My Lucky Catch (University Park #6) (8 page)

“Hey, man, did you buy some more Jell-O?” Forbes asked, taking out bottles of liquor from a paper sack. “What about the Chex Mix?”

“Yeah.” I pulled out the box. “I also got some wings and taquitos.” I showed him the variety of flavors I picked up at the store.

He nodded as he lined up the liquor on the kitchen bar. “What about Ali? Have you texted her?”

“Chill, man.” I motioned for him to slow down. Forbes tended to get overly anxious when it came to organizing things. Just like before a game, he couldn’t stop talking, and his nervous chatter raked on me at times. “I’ll text her now.” Forbes and I had asked if she’d take Mateo out to eat and bring him over around 9 p.m. Glancing at the clock, we still had two hours.

Just as I started tapping out a message, the front door opened. Winston and Riley carried in a keg of beer. I did a double take. “I thought we agreed to keep it small?” We didn’t want things getting out of control and had decided to invite only our closest friends on the baseball team.

“You never know.” Riley grunted as he and Winston headed toward the kitchen. I stepped out of the way so they could park the keg on the vinyl floor. “Besides, we got the hookup.”

I looked at Winston. “Monica still works at the liquor store,” he said with a sly grin. “What can I say?”

“I guess it helps to have friends in low places.” I glanced up from my phone as I hit send. Monica was a trashy girl that had made her rounds with the team and who knows who else. She made her moves on me, but one look at her teeth, and that sent me running. I wasn’t sure if gingivitis and decay were contagious, but I didn’t want to find out.

“Low or high . . . does it matter?  As long as you get what you want.” Riley held up his fist, and Winston bumped it.

“You got that right.” Winston nodded in agreement. “I call it being resourceful.” He turned his ball cap around and picked up the pump for the keg.

I never put it past these guys to get what they wanted, no matter the cost. Sometimes I was afraid to ask what they’d done or who they’d done.

“So, where’s the birthday boy now?” Riley asked, wiping his hands on his jeans.

My phone dinged, and I glanced at the screen. “Ali just messaged me.” I lifted my phone slightly and read them what she sent.

Ali: Just got to the restaurant. I’ll text you when we leave.

“Cool. We’re right on track.” Winston worked to insert the tap on the keg.

I quickly sent her a message back.

Me: Sounds good.

I shoved my phone in my back pocket. Picking up a large package of red Solo cups, I placed them on the counter along with a few bottles of soda. We spent the next hour getting everything set up before our friends arrived. Forbes was adamant that we have enough Jell-O shots, so we did the
quick set
method and placed them in the fridge, hoping they’d be ready tonight.

Just as I was about to put the wings in the oven, the doorbell rang. It was Dallas and Tyler, two of our outfield players. They arrived with their girlfriends, Brittany and Jessica.

“Hey, dude. What’s up?” Riley ushered them in. The guys all shook hands with each other.

“Smells good. Need any help?” Brittany leaned over the kitchen bar watching me cut open the package of chicken wings. Her full breast smashed against the granite, and I stared a little longer than I should have. Although I didn’t want to be accused of flirting with her, I took her up on her offer. “Sure.” I handed her the scissors. “What else you got?” Jessica rummaged through the bottles of liquor, making a face with each one she held up.

“That’s all we bought.” I shrugged, not caring if she didn’t like our selection of tequila and whiskey. “But you can ask Riley or Winston since it’s their place.”

“Hey, Riley, got any vodka?” Jessica yelled, as she started going through the cabinets underneath the bar.

I grabbed my beer and headed to the living room. Forbes was scrolling through his phone. “Check this out. I made a playlist on my old phone and connected it to this speaker.” He smiled as he positioned the device on the fireplace mantel. “Good idea, huh?”

“Yeah. Wish I had some of my old phones, but I sold them.”

“Too bad. Now I won’t drain my battery.” He smiled, like he’d won some money on a scratch-off lottery ticket.

“Great idea.” I patted him on the shoulder.

His phone chimed, and he smiled. “Yes!”

“Good news?”

“Yeah.” He shoved his phone in his back pocket. “Remember that girl I was telling you about?”

“The one Mateo and Ali hooked you up with?”

“Yes.” He nodded enthusiastically. “She’s headed here with some friends.”

“Awesome. Can’t wait to meet
her friends
.” I held my cup up to his, and he mashed it to mine. Tonight was looking promising, and it was a relief not to worry about Delaney, even though a part of me wished I would’ve told her to come.

It didn’t take long for the apartment to fill up with half of the team. In fact, it ended up being a bigger party than we wanted. Everyone brought someone with them, so it was more than just close friends. Riley and Winston didn’t seem to mind, and it was a good idea that we moved it to their apartment because Collin would’ve been pissed.

The door opened, and a few girls walked in. I recognized some of them, but the last person I expected to see was Delaney. Immediately our gazes connected, creating a stirring I tried hard to ignore but couldn’t. Her long dark waves fell over her shoulders, some spilling to the front and covering her plump breasts, which were obvious through her fitted shirt. When she blinked, her thick lashes seemed to put me in a stupor, begging me to come to her.

“Hey, Luke, this is Jordan.” He slapped my stomach with the back of his hand, breaking the trance.

“Ugh.” One hand landed on my stomach and the other one on my mouth, covering the loud belch he caused. “Excuse me.” I turned my head to the side. “Nice to meet you.” I smiled, but didn’t shake her hand.

“Hi,” she said, with a cute, high-pitched voice.

“Forbes can’t stop talking about you.” I placed my hand on his shoulder and gave him a tight squeeze. “Isn’t that right?”

“Really?” Her pale green eyes sparkled to life as she turned to Forbes for confirmation.

“So, who are your friends?” Forbes asked, ignoring my comment and her reaction.

“Oh, this is Gaby,” she took a step back, “and this is Delaney.”

Forbes’ head spun around, and he shot me a wide eye look. “Glad you ladies could come. And Delaney, I know Luke is thrilled you made it. He’s been watching the door all night for you.” He cleared his throat and muttered, “Gotcha back, dog.”

Delaney’s jaw dropped, and her mouth opened for a few seconds before closing. I wanted to hit him on the back of the head and remind him we weren’t making our hookups public, but gave him a hard stare instead.

“Who wants a drink?”

Gaby and Jordan both did and followed him to the kitchen.

Once they were out of hearing range, I turned toward Delaney. “So, how did you hear about the party?” I asked, even though I knew the answer.

“From Jordan.” She took my beer from my hand and took a drink. “Forbes told her.” The cup lowered, and her eyes narrowed. “Do you not want me here? Do you have a girlfriend?”

“No, I don’t. And if you want to stay, it makes no difference to me,” I replied, trying to keep the conversation short. For the past week I had managed to avoid her in Spanish class. I still hadn’t talked her about what we had going on. It didn’t seem to bother her, so I did my best to ignore the weird feelings stirring inside of me.

“In that case, see ya later.” She pushed past me toward the dining area where Jordan and Gaby were standing.

I shook my head, not sure why either of us hooked up in the first place.

By 10 p.m., Mateo and Ali had finally showed up and everyone seemed to be having a good time, except for me. Riley was hanging all over Delaney, and she seemed to be enjoying every minute of it. I hated the way he stared at her, like he wanted a taste of her, or already knew what she tasted like. I was confident she was putting on a show, determined to make me jealous. And it worked, because after an hour of watching them flirt with each other, I finally made a move.

“We need to talk.” I grabbed Delaney’s hand.

“What?” She protested at first, trying to yank her hand away.

“What the hell, Luke? I was talking to her.” Riley started to stand, but I pushed him back down on the couch.

“Back off, Riley,” I warned him, holding my position. “Go find someone else to suck you.” Riley bragged about having a different girl every week and who gave the best blowjobs. But I’d never heard him talk about Delaney unless I wasn’t paying attention, which could’ve happened.

Delaney turned to Riley. “It’s okay. I’ll be right back.”

“What? This is bullshit!” Riley flipped me off and shot off the couch, his head practically spinning with fury. His ears turned bright red along with his cheeks. Within seconds, his hands balled into fists, and he took a defensive stance.

My chest puffed, and my hands tightened, ready to take the first shot.

“Hey, man, relax.” Winston stepped in between us. “If she wants to go with Luke, let her.” He urged Riley to back down.

Riley looked at Delaney, as though trying to determine if she was worth the fight, and then waved her off. “Whatever. Go fuck him if you want.”

“Ugh. Excuse me.” Delaney’s neck craned, and her hands flew to her waist.

“Come on. Let’s go outside.” I steered her toward the door. The last thing I wanted to do was fight my teammate and friend, but I’d do it if I had to.

“Asshat!” Delaney yelled, and a few people turned around, but I quickly closed the door behind us. “What’s your problem, Luke?” Her palms slammed into my chest, but I shook it off. Hitting a girl was completely off limits.

Some of the guys standing outside stared at us, but I reassured them everything was okay. I pointed to my car in the parking lot, and she stomped her way down the sidewalk. I wasn’t sure how she managed not to fall in her stacked heels, but I loved the way her ass swayed side to side. She was the first girl that could piss me off and turn me on at the same time.

Crossing her arms, she said, “Alright, you got me outside. Let’s talk.”

I hated to admit I loved her feisty don’t-take-any-shit attitude. It was intoxicating, and I watched her pensively, taking in all of her. And I do mean all of her. Reaching inside of my car, I lowered the visor and grabbed my extra pack of cigarettes. I hit the bottom of the pack with my palm, pulled out a stick, and lit it. Leaning against my car, I took a few puffs.

“Well?” Her weight shifted from one high heel to the other.

I breathed a long, steady drag of smoke before I took hold of the ball of nerves in my stomach and said, “Why do you continuously throw yourself at guys?”

She huffed and rolled her eyes, which made her look even sexier than she was. “Why do you care?”

“It’s not good, Delaney.”

“I’m not your girlfriend, Luke,” she said and rolled her eyes again. “And it’s not like we’re dating.”

I took another long drag and blew it out. “Oh, that’s right we’re just fuck buddies.” I placed the tip of the bud back in my mouth, waiting for her response.

Her eyes narrowed, and I saw a flicker under the dim streetlight. With a determined swagger, she approached me. Raising her hand, she pulled the cigarette from my lips and took a puff. “In that case, fuck me now.” She blew the smoke over my face, and her minty breath filtered through.

My skin chilled over, and the desire building in me caved in. In one quick movement, I opened the door, tossed her in the back, and did exactly what she asked me to do. This woman was going to be the death of me.

***

Delaney

“Shit!” My body shot up when I realized I wasn’t in my bed. Seeing Luke next to me and thinking about what happened last night had my heart pounding so fast I thought I was on the verge of a panic attack.

“Hey.” Luke squinted his eyes and blinked several times. “What’s the rush?”

“What time is it?” I stumbled out of bed, looking for my clothes. I couldn’t believe I fell asleep. I never fall asleep!

Slowly, he reached for his phone. “Relax. It’s a little after six in the morning.”

“Oh, God!” I moaned. The day couldn’t start off any worse. I trudged back and forth in Luke’s room, finding my shirt dangling on the edge of the bed, my pants on the floor, and my bra under the covers.

“Do you have to be somewhere?” He yawned and stretched, showing his lean, defined torso. The sight almost made me stop and go back for another round, but I wanted to get home.

“No.” I slipped my bra on. “I just never stay the night at a guy’s place.”

“That’s reassuring to hear.” A crooked smile formed across his lips.

“Don’t start.” I yanked my panties from underneath him, but before I could slip them on, he pulled me back in bed. “Seriously, Luke, I need to go.” I struggled for him to release me from his grip.

“Maybe I don’t want you to leave.” He pinned me down, shifting his body on top of me. His legs slid in between mine, and his pelvis rested against me. Unlike him, feeling his body against mine made my muscles go limp. A strangled sigh fell from my lips, and I stopped protesting. Being confined within his strong arms did a number on me. My hands rested on his chest. Rock hard pecs burned my palm, igniting a fire that I was happy to be consumed by. Maybe staying a little longer wouldn’t be so bad after all.

I started to breathe him in, but stopped. I had to slow down. Way down. “Luke, I’m sorry, but I can’t stay.” I constantly reminded myself that the feeling building inside of me was nothing more than the need for sex.

“Why not?” His light blue eyes bore into mine as though trying to penetrate the brick wall of protection I had constructed. I closed my eyes, refusing to let him in.

I gritted my teeth and took a deep breath. “Because we’re already headed in the wrong direction and doing so would just complicate things further.”

“I kind of like the direction we’re headed. I thought you did, too.” Confusion widened his sleepy eyes, and his grip around my wrist loosened.