Fastball (Wilde Players Dirty Romance) (9 page)

“Hey, Ryder. You looking for Gina?”

“Yeah, she here?”

“No, she’s out to dinner. I’m not sure where, but there aren’t too many places in town. I’d start at the Chef’s Grill and work my way down if I were you.”

“Thanks, Sam. I will.” And I head down the street.

It’s Thursday, so not overly crowded, even though fall is hitting, when things will soon heat up in town. I walk in and scan the room. The place isn’t very big at all, so in no time I find her, but there’s a huge problem. She’s not alone. The someone with her is male and dark-haired, and she just laughed at something he said. Then her head tilts as I watch, and that’s when it happens. Our eyes connect, her face collapses, and I turn and walk away. Guess I know why she never returned my calls or texts now. This is not what I expected at all.

Retracing my steps, I head back to the Dirty Hammer. I need to get hammered in a bad way.

“Guess she wasn’t there, huh?” Sam asks.

“No, she was, but she had a date. Can you give me a shot of tequila? No, make that three.”

“Sorry, man, and I got you covered.”

Three shots appear before me, and I’m downing my third when a voice drifts over my shoulder. “Hey, Ryder.”

GINA

Dinner with the lawyer has been an eye-opening experience. I’m not sure what to do with the information he’s given me, but I’ve been thrown for a loop seeing Ryder walk in. When he walks out, I’m rattled, more so than the news I received.

“I have to go,” I say abruptly.

“Boyfriend?” the lawyer says, who on any other day might have been my next conquest.

“No. And thanks for dinner.”

I start to pull out my wallet, but he stops me. “I’ve got this.”

The accent rolls off his tongue in ways that are sinful, but he isn’t my baseball player. I leave and step outside to breathe. I’ve avoided all of Ryder’s calls. His gifts made me feel special, and I didn’t know how to handle it. He seems so genuine, but I’m a coward. The thought of heartbreak scares me more than death.

Before I make up my mind on what I’m going to do, my dinner companion is by my side. I pretend as though I don’t notice and head to the bar. I need a drink. Here’s to hoping my silence sends a message that I want to be left alone.

Lost in my thoughts when I open the front door, I see Ryder, beautiful and everything a girl could want, sitting with a tumbler cradled in his hands. He’s staring at it as though it has all the answers in the world.

“Hey, Ryder,” I call out boldly. Bravado has been my shield. Hopefully, it will work tonight.

He turns, but that’s about the time the lawyer circles his hand around my arm, turning me to face him.

“Are you sure you’re okay?”

I nod. “I’ll be fine. Thanks again for dinner.”

His eyes are filled with desire, and I get the faintest hint he might quite possibly kiss me. I step out of his hold.

“I’ll let you know what I decide,” I say, then turn and walk over to Ryder.

“What’s shaking, Cowboy?”

The grin on my face is supposed to get him to forgive me of any sins he might think I’ve committed. Only he doesn’t speak to me. Instead, he drains his glass.

“What brings you to these parts?” I try again, nerves getting the best of me.

His silence makes me feel like a desperate teenage girl who drew hearts of her crush’s name in the margins of her notebook. That’s something I’ve never done.

“Oh, I don’t know. I came to see why I can’t get a response from a woman I’ve called a number of times. I guess I have my answer.”

“Ryder, it’s not—”

“Save it, Gina. I don’t chase after women. I don’t have to. The one time I try…”

He shrugs. From his back pocket he produces some bills he lays on the bar countertop. When he stands, I fight back a wave of unwelcome feelings … fear.

“Just give me a chance to explain,” I try.

His frosty eyes land on mine. “You don’t owe me anything. You made it clear from the start. I was the fool for thinking…”

Trailing off again, he doesn’t finish his sentence.

“Then let’s not talk,” I suggest.

In a risky move, I step forward, get on my toes, and plant my lips against his. His soft lips are hard and unyielding, before he finally relaxes. His arm coils around my waist, and his mouth parts. I snake my tongue inside, getting a taste of expensive whiskey tinged with tequila.

Pulling back, I let my hand slide down his arm and wrap it in his. Then I tug him forward and lead him through the private hallway for employees only. There, I find the back door. Outside again, I scurry up the steps to my apartment. Quickly, I unlock the door and yank him inside. His eyes take in the clutter-free space that still weirds me out, but I’ve done my best to maintain the calm and get over my issues. Although in a rebellious move known only to me, I toss my dirty clothes on the closet floor and not in the provided hamper.

He starts to speak, but I put a finger to his lips and force his back against the door. I slide to my knees and work at freeing his beautiful cock from his pants.

At half-mast, I take it in my hands and feel it grow. I lift my eyes to meet his as I open my mouth and suck him toward the back of my throat, while trying to get most of him inside without gagging.

His eyes change as if a fire burns in them. He takes his hand, threads it through my hair before pulling me forward and back to guide the pace he needs. I clamp my lips down hard, knowing men like a little more pressure.

Groaning, his cock swells and it’s becoming harder to get most of him in my mouth. I relax my throat and swallow, opening myself to take him deeper.

“That’s it, baby. Take it.”

His voice is husky, and a growing need bursts in my core.

“Touch yourself, Gina. Show me how wet you are,” he adds as if reading my thoughts.

I do as he bids and hold up two damp fingers in the way of a boy scout. A rumbling sound comes from him a second before he pulls me off. Then my wrist is in his hand as he draws me to a standing position. He sucks my fingers in his mouth and licks them clean. I have to say that shit is hot. I don’t have time to speak, when in a quick move he lifts me over his shoulder caveman style. When I give a little squeak, he slaps my ass hard. Then he’s holding his jeans with the other hand as we make the short walk to the bedroom.

Tossing me onto the bed, he gets right to it, tugging at my jeans. When I squirm, he flips me over and taps my ass. Not too hard, but the sting turns me on. I can tell he’s not used to it, but thinks maybe that’s what I want. I have to admit, his dominating me is a thrill, so I say nothing lest he stop.

He works my jeans over my hips and surprises me by taking a bite on my ass. I giggle, which gets me another love tap. Once my pants are off, he slides a hand underneath me to raise me up on my knees. Then his tongue is in my pussy. And fuck me if I don’t fly to the moon and back. Adding a finger, he’s expert enough to easily find the magic button. When I cry out, his mouth and finger are gone.

“Damn, Ryder. You’re being a tease.”

“And you made me wait for this.”

With my eyes closed and my cheek smashed in the mattress, I feel his cock glide between my lips back and forth, but never going inside.

I want to complain, but I sense he wants that, too. So I hold my lips shut. His dick is gone, but his magician fingers are back. Two or three, I’m not sure. Stuffed is how I feel. His other hand rubs circles around my clit, and I get closer to the prize on the other side.

Just as I feel the beginning of an orgasm, the SOB pulls his fingers free.

I can’t hold back a curse. “Fuck you, Ryder.” I begin to crawl away until he clamps a hand on my shoulder to stop me. Bending over me, his cock nestles between my legs, but not where I need him most.

“If you want me inside you, Gina, you’re going to have to beg.”

His hand on my chin excites me. I want to tell him what I crave in that second, but I’m afraid he’ll freak out over what I have in mind. Instead, I swallow my pride and beg.

“Please put that big cock of yours inside me, Cowboy.”

Playfully, he bites down on my ear and then angles his dick at my entrance and slams into me.

Lots of cuss words spill from my lips as I relish the feel of him stretching me. Then it’s the sounds of our slapping flesh as he thrusts that makes me get that much closer to the edge.

“Pull my hair,” I whisper.

“What?”

“Pull my hair.” Tentatively, he does it, but it’s not enough. “More,” I beg.

The pinpricks of pain heighten everything. The world starts to lose focus, and I’m about to come. Dumb me, I tell him. And my reward is him pulling out while releasing his hold on my hair.

Mad as hell, I flip over and glare at him. He strokes his cock, and I watch for a second, mesmerized. Then I remember where his dick should be. “Orgasm withholding. I didn’t think you had it in you. But that’s cool. I know how to get myself off.”

I draw a line down between my breasts and over the mound into my core. My back arches as I push two fingers inside myself and moan. His response? He yanks my hand free.

“Mine!”

“Who says?” I challenge.

“Me. And if you want me to fuck you, you’ll say it, too.”

He reaches up and gently but firmly squeezes my breast while tapping his other hand on my pussy. The tap reminds me I’m deadly close to orgasm. “Tell me whose pussy this is, Gina.”

Stubborn as I am, I close my lips together to silence the words from spilling free. His hand leaves my breast and flits across my stomach. His touch is so light, I quiver. Then he stops tapping and circles my nub, but doesn’t touch it.

“Fuck you, Ryder. It’s yours,” I spit.

His smirk precedes him hooking my leg at the knee and pulling me forward. He kneels before me, hiking my butt off the mattress as he plunges into me. A cry escapes my throat. The angle we are at is perfect. I’m so fucking close, I lock my eyes onto his, daring him to deny me again.

Just as things get to the verge of tumbling over, I issue another command as I guide his hand to my throat.

“Squeeze.”

His eyes widen in alarm. Just by that, I know he’s never done this before. But I need him to now.

“Just do it. I won’t die if you let go before I pass out.”

He shakes his head.

“Don’t be such a pansy. You’re going to make me lose it,” I complain.

The pansy comment did it. His fingers close around my throat, but not tight enough.

“Tighter, so I can’t speak.”

Hesitantly he does it, but he’s lost his rhythm some.

“Fuck me hard like a real man,” I manage to choke out.

His eyes darken, and his thrusts become punishing. His hand bears down and squeezes more to silence me. And not too much longer before stars burst into focus. I relish the leap over into the abyss. His hand leaves my throat, and I suck in air as he takes a few more strokes. Then he grunts his way over the finish line.

He collapses next to me. After catching my breath, I roll over to my side. I’m about to cup his face and kiss him, to say how incredible it was. But the look on his face stops me. My hand in midair drops to my side.

“What’s wrong?”

Scrubbing a hand over his face, he says, “I don’t think I can do that again.”

I fall to my back and stare at the ceiling. “Why?” I ask, not sure I want to hear the answer.

“It felt wrong, like I was hurting you.”

Blowing air from my lungs, defeat consumes me. “I’m sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but I like it rough. I warned you from the beginning we weren’t compatible.”

“Maybe not,” he admits.

His words feel like a cleaver has been impaled in my chest. “Why do you need that anyway? Has someone hurt you in the past?”

Yes, but not in the ways he’s thinking. So why does his condemnation make me feel dirty?

Pissed off, I say smartly, “I just need it. You’ll never understand. And it’s cool if it’s not your thing.”

He sits up and swings his legs over the side of the bed, and I know he’s leaving. I almost ask him to take off his shirt, which he never did, just so I can see his fantastic abs one last time.

“You’re right. It’s not my thing. It’s obvious that you don’t want to be treated right. I sent you gifts, and you couldn’t bother to thank me. Yet, I bet you would thank me now for choking you.”

He shakes his head. And without another word, he gets his pants from my floor and leaves my bedroom. I can hear the fabric as he pulls it up. Then it’s his feet stepping across the floor. I know he’s about to open the door.

“Ryder.” He doesn’t answer, and that kills me inside. Still, I say what I should have said. “Thank you for the thoughtful gifts.”

No
you’re welcome
comes, just the sound of the door closing as he exits my life. Tears spill from my eyes, and I can’t recall the last time I cried like this. Why did him leaving hurt so much? I barely know the man. Then again, some people make an impression in your life. When Cassie came up to me in grade school and declared we were going to be friends, there was never any doubt.

The only thing I doubt now is that I might have let the best man who ever entered my life, even over my old man who gave me life and nothing more, walk out my door.

RYDER

Disorientation smacks me in the face when I wake up the next morning. It takes me a few minutes to figure out I’m on Fletcher and Cassie’s sofa. Good thing it’s a huge sectional or I’d have the worst stiff neck known to man. My head clangs with the aftereffects of tequila, and I have a major freak out about the fact that I drove out here in my inebriated state. Rolling off the sofa, I stumble into the kitchen for some badly needed hydration, and that’s when I see it.

Here are your keys. Car is parked outside. Didn’t want you taking any chances in your condition. Sam

Thank God. Sam drove me home. I need to send him some tickets or something. What the hell was I thinking getting so hammered last night? Then the memories nail me.
Gina.

Jesus fuck me.
What the hell is up with that woman? Is she really as messed up as that? The idea of someone hurting her makes me want to jam my fist through a wall. I can do wild and rough, but choking? So not my thing. That is totally out of my league. It freaked the hell out of me. Spanking, hell yeah. Sexy as fuck. Toys—I am one hundred percent on board for those. That sex swing—totally hot as shit. I’m game on for all that, but choking is a hard limit—isn’t that what they call it—for me. And it’s a goddamn pisser because I can’t get her out of my mind. Fucking Gina.