Sacked (The Alpha Ballers#2) (16 page)

“There are two reasons I helped Oliver out. The first is because if he’s anything like me, then no amount of advice is gonna help him. People are like that, athletes especially so. We all think we’re unique snowflakes and that for us the road will be different. The reality is that every path has been traveled already in one form or another, but even if I drew Oliver Lee a map to a championship ring he wouldn’t be able to read it. No one can just get help on this stuff, they have to learn it for themselves.”

I was dumbfounded. “And…the second reason?”

“That is a little more selfish. I helped Oliver because I need him to win some games. I need him to keep the Patriots from being eliminated from playoff contention before I get back. Whenever that is, I need to have this season still mean something so I can go out there and ball like I know how to ball. If giving Oliver a few pointers here and there can keep us in the running, for even a wildcard spot, it’ll be worth it.”

“But…what if you don’t get the starting job back?”

Lance shook his head. “Irrational confidence is just one of the many things a professional athlete must cultivate, Charlotte, if he’s going to have anything even remotely resembling a successful career.”

“Huh?”

He nodded toward the TV, still showing highlights. “You ever see an interview with or a camera shot on someone, an athlete or coach, who has just lost a huge game? Like a championship game?”

I nodded. “Yeah, I’ve seen that. They look like a deer in headlights.”

“Exactly. They look like their entire world has come crashing down around them.”

“So?”

“So why do you think that is?” Lance got quiet and looked deep into my eyes. When he looked at me like that I just wanted to kiss him all over, all day, forever.

“Tell me why.”

“Because that moment is the first time they’ve actually admitted to themselves there was even a possibility that they could lose.”

“But…they had already lost. Surely it had occurred to them in the waning minutes of the game that it wasn’t gonna go their way…”

Lance shook his head. “Nope. If the game’s not over yet, there’s a chance you can win. Every athlete’s gotta believe that 100%, or there’s no way they can make the decisions necessary to make it happen no matter what’s happening.”

I leaned back in my chair, trying to digest all that Lance had just said, and noticed again that we were still holding hands. “You’re really quite something, you know that?”

Lance chuckled. “Me? Nah, I’m just a dumb jock.”

“No, you’re not, and I don’t know why you keep saying that about yourself. You’re way smarter than you give yourself credit for.”

“I’ve just had a lot of time to think about the nature of competition and team sports.”

“Well, whatever you’ve done, it’s worked.”

“I guess so.”

I looked up at the clock and realized how late it was getting. “Do you need anything else?” I stood up as I asked.

Lance looked around. “Yeah, would you check out my sheets over here?” He indicated a spot close to him.

I leaned over, confused. The sheets looked fine. Lance caught my head softly in his hand and kissed me on the lips right as I opened my mouth to ask what was wrong with them.

I almost collapsed right there, but Lance’s other arm was there and kept me steady. We kissed like that for a few moments, our tongues greeting each other in the way only they knew how.

“Wow,” I moaned, in between kisses. “I’ve been waiting so long for you to do that again.”

As soon as I said it, I felt Lance pull back, retreat, and our lips disconnected. Immediately I pushed my face forward, trying to get back to where we just were, but Lance had settled back against the pillow. I opened my eyes and I knew the question was clear on my face.

“I-I’m sorry, Charlotte,” Lance forced out. “I shouldn’t have done that.”

“Why do you keep saying that?” I groaned. “We both know we want to.”

“I know, and I do want to, but I did it for the wrong reasons.”

This was new. “The wrong reasons?”

Lance sighed and nodded. “Yeah, I did it because I’m frustrated.”

“I’m frustrated too! You know how difficult it’s been being around you-“

Lance stopped me with a look in his eyes. “That’s not what I meant, though that’s part of it. I’m just frustrated with my recovery, or lack there of. I just want to be playing football again, and it just feels like I’m not getting any closer.”

So it was a different kind of frustration. I turned away, crestfallen. “I know it’s been difficult,” I mumbled, “but you gotta trust the process, Lance. You’ll be back better than ever soon enough.”

“I wish I could be so sure.”

“What happened to irrational optimism?”

“You got me there, Charlotte.”

I looked again at the clock. “I should go, it’s getting late.”

“Yeah.”

I turned and walked toward the door and was about to rest my hand on the doorknob when Lance stopped me. “That’s not the only thing I’m frustrated about, Charlotte.” His voice was soft but with force - he definitely meant what he was saying.

I faced him again. “Oh?”

“My rule about not getting close to anyone during the season.” He met my eyes and I could see the fire burning in them, see the passion he was holding at bay every minute we were close. “That’s been frustrating me too.”

“I see.” I didn’t even want to get my hopes up this time. Too many times Lance Parker had built things up between us only to pull back at the last moment and leave me high and dry. Of course, in reality the opposite of ‘dry.’ “And how does that concern me?”

“You know it does.” He paused. “Lock the door and close the shade.”

I gulped, and did what he said. He motioned me closer and I came back into the room. I didn’t stop at the railing to his bed this time, taking care not to disturb his right leg, I sat on the bed and leaned into him.

Our kiss was plaintive at first, tentative, like we had been apart for a long time and weren’t sure of where we stood anymore.

But that was just the beginning.

In between our kisses, Lance whispered, “We’re going to have to be quiet, you know.”
 

I nodded, collapsing into him. “And we can’t get too nuts, with my knee like this.”

I nodded again. “We’ll figure something out,” I whispered back, way softer than it needed to be.

Lance smiled. “I would hate to have to explain to the media that my recovery was set back another couple weeks because of a sex-related injury.”

I leaned forward, wrapping my arms around Lance’s strong neck and whispered in his ear, as sexily as I could, “There are worse reasons to set back a recovery.”

Lance laughed and pulled me back till we were face to face, suddenly getting serious. “I totally agree with you, Charlotte, but I have a hunch the media won’t.” He paused, then added, “And if it comes down to that, you’ll have to explain it to Coach Armstrong first.”

I playfully punched him in the shoulder. “Gee, thanks, leave the fun one for me, why don’t you?”

“I’m just saying, if I have to tell a room full of reporters I got hurt again while having sex, you can at least explain your role in the matter to the coach.”

“Let’s not get ahead of ourselves, Lance. We can probably make this work without any need for explanations, to the media or the coaching staff. How about we try that first?”

“Sounds good to me. How about we get started?”

I laughed. “I thought you’d never ask,” I said, nestling myself closer while Lance kissed up and down my neck, right where it met my shoulders, making me shudder with delight.

“If you really thought I’d never ask, it’s kinda forward of you to be sitting in my arms like this, isn’t it?” He said, and even though I couldn’t see his face from this angle I knew he was grinning that grin of his that made me melt every single time.

“The one time I wish you’d stop playing word games and just go with the flow, Lance,” I quipped sarcastically.

“I think I can do that.” And then he reached his hand into my hair and gently pulled my head back in front of him so he could plant a big kiss right on my lips.

“There’s hope for you yet…” I murmured as I reached down and pulled his shirt up. Lance let go of me and raised his arms so I could take it off and get rid of it, getting me once again face to face with his ridiculously sculpted body. He must have found some way to take care of himself while sidelined, because he didn’t look like he’d lost any of his muscles at all.

“See anything you like?”

“Maybe,” I said, poking at him and marveling at how resistant the muscle was. “I’ll let you know if want to do anything other than browse.”

“Tough crowd tonight.”

“You really did get the hanging judge this time.”

“It’s like our jokes have become jokes, but only to us.” More kissing, more fondling. Lance ran his hands over my chest above my clothes. “Mmmm, Charlotte, take this off.”

I nodded and took off my shirt, leaving my lacy bra on. I didn’t plan on wearing it specifically because I thought Lance and I might get busy today - I just really loved wearing sexy underclothes even if I was the only one who’d get to see them.

“Mhhhmmm,” Lance groaned as he lightly ran the rough pads of his fingers over the line where my bra and breasts met. “You are the sexiest woman alive, Charlotte.”

I searched inside Lance’s eyes, mostly due to insecurity, to see if I could figure out whether he believed what he had said, and I could find nothing in them that suggested otherwise. My heart flared and I pressed myself up against his bare chest, wanting him to cover me up tight, suddenly overcome and unable to find anything to say.

Lance didn’t say anything either, just shifted underneath me and I fell across his lap, his arms holding me and keeping me steady. I opened my eyes and looked up at his smiling face looking down on me with such wonder and passion, and I couldn’t help but reach out and kiss him hungrily.

Within a few minutes we’d gotten rid of the blankets on Lance’s bed and we had both taken our pants off, and were lounging around naked under the light sheet. I took great pains to keep myself away from Lance’s right leg, and he didn’t move nearly as quickly or forcefully as he had that night so many weeks ago in my apartment.

I was getting worked up, my slick pussy wet with anticipation, and my nipples ached as Lance took them in his mouth and teased them with both his teeth and his tongue, keeping me just on the edge of cumming. I looked into his eyes as if to ask the question, and Lance nodded, giving me permission, and I moaned out loud, letting the waves of pleasure overcome me. I knew I was making too much noise as my first orgasm hit, but I couldn’t do anything about it - the link between conscious thought and action had been at least temporarily severed, and all I knew was the sensation of light encompassing my entire body.

Lance saved us from being discovered and exposed, though, by reaching up and clamping his hand over my mouth, muffling the loud noises I was making just as I started. As I regained conscious control I looked at him with gratitude, closing my mouth and kissing his palm for good measure. Then I moved my head back to his ear. “Thanks for the save, lover.”

“Any time, babe. I got you. We’re in this together, yeah?”

“Yeah.”

One orgasm already, just from Lance playing with my boobs with his mouth. I shuddered with glee and anticipation as Lance reached his hand down under the sheets and found my glistening pussy, ready and willing to be touched and opened. As his fingers entered me, I moved my own hand down under the sheets, taking his thick, hard cock into my hands and marveling at how I could barely get my hands around it, it was so big. I licked my lips, knowing that I needed to taste it this time before he fucked me.

Careful to avoid getting too close to Lance’s right leg, I moved down, pulling the sheet out of our way and letting the rush of cool air from outside our bed-cocoon come in and bring up goosebumps on my skin, till I was looking down at his cock.

I took him into my mouth, teasing him at first with my tongue and loving the way I had to stretch to fit around him. There was no way I could take all of him, he was far too large, but I just wanted his taste in my mouth.

Lance groaned above me as I lightly touched his balls with my fingers, gingerly at first, and licked up and down the sides of his cock. “Oh, Charlotte, that feels amazing, please don’t stop.”

With one hand stroking up and down the part of Lance’s shaft that I couldn’t get to with my mouth, I moved my other hand to my pussy and started playing with myself, shocked at how wet I already was.

I lay there sucking on his incredible cock until Lance looked down. Our eyes met and he reached down to brush my hair out of my eyes. “You look incredible with my cock in your mouth, baby.”

 
I felt it, too, and I smiled. “Come up here, now, I need to get in that pussy of yours.” I took one last lick of his cock before I came up, running my hands along his sleek and muscular body till they wrapped around his neck again.

Lance reached over and opened the drawer next to his bed, pulling out a condom, unwrapping it, and sliding it over his cock. “You brought condoms to the medical wing?” I asked, momentarily bothered by that for some reason.

“Be prepared was the Boy Scouts’ motto for a reason, babe.”

I let that one go. Just this once.

I settled into his lap, his cock finding my waiting pussy as I sat down, driving him deep into me. Lance’s eyes rolled back in his head as my tight pussy enveloped him. He moved his hands till they gripped my waist, and I looked down, watching him guide me up and down on his cock.

I had my arms around his neck, and I moved in closer so I could kiss him and rub my boobs on his chest.

We moved slow and sensually, trying not to make any noise. We stared into each other’s eyes the entire time, and I nodded to him when I felt my orgasm coming on. He nodded back and we both sped up a little bit, and we managed to cum within a few seconds of each other.

I collapsed in Lance’s arms, exhausted but feeling nothing but light and pleasure as I pressed my head into his chest and looked up at him. Lance smiled down at me and we didn’t need to speak.