The Shortstop (32 page)

Read The Shortstop Online

Authors: A. M. Madden

BOOK: The Shortstop
8.46Mb size Format: txt, pdf, ePub

Not comfortable being the only one half naked, I try to remove his shirt, but he shakes his head. “Not yet,” he whispers before attaching his lips to my neck. Goose bumps appear over my flesh from the feeling of his lips on my skin. He gently drags them over to my ear, kissing and licking in a way that causes my knees to buckle. His grip tightens around my back, but he doesn’t stop his seductive foreplay.

One of my close girlfriends detailed the night she lost her virginity to the guy she’s currently dating. She said not to expect much. In their case, all the urgent groping, carnal grunting, and frantic rushing through a make-out session unexpectedly turned into something else. It left her feeling used.

I couldn’t relate to anything she said. Quint has never acted that way. He’s always been so caring, gentle, and selfless when we’re together. Apparently, that’s not normal for a seventeen-year-old guy.

That much is evident in the way Quint lovingly kisses my exposed body parts before removing another piece of clothing. When I’m completely naked, he steps back to admire me. A flush covers me from head to toe, forcing me to try to distract him. I should know better. He wants to look at me and won’t have it any other way.

The seconds that pass feel more like hours while his eyes and hands roam over every inch of my body. He watches me in awe when his fingers skim my pubic hair before slipping down to touch me intimately. My breathing alters, my lips part, and I instinctively reach out to hold on to his shoulders for support. When he finishes his inspection, he lifts me and places me on the bed. Once he’s naked, he retrieves a pack of condoms from his bag and comes to lie beside me.

“I wanted to undress you, kiss you, just like you did for me.”

“Next time. Tonight, I want to focus on you.”

“Q, it’s your first time too. I want to make sure it’s special for you.”

He tucks my hair behind my ear. “Baby, it’s different for me. It’s going to feel amazing no matter how it goes down. I’ve done a lot of reading, trying to prepare for this moment. The first time will be painful for you, even I can’t change that.” My heart squeezes in my chest from the amount of concern he has for me. He misinterprets my frown and adds, “Don’t be scared. I’ll try to be as gentle as I can be.”

“I’m not scared.” I shake my head in denial. “I’m thankful I’m doing this with you. I’m anxious to get the first time over with, so we can practice more and more until we get it right.”

He smiles widely. “Sounds like a plan. Are you ready?”

“I’m ready.”

The sight of him putting on a condom is one I’ll never forget. Once he does, he lies beside me and kisses me passionately. With our mouths connected, he moves his hand down my body to stroke me slowly. My hips respond, moving against his hand while he swallows my moans. He gently slides a finger inside, resuming his long, slow strokes.

My heart beats faster when he positions himself over me. This is it…we’re finally doing it. He senses my nervousness when I tense up beneath him. With his hands and lips, he tries to relax me. I can feel his erection against my thigh. Wondering how he’ll fit that inside me brings on a new sort of panic. I try to control my erratic breaths so he doesn’t pick up on how nervous I really am. My attempts are in vain when he stares into my eyes.

“Annie, I’ll go slow.” I choose to nod instead of speaking. My trembling voice would be a dead giveaway. He rubs himself against me, over and over. With his other hand, he holds my head so I am forced to stare into his eyes. “You need to talk to me, okay? If it hurts too much, I’ll stop.”

“Okay.”

He resumes touching me with his fingers, circling my clit repeatedly. I can feel the sensations he’s causing everywhere. He’s building me up to the point that I feel I can come at any moment. His fingers easily slide inside, and he drags them out, coating himself with my wetness.

“Q, I’m coming,” I admit with a deep blush coloring my cheeks.

“Good,” he says as he slowly slides into me. With a fingertip, he circles my clit in a steady stroke as he inches in more and more. “Breathe, baby,” he says when I unconsciously hold my breath. A sharp pain hits just as I clench around him. It’s such a contradictory feeling. It only lasts a few seconds before it morphs into something else. Fullness engulfs me when I feel his pelvis against my own.

“Talk to me, baby. Are you okay?”

“Yes.” I breathe through the pain. “Don’t move. Give me a second.”

He does as I ask, kissing my neck as I try to channel the pain inside. The feel of his lips slowly makes the pain ebb. I reach for his hands, and he takes mine in a firm grasp. “I love you, Annie,” he says against my skin. “I love you so much. I can’t wait to marry you someday,” he says in my ear. With his words, with his kisses, slowly the pain lessens and desire spreads. I begin to move my hips, and he lifts his head to stare into my eyes. “Are you okay?” he asks again.

“Yes. Yes, I’m okay.”

He nods, matching my motions with his own. His short, slow thrusts in and out of me bring discomfort, but the shooting pain is now gone. I release one of his hands to skim his face tenderly. With my eyes, I encourage him to chase his own pleasure. He looks at me questioningly, hesitating in his movements.

“I’m good, Q.” I nod encouragingly. “I’m okay.”

I kiss him deeply, and he groans when our tongues meet. When I thrust my fingers into his hair, he closes his eyes. When I trace my tongue across his jaw to his ear, he utters my name. When I suck on his neck, he starts to move faster.

Determination crosses over his face, and he slips his hand between us where we’re joined. His fingers find my clit, and he circles it slowly just the way he knows I like it. I wasn’t expecting our first time to be pleasurable at all, but having the man I love inside me, with his fingers touching me, and his eyes staring directly into my soul makes the experience absolutely perfect.

In spite of my initial discomfort, all the things that drive me crazy culminate, and they turn my initial goal of tolerance toward the pain into desire. I focus on the sensations he’s flooding my senses with and cry out when my orgasm surprisingly hits me. Once it does, Quint quickens his thrusts before stilling with my name on his lips.

My skin feels tingly all over. My insides feel amazingly full. My heart pounds from the energy I just exerted. My smile tells the love of my life that he just rocked my world.

The End

In The Shortstop, I hope I’ve supplied an entertaining, emotional, heartfelt read that will stay in your hearts. Every person has a breaking point. It’s how we climb back up and move on that counts. This story takes you through all the emotions of the person falling, as well as those he takes down with him. Thank you for taking the journey with Annie & Q.

Xo

AM

 

Acknowledgements

Holy crap! This is book number seven for me. Seven is my favorite number, it’s Quint’s lucky number, and I hope it’s a story you will enjoy. I still find it hard to believe that I have books – several books, which people have read and loved. I still find it hard to believe when readers come to see me at signings, and ask for my signature, ask to take a picture with me, or tell me they adore my characters and loved my stories. It amazes me and humbles me at the same time. If you have read one book or all, thank you. Thank you for taking the chance, hitting that purchase button, and reading my words. I hope you liked them. If not, I hope you’ll try another of my stories to see if it’s a better fit. Either way, I thank you.

I also want to thank my family. They have sacrificed the most, yet they continue to cheer me on. I love my three men more than anything on earth. I’m blessed to have them in my life, and in my corner. J~A~R you are my lifelines.

My beta readers, my chicks, my hos, my backstage chicks, and my groupies have all become a huge presence in my life. Some I’ve met, others I haven’t yet. I feel as if I’ve known these women for years and years. We chat daily, we have fun, laugh, and lift each other up. I am so fortunate to have met them, and I love them all very much. Thank you Mr. F. for suggesting Annie’s special outfit when she welcomed Quint home after his first away series.

Thank you to my BFF’s Angel and Michelle, we are #boundforlife. #non-negotiable.

Mia sorella, JoJo, te amo.

Thank you to the very handsome Chandler for bringing my Quint to life. Eric McKinney ~ 6:12 Photography by Eric McKinney, you captured Quint perfectly. Sommer Stein ~ Cover Artist, you are brilliant. You manage to get just what I want by translating my scattered, unorganized pms. Lisa Hollett ~ Editor, you’re awesome! I’m so glad I found you. Brenda Wright ~ Formatter, thank you for adding your finishing touches before it’s off to publishing. Thank you all so much for making The Shortstop a piece of art that I’m so proud of.

Finally, thank you to my girls Melissa, Sharon, Jesey, and Linda at SFab PR. Linda Russell, I’m so happy I found you. You often talk me off the ledge, keep me organized, and encourage me when I’m not feeling very confident. I love you, girl.

I’ll leave you with one public service announcement. The indie community is growing by leaps and bounds on a daily basis. Readers who once loved jumping into a great book are now writing their own great books. Bloggers who once supported authors are now authors needing support themselves. We are all intertwined in this awesome world of romance. Let’s keep it real, let’s be supportive, let’s build each other up and not tear each other down. There’s room for everyone, and we all need to play nice in the sandbox.

You, as readers, have one job and that is to support your favorite authors. Contact us, talk to us, and let us know you’re there. I, for one, appreciate each and every email, tweet, or private message I receive. I respond to each one. Your most important job as a reader is to leave a review. It’s very important to a self-published indie author, and it’s what gets us noticed. So, after you’ve read a book, please take a few moments and leave a review. It’s the single best way to thank your authors.

xoxo

A.M.

The Shortstop Playlist on Spotify

https://play.spotify.com/user/12127640486/playlist/3gQVnIBmNkHfycZH088J33

 

Caught Up in You ~ 38 Special

Angel ~ Aerosmith

I’m Yours ~ Jason Mraz

She’s Gone ~ Hall & Oats

Baby Come Back ~ Player

Nobody Wants to be Lonely ~ Ricky Martin & Christina Aguilera

After the Love has Gone ~ Earth, Wind & Fire

All of my Love ~ Led Zeppelin

Because of You ~ Kelly Clarkson

Better Days  ~ Bruce Springsteen

Can’t Forget You ~ My Darkest Days

Don’t Speak ~ No Doubt

Feels Like the First Time ~ Foreigner

Only Place I Call Home ~ Easy Avenue

I Can’t Not Love You ~ Easy Avenue

Still On My Brain ~ Justin Timberlake

Fairytale ~ Sons of Jim

Reason I Am ~ A.M. Madden & Mike Martone

Hopelessly Devoted to You ~ Olivia Newton-John

Sweet Annie ~ Zac Brown Band

Sorry ~ Buckcherry

 

Follow A.M. Madden

 

The Back-Up Series, Back-Up Copyright ©2013, Front & Center, Encore, Backstage and The Devil’s Lair all Copyright ©2014 by A.M. Madden.

Stone Walls, a romantic suspense stand alone novel, Copyright ©2015 by A.M. Madden.

 

Reason I Am
is the original song for The Back-Up Series, and can be purchased on iTunes.

https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/reason-i-am-single/id826021899

Lyrics by A.M. Madden and music by Mike Martone

 

Please support all Indie-authors and leave a review at point of purchase. Indie-authors depend on reviews and book recommendations to help potential readers decide to take the time and read their story. This Indie-author would greatly appreciate it.

xoxo

A.M. Madden

 

 

You can contact A.M. Madden at:

www.ammadden.com

https://www.facebook.com/pages/AM-Madden-Author/584346794950765

https://twitter.com/ammadden1

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7203641.A_M_Madden

https://www.tsu.co/AMMadden

[email protected]

Other books

Bad News Cowboy by Maisey Yates
The Professor's Student by Helen Cooper
The Infamous Ratsos by Kara LaReau
Seduction Becomes Her by Busbee, Shirlee
Guilty by Ann Coulter
Baby-Sitters On Board by Ann M. Martin
The Aguero Sisters by Cristina Garcia
The Spacetime Pool by Catherine Asaro
Baby Doll Games by Margaret Maron