Curveball: A Second Chance Romance (Double Play Series Book 1)

by Nicole Rodrigues

  I run my hand up her back, trying to soothe her.

  “Advil. I need more sleep.”

  I sigh and shake my head as I move to get her a plate of some food. I pile on bread and bacon along with some eggs and grab her a water bottle.

  As I walk back to the table, I feel eyes on me and look around. My gaze locks on Gabriel and I look away quickly. I walk over to the table and sit, sliding the plate over to Bella. I look up again and see Gabriel staring at Bella. His face softens, but then his eyes jump to mine and his expression is stone again.

  ***

  “You want this Charlotte. I can smell how much you want this,” Gabriel says in a harsh whisper.

  His breath is hot on my neck and my face heats.

  “Yes,” I say, grabbing his face and pulling it down to mine. “I do, I want it. Give it to me, please,” I say, pulling my dress over my head and unsnapping my bra quickly.

  He pulls my thong down my legs and lifts me up in the air, my legs immediately wrapping around his waist. The zipper of his jeans, brushes against my clit and I gasp.

  “Look at you,” he says, his voice deep and dangerous. “All wanton and beggin’, naked against my body and I'm fully clothed. You want me so bad, baby cakes,” he says smirking.

  “Don't be an ass,” I say, as I shamelessly grind myself against his zipper.

  He curses and undoes the zipper in one swift motion and pulls his boxers down with his jeans. He fists his thick length in his hand and I look down, my mouth hanging open. I watch as my body slowly sucks him in, inch by inch.

  “You're droolin’ on my cock, Charlotte.”

  I snap my mouth shut and look up at him, pinching my brows together.

  “You're so arrogant,” I pout, and that pout slowly turns into a moan, as he shoves the rest of himself inside me in one hard thrust.

  I grab onto his shoulders, digging my nails into his skin, as he plants his feet firmly on the floor. His rough hands grip my thighs and he starts to hammer into me. His hands move down to my ass, as he squeezes and pulls me down to his body, with each thrust, pushing him deeper and deeper inside of me.

  “You missed my cockiness, didn't ya baby cakes?” he says, emphasizing the cock in cockiness.

  I nod my head because I can't speak. My throat is being choked at the hands of lust and I don't want this spell to be broken.

  “Come for me Charlie. Give me everything,” he says, picking up his pace.

  My back is thumping against the wall and I feel my inner walls start to constrict.

  “Yes...so close...fuck Gabe...yes,” I say, as my body starts to explode.

  I hear a ringing in my ear, but ignore it. I concentrate on the feel of him, moving in and out, his shaft running up against my clit as he moves feverishly, but I hear ringing again.

  I bolt upright in bed and I'm soaked in sweat. I'm panting and I look over to the other bed. Thank God Bella is a deep sleeper because I don't seem to have woken her.

  I remember that night like it was just last night. Gabriel went to his grandfather's house in Florida for the summer break before senior year and I went a whole summer without his touch. We couldn't even make it up to his bedroom, he took me against the front foyer wall, while his parents were out at dinner.

  I clutch my chest and get out of bed, silencing the alarm on my phone. I search through my suitcase and bring clothes into the hotel bathroom to shower and change.

  It is 6:30 and Devin is still at practice for another half hour. There's going to be a farewell family breakfast at 9 in the event hall and then Bella and I are headed back to Louisiana, me dropping her back to school, before heading home.

  I turn the hot water on and step into the shower. I can't believe how my body still responds to Gabriel after all this time. One quick encounter and he's invading my dreams again.

  During my pregnancy, I had frequent dreams. Very real dreams, that usually ended with me waking up in a sweat, with soaked panties and a throbbing clit. Having to deal with raging hormones from twins and mixing that with a body, that had a very healthy sex life, ripped away suddenly, did not help quell the horny eighteen year old me.

  All the masturbation in the world couldn't quell my hunger, but once the twins came, luckily, it was a big enough distraction away from missing Gabriel and the passion we shared. My sex life since Gabriel has been non existent, except for that night with Brantley. It really shouldn't even count, because I barely remember it.

  Being close to Gabriel again, my body remembers how amazing we were together, and it wants that bliss again. Sorry body, not happening.

  Chapter 8

  Gabriel

  I sit at my desk, fiddling with my pen and wonder what the hell I am going to do. I have a kid, two kids, and I don't know how to feel about it. I had my hunch and my suspicions, and I pretty much was dead set on figuring out Devin was my son, along with his twin sister. Hearing the confirmation from Charlotte though, that sucker punched me.

  “What's up Gabe? You look like you saw a ghost, ” says Tony, coming into my office.

  “I uh...I gotta...can I talk to you about somethin’? Somethin’ pretty big?” I ask, leaning forward in my chair.

  “Shoot,” he says, taking the chair opposite my desk.

  “It's about Daniels.”

  “Kid’s good. What about him?”

  “He's...he's my son” I say, looking from the ground up at Tony, gauging his reaction.

  “Wow, how the hell...want to run that by me again? The full version,” he says, leaning forward in his chair.

  “His mama and me, Charlotte, were best friends since birth. Started datin’ in high school. Pair a horndogs we were,” I say smiling.

  Tony is still silent.

  “She uh..got pregnant senior year. I was gettin’ drafted and couldn't raise a kid, she was goin’ to Louie on a full ride to play softball. I thought we decided to uh..ya know, end it,” I say eyeing Tony.

  His eyes widen, just a bit and he opens his mouth to say something, but then shuts it. He takes another minute and then breaks the silence.

  “So, I guess she didn't go through with it then?”

  “I didn't know it was twins, otherwise maybe I wouldn't have...I mean maybe we wouldn't have...I don't fuckin’ know. This is all a clusterfuck. I saw her at family day and she said she would chop off my balls if I told him. She wants to think it through, I guess let them down easy or some shit. I mean what the hell do I say? ‘Hey kids, I'm your dad, the dad that didn't want you and had no idea you even existed?’ Dammit,” I say, dragging my hands through my thick hair.

  “How about ‘hey kids, I'm your dad, the asshole’.”

  I look up and see Devin standing in my doorway.

  “Shit, DJ, I…”

  “Save it. I was a mistake, huh? Me and Bella? Didn't fit into your plans? Now I know why my mama hates you so much,” he says, storming out of my office.

  “Shit.”

  I lunge out of my chair, stumbling over my desk and run out to the hall.

  “Devin,” I yell.

  I run up and down the hall, checking the training rooms and the weight room but he's nowhere to be found.

  “Fuck!” I yell, pounding my fist into the wall.

  I make a dent and some of the tension eases from my body. It feels good to hit something. I need to start hitting the bag again.

  I storm back into my office and pick up my phone.

  “What are ya gonna do now?” asks Tony.

  “Call up Charlotte,” I say, punching numbers into my phone.

  “I'm stayin’ for this,” he says putting his feet up on my desk and his hands behind his head. “Mama bear gonna eat you alive!”

  Shit.

  Charlotte

  I get out of the shower and look over to Bella. This girl could sleep through an earthquake. I smile and shake my head and notice my phone buzzing on the nightstand. I don't recognize the number, but I pick it up anyway.

  “Hello?”

  “Charlie,
it's me. Devin...is he with you?” says a panicked voice.

  “Gabriel? How did you get my number?”

  “It don't matter, is Devin with you?” he asks again.

  “No, ain't he with you? I thought y'all had practice this mornin’?” I say, panic seeping into my voice now.

  “We did. He...he overheard me talkin’ to Tony about him. He knows...”

  He lets out a breath and my temper flares.

  “What?” I snap.

  “I'm comin’ to your hotel to pick ya up. We'll find him together.”

  “Oh, you bet your ass we will.”

  I hang up the phone, text him the address and put it down on the nightstand. I twirl it around and it hypnotizes me. I focus on the spinning and not on the panic, the anger.

  It was an accident Charlotte, it's not like Gabriel straight out told him. Devin could have overheard any conversation you had over the years about his father. I shake my head. But he didn't, he overheard Gabriel.

  I walk out to the hallway of the hotel room and dial Devin’s number. It rings once and goes straight to voicemail. Dammit. I guess I deserve that. I try it again but this time, it goes straight to voicemail. I slouch down to the floor, with my back against the wall and hang my head in between my knees, my palms against my forehead.

  I hear footsteps a while later and look up and see Gabriel, walking towards me. I get to my feet and he opens his arms and moves closer. I freeze and put up my hand. The image of his length sliding in and out of me in my dream, makes me shiver.

  “Don’t!” I say, stopping him in his tracks.

  “I'm sorry,” he says defeated. “But if you would have just told me about them in the first place, none of this would have happened,” he says, his anger starting to rise.

  “Ha! Are you serious right now? You didn’t want them Gabriel! Do you not remember drivin’ me to the God damn clinic to ‘take care of it?”

  “And apparently you didn’t!”

  His voice booms in the hallway and I flinch at the sound but also at his cutting words.

  “I'm sorry that was-”

  “No!” I yell, stopping his apology. “How fuckin’ dare you!” I whisper yell and poke his chest. “You've spent the past couple of months with Devin and Bella is just as amazin’ and you’re still mad that I couldn’t go through with it? I’m fuckin’ happy I didn’t listen to you, asshole!” I say, my voice getting louder.

  “God, I was young Charlie, I had my whole life ahead of me, my dream. I couldn’t be a dad. Couldn’t you see that?”

  “I could. That’s why I kept you away from them. You would have crushed them, like you crushed me. God, Gabriel, do you know what I went through, knowin’ the boy I loved, couldn’t stand the thought of havin’ a baby with me? And then findin’ out it was two babies! Brainwashin’ me, into thinkin’ an abortion was the only way. You drove me to that damn clinic and never looked back,” I say, shaking my head, trying not to let the tears spill out.

  He doesn’t deserve my tears. Fuck him.

  “Charlie, I get when I was younger and stupid but all this time? Eighteen years? You knew I was goin’ to be coachin’ my own son, dammit!” he yells back at me.

  “I had no idea you were the manager, Devin never told me your name. He kept referrin’ to you as Coach Douchebag and now I know why!”

  “Why didn’t you tell me when you found out it was twins? I mean we went to the doctor and they didn’t say nothin’ about two babies. If I knew it was twins, then maybe…”

  “Then what?” I snap. “Instead of tryin’ to figure out why I shut down and broke up with you after that day, you wouldn’t have partied your ass off all summer as I stood by and watched, pregnant with your fuckin’ babies?” I shout, tears welling up in my eyes.

  I’m trying to hold it together, but it hurts so damn much.

  “You didn’t even tell me dammit! I was destroyed! You told me to go to hell so what was I supposed to do? You didn't go out with anyone after? I mean how the hell do I even know they’re mine?”

  He purses his lips and I know he regrets the words as soon as they leave his mouth.

  “Shut up Gabriel. I didn’t fuck anything that walked after we broke up unlike you and you damn well know it. You are the only man it could be, you bastard!” I whisper, my voice breaking.

  I gave everything I had to that boy eighteen years ago and to think he just dismissed it like that, is a pierce through my heart.

  “So, what happens now? I need to pay you money for them or somethin’? I’m at a loss here Charlotte, what do I do?”

  He runs a hand through his hair letting out a breath.

  I laugh, bitterly.

  “You know what? There’s a big difference between the two of us. You’re selfish Gabriel. You have always been so fuckin’ selfish, but me? These kids will now hate me, Devin ain’t answerin’ my phone calls because he probably thinks I kept you away for my own reasons. I wish like hell that was it. It would be so much easier than the truth. So, I’ll take their hate towards my decisions because I love them. I love them with every goddamn fiber of my bein’. I could never in my life admit to them, that the reason I’m not with their daddy or that their daddy doesn’t know about them, is because he drove me to get rid of them and I couldn’t!”

  “Charlie…” he says, walking towards me.

  “Is that true?” asks a small voice from behind me.

  I turn around and see Bella, standing in the doorway, with tears streaming down her face.

  “Bella…” I say, reaching for her.

  “No!” she snaps, looking over to Gabriel.

  “Is that true?” she asks him, with a hardness to her voice.

  “I...I was a kid. I didn’t know what I would be missin’ I…” he stammers off.

  “I wanted to meet you. I told mama that I...” she trails off, wiping the tears from her eyes.

  She shakes her head and I move towards her.

  “Bells…”

  She puts up her hand to stop me.

  “I want to go back to school. I’ll hitch a ride back with Heather,” she says, walking back into the room and shutting the door.

  The tears in my eyes start to roll down my cheeks and I shake my head. I feel a hand on my shoulder and my sobs grow louder.

  “What the hell did I do?” I say softly.

  My eyes continue to rain down on my cheeks and there’s no sign of them stopping. I haven’t let myself cry like this for a long time and my body relaxes, thankful for the purge of pent up sadness.

  “I’m sorry, Charlotte,” he says softly. “I just...I was so angry. I shouldn't have said any of that I…” his voice breaks off and I look at him.

  He clears his throat.

  “We’ll figure it out,” Gabriel says softly, rubbing my shoulders.

  “I was so concerned with you hurtin’ them and here I am doin’ it,” I say, wiping my tears.

  They continue to fall, so I don’t even bother wiping them anymore. Gabriel’s phone buzzes from his pants and he takes it out, looking at the screen.

  “Yeah?” he answers.

  He’s quiet for a couple of minutes, listening, and I strain my ears to eavesdrop.

  “I’m on my way back. No, it’s not. It got worse,” he says, clicking the phone off. “It was Tony. He said Devin is back at the complex, tossin’ weights around, blasting music. Can I...can I talk to him?” Gabriel asks, uncertainty in his voice.

  “He does that, ya know. Always reminded me of you. Whenever I heard those speakers go up in the garage and the thumpin’ of him tossing stuff around, I always was reminded of you. If you haven’t noticed by now, he has your temper.”

  “I haven’t noticed,” Gabriel smirks. “We still got a long ways to go but let's put a pause on us and start with them, deal?”

  I nod and pat his arm and walk back towards the hotel door.

  “Let me talk to Bella. Call me if you need help with Devin,” I say.

  Gabriel nods his head and walks off
down the hallway. Our first day as parents together and the shit couldn’t have hit the fan harder.

  Chapter 9

  Gabriel

  I walk back into the athletic complex and immediately hear the loud rock music, coming from the weight room. I look through the glass and see Devin doing deadlifts, with more weight than an eighteen year should be allowed to hold. He squats down, holding the bar in his hands and with the last rep, he slams the weight down on the mat with gusto. He stomps over to the heavy bag and starts pounding on it, I’m sure picturing my face in the center.