Take Me (18 page)

“You ready to get wet?” he asked.

“Yes.”

He led her into the pool, and the water was warm against her skin. She felt her tshirt cling to her breasts like a second skin, and her nipples were so hard she could feel them against the fabric.

He kissed her again, pulling away every so often to look into her eyes and run his fingers over her cheekbone, down her jawline, over her lips, across her collarbone. Then his lips were back on hers, his tongue in her mouth, his fingers flicking over the top of her tank top, teasing her nipples.

“Are you wet yet?” he asked gruffly.

“Yes,” she said.

“Wet enough for me to touch?”

She moaned, unable to answer, and felt his fingers move gently over her legs and up in between her thighs. He moved over her panties, rubbing lightly. She pushed herself into his fingers, wanting to feel him, wanting more. But every time she did, he would pull back, teasing her.

He kept it up for what felt like hours, rubbing over her panties, pulling back when he could tell he was getting her really going. Finally, he lifted up her shirt and pulled it off, tossing it into the water.

He lowered his head and took her nipple into his mouth, his tongue flicking over the hot peak. She moaned and leaned back. She’d never felt anything like this. Her whole body was on fire.

He reached behind her again, pulling her against his bare chest, her breasts flattening out against his body. He kissed her, long and deep and hard, this time not teasing.

He picked her up in his arms and set her up on the edge of the pool. “Lean back, sweetheart,” he whispered, and she did as she was told.

She felt his hands reach up and grab the sides of her panties, pulling them down and off her legs. Then his hands were on her again, up and over her thighs, gently spreading them apart.

He brought his mouth down, and at first, all she felt was the warmth of his breath.

She shivered, because her skin was cold from being in the water. And then his mouth was on her clit, sucking it, his tongue flicking in a circle, up and down and over her slit.

Heat spread through her body, and she wanted to take the back of his head and pull him into her, but she knew if she did, he would pull back.

He licked and sucked until she was right on the edge of climax, and then, just when he knew she was about to come, he would go slower until she calmed down. Then he would speed up again, bringing her back to the edge.

“Oh, my God,” she moaned. She looked at him, watched him licking her, and she was so hot and turned on she thought she was going to lose her mind.

“Are you ready to feel me inside you?” he asked.

“Yes,” she said. She bit her lip to keep from begging.

He pulled her back into the water, and slipped his shorts off. She wrapped her legs around him, and she could feel the hardness of his cock against her stomach.

“Do you want me?” he whispered into her ear.

She didn’t trust herself to speak, so she just nodded. “I want you so bad,” he whispered. “You are so beautiful.” His lips were on her neck, and she leaned back, letting him trail kisses down and over her breasts. He pushed her hair back from her face and then his lips were back on hers.

She opened her legs just a little, and the tip of his cock slid in. “Okay?” he asked, his eyes searching hers.

She nodded, then moved her body so that she slid all the way down. Their foreheads were touching, and they looked into each other’s eyes as he slowly moved inside of her. She rocked up and down, but his hands were on her ass, and he controlled the pace, keeping her from going too fast.

Slowly, he let her move faster, stopping every so often to hold her still and kiss her. And then, finally, just when she thought she really was going to go insane, he let her go faster. She slid up and down his cock, until waves of pleasure enveloped her. She buried her head in his shoulder to keep from crying out as her orgasm washed over her.

She felt him fill her at the same time, and then they were moving slower and slower until their bodies stopped and they both collapsed against each other, spent.

He kissed her again.

~Chapter Eight~

Jay could not believe he’d just had sex with Alyssa Cotler. Actually, he could believe it. When Steve had told him to stay away from her, it had just made him want her more.

But it wasn’t just that. She was amazing. Beautiful, and the best sex he’d ever had.

What he couldn’t believe was the way he felt right now. Like he wanted to stay here, close to her, holding her in his arms all night. They’d spread towels out next to pool, and they were lying there now, the night sky shining down through the glass ceiling above them.

Alyssa lay in the crook of his arm, naked. He ran his fingers up and down her body, and felt her heart beating against his.

“That was amazing,” he said honestly. “You’re amazing.”

“You say that to everyone,” she said. But she snuggled in closer to him.

“I don’t,” he said honestly. In fact, she was the first woman he’d said that to.

Usually once he was done having sex with a woman, he wanted them to leave as soon as possible. But Alyssa was different. He didn’t want her out of his sight.

“You’re such a liar.”

“Seriously!” he said.

She propped herself up on one elbow, her dirty blonde hair falling over her shoulders. Her eyes looked sexy and smoky, and she looked at him seriously. “You’ve never told a woman she was amazing?”

“No,” he said. “Incredible, yes. Amazing, no.”

She hit him playfully on his shoulder. “Okay, okay,” he said, laughing. “Just kidding. You don’t have to hit me.”

She bit her lip then, and swallowed hard. “Listen,” she said. “I don’t usually do things like this.”

“You’re such a liar.”

She smiled, but she looked nervous. “I don’t,” she said. “And so I would appreciate it if you don’t mention this to anyone.”

“Why would I mention it to anyone?”

“I don’t know.” She shrugs. “Having sex with the reporter? Isn’t that something that would make good locker room conversation?”

“Not really.” He rolled over and pulled her back closer to him. “We talk about way more scandalous things in the locker room than that.”

“Really?” she asked. “Like what?”

“I can’t tell you,” he said. “It’s classified.”

He started to kiss her neck again, and she climbed on top of him. He looked at her, her hair spilling over the tops of her breasts, her cheeks flushed with excitement.

“God, you are so beautiful,” he said.

And this time, when she slid her body down onto him, he didn’t try to slow her down.

***

Alyssa woke up the next morning, blinking in the early morning light of her hotel room. Next to her, Jay slept soundly, his arms around her. They’d slept like that all night, him behind her, holding her close.

A wave of regret washed over her. She thought about last night, the things she’d said, the things she’d done. Her face blushed bright red. What the hell had she been thinking? Having sex with him, letting him do all those things to her! How stupid. It was the same thing she’d done with her ex-boyfriend Joel, getting all worked up over a guy, forgetting that she had her own life. And if she’d thought Joel had been bad, that was nothing compared to Jay. Jay was a professional baseball player. It definitely wouldn’t be easy to keep her writing dreams alive while dating him.

Not that they were going to be dating. He was a playboy, pure and simple.

Which was another reason what she’d done last night had been supremely stupid.

The hotel room phone rang, and Alyssa looked at it. She was almost afraid to pick it up, scared that it would be some kind of paparazzi or reporter, asking her what she’d been doing with Jay Havens.

But it wasn’t. In fact, it was almost worse.

Isobel.

“Well, I see you’ve been sleeping in!” Isobel crowed through the phone. “And I don’t have a column from you yet, so I’m assuming that you haven’t done it?”

“Um, well…” Alyssa was trying to keep voice down, as not to wake the sleeping Jay. She wiggled out from under his arm, and he turned over in his sleep, mumbling something. He talked in his sleep. Alyssa thought that was absolutely adorable. And totally unexpected.

Although a lot of things about Jay were unexpected. Like how soft he’d been with her last night. He’d held her in his arms all night, waking up in the night to kiss her lips and pull her closer.

Even when he’d been making love to her, he’d been strong but gentle. Alyssa shivered, remembering how he’d made her come.

“Hello!” Isobel shrieked. “Your column?”

“Right,” Alyssa said. “I was just…putting the finishing touches on it. I’ll have it over to you asap.”

“You better,” Isobel said. And then the line went dead.

Alyssa placed the phone back on the receiver.

“Hey,” Jay said from beside her, a lazy grin playing on his lips. “What are you doing way over there?”

He pulled her back into the bed, and she felt his erection against her back. He started to kiss her neck.

“I have to start working,” Alyssa said. She was careful to keep her voice steady and powerful. How many other women had he done this to? Was he going to tell anyone? Was she going to lose her job?

Oh God, oh God, oh God.

“That’s okay,” Jay said. “I’ll order coffee. And then when you’re done writing, I’ll take you to breakfast.”

He pulled the sheet down off of her, exposing the tops of her breasts. “Are you going to write anything about me?”

“No,” she said, and pulled the sheet back over her tightly. Obviously he’d seen it all last night, but in the light of day, it felt different. More exposed. “And I can’t go to breakfast with you.”

She was getting out of bed now, the sheet still wrapped around her. She walked into the bathroom and threw on a pair of jeans and a sweater.

“Sure you can,” Jay said. “We’ll go after you work.”

“Jay,” she said. She stood in the middle of the room, and it was taking all her self-control not to run back over to the bed, slide in next to him, and let him ravish her the way he did last night. “I can’t… I mean, we can’t go to breakfast together. If anyone sees me with you, well… I could lose my job.”

“You won’t lose your job,” he said. “That’s crazy.”

“I will,” she said. “My boss told me that I had to stay away from the players, that I couldn’t… get personal.”

“That makes sense,” he said, nodding. “But this is different. This is me and you.”

She didn’t say anything. She wanted it to be different, she wanted more than anything to believe that they were going to be together. But her pride wouldn’t let her go there.

“Isn’t it?” Jay asked.

She didn’t say anything. She saw his jaw harden, and if she didn’t know any better, she’d have thought that he was upset. But that made no sense. Why would Jay Havens be upset that she was kicking him out of her hotel room, that she couldn’t see him anymore? He could have any woman he wanted.

“Jay – ” she started.

“No,” he said, holding his hand up to keep her from saying anything else. He picked his clothes up off the floor. “I get it.” He pulled on his jeans and t-shirt. And then he left.

***

Jay was pissed. At Alyssa, but mostly at himself. He’d let himself go last night, really go for the first time in… well, he couldn’t remember the last time he’d been like that. Maybe ever.

And then this morning, Alyssa had thrown him out of her hotel room like he was some kind of hooker. Maybe it was karma, he thought as he drove angrily towards his Brooklyn apartment. He’d spent numerous mornings kicking women out of his apartment. And now it was happening to him. His heart constricted as he thought about her, about how much he wanted her. He felt like right now he would do anything for her.

He couldn’t explain it. It was crazy, because he hadn’t known her that long, but he just knew. She was the one for him.

He didn’t care about anything else. He needed to be with her. He didn’t care if it messed up his relationship with Billingsley, hell, he didn’t care if he got kicked off the Heat. All that mattered to him in that moment was Alyssa.

He reversed direction and drove to the gym, deciding to take his stress out on the weights. When he got there, he changed into shorts and a t-shirt, and then sat down at the bench press.

He was covered in sweat, when Chad came into the gym half an hour later.

“Yo,” Chad said.

“Yo.”

“Where have you been?”

“Nowhere.” Jay shrugged. Usually he would have told Chad all the salacious details about what had gone on last night. But he didn’t want to. It was between him and Alyssa.

“Going out with that Jessa chick tonight,” Chad said. “She called me about five times, and so I finally caved.” He grinned. “You want to get in on it? You could invite Alyssa?”

“What are we, in tenth grade?” Jay asked.

“No, but I know how much you liiiikkkee her.” Chad started making kissing noises on his hands.

“Bye,” Jay said, walking out of the gym and heading toward the showers. But when he was halfway there, he realized Chad might be onto something with this double date idea. He could ask Alyssa about it, make it sound totally innocent, like it was going to be four friends just hanging out together. He thought about calling Alyssa’s hotel room right then, but he didn’t want to take the chance that she wouldn’t pick up. And besides, he’d see her at practice in a little while anyway.

Feeling better, he got in the shower. And he made sure he kept the water extra cold.

~Chapter Nine~

Alyssa sat in the dugout, her notebook out in front of her, wondering when Isobel was going to call her about her column. What she’d turned in this morning had been decidedly unscandalous. No fights. No drama. Just a straight column about how much she’d enjoyed watching the game last night. Isobel was definitely going to be pissed. A lame column about watching baseball definitely wasn’t going to get the web traffic up.

Alyssa sighed. She watched as one of the players, Matt Hollsten, took some practice swings with the bat. She doodled a flower in the margin of her notebook and wondered what she could write about.