Line of Scrimmage: A Secret Baby Sports Romance (Pass To Win Book 2) (4 page)

T
he whole apartment
was bathed in complete darkness. Slivers of light came from the windows, but it served only for navigation. It fitted the moment and occasion perfectly. Two people were breaking up. They should be sitting in darkness.

Kayla sat on the couch with a deep sigh. It made my heart break. We had grown accustomed to each other, loved each other, went through so much together and now—poof—gone. Like it never even existed. Life was hard. But harder for people with big dreams.

“Want something to drink?” I offered. My voice was rusty from not using it. I cleared my throat. The tension was almost palpable in the room.

“Great idea,” Kayla whispered. “Do we have any of the Scotch left?”

I headed for the alcohol cabinet, as we called it, and looked for the bottle of Scotch. Luckily, it was near the windows, so I had some natural light to help me on my quest. My eyes could see nothing at first, but after a couple of minutes they adjusted to the darkness. The red label caught my attention as I pulled it out.

Pouring the contents of the bottle in two small glasses, I gave one to my girlfriend. Or ex-girlfriend now. Whatever.

I sat next to her. Was she still my girlfriend? It didn’t matter. I drained the glass in seconds.

“Sportsmen shouldn’t drink like that,” she said kindly. It wasn’t a scorn or a scowl. It was a sign of caring. I felt a pang of guilt and pain spreading like a wave over me.

“I don’t care about that tonight,” I replied and filled the glass again. Simultaneously we drank the entirety of our glasses. The strong liquid burned my throat and Kayla’s too, I assumed.

I placed my hand on her knee. Her body was hot or my hand was just too cold. I didn’t know what to say. At my touch, she turned to me. Her eyes shone in the night like two gorgeous balls of light. She is such a beauty. My fingertips brushed against her skin, roaming across her forehead, her cheeks, her lips… She was mine until tomorrow. A pity.

Kayla moved forward, decreasing the space between us. Her hands found their place on my shaven cheeks, feeling me one last time. We kissed with vigor and lust, our tongues touching, our lips swollen from so much kissing. Then I buried my head in her neck. Her perfume did wonders to me. Oh, what a girl! She smelled like some kind of flower. And what was that? Ah, yes… Vanilla. I licked my lips.

She moaned softly in my ear, her hands on my back. She was hugging me while I was fumbling with the dress’s zipper. Eventually I managed to unzip it and it fell to the ground. She was standing there in her lingerie now and I stopped to admired her beauty. The slim figure, her breasts, her butt, the passion in her eyes. I looked at her thoroughly, for it was the last time I would see all of it.

I took off my jacket and it was her turn now as she unbuttoned my shirt. Her touch lingered on my broad shoulders, my muscular chest and my abs. I heard her take in her breath and not let it out. I did so myself.

“You’re beautiful. Too beautiful to be true. I realize that now,” I said.

Kayla smiled weakly. “You, too. I still can’t believe that we’re doing this.”

“Me neither,” I whispered.

I planted kisses all over her. Beginning with her shoulders, I kissed her arms, her neck, her face, her throat. My trembling hands got rid of one strap of her bra and then the other. While I was doing that I felt my belt being unfastened and my pants falling to the ground.

“Ouch,” I said as my belt buckle hit my big toe.

I kissed her soft lips firmly as my hands cupped her boobs, squeezing them. She moaned into my mouth. Her breath smelled of alcohol. I loved it. That aroused me even more. My hands were still playing with her nipples, pinching them and fondling them. Kayla liked it.

“Let’s make this unforgettable,” she managed to whisper in my ears.

“I’m all in,” I replied. Yay! Best breakup sex ever!

She went to the ground and got on her knees. A wicked smile appeared on my face. I laid back, giving her all of me. Her tongue was running across my stomach until it stopped above my underwear. Her hand passed over the bulge that formed in my underwear. I closed my eyes at her touch.

“You like that?” she asked me in a husky voice. I nodded, gasping. I could admit it—I was weak in front of her. She pulled down my underwear and threw it off to the side.

She then took the whole of me into her mouth, satisfying me. I groaned softly. Wow, I had almost forgotten how good she was in bed. Drunk with passion, I roughly undressed Kayla and put her on me. I quickly found my way into her as I heard her moan. My hips drove into her as I put my hands on her back to steady her. Her hands were on my shoulders, squeezing them, scratching my skin in ecstasy.

Her loud voice filled the whole apartment and that made me even harder. I plunged into her, slowly at first to set the pace.

“Faster, Sean! Come on! Give it to me! God, yeah!” she screamed as I drove into her harsher, faster, fiercer. How did I forget that she liked it rough?

My hands explored her body, resting on her breasts and on her waist. My heart danced as our bodies rocked in perfect sync. I felt myself getting closer and closer to finishing so I pulled out of her.

“What happened?” she said.

“On your back, honey. It’s not over yet.” I grinned and she did too, obeying me.

First I played with her clit and she yelled in pleasure, placing her hands on my head. Then once again I took my big, thick penis and dived into her again. This time I was even more vigorous. I could tell that she liked the pace too. Her pleasurable moans told me as much. She was an amazing girl! Unbelievable!

Kayla helped me into her, she grabbed my body, caressing it where it should be. Her touch went all across my body from my back to my bottom. I suddenly sensed pain on my back and figured out that she left scratches there. To remind me of her.

My lips and tongue returned the favor as they roamed all over her. She shouted and moaned. Now I was going to come.

Thrusting into her again and again I completely forgot myself. I let out a loud moan as I finished, my juices spilling into her. Her fingers were playing with my nipples, finishing me off.

“Ah… Stay there, please. Don’t go,” she said, all breathless.

I stayed in her just so that I was with her. She wanted me in her for comfort and love. I kissed her sweaty lips. They smelled of me.

Eventually we sat down
,
drank some more Scotch and remained in silence. Kayla put her hand on my thigh. We didn’t bother to dress. I ran my fingertips across her hair, fondling her. I needed her by my side tonight.

I struggled to take a breath as I wiped sweat from my chest. Best sex ever! I was going to miss it for sure. Kayla was a special girl. I knew that now.

It wasn’t long before Kayla kissed me again and started playing with my manhood. This time we went to the bedroom and had round two. Better than the first one. Our bodies said goodbye as our hearts already mourned. Again and again, we gave our best, satisfying each other. But everything must come to an end and I saw that in the strange light in Kayla’s eyes. I thought that I must have that same strange light in mine as well. Farewell, my baby. I am going to miss you!

C
hange was difficult
. It was especially difficult for me. The new city was stranger, weirder than my own. I supposed that this was now my city as well. But my mind wasn’t having any of it. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t feel close to the city, to love it like I did my own. That was the least of my problems though.

My new apartment was ugly. Who was I fooling? Crappy was a mild word for it. Actually there was nothing wrong with the apartment; it was spacious, airy and had nice colors and pretty new furniture. However, its biggest downside that drowned all the perks was that it wasn’t my apartment that I had shared with Sean. That was what was missing and what made it odd. I realized that several hours after I had moved in.

Yes. I had been here for several days. Almost a week now. And still hadn’t managed to find a single friend. Poor me. The loneliness was killing me from the inside out, slowly but surely. It was a deadly disease for me. Loneliness. I had to find a cure. I had to find someone to hang out with. I had watched every movie and TV show on the TV, had read everything there was to read and who knew what else. I was getting bored of me and my life. I had to do something.

I took a pack of cigarettes lying on my table and lit one on the balcony. Yup, Kayla Vaughn was smoking like a chimney. Hear ye! Hear ye! I was so bored that I had started smoking intensively. The smoke filled my lungs and my nostrils. I let out several circles from my mouth just like a wizard in a movie. I forgot which one.

Suddenly, I remembered something. While I had been at the university to sign some papers and finish all the red tape, I had heard of some mixer. The university students apparently hosted a mixer for everybody to get to know each other.

I didn’t know why that hadn’t occurred to me earlier. I threw the cigarette butt away and dressed in a nice dress. Taking my coat
,
I was out of my apartment. Fresh air did wonders to me.

The whole university mixer was held in some kind of a café club or something like that. I was never good with differentiating them. Seeing all those people was a bit overwhelming, but I entered anyway. I was going to party and meet new people, duh! What was better than that?

“Hey, what’s up?” A young woman my age approached me. Perhaps she was the organizer.

“Hi, my name’s Kayla,” I told her.

“Nice to meet you. I’m Lauren.” We shook hands. She had intelligent eyes and dark skin.

“Great name. Are you a student here? I’m post-grad,” I said, smiling.

“Thanks. That’s great. Let me introduce you to someone you might study with. He’s a post-grad too.” She smiled. I nodded, grinning. I wasn’t going to turn down meeting somebody new. I didn’t want that kind of reputation attached to me.

Before me stood a young man. He was blond with glasses and a bit shorter than me. Definitely not my type. I cringed inwardly.

Lauren was gone in a second and I was left alone with the blond guy. “Hey.” I offered him my hand.

“Hi, my name’s James. James Clarke.”

When he said the name, I figured who he was reminding me of. He looked just like Clark Kent, except that he was blond. That made me laugh.

“I’m Kayla. Nice to meet you.”

The music began and we started to dance. I was dancing with a complete stranger? What was wrong with you, Kayla? What had become of the old you? Indeed
,
I was unrecognizable. I blamed all of it on my recent breakup and the loneliness. I blamed what happened later in the bathroom on that as well.

I had been talking with James for two or three hours now and it was already night. He was a nice guy, but definitely not my type. I thought that again. The way he talked bothered me, his grimaces and gestures did as well. I would never date him. Even if he was the last living man on Earth.

And then all of a sudden, he grabbed my ass. “Want to go the bathroom?” he whispered in my ear. I was completely, utterly alone. What could I tell him? And besides I desperately needed someone in my life. Someone new.

I agreed and moments later I found myself being squeezed into the small space that was the bathroom. James took off my top and I did his pants. My screams and moans couldn’t be heard over the loud music of the club while we had sex. He was good, but not as great as Sean. I hated myself for comparing them. Sean was in the past now. Gone. Scratched off the list.

He cupped my breasts as we finished, but we were still rocking in sync. The adrenaline was high in my blood. And so was the percentage of alcohol. Finally
,
we got dressed and were done with it. He kissed me, thanking me for the amazing experience as he called it.

What could I tell him? No problem, any time? Thanks, baby? Ugh! Such a horrible guy!

I continued with the party outside and the meeting of new people. New potential friends. I met three girls who were with me in class and looked like honest, positive people. I could use that kind of energy.

* * *

T
wo months passed in a flash
. It was always like that when I was busy. When I enrolled into Princeton University, I hadn’t thought that it would be this hard and challenging. And you guessed it! I was dying. Not literally, but still. I was barely sleeping and wandered around the apartment and campus like a zombie. Yeah, like one of those walking dead people in the movies. The books were insanely long and tough. Everything I had done until now was just kindergarten. This was the real deal. And the real deal drained every cell of energy out of me.

It was morning and I was sitting behind the laptop, proofreading a paper that was due yesterday. Yeah, after begging the professor he extended my deadline to tomorrow. Post-grad life was a hell.

I was feeling nauseous the whole morning and my head was hurting me. Apparently I needed some sleep and time off. And that wasn’t possible because of my exams. Damn exams and damn the one who invented them. I cursed some more as my eyes darted across the last page of the paper. Then I felt something rising in my throat and I figured that I was going to vomit. What the heck?

Setting the laptop on the table in front of me, I hurried to the bathroom with gagging noises. Going to my knees, I spilled last night’s dinner into the toilet together with today’s breakfast. I felt awful, as if a train had ran me over and over again.

With a hand on my stomach I returned to the couch in the living-room and sprawled myself. My headache was escalating as well. I seriously thought that I was going to die. It hadn’t been this bad. Never. What was wrong with me?

I rewound the last couple of days, a week before and then some thoughts started to gain form in my mind. Clark Kent aka James Clarke… Sean…

“Shit!” I said out loud. It wasn’t like I was… No, no… I was still young. I still hadn’t finished grad school. I still hadn’t opened my, oh, so desired law firm. I couldn’t be… Pregnant? With child? A mother? Me? I laughed hysterically.

I dismissed the thoughts. However, I had plenty of work and I couldn’t be distracted by these stupid things, so I decided to settle everything. I went to the pharmacy and bought a pregnancy test.

I did what was required of me and waited, sitting on the toilet. Those were the longest minutes of my entire life. I felt like Hamlet. “To be or not to be,” I whispered and chuckled at that. In times like these all I could think of was Hamlet?

“Fuck,” I shouted. The test showed two lines and that meant… Kayla Vaughn was pregnant? What the hell?

And then a grin appeared on my face. I was embracing the results fast, it seemed. Being a mother was a lovely, noble thing. My whole life flashed before my eyes. How it would look with a kid next to me. It would sit in a chair while his mommy graduated. It would play with toys when mommy worked in her law firm. But where was daddy? Who was the daddy? I honestly didn’t know.

“Screw you for sleeping with two guys,” I said to my reflection in my mirror.

Immediately I went to my couch and put my head into my hands. What was I going to do? First, I was going to call mom and dad; that was for sure. And then? Then what?

My hand reached for my cell and I opened the contacts list. The name Sean shone before my eyes. Should I call him? But what was I going to tell him? That he was possibly a father and possibly not? That the chances were fifty-fifty? No. I threw the cell on the couch and fondled my stomach. No. It wasn’t the time for that. No.

And just like that many months had passed and I was still denying it to myself. I was pretty big now, with a book in my lap, studying about laws in the medieval times and fondling my tummy. It was where my little baby lived. I was already getting emotional, so I put the plug on those thoughts. I saw a jar of pickles on the table and stood up to fetch them. My baby craved them and so did I. It was a massive experience, my pregnancy. And something no movie could have prepared me for.

I had horrible morning sicknesses every single day, wanted a crazy amount of weird food and cried a lot. Like seriously a lot. The tears I made every day could fill a whole bucket. And I usually cried for stupid reasons that would never even have moved me a year ago. Stuff had changed since then and here I was—Kayla Vaughn eating pickles from a jar while killing time on her laptop.

The search engines became my worst enemy and nightmare. Especially these days. As my nine months of pregnancy were coming towards an end, I was more and more tempted to tell Sean. My ex. Those two short words still felt odd on my tongue.

I didn’t know why but I was feeling desperate and lonely today. Out of the blue I typed “Sean Coleman” in Google’s search bar.

“Oh my goodness,” I spoke aloud, not believing my eyes. At least half a year had passed since we had broken up and now this. Sean was on the cover of an all men’s magazine in his underwear, with girls around him.

Apparently he had given dirty interviews, dated models and stuff like that. My insides were boiling. Was I feeling jealous? Of who?

Here I was with a huge stomach while he became a playboy. And right then my doubts were confirmed. He was never going to be a good father and husband. He must never find out about my baby. He wouldn’t be fit… No, no. I should keep all of it a secret. And besides there was no way for him to find out a single thing about me. It wasn’t like I was the most popular woman on the planet. Unlike him.

I closed the lid of the laptop and returned to my book. It would be a nice distraction. Oh, Sean what did you do?

* * *

R
ushing
I came out of the cab, screaming in pain. The entrance of the hospital loomed before me. Oh, fuck! It was killing me!

I yelled from the top of my voice and the cabbie was fortunately here to give me a hand.

“Are you okay, madam?”

“Do I look like I’m okay?” I shouted in his face. All of my muscles were contorting and I was red in the face. I was drenched in sweat. And why wouldn’t I be? My baby was coming out.

“Which month are you in?” The cabbie said as he helped me to the hospital’s doors.

“Ninth. Oh my God! I’m going to die!” I cried.

“Calm down, madam. We’re right here,” he said as we climbed the stairs together. “Do you have a husband or a boyfriend?”

“None of the above,” I breathed out. My stomach was killing me, my head was splitting, my lungs were on fire, and my heart was beating like crazy. My soul seemed to leave my body. “Thank you, sir. For being here with me.”

“No problem,” he said and it was all I could hear before I passed out.

As if from another room or even another galaxy I heard strange, deep voices. They usually called for doctors and surgery rooms and stuff like that. I couldn’t hold it anymore. If it had to happen, let it happen. I closed my eyes and fell into the darkness.

And then, as if it were only a minute later, my eyes started to open. I found myself in a strange room. Was it Heaven? Hell? Something entirely different? No. Doctors wearing green masks didn’t welcome people into the afterlife.

There was a cry. Someone was crying. And I knew who it was. I didn’t have to see who it was to know. I simply knew. Call it a mother’s intuition or just a sixth sense, I realized that it was my baby crying.