Bases Loaded (Mustangs Baseball) (17 page)

Her pussy fit
perfectly in his palm. He applied pressure with the heel of his hand and, with
as much restraint as he could muster, he moved his middle finger in and out a
few times.

“Perfect. You’re
so damned perfect.” He found her clit again and rubbed his thumb over it in
tandem with his finger entering her. “Still feeling good?”

She dug her
fingers into his forearm in answer.

“You need to come,
don’t you, babe?”

A wiggle confirmed
the need he sensed building again.

“Then let’s do
this.”

Making a cradle
with his arm bent at her back, his free hand came up to cup her head, pressing
her face into his. He drove his thumb into her vagina, plunging his middle
finger as deep as he dared into her sweet ass.

The miracle broke
over her in shuddering waves. Tony took her moans into his mouth while her body
squeezed his finger and thumb so hard he was glad he still had months before he
needed his hand again. He’d trade the rest of his career to feel her doing the
same thing to his dick.

When she quieted,
he slipped his fingers from her, gathered more of her juices, and with a tender
touch, moistened the tissues he’d just abused. “Shh,” he said, soothing her.
“This will help so you won’t be sore later on.”

She allowed him to
take care of her, relaxing in his arms, her head once again buried in the crook
of his neck. Eventually, her fingers released their grip on his arm. A few
minutes later, the soft brush of her breath against his skin told him she
slept.

Tony closed his
eyes, absorbing into his consciousness the wonder of her power over him. He’d
do anything to make her happy. If she needed an orgasm during a plane trip or
to fuck the night away with his teammates, he would see she wasn’t
disappointed.

Call him a crazy
fucker, but he was in love with her, and whatever she wanted, whatever she
needed, it was his duty to see she got it.

Too soon, the
flight attendant made her way through the front cabin, quietly reminding them
they would arrive at their destination soon. Tony kissed Clare awake then, in a
reverse Gumby move, went back to his own seat, settling Clare in hers. He
watched her hands move beneath the blanket, adjusting and refastening her
slacks. As primly as you please, she folded the blankets and stuffed them into
the seatback pocket in front of her.

Tony leaned over
and kissed her again. “Just because.”

The cabin lights
came on. Flight attendants worked the aisles, collecting trash and making sure everything
was in order for landing. Clare held her hand out palm up, and Tony placed his
on top, lacing their fingers together. His heart landed with a harder thump
than the wheels on the runway. He’d won a victory bigger than any other. Her
trust.

* * *

I’ve
lost my mind.

There
was no other explanation for why she was freezing her ass off in the dark while
Antonio looked for the door key supposedly hidden near the condominium’s front
porch.

“Sorry
about that,” Antonio said, reappearing from behind what looked like a giant
snowball but apparently was some sort of shrubbery. His black wool jacket was
dotted with clumps of white stuff, and even in the dark of the porch alcove,
she could tell his lips had taken on the hue of frozen blueberries. “I forgot which
window ledge they said it would be on.” He held up a key. “Mission
accomplished.”

“Just
get the door open before I freeze.”

“No
problem.” The door opened under his touch, much like her, she mused then they
were inside. “Let me find the lights.”

Antonio
slapped at the wall to their right a couple of times, looking for the switch.
When he found it and flicked the lights on, Clare gasped. It was cold enough to
hang meat, but other than that, the place was fabulous. There was no entryway.
They’d stepped right into the main room. There was wood everywhere—walls,
floors, furniture. An enormous rock fireplace took up one whole wall. Cozy
plaid fabrics draped the windows and covered the man-sized furniture.

“Heat.
We need heat.” Antonio went in search of the thermostat.

Clare
headed for the faux fur throw draped across the back of the sofa. Teeth
chattering, she curled into the far corner of the couch and pulled the blanket
over her like a tent.

“Found
the thermostat,” he announced and proceeded to bring their luggage in.

She
did her best to ignore the new black duffle delivered to them at the airport.
It, and the man who’d delivered it, were tangible proof they were moving
forward with her invitation.

Besides
Antonio, she now knew another club member. He’d introduced her to Keith who had
been waiting for them at baggage claim. He’d grabbed Antonio in a guy hug,
handed him the bag, and turned his attention on her. He looked her up and down,
smiling knowingly.

“This
the one?” he’d asked Antonio.

“Yes.
Clare Kincaid, meet Keith O’Brian.”

“Nice
to meet you, Clare,” he’d said, extending his hand.

Automatically,
she’d extended her own. It had only been a handshake, but knowing he knew she
would soon be running the bases, perhaps with him, made it more intimate.

“I
look forward to seeing more of you.”

“Back
off, man. She’s mine,” Antonio had butted in. “Thanks for the stuff. I can take
it from here.”

“Okay,
okay. I’m out of here. Call me when you’re ready,” Keith had said and left to
collect their luggage from the carousel.

Just
thinking about the way Keith had looked at her—like he would be happy to fuck
her right then and there, if only she would ask—warmed her insides. Maybe she
was
being too hard on herself. Keith’s perusal reminded her of the way Antonio
looked at her—except when Antonio did it, she was helpless to resist. Keith’s
interest was flattering, but she hadn’t been tempted to take him up on the
offer.

“Now,
let’s see about a fire.” Antonio’s voice brought her thoughts back to the
present. She trusted him to take care of her. He’d said she needed more
experience before running the bases, and he was right. The black bag sitting
inside the front door was evidence of her
naiveté
. She had no idea what was inside or
why he needed those things to prepare her for the game.

Huddled
beneath the warm throw, she watched him bend to the task, his broad shoulders
straining the seams of his coat. With economical movements, he checked the
damper, stuffed some tinder between the pre-stacked logs.
Capable.
He
did everything with the same, no room for error, efficiency.

Using
a butane lighter, he coaxed tinder to flame.

Clare
held her breath. He remained where he was, watching to make sure the logs
caught. She might be naïve about some things, but she’d come to know Antonio
surprisingly well. “Antonio?”

“Hmm?”

“Is
something wrong?”

He
turned and sat on the raised hearth. “No. Not really.”

“Then
why are you over there instead of under this blanket with me?”

Bracing
his elbows on his knees, he hung his head. “I don’t know. I need a minute to
process, I guess. The way Keith was looking at you…I’ve seen guys look at
you…the one in the gift shop in the Dallas airport…others. But Keith? That was
different. He knows.”

“Will
he be one you choose for my team?”

“Yeah.
We’ve played the game together before, and it worked out for us.”

A
shiver, having nothing to do with being cold, tripped along her spine. Running
the bases was no longer a fantasy. It was a reality. And she now knew two of
the three men on her team. Soon, she would spend an entire night fucking with
both of them.

“I
see.”

“No,
you don’t see. I’m having a hard time with this. I’m going to do it. I mean…I’m
going to do my best to prepare you for it, and I’m going to make the
arrangements like I said I would. It’s just…I don’t know…. You’re mine, and
Keith….”

“Is
your friend,” she finished for him. “I understand.”

“I
trust him. I do. I’ve never shared a woman who meant anything to me. This will
be a first.”

She
didn’t know what to say, so she sat quietly, waiting for him to get past whatever
was eating at him. The fire had caught, casting a warm glow around him like a
halo of flames.

“If
things go as planned, he’s going to come here on Saturday.”

It
took a second for her brain to process what he meant. But when his meaning
finally registered, she straightened and clutched the throw tighter to her
throat. “To…?”

“To
fuck you. You. Me. Him. A trial run, of sorts. That’s the most difficult part
for the women, taking two cocks at the same time. It will be better for you if
you’ve done it before, and I thought it would be easier later on if you had
already built up some trust with Keith, too.”

Even
though he’d mapped out the plan himself, he struggled with it. Despite her
inexperience, the idea melted her insides.

“You
think I’ll be ready by Saturday?”

“You’ll
be ready,” he said, lifting his head to make eye contact with her. Desire
blazed hotter than the fire at his back. He stood, removed his overcoat, and
tossed it on the nearest chair.

She
fisted her hands in the fabric clutched to her throat.

“Here’s
how we’re going to do this.” His tone brooked no argument, and she had none
anyway. “There’s a big tub in the bathroom. We’re going to get naked and take a
nice, long, hot bath together. I’ll start working on your ass then. We’ll start
with a small butt plug and work up in size until you’re able to take a large
one without too much pain. I’m going to fuck your ass. If you don’t want me to
do that, you better say so now, otherwise, it’s a done deal.”

Good
Lord.
His brisk, matter-of-fact approach rocked her to her toes, and she
had to admit, made her horny as hell.

“Saturday,
Keith will be here. He’s going to fuck your ass, too. If you do well with both
of us at the same time, I’ll make the arrangements for you to run the bases as
soon as I can get everyone together.”

She
swallowed hard, trying to think of something to say that wouldn’t make her out
to be an idiot. He looked so damned good standing there, talking about fucking
her, she could hardly think at all. She shifted her gaze to the far wall where
a pair of vintage skis doubled as artwork.

“Clare,”
he said, his voice deep, and sounding like it had been dragged over broken
glass. “Look at me.”

She
shook her head, all her bravado gone.

“I
need you to look at me,” he repeated.

Heart
thumping, she faced him.

“You’ve
been honest with me about what you wanted…make that
need
, from me, and I
admit it has taken a long time to get through to me. I won’t say I completely
understand why you want to run the bases, but you do, and I’ve come to accept
that.”

He
scrubbed his palms over his face. The gesture of frustration matched the way
she felt inside. He’d twisted her up so many ways, she wasn’t sure of anything
except that she wanted him.

“What
I need to say is,” he continued, “I’m sorry. I’ve put you through a lot, and I
haven’t been honest with you, or with myself. I know how hard it was for you to
open up with me back at the house. You spoke from your heart, and I appreciate
that.” He paced from one end of the massive hearth to the other.

But
I’ve changed my mind about the invitation.
She heard his non-verbal
retraction in her mind, prepared for it. What else could he be about to say?

Antonio
stopped pacing and faced her. “I owe you the same honesty.”

“You
don’t—”

“Yes,
I do. Please, just let me say this.”

“Okay,”
she said, cautiously. She’d never seen him so agitated. The nerves of steel he
appeared to have on the baseball field seemed to apply to his personal life as
well. Up until now.

“I
fell in love with you the moment I saw you walk into Jason’s fundraiser. I was
consumed with figuring out how to make you mine. But that wasn’t all I was
thinking about. I
wanted
to be traded to Texas. I asked my agent to
approach the Mustangs to see if they would be interested.”

“What
has that got to do with me?”

“I
wanted to get out of New York. I wanted a fresh start. Most of the members of
Bases Loaded play for the East Coast teams, and there was a lot of pressure to
participate in the…activities, let’s say. I admit I enjoyed being on the teams
I was on. I’ve tried hard to convince myself I didn’t, but I did. Maybe I’m a
pervert, but it’s fun, especially when the woman makes it all the way.”

“How
often did you play?”

“That’s
something I lied to you about, too. I told you I’d only done it a handful of
times, but that isn’t true. I’ve been on more teams than I can count.”

She
sat up straighter. “What happened? Why did you ask for the trade?”

“It
finally hit me one day. I only have so many years left in the league, and all I
had to show for it was an apartment in the city and a tattoo on my ass. All the
women in my life were either my relatives—who don’t figure into this
equation—or women my friends invited to run the bases. I didn’t have anyone I
could call my own, and as long as I hung around with the same crowd, I wasn’t
likely to meet anyone either. It was time to make a change.”

“Why
Dallas?”

“I’ve
always liked the city. People are friendly, and it’s a big city without being a
big
city, if you know what I mean. The population may be large, but
there’s still a small town atmosphere.” He waved that discussion away. “Anyway,
I didn’t expect to find my soul mate, but I did hope I’d find someone who
wanted to be with
me
, not…
everyone
.”