ROMANCE: SPORTS ROMANCE: Bad Boys of Sports: A Complete Collection (Alpha Male, Football, Hockey Secret Baby Romance) (Contemporary Sports Romance) (9 page)

“Oh God, Alyssa. Please don’t talk about being in bed with him. That isn't exactly the kind of thing I want to picture in my mind.”

“
Ugh
, I know,” Alyssa let out a puff of frustration. “Just thinking about it makes me throw up a little in my mouth, to be honest. I think I’m going to have to get really drunk to go through with it, but luckily he has a healthy stock of wine in his cellar in Como.”

“So you haven’t slept with him? Thank God!”

“Yet, Janie. I haven’t slept with him
yet
. I fully intend to do whatever it takes to make it in this industry.”

“Okay, I get it, you’re a career-oriented woman. But you have to admit, Alyssa, this is just too much.”

Alyssa closed her eyes as a look of nausea hit her face. “Janie, please, don’t judge me too harshly before I lose my nerve. I need your support. If I don’t go through with this, I’ll never forgive myself. This network is famous for recycling cast members again and again in other hit TV shows. This is a really solid opportunity for me, and it might not come again.”

Janie didn’t know what to say, and she fell silent as Pat returned to their table.

“My dears, I’m so sorry, but I’m going to have to say adieu before the cobb salads arrive. I’ve got a little situation that I need to deal with at the studio.”

“Darling, let me go with you so I can meet more of the crew members. Sorry to cut our lunch short, Janie, but duty calls.”

“I’ll take care of the bill,” Pat said as he and Alyssa both gave Janie cheek kisses, and they continued their chattiness amongst themselves as they exited the restaurant.

Janie exhaled, a little relieved to be away from their frenetic energy. She felt guilty for giving Alyssa a hard time about her new man. She was right about this being a good opportunity for her, and who was she to judge? She had to admire her friend for having the guts to go after her dreams. Janie didn’t even have a dream of her own to chase...except of course for the one about wanting to start a family some day. Sadly, she wasn’t anywhere near reaching that goal.

She’d been delusional when she had thought for a moment that maybe there was a chance with Rich, but who was she kidding? He was just being nice to her because she was his daughter’s teacher. How could she have thought she had a shot at dating a guy like him anyway? He was a god, with that perfect, athletic body and his incredibly handsome face. Those gorgeous, piercing eyes. His soft, very kissable lips…

Janie shook herself out of her momentary reverie. She really needed to stop doing that–getting lost in thoughts of him–if she was going to survive this rejection. She was planning to ask Alyssa to go with her to his hockey game on Friday night, but now Alyssa will be jet-setting off to a glamorous weekend in Italy with her new beau.

Janie let out a heavy sigh. She couldn’t exactly show up alone like a complete loser. Maybe it’s time to give Chris a call, the guy she met at the club–her first and only one-night-stand. She supposed it would no longer be considered a one-night-stand if she asked him on a date. There goes her short-lived foray into her wild party-girl ways. As if that was ever going to be a thing for long, she thought.

CHAPTER FIVE

Janie spotted Chris waiting near the entrance of the arena and waived at him.

“Janie, you look beautiful.” The two embraced, Chris lingering a little longer in the hug than Janie liked, as he rubbed her back intimately. “Thanks for inviting me to the hockey game.”

“It’s nice to see you again,” said Janie as she pulled away. “I wasn’t sure you’d be into it.”

“Are you kidding me? I’m a huge Barracuda fan. I can’t believe you got glass seats!”

“Is that a good thing? I’m not too familiar with hockey, to be honest.”

“It’ll be like we’re practically on the ice. You’ll see.”

Chris was right about that. Janie yelped each time the hockey players came crashing near the glass where they were seated. She could even see the spit of the players flying through the air and landing unceremoniously on the barrier between her and the ice.

She tried to spot Rich, but with the jumble of bodies moving so quickly, and covered in so much gear, she couldn’t tell which player he was.

“Chris, do you know which player is Rich Henry?”

“The Barracuda’s center? He’s number twenty-two, the one at the front of the face-off there. He’s one helluva power forward but the Arctics’ defense is killing it tonight.”

As if to prove his point, one of the Arctics grabbed Rich while both players were skating at breakneck speed, and crushed him against the plexiglass wall. The crowd groaned, and Janie winced at seeing him get pummeled.

“HUSTLE Richie, HUSTLE!” Chris shouted along with the fans around them, right into Janie’s ear. “LET’S GET 'EM!”

Janie rubbed her ear in pain as discreetly as she could. This was her first time at a sports game, and she had no idea it would be this loud.

“KICK THEIR ASS!”

“ON YOUR TOES, HENRY.” The fans around them hooted and hollered to their hearts content.

“I’m going to get us a couple of beers,” she had to shout at Chris to be heard above the noise. “I’ll be right back.”

“No, you sit right here, I’ll get them,” Chris said as he got up.

Janie smiled at his gentlemanliness, but she would’ve been glad to have an excuse for a break. She was lost in thoughts of regret for coming to a game she knew nothing about, when suddenly the hockey players crashed into the plexiglass right in front of her once again, making her jump. This time, she realized it was none other than Rich Henry, skating away backward while giving her a smile through his bloodied lip. He gave her a small wave too before turning around and getting right back into the game. Janie exhaled as she waved back. She hadn’t realized that she’d been holding her breath. She couldn’t help the excitement she felt now that she’d seen those beautiful eyes again, and she smiled nervously. She put a hand over her heart to try to still its spiked pace.

“Hello, earth to Janie?” Chris said next to her, attempting to hand her a cup of beer.

“Oh! Chris, I didn’t realize you were back.” She took the cup sheepishly.

“Yeah, you were completely lost in the game. I guess there was some excitement while I was gone.”

“You could say that.”

At that moment, Rich scored a goal, and the audience erupted. Everyone around them was standing and cheering, and Janie was shouting along with them.

“SCORE!”

“NICE JOB, RICH!”

“FOLLOW IT UP!”

“YOU’RE THE MAN, RICH!” Janie screamed along with the crowd and gave the guys behind her high fives before sitting back down. She was all hoots and laughs as she sat back down in her seat. Maybe there was something to this hockey thing after all, she thought.

After the game was over, Janie realized she’d left Barracuda beer mug souvenir at her seat, and she filed back into the arena to retrieve it. She was relieved to find it still there–she wanted a memento of the evening. It really was special sitting at the glass seats; it was no wonder Chris couldn’t stop gushing about it. It could turn out to be one of those rare moments in life that may never come again. She’d have to thank Rich for his generosity.

Perhaps the opportunity to thank him had come sooner than she’d thought, as she eyed a man in a number twenty-two Barracuda jersey skating over to her. Her heart beat faster in anticipation as she watched his powerful and yet graceful strides on the ice.

“Janie,” said Rich as he reached her. “I was afraid you’d already gone.”

“Rich!” Janie said, beaming. “I came back for my cup. Sorry, I didn’t mean to leave without saying goodbye. I just thought you’d be busy celebrating your victory with your team. By the way, that winning goal you made was INSANE.”

She watched as he ran his hand through his wet hair–a gesture intended for modesty but coming across as incredibly sexy instead. She exhaled a silent breath to calm the butterflies in her stomach.

“It was a close game, and I got lucky. So, what did you think? Did you have fun?”

“Did I have fun? It was
incredible
, Rich! I was on the edge of my seat the whole time. I had no idea it could get that bloody. Is your lip okay, by the way?”

“What this? It’s nothing,” he said as he touched his busted lip. Janie’s eyes lingered on his lips for a beat longer than she should have, and her eyes shot up to his while painting a friendly smile on her face.

“Listen, are you busy tonight? The team is having a little celebratory thing at Sky Bar, the rooftop lounge of the hotel down the street. Would you care to join us?”

“Will the entire Barracuda team be there? Chris will flip out if he got a chance to meet them…and you!”

“Chris?”

“Yes, my date. He’s probably waiting for me outside.”

“Your…date?”

“Yeah, I’ll introduce you at the bar. He’s a huge fan.”

Rich put on a tight smile. “Okay. I guess I’ll see you there, then.”

***

At the bar, Janie sat alone at a booth near the back. Her so-called date Chris had left her alone all night, too busy trying to spark conversations with the Barracuda players without much success. He had been particularly intent on speaking to Rich, who was polite enough at first when Janie introduced them but seemed to have grown increasingly impatient with him. Janie couldn’t blame him–Chris’s antics were grating on her nerves just as much the team must be feeling. She felt embarrassed for bringing such a hopeless fan with her to bother Rich and his friends. She was annoyed, but it served her right for bringing along someone she hardly knew.

She was more than ready to leave, and since Chris didn’t bother to act like a proper date, she thought a simple text letting him know she was going would suffice. She tapped a short and concise goodbye on her phone as she headed toward the exit elevator.

After getting in, the doors began to close, only to be stopped by a man’s hand. Janie looked up to see Rich’s strikingly handsome face watching her.

“Leaving so soon?”

“Yeah, well I thought I’d slip out quietly,” she confessed. “I guess I’m feeling a little tired.”

“Let me escort you down,” he said as he entered the elevator and pressed the button for the lobby level.

The momentary silence between them felt tense before he spoke again.

“Did you have a nice date tonight?”

Janie cocked her head at the sarcastic tone he used. “It was a poor excuse for a date, I know. I’m really sorry he made such a scene out there tonight. I didn’t think he’d be so…frankly, irritating.” She ran a hand through her hair in frustration.

The tight look on Rich’s face seemed to relax a little. “It’s fine. A lot of fans get a little eager when the whole team is around. They’re all used to it, so don’t feel so bad about your boyfriend.”

“
Boyfriend
? No, no–he’s not my boyfriend. Not even close. I was just in a hurry to find a date for tonight since Alyssa couldn’t come with me.”

“Really?” Rich watched her with a curious look in his eye. “Actually, I was hoping that you’d be my date tonight. I’m sorry if I hadn’t made that clear.”

An electric surge shot through Janie as she locked eyes with him. The door to the elevator opened to the hotel lobby, and Rich placed a hand on the small of her back.

“Let me at least buy you a drink before you go,” he said quietly near her ear, sending shivers down her spine. The two of them walked toward the lobby bar.

CHAPTER SIX

Janie’s head was spinning, and her heart was swooning as she made her way back up to the apartment that she shared with Alyssa. The night had turned out to be amazing–and so romantic. After a few drinks, Rich had shared a taxi home with her, walking her to the steps of the building like a perfect gentleman. She paused before entering the apartment, closing her eyes and still feeling the heat of his lips on hers when he kissed her goodnight. Those lips were soft and moist, and his heady scent was downright intoxicating up close.

She entered the unit and to her surprise, Alyssa was at the kitchen counter, sipping on a cup of herbal tea with a forlorn look.

“Alyssa? What are you doing here?” asked Janie. Her voice sounded singsong even to herself. “Aren’t you supposed to be luxuriating on a boat somewhere on Lake Como right about now?”

“I decided not to go.”

Sure enough, Janie spied a couple of unpacked Louis Vuitton suitcases near the entrance.

“Why, sweetie?” Janie crossed the distance between them to comfort her friend. “Did things go sour with Pat?”

Alyssa started to shake her head, winced, then stopped. “No,” she answered instead. “I just physically couldn’t go. Stomach hurts.”

“Wow, how much did you drink?” Janie asked, surprised.

“Didn’t,” Alyssa said.

Janie took that as a sign to stop talking, so she poured herself a cup of hot water to prepare herself a cup of tea too, and sat down companionably next to her friend. It was obvious that this had to do with more than a simple stomachache. She’d never seen Alyssa look so despondent. “Do you want to talk about it?” 

Alyssa sighed dramatically. “I’m miserable.”

Janie wasn’t surprised, but that didn’t mean she knew what to say. Alyssa always seemed happy, always surrounded herself with giggles and colors, but of course, there was more to her than that. Janie cleared her throat and asked, “Is it Connor?” Janie could admit that she missed Andrew every once in a while. It would only make sense if Alyssa were going through the same thing.

“What? No,” Alyssa scowled. “It’s Rich.”

“Rich?” Janie’s eyes narrowed. “Do you mean Rich Henry?”

“Yes, you remember him. The unbelievably hot one?” Alyssa sighed again. “He’s so amazing, but he never…He doesn’t even try to…ugh.” She gave up, shaking her head.

Janie’s eyebrows pulled together. She hadn’t thought there was anything going on between them, but she must’ve been wrong about that. “Look, Alyssa, whatever it is about Rich or Connor, or any guy for that matter, you can tell—”

Alyssa looked her in the eye and breathed, “I think I might be pregnant with his baby.”

Janie’s mouth dropped in shock. “You’re
what
?”

“I know!” Alyssa was upset, clutching her cup. Unshed tears were gathering in her eyes. “I was all set to go to Italy with Pat, but then I realized my period was late. And look.” She thrust a positive pregnancy test in front of Janie’s eyes and slammed it back down on the kitchen counter. “It’s completely fucked up. My career is over, and it hasn’t even gotten begun. The acting one I mean.”

“Wait, I mean, are you sure it’s his?  I didn’t even know you two were…you know…involved.”

“That we were fucking?” Alyssa asked. “Well, it was just a couple times. The first time was before you moved in.”

Janie’s face burned with a deadly heat.

“And the second time? When was the last time you two hooked up specifically?”

“It was…I don’t know…a few weeks ago. I just don’t get it, Janie. He was into me too, and I left Connor for him. Because of him,” Alyssa said. “And you wouldn’t believe how incredible he is! He knows exactly what he’s doing, and he’s just got this way about him. He is the exact opposite of Connor. I knew right away that I wanted to be a hockey wife after I met him.”

“Woah, back up a few steps, Alyssa.”  Janie swallowed a burning gulp of hot tea to soothe the dryness in her throat and trying desperately to wrap her head around what she was hearing.  “You left Connor for someone you hardly knew so that you could become a hockey wife?”

“No, I’m not saying it right.”  She paused, wrapping her arms around her knees.  “You remember how Connor was…so clingy and needy. He and I were total opposites, kind of like you and me, you know?  Anyway, when I met Rich, I felt like, wow, here’s a guy I can finally understand and relate to. He loves to have fun just like me. He has a fabulous career, and God, was he
amazing
in bed.”

“So you cheated on Connor with him?”

“No…I mean technically, yes. But that’s why I broke up with Connor. Having known what it was like to be with a guy like Rich, I knew I could never be satisfied with Connor again.” She gave Janie a pleading look. “I know that it sounds cold, but believe me, I wasn't good for Connor. I thought about how I never let us move to Silicon Valley like he’d always wanted to. How he wanted to have a bunch of kids, which I knew I absolutely didn’t.”

At the mention of kids, Alyssa’s eyes started to water, and she covered her face with her hands.  “I knew I was supposed to just let him go. It was time. I was bringing him down,” she whispered.

Janie cleared her throat as was thick with pain for her friend and for her miserable self for being such a complete fool.

“So,” Janie said as she turned to wipe discreetly the tear that had slid down her cheek. “What’s the plan? I mean, with the pregnancy.”

“Plan?” Alyssa sniffed and looked at Janie. “I haven’t thought that far ahead yet. What do you think I should do?”

“Well, for starters, maybe you should tell Rich about it.”

“You think that’s a good idea?”

“He’s the father of the baby; he has the right to know.”

“Even if…even if I’m not sure I even want to
keep
the baby?” Alyssa stared at her friend wretchedly. Janie let out the breath she was holding and went over to her, throwing her arms around her. After all, she couldn’t stay mad at Alyssa; she was not the bad guy in this crazy mess of a situation.

“Hey, it’s okay, hon. Whatever you decide, it’s going to be the right decision.  And if you don’t know the answers right this moment, that’s okay too. You’re allowed some time to think about it.”

Alyssa nodded her head has tears silently streamed down her face and onto Janie’s shirt. 

***

It was all planned meticulously, just as these things always were. There was no way it would happen spontaneously, so Alyssa had sent Connor away and then called Mister Hockey Star back to the hotel. From the moment she unlocked the door, it was incredible–like a secret fantasy come true. He stalked inside, kicking off his shoes like he belonged there. Alyssa had taken a shower earlier, and all she was wearing was her bathrobe. Rich gave her a smirk, flashing his teeth when he noticed she was bare underneath. He looked like the big bad wolf coming to gobble her up.

She started to move towards the bed, but he wasn’t having it, not yet.

“He was so dominating,” she told Janie. “I’ve never had someone take charge like that.”

He helped her to her knees, and she unbuckled his belt to draw out his member. It was hard, pulsing and heavy in her hand. It was bigger than she was used to and she felt the heat pool in her stomach as she imagined it inside her.

He threaded his fingers through her hair and tugged, commanding in the huskiest whisper, “Suck.” She tried to fit it all in her mouth, but found it difficult to deepthroat due to his size, so she kept it light, giving attention to the head, mostly.

When he was ready Rich stroked her hair, saying, “That’s real good, baby. Now let’s get you on the bed.”

As she stood, he helped her out of her robe, tossing it on a nearby chair. She climbed onto the bed, on her hands and knees this time, and he rewarded her with a sharp smack to her ass. She crawled up near the pillows, and he arranged her bottom toward him and head in the pillow. He soothed her with his hands, moving from her neck to her lower back. “You’ve got dimples of Venus babe, you know that? And a perfect ass.” He slapped his hands on it, groaning as he kneaded them.

Alyssa felt two of his fingers rub her opening, stroking it like a master. She gasped, and he chuckled darkly. “You’re so wet for me, baby. I wonder…” he twisted his fingers, making her suck in a breath. “…if you can come for me like this?” His thumb found her clit, but it wasn’t until he added a third finger that she clenched around him and breathed through her release.

“Well,” he said, and she could hear the smirk. “Now that you’re taken care of…” He entered her without warning, and she would’ve fallen forward if her head wasn’t already in a pillow. Rich went hard and fast, panting as he delivered the occasional slap to her ass. “Don’t know when that hubby’s gonna be home, so we’ve gotta make this quick.”

“When he was finished,” Alyssa told Janie, “He got dressed and left. Connor was back twenty minutes later.”

Janie was nauseated and wanted to stop Alyssa from telling her any more, but she was completely at a loss for words. Every over-shared detail made Janie feel smaller and smaller. Had she really thought he felt something for Janie—something special?
Her
? The geek from high school who had taught his daughter ‘i before e, except after c?’ And why would she want a guy like that–an adulterer who ruined other people’s marriages and their lives? He was no better than Andrew; maybe he was even worse.

“It was so much more than anything Connor was ever able to do to me. And Rich knew I was married, but he came to me anyway because he knew how much I wanted it–how much I needed him. I couldn’t stop thinking about him. I still can’t. I don’t understand why he won’t even talk to me now!”

“Look, Alyssa,” Janie rubbed her back. Maybe she couldn’t do anything about Rich right now, but she could comfort her friend. “I don’t care what happened between the two of you, but this Rich guy sounds like a nasty piece of work. You’re getting all worked up over an asshole who doesn’t care about anyone but himself. I’m telling you, he isn’t worth it.”

Alyssa started crying then, hiding her face in her hands. Janie just kept rubbing her back, unsure of what else to do.

“But I love him,” Alyssa sobbed. “I love him so much.”