe to go collect our breakfast.

  When I open the door, however, there isn’t a tray of food. There’s a girl leaning against the opposite wall with her blouse practically unbuttoned to her navel. Her boobs are spilling out of her push-up bra so much I can almost see her nipples.

  I raise my eyebrows at her.

  “Oh.” She barely has the decency to look embarrassed. “Is Caden here?”

  “Yes,” I say dryly, without making any indication that I’m going to fetch him.

  “Well, do you know when you might be done with him?”

  My jaw drops at her audacity. “Yeah.” I look at my wrist as if there’s a watch on it. “In about seventy-five years.”

  The girl doesn’t look amused, but Caden does as he walks up next to me and plants a kiss on my forehead.

  His smile turns into a scowl when he addresses the girl. “How did you get my room number?”

  She stands up straighter and squeezes her arms together to give her boobs a lift. “How do you think?”

  “Leave now,” Caden says. “Or I’m calling security.”

  The girl pulls her blouse together. “Fine. Jeez. I’ll just go find someone else. I hear Brady Taylor is a good lay. But you don’t know what you’re missing.”

  Caden eyes her up and down. “From the looks of it, a shot of penicillin.”

  She walks off in a huff and Caden slams the door as I laugh at his epic joke. Then he picks me up and carries me over to the couch. Picking me up is becoming a habit of his. One I hope he never breaks.

  He sits down with me on his lap. “Seventy-five years, huh?”

  I shrug a provocative shoulder.

  He leans in to kiss
my neck. “Won’t be long enough,” he says against my skin.

  I glance up at the clock. “Caden, while I’d love to go for round three, I’m not planning on being the reason you’re late to practice. And you haven’t eaten yet.”

  A knock on the door has us laughing at the timing. “I’ll get this one,” he says.

  After our breakfast gets delivered, Caden pulls me back onto his lap and feeds me. “Do you know what I find extremely sexy?” he asks.

  “Other than the black negligee I wore last night?” I shimmy myself around on his lap.

  I feel him harden beneath me. “Stop it or I’ll never leave,” he says, forking a bite of eggs into my mouth. “What I was going to say is that it’s a huge turn on that you don’t get jealous, Murph. Most girls would have seen that tramp in the hallway and immediately assumed their boyfriend would invite her in.”

  I don’t think for a minute that he would have invited her in. I trust Caden completely. But that doesn’t mean I don’t see green from time to time. Every beautiful woman who throws herself at him makes me want to gouge her eyes out. Every girl who sends him love notes has me wanting to brand him publicly as mine. Every person who puts me down because they think they are better than me puts a small chink in my self-confidence. But I work hard not to show him any of that. He has enough to deal with because of his celebrity status. He doesn’t need a jealous girlfriend breathing down his neck.

  “What good would that do?” I ask. “If you want someone else, nothing I say is going to stop you. And if it comes to the point where I’m not enough for you—”

  “That will never happen.” He situates me so I’m straddling him on the dining room chair. “I’m going to marry you one day, Murphy Brown. And you’re going to have all my babies. And we’re going to live happily ever after for every one of those seventy-five years.”

  He pulls my face to his and kisses me. He kisses me senseless and then he stands up with me in his arms, depositing me back on the chair before he grabs his bag and walks to the door. “Don’t get too sunburned today,” he says. “I have big plans for that body later.”