Fair Catch (Love and Sports Series) (28 page)

             
Jake was right, they had a long conversation last night after they tired from sex. They talked about Lexi’s mom and dad and what Lexi could do to help them. She told him how it all started when she was in high school and how her dad didn’t start abusing her mom until she left for college, which relieved him a little. Jake was nervous Lexi’s dad struck her when she was still living at home, but that was never the case. She wondered if her dad was always abusive toward her mom but just never took notice.

Lexi and Jake
talked until they fell asleep. It felt good to get everything off her chest and out in the open. Jake couldn’t have been more understanding about everything she revealed to him. He just held her in his warm embrace while she let everything out. If she didn’t already love him, she would have fallen in love with him last night.

             
She looked up at Jake and made a hesitant smile. “I was just wondering about, you know how I was.”

             
“How you were?” He asked with a cute quizzical look that made her want to jump on his lap and devour him.

             
“You know…in bed.”

             
Jake threw his head back and laughed out loud causing Lexi to turn a dangerous shade of red. She swatted his chest. “It’s not funny. I’m not as experienced as most girls you’ve been with. I’m self-conscious about it.”

             
“Babe, you’re serious?”

             
“Yes.” She wanted to stomp her foot like a child.

             
He grabbed her hand and kissed the back of it. “You are by far the best I’ve ever had.”

             
She lifted an eyebrow at him. “I find that hard to believe. I have seen the women you’ve been with. Marissa on the soccer team, she’s got to have some tricks up her sleeve. And what about Darci on the swim team, she looks flexible. And then there’s…”

             
Jake placed his hand over her mouth to stop her from talking. “Let’s not go down the list. They were nice, but they were nothing compared to you. You’re sexy as sin, beautiful and passionate. You do this thing with your hands that drives me crazy and I am so far in love with you that when we connect, intimately, it feels like I will never come back down from heaven.” He pulled her on his lap and she placed a hand on his chest, slowly drawing circles with her finger. He kissed her lightly on the lips and said, “That’s exactly what I’m talking about.”

             
“What?” she asked.

             
“What you do with your hands. Can’t you feel how fast you made me hard?”

             
She shifted on his lap and felt the evidence of her finger on his chest. Her eyes widened. “Well, aren’t you a strapping young lad.”

             
“I can’t get enough of you.” He said while burying his head in the crook of her neck and kissing her until she felt her toes curl. “I love you Lexi, and I don’t want you thinking poorly about yourself where I’m concerned. You are the most amazing, beautiful, funny girl I have ever met and there is no way I will ever get enough of you” He emphasized each word with a kiss.

             
She leaned her head to the side granting him more access to work his magic. “I love you too, big guy.”

             
He swept her up into his arms and carried her off to her bed. She reveled in the feel of being handled so delicately by him. She always had a guard up and had to be the leader most of her life but it was nice to have someone else do the leading. It was nice to finally be the protected instead of the protector.

Chapter 12

Winter break flew by way too fast. Lexi and Jake spent every waking moment together. They mostly
trained, Lexi for her upcoming season and Jake for the scouting combine and championships. Lexi had to admit, Jake was much faster than her but obviously lifted more than her and even though his endurance exceeded hers she was still able to keep up. She enjoyed being in a relationship with someone who had the same goals in mind.

             
During their break, they went to the beach for a weekend and didn’t think about working out once. They just laid around and enjoyed each other. Jake told her all about his parents’ accident and Lexi went into more detail about her family’s past and when everything really started to turn south. She in some ways blamed herself because it wasn’t until she left for college that her dad became physically abusive with her mom. Jake helped her through the guilt she was feeling and told her it wasn’t her fault, it was her dad’s. They left the beach house a stronger couple than they were before. They knew information about each other they would never tell another living soul. They told each other about their weaknesses, strengths, and guilty pleasures.

             
That was when Lexi found out Jake had a love affair with Britney Spears when he was younger. They swore to each other that what they talked about at the beach house, stayed at the beach house but Lexi was dying to let out Jake’s dirty little secret about how he had every album Britney Spears ever made . Although, if she did say something, she knew Jake would expose her love for the Teletubbies and she knew her secret would be more damaging to her reputation then the satisfaction of exposing Jake for being able to recite the lyrics to “Baby One More Time” without any music.

             
During their time at the beach house, Lexi almost split a gut when one morning she played “Baby One More Time” on her laptop to provoke Jake but instead her plan backfired because he got up and started dancing around the room doing the infamous moves from the music video without any shame.

             
When they returned back from their trip, Jake helped move some of Lexi’s stuff to his place, just so she would be able to stay at his place and not have to go back to her apartment for clothes as often. When students started coming back to school, Lexi felt sad that her little love break was over because she knew an uninterrupted opportunity to get to know each other wouldn’t come around again once they graduated her and Jake would be off to their next adventure. They talked about what cities they preferred to live in. Jake teased her about living in Kansas and Lexi thought New York might be fun but then Jake reminded her that winter out there was an actual winter full of snow and cold weather.

             
Lexi hadn’t spent Christmas with her parents, which she felt bad about but she didn’t want to expose Jake to their dysfunction and frankly didn’t feel like dealing with her parents fighting, literally. It wasn’t until after Christmas that Lexi found out her mom permanently walked out on her dad and started seeking medical attention both mentally and physically. Lexi could not have been prouder of her mom. Of course her dad was begging her mom to come back, stating he was a changed man, but every abusive man said that when they finally lost their punching bag. Her mom was staying strong with her decision and getting her life back on track, which Lexi was very proud of. Her mom never had a career on her own, she always had her dad so starting a new life was proving to be quite difficult. Her mom was tenacious though and kept working at building a new life for herself.

             
Margo and Parker seemed to start to get along again. She was actually meeting them both for coffee the day before classes started up again. Lexi threw on her yoga pants and sweater to stay warm in the chilly weather. It was cold in California, at least to her it was cold, she knew it was nothing compared to the twenty degree temperature people in the northeast were experiencing but still chilly for her bones.

             
When she walked up to the coffee house she saw Margo and Parker already seated at a table with a cup waiting for her. She realized even though she had a fantastic break with Jake, she missed her friends, she didn’t realize it until she saw them again. She realized since her and Jake were so consumed with themselves she forgot to be a friend.

             
“Hey you guys!” She gave them both a hug and sat down at the table that looked out onto the bustling street. “Thank you for the coffee.”

             
“Not a problem.” Parker waved a hand at her. “I’m sorry if this is offensive but damn Lex, you look amazing. I didn’t think it was possible for you to be any more toned.”

             
Margo agreed. “Yea, I was going to say the same thing. Did you spend your whole break on the treadmill?”

             
Lexi smirked at both of them. “Did you ever read that study about how having sex can burn a great deal of calories?”

             
Margo and Parker both laughed. “Look at you, you vixen.” Parker said. “Love looks good on you, kid.”

             
“Thanks, I’m partial to it myself.”

             
Margo just looked at her friend and shook her head. “Never in a million years did I ever think I would see you like this. It’s like you found your happy place. You are able to be with a man while at the same time perfect your workout routine and concentrate on your sport. I’m impressed.”

             
“Well, thank you. Now enough about me. Parker how is Sierra?”

             
“Done—zo.”

             
“What?” Lexi asked. “When did this happen?” Lexi took a quick glance at Margo when she asked the question to gauge her friend’s reaction but Margo was stone faced. Damn, she thought. She would have loved to see a real reaction from Margo when she found out Parker was done with Sierra.”

             
“She was starting to be kind of a bitch and frankly I didn’t want to deal with it. I’m kind of jealous of you and Jake but I don’t have time for a real relationship right now. The season is obviously upon us and I really need to concentrate on that if I want to go any further with my career.”

             
“That’s smart.” Margo said. Lexi whipped her head around to look at her friend who was shocking the hell out of her. Lexi wondered if Margo went to a yoga retreat or something of that essence during her winter break because Margo was cool, calm and collected. It was rather frightening.

             
“Yea, so I guess I’m single and by no means mingling. It’s time to buckle down. Are you girls ready for the season? Where do you go first?”

             
Margo answered for the both of them. “We are going to Texas for a tournament. Hopefully we are ready. I know I am.”

             
They chatted about the season and what they expected from the freshmen who were just recruited. Parker had little to say about the freshmen’s talents on his team but both Lexi and Margo were confident that they had a good batch on their team with some promising talent to contribute to the team.

             
Margo changed the subject abruptly, “So I had an internship over break, well more like I did some volunteer work but it was so rewarding.” Parker and Lexi both looked at their friend with stunned expressions. “Don’t look at me like that, as if I just told you I was pregnant with twins.”

             
“I wouldn’t be shocked by that announcement.” Lexi joked.

             
“Ha, ha. You pick up on that sarcasm over break?”

             
Lexi chuckled. “Sorry, I just never knew you to do volunteer work.”

             
“Well I felt like I needed to give back and figure out what I was going to do with my life.”

             
“Good for you.” Parker said. “So, tell us about it.”

             
“I volunteered at an animal shelter this winter and fell in love with all the animals. I talked to the director of the shelter and asked about future employment and maybe also bragged about how I was friends with two potential sports superstars whom could be pursued for good publicity. Well long story short, it looks like when I graduate I will be the new Development Coordinator for the San Diego Animals in Need Shelter.”

             
Lexi felt stunned. She didn’t think her friend would come back to school with this kind of news. She felt so incredibly proud of Margo but also sad because her friend was moving on and without Lexi. Lexi fought back the jealousy that was coiling deep down in her stomach and remembered she had Jake. He was going to take them places and take care of her. She had nothing to worry about.