Player: A Secret Baby Sports Romance (17 page)

N
atalie sleeps
in the next morning.

Which is awesome.

I catch myself watching her as the morning light trickles in through the doors to the terrace, watching the way her hair falls across her face, or the way her lips move in subtle ways, as if she’s whispering secrets in her sleep.

She shifts, stretching and repositioning as she slowly curls back against me. And I can’t tell if I want to roll my eyes at what a tool I’m being watching this girl sleep, or if I want to wake her up with my mouth on her pussy.

It’s a very confusing state of arousal.

And hell, I’ve been laid six ways ‘til Sunday, and it’s
never
been that good. Which is confusing, because she’s just one girl, and one that’s clearly using me as much as I’m using her.

And not in a bad way.

Cause that was fucking
crazy
last night. That was a goddamn
connection
, and I’ve never felt anything remotely close to that.

Like I said, it’s confusing.

She stumbles downstairs later, looking like a fucking goddess. Hair a mess, mascara smudges, and one of my old jerseys slipped over her body.

“Morning,” she mumbles sleepily, grinning this dopey smile as she saunters towards the coffee machine. I watch, totally fucking tongue-tied as she strolls past me, those long, smooth legs of hers disappearing under that jersey in such a tantalizing, teasing way that I can’t help but snag the edge of it as she walks by to see if she’s as nude underneath it as I hope.

Yup.

She giggles and slaps my hand away, moseying on towards the kitchen counter and flashing me another cock-throbbing peek of that ass as she reaches up for a mug.

I’ve never given a
single
shit about the morning after. I’ve never cared about saying the right thing or anything like that. And the types of girls I’ve brought home since becoming rich and famous get that, which suits me just fine.

So why the
fuck
am I tongue-tied this morning?

Why am I forcing myself not to go over there and kiss her against the kitchen counter, and tell her how fucking incredible last night was, and that I want to basically spend forever in bed with her.

“How’d you sleep?”

I roll my eyes as soon as the words come out of my mouth.
Perfect
point. Why the fuck did I say that? Why do I care how she slept? Like any other hookup, the only thing I should be asking is if she needs cab money or if she wants to bend over the couch and let me fuck her once more on the way out.

I wrinkle my nose.

I don’t want to be crude with her, and I don’t want her to go anywhere.

And then it’s all over. I’m moving towards her, coming up behind where she’s standing at the counter pouring coffee and pressing against her. I’m nipping my lips across the nape of her neck, and she sinks against me.

God,
the smell of her, the heat of her body.

Where the
hell
did this come from? Where did the pull come from? I know damn well that I shouldn’t be kissing her fucking neck like this. I should be giving us space, and reminding myself that this is an arrangement
.

She’s one girl, filling a need. Just like any other girl before in my life.

Course, it’s real hard to stick to that ‘giving us space’ thing when her head is leaning back against my chest, with the smell of her hair filling my nose.

Natalie turns in my arms, smiling wryly at me as she stands up on her tiptoes to kiss me.

Goddamn I could get used to this.

“Look, so, I’m going to need some money to go out today.”

The words hit like a fucking fist to the gut.

Every
insecurity, every dark thought, every second guess I’ve ever had about a girl’s intentions when trying to get with me. Every single one of them comes roaring out the second those words leave her lips.

What was I thinking.

And right then, the rest of it drops away and I can see clearly
.

I can see that this is like
every other girl
chasing fame and money and a free ride.

This girl’s been playing me from the start, and and here it is.
Here’s
the flip. She “got me,” finally. Married me, strung me along, gave me little teasing tastes along the way until last night.

And
now
comes the money.

God fucking damnit.

I
hate
how fucking textbook it is, and I especially hate myself that I didn’t see it coming.

Damn she’s good.

I hate that I got played.

Natalie’s brow furrows. “Austin.”

I look up at her sharply, feeling this edged, cold feeling lancing through me. “
There
it is,” I spit out, narrowing my eyes at her.

She raises a brow. “What?”

I smile thinly, taking a step away from her and folding my arms over my chest. “Just some spending money huh?”

She wrinkles her nose at me. “Yes, Austin, I need to go-”

“Yeah, no, I’ve heard it all before, princess.” I tighten my jaw, raking my nails across my stubble. “What, new clothes? Just need
hubby’s
credit card?”

Her face darkens as she curls her lip. “You’re being an
asshole
, you know.”

“I’m being
real
, Natalie,” I say evenly. “I’m just calling it like it is.”

She rolls her eyes at me. “What, you think this is me
shaking
you down or something?”

I say nothing and she barks out a laugh. “You’re fucking unbelievable, you know that?”

She gives me one last withering look before she slams her mug back on the countertop sharp enough for Buckley to jerk his head up from the other side of the kitchen. She turns on her heel and storms way, pausing at the doorway to whirl back at me. “I’m going
wedding shopping
with your
mother
, you fucking
dick
.”

I freeze, blinking and suddenly feeling like the world’s single biggest asshole.

Ah, shit.

Nat throws her hands in the air “Oh,
yeah
, I was going to go on a damn
shoe spree
with freaking Virginity and Lana and all the rest of the jaded wives club!”

“Fuck, Nat-”

“Save it,” she spits back, giving me a very much deserved middle finger before she storms away.

I glare at Buckley. “Thanks for the backup,
pal
.”

He whimpers and puts his paw over his nose.

I
whistle wolfishly
. “Okay, she’s
hot
.”

Kyle grins as he bows with a flourish in front of his brand new, fifty-foot yacht. “Sexy, right?”

I shake my head, running my eyes over the sleek curves of the boat. “Not a bad way to spend your first paycheck.”

“Government contract work is good, man, what can I say.”

“Yeah, apparently.” I chuckle as I reach down to scratch a particularly attention-needy Buckley behind the ears.

“Hey, it’s not NFL cash,” he says with a grin. “And anyways, I’m cashing out.”

“What?”

He nods. “Yeah, got a job offer man.”

“Is that
Austin?
”

I know that voice.

I grin as the sound of Stella’s voice hits me just before she pops her head out from the cabin.

“
Steelllaaa!!
” I crow it in my best, terrible Brando impression, like I’ve done basically every time since I first met Kyle’s older sister when he took me home that first winter break in college. Buckley barks and wags his tail.

Stella’s another member of the very small pool of women who get a pass with him.

And for all my wicked ways, Stella’s always been off-limits. And not in this illicit, tempting way - like, say,
Natalie
- but because she quickly became the sister I never had.

She grins down from the side of the boat at me. “Well well well, big shot Austin Taylor still has time to yell my name, hmm?”

She turns back behind her. “Carter! You want to say hi to Uncle Austin?”

I pump my fist in the air and grin.

Awesome.

I might not actually be related to Kyle and Stella, but the kid she’s got with her deadbeat ex is my absolute favorite small human of all time.

“Austin!”

“Hey, buddy!”

“No running, Carter!” But my five-year-old sort-of nephew ignores his mom as he comes tearing down the gangway, shrieking as I toss him up in the air and catch him with Buckley barking and jumping around at my feet.

“Dude, you didn’t say they’d be here!” I say, the first real, genuine smile I’ve felt in days spreading across my face as I hold a giggling Carter upside-down and tickle him.

Kyle winks. “Surprise.”

“We came down to see the new toy.” Stella raises an eyebrow and shakes her head as she does a Vanna White style arm wave at the boat she stands on.

“Can Uncle Austin come on the boat, Uncle Kyle?”

Kyle grins at me. “Well, buddy, only if he behaves himself. You see, the
last
time Uncle Austin was on a boat, he brought some
girlfriends
of his-”

“
Kyle-
”

We both look up quickly to see Stella shaking her head and wagging a motherly finger at us. “Get up here and give me a hug, Austin.”

He chuckles. “C’mon up man.” He leans in as Carter goes scampering back up the ramp with Buckley in tow. “Try not to crash this one, huh?”

I shrug sheepishly. “Hey, at least one of us actually
owns
this one if I do, right?”

* * *

“
I
really can’t believe
you bought a boat.”

I kick my feet up on the the bow and crack the beer he’s just handed me.

“Hell I didn’t know you were a boat kinda guy
.
”

Kyle grins. “Well, no time like the present.” He clinks his beer against mine. “Carpe diem and all that.”

“So, where’s this wife of yours, Austin?”

Stella’s watching Carter drive a toy car in circles around a sleeping Buckley, but she’s talking to me.

“Oh, she, uh-” I dart a look at Kyle and he shrugs sheepishly.

“She knows.”

I sigh and throw my hands up as Stella laughs.

“Hey, I’m not judging, Austin. She’s cute! Not-” Stella leans closer, lowering her voice. “Not like some of those s-l-u-t’s I keep reading about you being seen with in trashy magazines. She looks like she might even be out of high school, too, and she hasn’t made you crash into any Starbucks yet.”

Stella winks at me as I roll my eyes. “Really never going to let that one go, are you?”

She shakes her head as she reaches out and pats my cheek patronizingly. “
No
, honey. That one is
way
too good.”

“Well where is Nat, anyways? I thought you were bringing her.”

I shrug, downplaying it and trying not to think about the way I acted like a jackass this morning. “Eh, it’s not like there was going to be media here anyways.”

Stella and Kyle share a look.

“Oh,
what
.”

Kyle shrugs and takes a sip of his beer. “Nothing, man. I just thought maybe you’d gotten past that.”

I frown. “Gotten past what, that she’s just an employee of mine?”

“Still telling yourself that, huh?”

I glare at him when Stella cuts in. “Kyle says she’s one of the good ones.”

I wrinkle my brow as I stare at the sibling inquisition sitting across the bow from me, both of them with that token, “Austin, you’re being an idiot” look on their faces.

“Oh,
c’mon
.” I frown at them, raking my fingers through my hair. “You
know
it’s not real.”

“I know you keep saying that,” Kyle says, shaking his head.

“It’s an
image
thing,” I say, ignoring Kyle and turning to his sister. “I’m in the spotlight, and I need to clean up my act a little bit. Natalie gets what she needs I get what I need, and it is what it is.

“
Uh-huh
.” Stella clucks her tongue, shaking her head.

“Marriage tests
really
well with target demographics, actually,” I say, cringing at how much like Derek I sound like.

“He’s trying to be David Beckham,” Kyle murmurs to Stella, like I’m not sitting right there.

“I am
not-
”

“Didn’t he marry a Spice Girl?”

I drop my face into my hands, groaning. When I look up, they’re
both
still shaking their heads at me.

“Will you quit looking at me like I’m an idiot?”

Kyle laughs deeply. “Well quit acting like one!”

I glare at him, but I’m grinning too. Hell, only my best friend could talk to me like this.

“Austin, you know you’re my friend, and you’re like family to the two of-”

“You need to quit your bitching,” Stella butts in, giving me a stern look.

“Mommy said a bad word!”

Stella’s stern face falls as we whirl to see Carter shaking his head at us. I grin as I get up and monster-stomp over to him, picking him up and tickling him again as he giggles.

“Naw, buddy, Mommy said
fishing
.” I eye Stella over Carter’s shoulder. “Mommy wants Uncle Austin to stop
fishing
all the time, right Mommy?”

Stella smirks.

Carter squirms out of my arms, trotting back to his cars as I slump back in front of the Kyle-Stella jury.

“You know man, sometimes I don’t think you get how lucky you are.”

I roll my eyes. “Kyle, believe me, I get-”

“No, not the money, or the fame or all that, I mean
Natalie.
”

I groan as I reach up to rub the bridge of my nose. “It’s
arranged
, Kyle. You get that, right?”

“I get that I’d
kill
to have a girl that looks at me the way she looks at you.”

I laugh. “Like she wants to push me down a flight of stairs?”

“It’s not an unheard of reaction, honey,” Stella says, grinning at me.

“You’re too wrapped up in your own-” Kyle’s eyes dart to Carter before turning back to me. “You’re too wrapped up in your own b-u-l-l-s-h-i-t,” he mutters, spelling out the word.

I frown. “Try being in the spotlight like this.”

He rolls his eyes. “Cry me a river, buddy. You’re so wrapped up in your crap that you can’t even see how that girl looks at you. Hell, you’re so inside your head that you forgot that I
did
tell you Stell and Carter were going to be here today.”

I wince.

“Hell, you haven’t even asked me what my new job is.”

I cringe a little. “Look, I’m sorry man.”

He smirks at me, shrugging. “It’s actually fine, I just need to call you out on your B.S. or no one will.”

“Well, I will.” Stella grins at me. “
Zero
issues on calling Austin out.”

“Aww,
thanks
, Stella.”

I make a face at her as she laughs.

“So, what’s the job.”

Stella hoots. “Oh, you’re gonna love this.”

Kyle scrunches his face up. “The FBI.”

I toss my head back and laugh. “They
know
you were on a hacker watch-list, right?”

“Uh,
yeah
, Austin, I think the
FBI
probably knows that.” He grins at me. “Actually, I think that’s exactly why they hired me. They’ve got me working on these financial transaction history algorithms targeting organized crime.”

“Man, that’s like switching teams.”

He groans. “I
know
. It’s such a sell-out move.”

Stella rolls her eyes. “No, that’s called growing up and thinking about your
future
at little more.” She gives me the world’s most obvious look.

“Yeah, hint taken, Stella.”

I ease back in my set and stake out at the Pacific, shaking my head. “Well, sh-” I stop myself and glance back at Carter.

“Well
shoot
, I guess we grew up, huh? The hacker works for the FBI, and-”

“And the huge man w-h-o-r-e got married, to a
nice
girl,” Kyle finishes with a grin.

“Just you wait, Austin, pretty soon you’re going to have a few of these running around,” Stella says with a raise of her brow, nodding at Carter.

Yikes.

I take a
big
sip of my beer to cover the look on my face as I try and picture a guy like
me
as a father.

Kyle cringes and makes a face. “Sore subject, Stell.”

She laughs. “I meant with your
wife
, Austin, not that s-k-a-n-k from the tabloids.”

I know what she means though.

I just don’t know what the hell to make of the feeling it brings out inside.