Laci is way too quiet as we back out of my parent’s driveway. I have no idea what changed in her, since all day long, things between us were absolutely fucking perfect.
But now, she sits in her seat, staring out the window, not uttering a single word.
“Listen, baby.” I pull the car over as we turn onto the dirt road that leads to my own driveway.
“If you don’t want to stay at my house, we can get a hotel. It’s totally fine.”
“No.” her voice is hesitant. “It’s fine. I just didn’t realize that you had a house here.”
I reach out, unbuckling her seat belt and pulling her across the bench seat so that she is right next to me.
“Yes, I do, although I’ve never lived in it. I started building it right before I signed on with the Rays.”
“But why?”
I turn the truck onto the long dirt driveway, and drive the half a mile back into the woods.
“It’s a long story.” And not a very good one, not one that I like to talk about.
“Oh.” She remains quiet.
“Fuck.” I sigh, before yet again, stopping the truck. I put it in park, before turning myself towards her.
“You know that guy that you were talking to today? When you were sitting by the pool? The asshole that was totally trying to hit on you?”
She nods, and then, says his stupid fucking name.
“Yeah. Owen?”
The sound of his name leaving her lips is like nails on a chalkboard to me. I fucking hate it, and it makes me grip the steering wheel hard.
“Yes.” I grit out, as her head tilts and her eyes flutter up to mine.
I swallow hard, trying to form the words that I need to say inside of my head, but it’s no use. They come out in one big jumble.
“He was my best friend growing up. We were always together, every damn day.” My heart clutches as I continue, hating to rehash this. But for some reason, I feel that she needs to hear it.
Maybe then it will ease whatever is going on inside of her pretty little head.
“We played ball together, but when it came time to get drafted for college, I did and he didn’t. He acted as though it was cool, but now looking back, I see that there was some jealousy there. Anyways,” I blow out my breath and turn away from her, focusing on the dark night over the dashboard.
“I had a girlfriend in high school. She was my first love, my first everything.” I laugh despite the foul story, glancing at her for a second.
“My sisters made my life a living hell in school. Every girl in my whole damn high school was afraid of Jen, so I didn’t get any chicks back then. I swear I was the last damn virgin in that whole building.”
“Aw poor baby.” She smiles at me, before reaching out and stroking my arm.
“Yeah. It was rough.” I blow out the rest of my breath, before finishing.
“Anyways, I had this girlfriend, and I was pretty sure that she was the one for me. I went off to college, and after about a year, the Devils came calling. They offered me a spot on their farm team. It was everything that I had been working for, so I decided to go for it. The signing bonus that they gave me paid for this land, and was enough to start construction on this house.” I nod my head forward, even though we aren’t close enough yet for her to see the house.
“Anyway, I was pumped. I couldn’t wait to tell her, so after I made that down payment, like, five minutes after getting the check, I went to find my girl.”
I swallow hard before shaking my head. “I found her alright. Laying underneath my best friend, with her legs wrapped around him as he plowed into her.”
“Oh my god.” Her eyes widen as she grips my arm. “Jake, I’m so sorry.”
“Thanks, but don’t be. Ended up being a blessing in disguise.”
“But that’s awful.”
“That’s life, baby. Sometimes shit happens. But, anyway, I kept the land and still went forward on building this place. The Devils took a chance on me, but they had only signed me for two years. They weren’t sure whether or not I would actually pan out as a good player, so they made their contract with me short. When the time came that I could move, and the Rays made me an offer that I couldn’t refuse? I took that spot without a single look back, hell bent on making something out of myself so that I could show her just how badly she had fucked up.”
“And now you have.”
“Now I have.” I repeat, before turning to look at her. Her eyes are cast downwards, and she grips her hands together.
“Are you planning on moving back here? I mean, your contract with the Rays is up at the end of this season.”
“That it is.” I nod, grabbing her hands in mine.
“I’m not sure about any of that yet. It depends on a lot of things.”
“I see.”
The entire cab of my truck is filled with tension, and I’m not exactly sure why. I didn’t tell her any of this so that she would feel sorry for me. In hindsight, losing Alexa is one of the best things that could have ever happened to me, because if she wouldn’t have done me so dirty, I would have never met Laci. And that’s something that I just can’t imagine.
“What’s going on inside of your head.” I put one finger under her chin, forcing her to look at me.
“Nothing.” She bites her lip, before shaking her head. “Nothing at all.”
“Liar.”
She’s silent.
“This is the kind of place that I want to grow old. This is where I want to settle down, have a wife, and have some kids. This has always been the plan for me, to finish out my career here, at home in Georgia.”
“That’s understandable.” She nods, turning her eyes from mine.
“But, that plan only works if I have the right girl by my side.” I finish, pulling her close to me.
“She wants that too.” Laci nods her head, before turning her face towards the window. “She told me the other day. I met her- Alexa. She was at the game on Friday.”
“Excuse me?” My heart stills in my chest at her words, and then, I see it.
The single tear streaming out of her eye.
“Baby.”
I shift the seat back as far as it will go before grabbing her and pulling her onto my lap, forcing her to look at me.
My heart wrenches in my chest at the look of sadness on her face.
“What in the fuck are you talking about? How did you know her name?”
“She introduced herself to me.”
“Ah, fuck.” I mutter, shaking my head. “I’m sorry that you had to meet her.”
“Its fine.” She shrugs, the tears in her eyes letting me know that it in fact, is not fine at all. “She’s really pretty.”
“She is.” I agree, before shaking my head. “But she doesn’t even hold a candle to you.”
“Oh please.” She rolls her eyes, still not looking at me.
“Laci, you’re crazy if you don’t believe me. You’re the most beautiful woman that I have ever laid eyes on.”
“Your words are on point, hot shot, and that’s really sweet of you to say that. But you and I both know that you hook up with women way hotter than me all the time. You date supermodels. Not basic girls like me. And then you end up with the girl next door, like Alexa. And cheat on her at every stop.”
“What? Whoa. Ok, we obviously need to talk, here, because you just threw a whole lot of shit at me that makes absolutely no sense. Back up. Slow down, and let me explain myself.”
“Jake. You don’t need to explain anything to me. I get it, really, I do. What we are doing here is just a hook up, in the long line of hook ups in the life of a superstar.” Of course, she rolls her eyes at this one. “You don’t owe me an explanation.”
“The hell if I don’t. You don’t fucking get it, obviously.” I mutter, before shifting the car into drive and flooring it down the driveway. I grip her tight to me before pulling up in front of my log home. The lights are all blazing, as they do every night, since it’s all set to timers. Usually I like to sit back and stare at this place, the place that I can’t wait to call home, but not tonight.
Right now, I need to make her listen to me, and the best way to do that is to back her against a wall. Literally.
She squeaks as I wrench the door open before throwing her over my shoulder and hustling into the house.
“What in the hell, Jake? Put me down!” She cries, smacking my back. But I don’t even respond.
I take one step into the foyer, before turning her around, setting her onto her feet and pushing her against the front door.
“First of all, I don’t fucking want Alexa, Laci. I want you. Only you.” I pull her dress over her head in one swoop, as her eyes widen. I keep her caged in as I pull my own shirt off me, before loosening my shorts and letting them drop.
“Jake…” she murmurs, as her eyes widen. “What are you doing?”
I reach down and pull her panties off her, before unclasping her bra and letting it drop to the ground.
“You have it all so wrong, baby. So fucking wrong. I don’t know what in the hell Alexa told you, but listen to me. I do not want her. I do not have any future plans with her. She is firmly in my past. As far as supermodels go, yeah. I used to date one. But it was never like this with her. Never.”
I lift her up, and her legs wrap around me as she grips my shoulders.
“I want to end up here, someday, baby, but I don’t want it to be with Alexa.” I inhale sharply, before meeting her eyes. “I want it with you. I want it all with you.”
I poise myself at her entrance as her breath hitches. “Condom, Jake.”
“Right.” I reach down, grabbing one out of my pocket before tearing it open with my teeth and sliding it on.
“But know one thing, baby.” I whisper as I shift my hips and begin to slide inside of her.
“I’ve never in my life went inside of a woman bare. That’s only with you. Only will that ever be for you. I’ll wear a rubber whenever you want me to, but know this, baby. I don’t want to. I want no barriers between us, ever.”
Her eyes lock on mine as I push myself inside of her tight folds. “Fuck.” I mutter, as her head falls back against the door. “Fuck you always feel so good.”
“Yes.” She murmurs, squeezing me tightly as I pull my hips back before thrusting inside of her again.
“I love you Laci.” I whisper into her ear as I trail kisses down her neck. “I love you so damn much.”
She freezes in my arms, and I stop all movements as her eyes open wide and land on mine.
“What did you just say?”
Our eyes lock, hers wide and questioning.
“I love you.” I repeat. “I don’t ever want you to question what you mean to me. I love you, Laci. I didn’t even realize what love was until I met you. And someday? Yeah. I’d love to move here, and have a family, but it only matters if you are with me. I’ll do whatever you want, be whatever you need. I know it’s sudden, and the future is uncertain, but I can promise you one thing. You will always be the only woman for me.”
Her eyes fill with tears as she grips me tighter, her head falling against mine.
“You don’t have to say it. It’s ok. I know it’s really sudden. I just wanted you to know how I feel. I don’t ever want you to question the way that I feel about you.”
“I love you too.” She whispers, before her lips crash onto mine. She opens wide, letting me inside, as I pull back so far, that she whimpers as we lose all the contact.
“Say that again.”
“I love you, Jake.” She smiles, before pulling me back towards her. “Now, please…”
“Not here.” I wrap her in my arms before turning and damn near running her through my house.
“I need you in my bed, so that I can take this slow and stare into your eyes the whole time that I’m inside of you.”
“Mr. Romantic.” She teases, as I drop her onto my bed, my heart racing, more from the words that she just said to me rather than just having run up my staircase.
“Only for you.” I smirk at her, before reaching down and tugging off the condom.
“No more of those. I need to feel just you.”
“Jake, you shouldn’t. You do know that birth control fails, right?”
“I’m counting on it.” I tell her, as her mouth drops open.
I slide myself back inside of her, except this time, without any barriers between us. She doesn’t say anything else, except my name, for the rest of the night.
“I cannot believe that this is your house.”
I grin up at her, to where she is perched on my kitchen island, her hair tousled from a very sleepless yet fulfilling night, wearing nothing over her gorgeous little body except my t-shirt, my name and number plastered across the back.
“It’s great, right?”
She glances past me, to the full wall of windows, which face the river, before nodding her head.
“Better than great. It’s beautiful. Like a little slice of heaven.”
“No, you are a little slice of heaven. This house is just a house.” I smack a kiss to her lips, making her giggle again, before turning my attention back to the omelets that I have cooking on the stovetop.
“It’s just so pretty. Everything here.”
“Not as pretty as you.”
She rolls her eyes before laughing again.
“Easy there, hot shot. You’re going to give me a head as big as yours.”
“Your welcome. I aim to please.”
I’m met with another eyeroll.
I step towards her, slowly caging her in as she shakes her head. “Oh no. No, you don’t. I have no energy left for whatever it is you have on your mind.” She points her finger back to the stove and shoo’s me away.
“Make me food, Matthews. If you want any more of my body, you have to feed me.”
“I’ll feed you.” I wink at her. “I’ll feed you a ten-inch sausage…”
“No!” She hops off the island and darts around to the other side, as I grin wickedly at her.
“Baby, you should already know, I love the chase.”
“Jake, no. Food.” She points back to the stove. I shut the burner off and within two steps, have her caged back in on the other side of the counter.
“Jake.” She cries, as I push her against the countertop. “I can’t.”
“No?” I question, before reaching my hand up her thigh. “So, if I touched you right now, you wouldn’t be wet and ready for me, right?”
She groans again, before dropping her head into my chest. “Of course, I would be. I’m always ready for you. My body defies me.”
“I’m glad, because I love your body.”
She sighs into me, as I lift her up, setting her back onto the island.
“But, I love the rest of you more. I’ll feed you. Don’t you worry your pretty little head, baby. I got you.”
She swats me from behind as I go back to the stovetop, finishing up our breakfast.
She continues to sip her coffee as I serve her the omelet She stays seated on the island, and I sit down on one of the stools next to her.
“How far away is the airport?” She asks, dousing me with a hefty dose of reality.
“Like 45 minutes.” Disappointment washes over me, knowing that we have to go back. I would love nothing more than to stay just like we are right now, all alone, together in this big house, with nothing to do but to spend our time wrapped up in each other.
“Our flights are at 2, so,” she glances up at the clock on the wall before looking back at me.
“We probably should shower and get ready after we eat.”
“Yeah.” I look glumly back at my breakfast. I don’t want to go back to South Carolina. She will go back to her place, and I will go back to mine. And that means that I won’t get to spend every night with her, like I have for the last four nights. I won’t get to wake up to her face, to the feeling of her body wrapped around mine.
And I hate it.
“You guys leave again on Thursday.” She blinks, as she begins to push her food around on her plate.
“What do you mean us guys? You will be leaving too.”
“No.” she shakes her head, before glancing up at me. “I don’t go to Cleveland.”
“Why?”
“Just because.”
There’s more to the story, and I know it. I’m about to pry, when realization washes over me. There is no better place to tell her about the bet, than right here, right now. Because for one, we’re out in the middle of nowhere together, and she has nowhere to take off to if she gets pissed. Plus, I would have the entire flight to convince her that while she may have started out as a bet to me, she instead has turned out to be the love of my life.
“Laci, there’s something that I have to tell you.”
“There’s something that I have to tell you too.” She rushes on, interrupting me. “You’ve been so honest with me, Jake, that I need to be honest with you about a few things too.”
“Ok.” She has my full attention.
“Ok.” She swallows, before pushing her plate away and meeting my eyes.
“When I told you about my family situation, I wasn’t completely honest with you.”
“No? How so?”
“Just.” She holds up a finger to shush me before continuing. “I told you my dad traveled a lot, and cheated on my mom all of the time.”
I just nod, as she takes another deep breath before continuing.
“What I didn’t tell you, is that my dad is…” her eyes close. “My dad is Eric Monroe.”
“Eric Monroe.” I repeat, before understanding dawns on me. “Holy fuck. The Eric Monroe?”
She nods again, keeping her eyes closed.
“One and the same.”
“Holy shit, Laci. He’s like…he’s a legend in this sport.”
She nods again, as my eyes are surely wide as hell.
“The Eric Monroe is your father. The all-star player, homerun record holder, recently inducted into the hall of fame Eric Monroe?”
“Yes.”
“So that’s how you knew what was wrong with my batting, wasn’t it? Because you grew up around all of the greats.”
“Yes.”
All my excitement dies, as the reality of everything that she told me comes crashing back over me.
“That’s the asshole who left you behind?” My wonder turns to anger, at the knowledge that while he may have been one of the greatest baseball players to ever have lived, he is also one of the biggest assholes.
“Yes.”
“That’s why you don’t go to Cleveland. Because he coaches there.”
She just nods.
“And that’s why you said you would never date a baseball player. Because of the way he treated you. And your mom.”
She nods again.
“Fuck.” I blow out my breath, before shaking my head. “I had no idea. Does coach know? Mr. McAbey?”
“No one knows.” Her eyes fly open and she tilts her head at me. “And I don’t want anyone to know. Ever. I wanted this job based on my own accord, not his.”
“Right.” I reach up, squeezing her hand. “I get it. Your secret is safe with me.”
She scoots off the island and I lean back in my chair, as she settles herself onto my lap.
“Good. Thank you. That’s it, that’s all I have. My big, deep dark secret.”
“That’s a pretty big secret, baby. He’s a pretty famous guy.”
“That he is.” She nods, before reaching out and placing her hands on my shoulders. “Except, I was wrong to ever try to loop you into the same category as him. He is an asshole, but Jake,” her eyes flutter up to mine before her lips smack softly against my cheek. “You are amazing, and I should have never doubted you. I love you.”
The pit in my stomach grows.
“So, what did you want to tell me?”
I swallow hard, as her eyes meet mine. Now is my moment to come clean, and to tell her the truth before she finds out on her own. Except as I try to form the words inside of my head, I just can’t.
It makes total sense as to why she never wanted anything to do with a professional athlete. Her dad, while maybe not biological, but the dad who raised her let her down. He broke her heart, and made her feel like she wasn’t good enough.
She’s seen the bad, and lived through it.
So how in the hell can I hurt her right now? When she is looking at me with her eyes filled with love, and that big goofy grin on her face?
I can’t fucking do it. I just can’t.
I’ll have to just figure out a way to get the guys off my back, and explain to them that I’m out on the bet, and that I’m in love with Laci.
They’ll understand. They will keep it quiet.
Then next year, I’ll sign on with the Devils and Laci will come with me.
I’ll marry her, and knock her up, keeping her barefoot and pregnant for the rest of our days.
She will never find out about the bet. It was just a stupid bet anyways.
One that will be buried in our past and never spoken of.
“Nothing. It wasn’t important.”
I swing her up, making her giggle again as I turn us towards the stairs.
“Now that I’ve fed you, woman, I expect you naked and bent over in the shower in two minutes.” I tell her, setting her down at the top of the stairs and smacking her ass.
“Such a chauvinist.” She rolls her eyes.
“Oh yeah? Tell me you don’t want it.” I grin wickedly at her, before dropping my shorts around my ankles. Her eyes travel down my body, to my raging boner.
She licks her lips, before a little grin flashes across her face.
“I do want it.” She tilts her head, her eyes locking with mine, before dropping down to her knees.
“What are you…” I grip the banister as she grabs my shaft in her hand before I feel her sweet lips suction around me.
“Oh.” I hiss. “Fuck.” Her mouth travels down, as she licks and sucks on my head.
“Ok. Ok.” I groan, wrapping one hand into her hair.
“This works too.”