Pitch Please

by Lani Lynn Vale

  It was only two miles.

  If I left two hours early, surely I could make it on time.

  “Thank for the ride,” I muttered as I bailed out of the Jeep.

  The Jeep itself was gorgeous. I’d always wanted a Jeep.

  But I would prefer driving to riding in the passenger seat or the back seats.

  “What’s that face for?” Sinclair asked as he walked up beside me.

  I didn’t speak.

  I could barely tolerate the man most of the time.

  Between the car ride from hell with his reckless and erratic driving and his pungent cologne that smelled like a bundle of male magazines with a clashing variety of different sample scents inside, I was ready to bail.

  Luckily, they’d sent my luggage up ahead of me, and I’d already checked into my room thanks to the hotel’s app.

  All I had to do was gather my key, and I was ready to go.

  Lacey and JJ had done the same thing as me, while, unfortunately for him, Sinclair had not.

  “Thank God,” Lacey muttered under her breath as she stood next to me in line. “Freakin’ gross.”

  JJ snorted. “This wasn’t my first time riding with him. You’ll be happy to know that he drove better than he usually does.”

  “Oh, God,” I moaned. “If that was his ‘good driving’ I would hate to know what his ‘bad driving’ is like.”

  Lacey snorted.

  “Can I help you all?” the man behind the desk asked with a brilliant smile on his face.

  I gestured for Lacey and JJ to go first.

  They both were quick and efficient, and they waved me off as they disappeared to the bank of elevators.

  “We’ll see you in the a.m.” JJ called.

  I waved them off and smiled.

  Trying hard to produce a smile, I told the concierge my name, and he grinned widely at me before producing a blue key.

  It was different than the ones JJ and Lacey had received, but I’d never thought to question it as I took it with a grateful nod before disappearing in the direction of the elevators.

  After studying the number printed on the back of my key card, I yawned and leaned heavily against the gold embossed walls of the elevator.

  My foot tapped silently to the beat of the classic rock pouring through the speakers, and I wondered idly if it was a new thing to not play elevator music in elevators any more.

  Not that I was complaining. I found that I quite liked that it wasn’t some boring instrumental tune. My eyes were already heavy. Not to mention I was riding to the floor below the top of the freakin’ hotel.

  Why I’d been put on the 14th floor, I didn’t know, but I would take anything at this point.

  After the last four days I’d had with Hancock—and how busy he’d kept me worrying about him—I was ready for a full night’s sleep.

  Anything would do at this point.

  But what I walked into about two minutes later was quite a bit more than I’d expected.

  “Whoa,” I breathed. “This is freakin’ amazing!”

  The room was one large, open space like most hotel rooms, but it was plusher, decorated in rich reds and royal blues.

  The far wall had one huge window that overlooked the lake that the hotel was situated in front of, and there was a large balcony beyond the window that I knew I’d be testing out later.

  Maybe I’d even have my morning coffee on one of the lounge chairs.

  The bed was also large. It was obviously a king-sized bed, but it looked almost bigger than normal due to the four, massive wooden posts on each corner, and the intricate carvings that adorned the head and footboards.

  Then there were the many coordinating throw pillows on top of the bed that matched the comforter.

  I ran my fingers over the bedding, surprised at how soft it was.

  Was it real silk?

  What the hell kind of place was this?

  This wasn’t a normal hotel room, that’s for sure.

  Knowing I needed a shower, I pushed away from the bed and headed for the bathroom, stopping once to confirm my hunch.

  Opening one side of the closet, I breathed a sigh of relief when I saw my luggage where it belonged.

  “Thank goodness,” I groaned, closing the door and heading straight for the bathroom.

  The bathroom…well, let’s just say it wasn’t your typical hotel bathroom. It had a fucking sauna in it.

  And a tub that could double as a hot tub.

  After taking care of a few necessities, I turned the huge shower on, exclaiming in excitement when I saw the multiple showerheads that were interspersed on the wall and ceiling of the enormous, walk-in shower.

  “Come to mama,” I moaned as I started to strip my clothes off.

  I’d never, not once, stayed in a hotel like this.

  I also knew which one I would be staying at next time I came into town.

  “This place is awesome!” I cried as I tossed my clothes into the corner of the bathroom, then tugged my hair tie out of my hair, slinging it in the vicinity of the counter.

  Which, I might add, had a freakin’ fish tank built into the wall separating the his and hers sinks.

  Well, for this stay they’d be mine and mine but that was cool!

  I’d use both equally so neither one felt slighted.

  Then I heard my phone ring.

  After contemplating answering it for all of ten seconds, I decided that this shower was too important to pass up.

  It was also my mother’s ring tone, and I could call her back any time.

  This shower, though, I’d only have for three days. So, I was going to make good use of it.

  The moment I stepped inside a moan slid past my lips.

  The water felt like it was hitting me everywhere at once.

  My feet, my knees, the middle of my back, and my face.

  Hell, there was even one aimed at my hooha—though it was a much gentler spray than the others.

  The bathroom was even stocked with my favorite shampoo and conditioner, and not a tiny bottle of it, either. It was a massive bottle, one I’d buy at home and use over a month-long period.

  The soap was also my brand, and a niggling feeling started to work its way into my brain before I cast it aside when I saw the instrument panel.

  Another click on the control panel and all the showerheads started to pulse, even the one aimed at my pussy, causing my eyes to cross.

  After twenty minutes of just standing there, I finally came to my senses and got to work cleaning my various body parts, saving my hair for last.

  I’d just worked up a good lather of shampoo in my hair when I heard it.

  “I had a feeling you would get here before me,” the sound of a male voice broke into my shower.

  I squealed and turned, soap running into my eyes as I opened them in the middle of my shampooing.

  “What the hell, Hancock?” I cried, covering my breasts.

  Or I tried to, at least.

  My breasts were much too large to cover with just my hands.

  I managed to shield my nipples from view and that was about it.

  My pussy, luckily, got fully covered, but even that didn’t feel like enough.

  I was totally and completely naked in front of the hottest man in the world.

  And he was the hottest man in the world. He’d won Hour Magazine’s—one of the top celebrity magazines in the world—2017’s Most Handsome Man Award.

  Also, as a thank you to their readers, they’d printed a large poster in each magazine that featured Hancock’s glowering face and nothing else.

  I’d hung it on my bedroom wall next to my Fathead. There was no doubt in my mind that he’d seen that, too. The man missed nothing. I was sure, at this point, he was just being nice about my infatuation with him.

  So yes, needless to say, I felt more than a little self-conscious standing there naked in front of him.

  And t
hen he started stripping.

  “What are you doing?” I squeaked fearfully.

  Hancock’s beautiful eyes met mine as he stripped off his shirt.

  “Joining you,” he answered, not stopping his strip down.

  When he got to his pants I turned around, closing my eyes and letting the water wash the shampoo away.

  The moment I felt him behind me, my knees started to shake.

  “You want to know why I want you so badly?” he asked conversationally.

  “I don’t know…” I cleared my throat. “Why?”

  “You’re beautiful.” He let his finger trail up my right shoulder and then straight down my spine until it he came to a stop right above the top of my ass.

  Goosebumps traced his path, and my nipples hardened.

  “You take my breath away clothed,” he murmured. “But without clothes?”

  He pressed forward, and I nearly jumped two feet in the air when I felt his erection poke me in the ass.

  “I’m a grown-ass man of thirty-two years, and if I wasn’t sure it’d offend you, I’d come all over your ass right now with two strokes of my cock,” he growled, pressing his lips against the back of my neck.

  I licked my lips nervously.

  “Who’s to say that I’d be offended?”

  The words came out of my mouth before I could stop them, and the breath left my lungs when he started to chuckle.

  “I’m not saying that I don’t want that—eventually—but right now? Right now, I want to slide my cock into that pussy of yours and ride you until we both can’t see straight,” he admitted. “Badly.”

  I couldn’t help but press back against him, and the resounding growl that left his lips had me clenching my thighs.

  His hands went to my hips to still my jerky movements, and then left shortly after, one going up while the other went down.

  Inadvertently, I sucked in as his hand trailed over my belly to the apex of my thighs, and he stopped only long enough to pinch my tummy.

  “I love every fucking thing about you,” he informed me. “Your stomach is perfect. Your hips are this beautiful hourglass shape that every woman in the world would kill for.”

  I’d never thought much about my actual shape.

  In fact, I went out of my way not to think about it.

  Sure, I was confident in my body. I knew that it’d never change unless I really did a drastic lifestyle change that included eating healthy, working out, and being smarter about my life decisions. So, I’d come to terms with who I was because one thing was for certain: I hated working out.

  In fact, hate wasn’t a strong enough word for it.

  Loathe was more like it.

  “You’re thinking too hard,” he punctuated that statement with a pinch of one nipple, and I gasped.

  “So. We have two options here,” he murmured, letting his lips trail against the curve of my neck.

  “Yeah?” I asked.

  “Yeah,” he agreed.

  “And what are those?” I licked my suddenly dry lips.

  How that was even possible while I was in the freakin’ shower, I didn’t know, but they were.

  “One, we could dry off, go lay on the bed and watch TV,” he started.

  My belly twisted.

  That wasn’t what I wanted.

  Not at all.

  Not even a little bit.

  “What’s the second option?” I asked breathlessly.

  “Option two is I fuck you until the wee hours of the morning, and we only stop when the sun starts to kiss the sky,” he growled low and deep.

  I groaned when his hand started to tangle in the curls between my legs. His forefinger and thumb came together to pinch my clit, and my entire lower half shrank back in reaction, causing pain mixed with a little bit of pleasure to burst through me.

  “You have a baseball game tomorrow night,” I pointed out. “And I have to be at the field about an hour before that. Staying up all night to do what you just…suggested…isn’t such a good idea.”

  It killed me to say it, but someone had to be logical here.

  “So, you don’t want to do this?” he asked carefully.

  I turned in his arms, and he let me. His eyes trained straight on mine as I situated myself in his arms.

  “I’ve never wanted anyone or anything so badly in my life…” I informed him. “But I don’t want to be responsible for screwing up your rest schedule before tomorrow’s game.”

  His lips quirked, and my hands lifted involuntarily to run over his beard.

  He turned his face into my hand, and I started to scratch his beard with my nails as he watched me.

  “You want me?”

  In answer, I swallowed my fear and leaned forward.

  My breasts pressed into his overheated skin, pushing against the rock-hard ridges of muscle also known as his abs.

  My hands went to his shoulders, and I leaned up onto my tippy toes, pressing my lips against his.

  His beard tickled my lips and cheeks, but that didn’t take away from the excitement that coursed through me when our lips connected.

  It was the first time I’d been the one to initiate anything between us, and I found that I quite liked how powerful it made me feel.

  I felt on top of the freakin world when he groaned in defeat, his mouth coming down onto mine, his head slanting as his tongue plunged between my lips, urgently taking over the kiss.

  When my back hit the cool tile wall, I tightened my hands, which inevitably caused my nails to dig in to the sensitive skin of his back.

  “We’re about to take this relationship to the next level, darlin’, from something innocent to something that’s anything but innocent,” he murmured, pulling back slightly so his lips were only inches from my own.

  I studied his eyes in the harsh light hanging over the top of the shower, knowing that whatever we did tonight meant more to me than just a casual fuck.

  And I wasn’t the type of person who entered into relationships lightly.

  I’d learned the hard way that having different expectations about things lead to problems, and if I was being honest, I really liked Hancock. I didn’t want anything bad to happen between us. I was beginning to really like him, and if this didn’t work out between us, then not only would our work life be complicated, but I’d lose a man who I was quickly counting as one of my closest friends.

  And I didn’t have many of those.

  It would hurt me deeply not to have him there any longer.

  It’d only been two weeks.

  Fourteen days.

  Three hundred and thirty-six hours.

  In the grand scheme of things, that didn’t seem all that long.

  Not to most people, anyway.

  To me, though…well, that was a long time.

  I may not have had many people that I counted as close friends, but the ones whom I did have were because we’d formed those relationships and bonds quickly. Something that my mom has said was one of my greatest flaws.

  Which was probably why I dated the men I’d dated in the past.

  Hancock was different, though. I knew, instinctively, that he was going to change my life. The moment I walked into the dugout and sat in his spot—on purpose—I knew my life was about to become very different.

  And I’d been right.

  “You have to promise me something,” I loosened my hold on him. “If this goes bad…we have to promise to work things out. To make it so that we can co-exist and still do our jobs without anything coming between us.”

  His mouth kicked up in the grin.

  “You’re saying that after I fuck you—if we decide to call it quits—that I’ll have to act like I haven’t been inside of you?” he teased.

  I slapped his arm, the wet sound of our skin connecting echoing off the tile, sounding like I’d hit him a lot harder than I actually had.

  His mouth quirked up in a small grin, and I soothed t
he hurt I’d just inflicted by running my hand over the bulging skin of his bicep.

  “Be serious,” I ordered.

  His face sobered.

  “Let me tell you something, Sway.” He pressed me backward until he was completely covering me, his large frame towering over me like an avenging angel. “I’ll do just about anything to make you happy. That means, should things go bad between us, I’ll do whatever I have to do to make sure you’re comfortable. If I have to fucking leave the Lumberjacks to do that, I will. I’ll do that because I want you to be happy. I’ll do just about anything to see a smile light up your face, even if it’s because I’m leaving that you do it.”

  My eyes closed of their own volition, and when I opened them again after I’d regained my composure, I ordered my brain to take a hike and let my heart make all the decisions.

  “Yes.”

  “Yes?” he confirmed.

  I nodded.

  His grin would’ve lit up the bathroom if it were possible, and I had to clench my legs together to ease the ache that that smile caused.

  “So…” he pressed his lips against the corner of my collar bone. “Have you ever had shower sex?”

  “I’m clean as a whistle,” I blurted. “I had to pass a full physical to start my job with the Lumberjacks.”

  My word vomit caused him to smile, and I narrowed my eyes.

  “Well?” I asked when he got finished laughing quietly at me.

  “I’m clean. I haven’t had sex since…before you.” He growled. “And I passed a full physical myself.” He cleared his throat. “Did you tell me this for the reason I think you told me this?”

  “I have the birth control implant right here,” I pointed to the soft skin underneath my arm, and his eyes automatically went to the place on my arm where I was indicating.

  “That looks painful,” he muttered, taking in the raised skin.

  “It wasn’t too bad,” I admitted.

  How was he able to have a normal conversation right now? With his large dick sandwiched between both of our bodies? With the way my nipples were pebbled against his big, defined, hairy chest.

  My hand moved up to swirl the soft hair around his nipples, and he growled low in his throat.

  “Don’t,” he ordered.

  My brows rose as my eyes moved to his.