Fastball

by V. K. Sykes

  For whatever might happen.

  * * *

  Jake scanned the jam-packed, noisy room at Buddy Guy’s, but he couldn’t find Maddie in the dim light. Only the very front of the room near the stage had enough light to pick anyone out. He wanted to stalk through the narrow aisles and search for her, but patiently waited his turn as the hosts slowly took people to their tables. The canned music was already loud, and the live band was just starting to get ready for their set. He wondered how he and Maddie were going to even be able to talk when the band really got going.

  Then again, maybe talking wasn’t on her mind, which wouldn’t be a problem for him.

  Finally his turn came. One of the hosts looked him up and down. “I think you must be meeting a young lady here, right? Petite, dark hair, real sweet face?”

  “You got it.” Jake smiled at the elderly gentleman’s evocative description of Maddie.

  The host turned on his heel with a knowing smile. “Follow me to paradise, sir.”

  Oh, yeah. He was so down with that plan.

  Snaking through the maze of tables, the host made a jagged diagonal for the back corner. Jake tucked in right behind him, and damned if he wasn’t beginning to feel nervous. Seconds later, Maddie came into view. By herself at a table for two, sipping a glass of white wine, she absolutely looked an angel sent straight from heaven. Maddie had chosen a black suit, but had already shed the jacket which now hung over the back of her chair. Her tight, short-sleeved, silky white shirt highlighted the smooth outline of her very tempting, generous breasts. And if he didn’t get himself under control right away, he’d be sporting a hard-on before he even got to the table.

  She greeted him with a playful smile that held a hint of shyness. “I’m glad to see you, Jake.” She waited until he was seated, then turned so she was almost leaning into him. “I’m guessing that you’re finding this kind of strange, aren’t you?”

  He was tempted to say, who cares? Instead, he returned her smile. “That’s putting it mildly. I wasn’t sure you’d even be on this trip, and I sure as hell didn’t figure on getting that message.”

  A waitress sidled up to Jake. When the leggy server started to flirt with him, Jake couldn’t help but notice Maddie’s adorable scowl. He didn’t think it was possible, but his mood soared even higher as he ordered a beer.

  Maddie glared at the server’s retreating back, then switched her attention to Jake. He must have been looking amused because she wrinkled her nose at him, looking a little sheepish. “Try some of these jumbo shrimp I ordered,” she said with a laugh in her voice. “They’re flambéed in a spicy bourbon sauce, so they really get your juices going.”

  Jake choked back a surprised laugh. But he repressed the off-color quip that was rising to his lips and opened his mouth to take the shrimp she’d skewered for him. Too bad she didn’t pick it up with her hand instead of the fork. He’d have slowly sucked the spicy tang of the blackened shrimp right off her fingers.

  Maddie glanced quickly around them, suddenly looking serious. She leaned even closer to him, resting her hand lightly on his arm. “I know we’re taking a risk of being seen, but I didn’t know what else to do. I had to see you, and I could hardly go knocking on the door of your room. I know this bar is close to the hotel, but I’ve never actually seen anyone from the team come here. So, I think we’re okay.”

  He did his best to focus on her words, even though part of his mind was already undressing her. His body had been yearning to do just that for the last four hours, but the rational part of his brain cautioned him to go slow. But her eyes shone with an intensity he’d never seen before, bringing him to full alert.

  “Jake, I’d really like you to hear me out before you say anything,” she said in a determined voice.

  “Whatever you want, Maddie.”

  She flashed him an anxious smile. “I know you must be wondering why I called, especially after the way I’ve been pushing you away. And here I am now, asking you to meet me.” She hesitated, looking a bit embarrassed. “Actually, I hardly know where to start.”

  “Just relax and say whatever you need to.”

  Maddie sighed. “All I’ve been doing these last few days is arguing with myself. The truth is, I do think there’s something special happening between us. Or, at least, the possibility of something special. Ever since that night in La Jolla, I’ve wanted to…to be with you.”

  She fiddled with the stem of her wine glass. Her hand was trembling, which caught Jake hard in the gut. It took all of his willpower not to drag her into his arms and kiss the hell out of her right then and there. But he’d promised to listen, so he fisted his hands in his lap instead.

  “All my life I’ve felt driven to be the best at what I do,” she continued. “Until now, my career has been everything, really, and I’ve had to fight very hard to get where I am. I couldn’t bear to think of having to give it up, and I was afraid I’d have to if I wanted to be with you. And I think we do have to acknowledge that the risks are real, for both of us.”

  She arched her elegant eyebrows, simply waiting, and he was finally forced to nod his head in agreement. If this thing had any chance of working between them, Jake knew they had to be honest with each other.

  “But when I went up to Massachusetts to visit my mom,” she went on, “I had the time and space to catch my breath and think this all through. I talked to some people I trust, too, and that reminded me that some things are worth taking a risk for. I don’t know how I forgot that, but I did. Too caught up in the fear, I guess. But I’ve been fighting to keep you out of my heart and it’s a fight I’m not sure I can win. It’s not a fight I even want to win.” She gave him a wry smile. “What more can I say? I just want to be with you. To give what’s happening between us a chance. But I’ll understand if you’ve changed your mind.” She took a deep breath. “You’re call, Jake. Really.”

  He stared at her, stunned she would think there was a chance in hell that he no longer wanted her, wanted this. But she obviously thought it was a possibility. He could see it in the rigid set of her shoulders and in the way her lower lip trembled ever so slightly. It had taken a great deal for her to call him and to make that sweet, heart-breaking admission. And he wished he had the words to express how he felt right now—how damn grateful and honored—but his tongue stuck to the roof of his mouth.

  So, he simply leaned in close, covering her clenched fists with one of his hands. Then he brushed her lush mouth with a soft, gentle kiss of anticipation, one he hoped spoke of a possible future together, and not just a brief passion.

  Jake didn’t really want to be gentle. He wanted to crush her body against his. But this wasn’t the place to be making out like a couple of horny teenagers, so he whispered in her ear. “I know you love this place, but can we leave now?”

  Maddie let out a half-strangled laugh. “Just get the damn waiter,” she said.

  * * *

  As Jake grabbed her hand and towed her out of the club and onto Wabash—apparently, he was still very eager for them to get involved—Maddie did some quick thinking. It would be fatal to go back to the Hilton together, so she suggested an alternative. Keeping a tight grip on her hand, Jake gave a terse nod in agreement and strode to the curb to wave down a cab. After practically lifting her into the back seat, he slid in beside her. When she caught a glimpse of the impressive bulge pressing against the front of his jeans, she had to clamp her lips together to keep from laughing. Equal parts anticipation and relief rushed through her, weakening her limbs and leaving her just a little bit shaky.

  “The Madison Hotel,” Jake barked to the cabbie as he pulled her into a fierce embrace.

  She melted against him, her softer body molding to his hard frame from shoulder to thigh. He licked into her mouth with a fierce desire, startling a squeak from her. He gentled his embrace, tipping her slightly back over his arm as he kissed her with a deep, sensual passion. She wriggled, sliding her legs up and across his knees so that she was more or less sittin
g in his lap. Her skirts rode high, bunching around the top of her thighs. She made no move to smooth the hem downward as she shifted even closer.

  Jake’s gaze tracked down. The sight of her nearly naked legs made his eyes burn hot, and his arms flexed around her with a steel-like hardness. One of his big hands wandered to her thigh even as he returned to feasting on her mouth.

  A minute later, Maddie let out a quiet gasp and broke away when Jake’s wandering hand slipped under her skirt to brush the edge of her silk panties. She blinked and cut a quick glance to the barrier separating them from the cabbie. Fortunately, the guy didn’t seem to be paying them any attention as he listened to the blare of some pop radio station. And, fortunately, the dark, Plexiglas shield pretty much hid their lower bodies from view.

  Jake grasped her chin between his long fingers. “It’s okay, babe,” he murmured, his cobalt blue gaze dark with passion. “He can’t see anything.”

  Then he captured her lips again in an open-mouth, deliciously wet kiss even as his fingers brushed against her panties. With a whimper, Maddie surrendered, shifting one leg to allow him better access. Her thigh came into contact with the hard bulge in his jeans. Jake ground out a low moan and began to stroke her through her now-damp panties. He kissed her deeply, longingly, tasting smoky and masculine. Against her bare leg, his cock strained for release from the confines of his jeans. He was a big man, and the size and the heat of his erection took her panties from damp to drenched. She couldn’t wait to have all of him inside of her.

  Jake continued to stroke her soft flesh through the thin silk of her panties, and arousal pulsed through her body with a slow, heavy heat. Maddie let her eyes drift shut. The outside world faded, and she lost any sense of the streets flashing by or the length of time they’d been driving. In reality, it was only a few minutes. But locked there in Jake’s arms, with his hands and mouth taking her ever closer to paradise, she felt everything slip away, leaving only Jake and the yearning she felt for him.

  She shifted closer, no longer caring if the cabbie heard or saw anything, only wanting to be as close to Jake as she could. When he stilled his hand, cupping her gently, she groaned in protest and opened her eyes.

  “We’re almost there,” he murmured in a husky voice.

  She sat up with a jerk, heat rushing into her cheeks. God, she’d almost lost it in the back seat of a cab driving down a busy city street. When she pulled her legs from his lap, Jake gave a grimace and reached down to adjust himself.

  “Sorry,” she said with a lame smile, feeling like a total idiot.

  He gave her a lascivious grin. “Don’t be. I expect you’ll be taking care of my little problem as soon as we get ourselves a room.”

  “Little is not how I would describe it,” she muttered.

  “Your fault, you fix it,” he answered cheerfully as he pulled out his wallet to pay the cabbie.

  Maddie rolled her eyes as she yanked down her skirt just in time before the Wyndham bellman opened the car door and reached in a hand to help her. She exited with as much dignity as she could muster, no easy feat given that baseball superstar Jake Miller had been barely an inch from making her come in the back seat of a cab.

  CHAPTER TWELVE

  When they pushed through the revolving doors into the hotel lobby, Maddie murmured that she would search out a ladies room and then meet him at the bank of elevators. Jake nodded. It made sense to minimize the chance of prying eyes spotting them together. It might seem weird for him to check in by himself, with no luggage, but desk clerks at major hotels were pretty discrete. As long as Maddie wasn’t implicated in anything, he didn’t give a shit what conclusions other people might draw.

  And if he didn’t get her alone very soon, the top of his head might blow off. After finally getting his hands on her luscious body, he’d been ready to yank up her short little skirt and do her right there in the freaking cab.

  As soon as he approached the front desk, the clerk looked up, recognition flashing across his features. “Mr. Miller, it’s a pleasure to see you here. How may I be of assistance?”

  Jake forced an easy reply, even though he was wound tight. “I’m hoping you have a room available. Any kind of room or suite will do, for one night.” He smiled politely, deliberately resisting the urge to come up with some complicated story as to why he needed a room on such short notice. Best to keep it as brief and honest as possible.

  The clerk nodded, frowning down at his computer. “I’m afraid we’re full tonight, Mr. Miller, but let me see what I can do for you.”

  Jake relaxed. Higher-end hotels always kept a couple of rooms available for celebrities and VIP’s, since they never wanted to turn that kind of business away. In less than two minutes, the clerk had taken his information, swiped his credit card, and handed him a small folder with a key to a one-bedroom suite on the fifteenth floor. He strode swiftly to the elevators and saw Maddie heading that way, too.

  Because there was another couple and a tired-looking man with a big suitcase also waiting for the elevator, he and Maddie didn’t acknowledge each other. When the elevator arrived, they both moved to the back, standing against the rear wall. The tired-looking man lifted his eyebrows when he finally noticed Jake, but thankfully didn’t say anything. The last thing Jake could handle at the moment was a forced chat with an enthusiastic fan. All he could think of was Maddie and the things he planned to do with her, and he doubted he could carry on even two words of a coherent conversation.

  When they emerged on the fifteenth, Jake took a quick look both ways down the empty hall then pulled Maddie to him and kissed her hard. Her soft sigh as she nestled against him filled him with a sense of urgency so powerful that it was all he could do not to push her against the wall, shove up her tight, sexy skirt, and pound into her right then and there.

  God, she was turning him into a knuckle-dragging idiot.

  He broke the embrace and practically dragged her down the hallway to their room. She let out a startled giggle but skipped to keep up with him. She probably did think he was a caveman, and that was pretty much how she made him feel. If throwing her over his shoulder in a fireman’s carry would have gotten them to the room a second faster, he would have done it in an instant. He’d been waiting too long to have her, and until just a few hours ago, he’d thought he never would.

  Running the card through the lock, he pushed the heavy door open for Maddie to pass through. Only two steps inside, and before he even had a chance to flick the light switch, she turned and swarmed into his arms. Her soft breasts pressed hard against him, her thin, silky shirt almost non-existent in the crush of their bodies. The tight points of her nipples jutting into his chest told him she was still aroused from their heated play in the taxi. He took her mouth, sucking on her plump lower lip.

  Maddie kicked off her shoes. With one hand, she hiked up her skirt and wrapped a leg around him so his thigh rubbed fully against her soft mound. Jake could feel the luscious heat of her right through their clothes, and she moaned in a throaty voice as she pressed down to increase the friction. His barely held restraint snapped like brittle wood.

  Pulling his mouth from hers, he swept her off her feet. Her petite body felt light and supple in his arms. She reached up to entwine her hands around his neck and nuzzled his ear as he carried her into the darkened bedroom to lay her gently across the huge, plush bed. Taking a quick step to the window, he yanked the curtains aside, letting the lights of the city night illuminate her. For just a moment, he gazed at her sprawled seductively across the crisp white cotton duvet. Her pretty legs were already bent and open for him, her breasts—so generous and full on her slender body—rising and falling with the quick pant of her breath, her beautiful face flushed with desire.

  Best of all was the eager smile on her lips and the passion shining in her intelligent eyes. She was so perfect, and so ready for him. He had almost given up on her, and now here she was. And it was clear she wanted him as desperately as he wanted her. Jake didn’t believe much
in miracles, but this sure felt like one.

  “You’re a goddess,” he rasped in a husky voice.

  She gave him an adorable scowl. “I’m glad you think so, but would you please get the hell down here?”

  He laughed and came down on top of her, bracketing her face with his arms as he plunged his tongue into her soft mouth. Without breaking the kiss, he leaned back a bit and slipped one hand under her shirt, rimming the lace trim of her bra with his fingertips, and then gently yanking the cups down. Her breasts tumbled into his hands. Unable to help himself, he eased her shirt up to her neck and pulled back to look at her.

  Her tits were luscious—full and creamy, pushed high by the lace cups that still encircled them below nipples that jutted up pink and hard. Like sweet candy, begging to be sucked. Just looking at them made his cock twitch, eager to be inside her. But he had no intention of rushing.

  He rolled partly off her, resting on one elbow. “Man, those look good enough to eat,” he murmured as he circled one of her nipples with his fingers.

  Maddie moaned as he gently rubbed the tight, satiny point between his thumb and forefinger. He gave it a teasing little pinch and her back arched as she pushed her breast into his hand.

  “Oh, God, Jake,” she whispered, her eyelids at half-mast. “That feels so good.”

  As he played with her, she pulled her knees up, spreading herself. Glancing down, he saw her skirt had ridden up above her hips, revealing tiny black panties that barely covered her. He clenched his teeth, already sensing the first stirrings of an orgasm in his groin. She hadn’t even touched him, and he was way closer to coming than he should be at this stage of the game. Yeah, it had been a while, but there was something about Maddie that drove him absolutely nuts. There was no way, however, that he was going to let this be over when it had barely started.

  Gently draping a leg over her pelvis to hold her still, he took her lips in a deep kiss, their tongues and mouths exchanging a silken heat. They kissed with a slow build of desire, not rushing but driving themselves crazy, nonetheless. Maddie wriggled beneath him, trying to bring her sweet mound into contact with his leg, but he wouldn’t let her. He wanted her so out of her mind when he finally made his way down there that she would go off like fireworks on the 4th.