Chapter 20

Terra

"Danny might be leaving us tonight." Alan walked into the owner's booth just after the game started and dropped down next to me.

Fear pierced the center of my chest. "What? Why?" I stood up. "He can't just leave. He has a contract."

"No. Not like that." Alan reached up and gripped my wrist, pulling me back down to my seat carefully. "He got a call that his dad isn't doing too well. I guess his mother called earlier from what Joe said. They're thinking about taking him up to the ER."

"Oh no." The horror inside of me grew worse. I turned in my seat to watch Danny move up on the pitcher's mound. "We should just move the rotation and bring in another starter."

"Not happening. You know how committed Danny is."

"Yeah, but how well is he going to be able to keep his head in the game?" I got my answer as he put the first three batters down with ease.

"We just need to be ready should something happen." Alan crossed his legs and glanced over at me. "Some of the press is asking questions about the two of you. What you do is, of course, your business, but you need to be prepared to answer them. A response of silence is more condemnation than just letting them in a little."

"I hate those bastards." I stood again and pressed my hands to the glass. "There's nothing to tell them. Danny and I were together as kids, and we've been working through some of that old shit, but that's it." I shrugged and glanced over my shoulder at Alan. "I don't understand why someone's personal life has to be strung out in front of the world. It's none of their goddamn business."

"I agree, Terra, but we live in a different world than when I was growing up. People nowadays crave reality TV and the media slaughtering various influencers in the limelight. It's fun to watch someone else fuck up their lives. It takes you away from your own messed up existence for a while."

"It sucks." I wrapped my arms around myself and stood stone still for the next few innings. Danny seemed to be doing good until he wasn't.

"Top of the forth and it looks like Daniel McAdams might have lost his Midas touch early tonight folks. I don't think I've seen him walk a batter in more than a year." One of the announcers’ voice filled up the booth.

"Yeah, but nothing compares to three years ago. Remember how horrible he was? It was like he'd given up on everything."

I walked over and turned the volume down, growling loudly. "He lost his sister, you cocks."

Some of the guys around me laughed and agreed. I was slowly but surely winning them over.

I hated to admit it, but my dad knew what he was doing putting me in charge of the team instead of my brother. I belonged there and had all my life. I loved the game, the challenge of meeting new people and breaking down barriers. My thoughts quickly moved to Danny. I knew the dinner would be good for us, but it terrified me to think about letting him into my heart again. As if I had a choice. He was already there.

"Oh shit." Alan jumped up and moved to the window. "Looks like Danny hit the batter with the ball."

"On purpose?" The drama pulled me from my thoughts.

"No. Of course not." One of the older guys moved up beside me.

The scene below was a bit of chaos. The batter tossed his bat and helmet and instead of running or walking to first, he charged the mound. Danny held his own, and the officials and coaches had the two players apart pretty quickly, but the damage was done. Danny flipped off the ump after getting in his face and walked toward the dugout.

"Well, shit." Alan walked to pick up the phone beside the door. "Joe. Put in another pitcher. Did Danny-"

"I'm going down." I walked out without thinking about it. Something was wrong with Daniel, and I wanted to know what. Did he get another call from his mom? I jogged down and took the private entrance into the locker room, assuming that I'd have to go up to the dugout to check on him. That or grab Joe to see what the fuck was going on. I yelped as I bumped right into him. He was in nothing but a tiny towel.

"Terra. What are you doing down here?" His eyes were stormy with too many emotions.

"I came to find out what's going on." I licked my lips and moved back as my heart raced to get out of my chest.

"I fucked up and hit the asshole. He and I have had it out for each other for a long time." He shrugged, pulled the towel off and walked toward the showers. "Coach told me to get out of there."

"What's going on with your dad?" I followed him and let myself covet the sight of his naked ass. It was beyond beautiful, perfectly sculpted.

"He's not doing too well again." He leaned in and started the shower before turning to face me. "Come here."

"What? No." I lifted my hands and took a step back, losing my balance thanks to my heel going down into a drain.

He reached out and caught me, pulling me close to him. "It wasn't a request, angel."

"Who is this guy?" I pressed my hands against the thick muscles of his chest and tried hard to talk myself out of turning around and walking away.

"He's me, Ter. He's who I became when the world beat down my door and there was nothing left to do but turn and face them." He ran his hands over my sides. "Come in the shower with me. No one will be headed this way for another hour or more."

"Someone will check on you, Danny." I took him in, his handsome face almost too much. "Don't ask me to do this with you."

"Why? Because you will?" He leaned down and brushed his lips against mine. "I need a release and I'm not going to find it with another woman."

"Why not? There's so many that want to be close to you."

"No. They want my money or my dick, but it's irrelevant." He licked my lips, and I moaned. My body throbbed to feel his thick erection buried deep in some part of me. Fuck, any part at this point.

"Why is that?" I whispered, breathlessly. The man had way too much power over me.

"Because all I want is you." He picked me up and carried me to the shower as he consumed my mouth. My head was spinning with lust as he helped me strip down and pulled me into the shower with him.

I jerked the curtain closed and gave him a look. "You're so fucking corrupt."

"Shhh... you like it." He pulled me against him and ran his strong hands over my back and cupped my ass, kneading it roughly. "I love everything about you. Don't deny me tonight like you did the last time I almost had you trapped beneath me."

"That was your fault." I turned and slid my hands up the wall, arching my back. With any luck, if someone came down to check on Danny, they'd assume he was alone, or he has some random woman in the shower with him.

"You look so fucking good." He moved up and slid his hands up my sides before cupping my breasts and squeezing. The thick press of his dick against my ass was too much.

"Please don't stop." I rolled my hips and whimpered as one of his hands found my clit and pulled on it.

"I want in your ass." He kissed the back of my neck. "Tell me you want me there too."

I nodded and reached back to grab the back of his head. "I want you anywhere. Everywhere."

"And you hate yourself because of it?" He smiled and kissed me as he repositioned.

The pressure of him pressing his thick cock into my ass was almost too much. I turned from him and reached back up the wall, flattening my upper body against it as he groaned low in his chest.

"God, Ter. I've imagined taking you a million times, baby, but this is almost too much." He ran his free hand down my back and pulled out only to force himself back in.

I moaned loudly and reached down to grab his fingers. I pressed them tightly to my clit before forcing him down farther to dip his digits into my aching heat.

"You want me in your pussy?" His voice was rough and deep as he spoke between kisses to the side of my neck.

"Not tonight. I want it to be special." I pressed back and moaned as he forced the full length of his cock inside of me.

"I like that." He rolled his middle finger around my entrance and pressed in a little as he fucked me nice and slow from behind. "Once you let me in, you know I'm not going anywhere right? I'm addicted to everything about you already. You’re sealing the deal by offering up your gift to me-"

"Is it a gift?" I pressed my hips forward, fucking myself against his fingers and mine. "Feels like a curse." I panted loudly as my orgasm rode hard on me. "I need to come."

"Good. Wet my balls with your release, angel. Let me feel it as you remember who owns you." He pumped his finger into my slit and his cock in my ass in fast thrusts.

He covered my mouth with his free hand as I screamed my release against him and thrashed about. What the fuck was I doing naked in the players’ showers? I was the owner of the team. I ignored the logical side of my brain and rolled my hips, massaging his huge shaft in long, slow strokes until he joined me in orgasm.

The sound of him coming woke up every fantasy I could remember having.

Why was I running from him? From us?

Nothing made me feel more alive than him.

Nothing.