Ballers: His Game (Ballers Series Book 1) Page 17

  I kiss her again to fuse my words into her brain. I place my forehead to hers as my hands make their way slowly down her face, to her throat, letting my fingertips trail across her collarbone. I feel her shiver and go to pull the blanket she is wrapped in tighter around her, but she shrugs out of the blanket and scoots forward in my lap. Her arms wrap my head, her fingers diving into my hair as her lips meet mine. I groan as I taste our tears mixed together.

  I reach to continue my exploration of her body. I run my fingers across her shoulders catching the straps to her dress and pulling them with me as I move my fingers down her arms. I gently move one hand to the zipper at the back of her dress and release it nice and slow. I want her to have time to process each touch and what I am conveying with each one.

  “I won’t stop loving you, Baby. I can’t live without you. Not again,” I breathe in her ear and she shivers once again.

  I unclasp her bra and unhurriedly peel it and her dress down. Gently I tilt her body back and peel the dress from her body bringing her panties with it. I just stare at my woman lying before me naked, except for her heels, splayed wide open for me.

  I trail my fingertips up her calves to her thighs. I squeeze her upper thigh and drag her body closer to mine. I capture her bottom lip and pull it between my teeth. Tam takes her time pushing my blazer from my shoulders. I have set the tone. We are going to take this nice and slow.

  I push my tongue into her mouth for a devouring deep kiss. Meanwhile she works the buttons of my shirt before pushing it too from my shoulders. When I release her mouth to kiss her neck she buries her face in my neck and starts to suck at the sensitive flesh. I groan and rock my hips up, brushing her hot pussy with my jean covered erection.

  “You turn me on so much, Baby,” I groan in her ear and she whimpers.

  “Brad,” she gasps as I palm her breasts and roll her nipples between my fingertips.

  “I’m so in love with you, Tam. Do you understand that,” I whisper in her ear then lick it before sucking on her lobe.

  Tam reaches to free me from my jeans and I lift my hips to help as I toe off my boots. As my hands make a slow accession up her sides my lips caress her skin, making a trip to her breasts. I kiss each one before pulling her harden left nipple into my mouth. I know it is her more sensitive one.

  To prove my point she trembles and cries out, arching her back into me. My cock twitches against her stomach and she takes it as an invitation. Tam reaches for me and lifts up to place me right at her entrance.

  “I need you,” she whispers as she looks me in the eyes. Her big brown eyes speak to my soul. I need her too.

  She slides down my shaft nice and slow. I slide my hands down her back and cup her ass. There is no rush, I intend to make love to her. This is the most tender I have ever been with Tam. We have done it slow, but this is different. My body is humming with my need for her in a soul deep way.

  I move my hands once again up her back lifting her arms with me until they are above her head. I lock our fingers together and hold her gaze. Tears are spilling from both our eyes as I roll my hips up into her.

  “I could never hurt you,” I say as we move to our own rhythm. “I love you so much.”

  “I love you too,” she moans and her head falls back.

  I bend my head, taking my time as I lick up the center of her chest. Her hands tighten in mine as her body quakes. I release her hands to drag my fingers down her arms, her sides and wrap them around her waist. Her body feels so good. I continue to slide in and out of her at our slow tempo. With each roll of my hip she is rocking back into me driving me closer to the edge. I can feel myself swelling inside her.

  “Brad,” she cries out pulling my eyes from her breasts to her brown eyes that are looking back at me.

  She starts to slow grind and I swear I’m not going to last much longer like this. I move my hand over her heart and hold it there. “This is where I want to be Tamara,” I say and pull her hand to my chest. “This is where you are.”

  I lift my hand to swipe away more tears. I pull her face to mine and fuse our lips together. I feel the moment she explodes around me and I groan into her mouth. I am almost pulled over with her, but I grit and hold out.

  “Darlin’, I’m about to come. You need to get up,” I grunt as I go to lift her from my shaft.

  “No,” she whimpers pushing back onto me. I hiss and struggle to hold back.

  “I’m not wearing a condom, Baby,” I say through tight lips.

  “I know. I want you to come inside me,” she says looking me in my eyes.

  My sex clouded brain takes a few seconds to realize what she is saying to me. But when it becomes clear what Tam is offering I don’t have it in me to hold back anymore. She grinds into me one last time and I come with a force I have never known before. All I can think about is my seed planting in her belly and me getting to be there this time to watch her grow with my baby.

  “I love you,” I bellow out.

  “I love you too,” she whimpers into my neck.

  My mind is spinning as I come down and catch my breath. She could be pregnant right now. We could be having another baby. The thought has me rock hard all over again. I swiftly switch positions, lying Tam on her back and hovering over her. I hook her legs over my shoulders and drive into her.

  This is not the slow rhythm from before. The caveman within that wants her pregnant with my baby takes over. I lounge at her pussy with a mission.

  “Brad,” she cries out. “Oh God, what are you doing?”

  “I want you pregnant Tam and I plan to make that happen tonight,” I growl as I piston into her tight, wet pussy. “Fuck you feel so good.”

  She is so wet her tight channel is making it easy for my thick rod to slip in and out of her but not without holding me nice and tight at the same time. I grab the hair at her nape and tip her head back as I lean to suck on her sweat soaked neck. She is going to kill me for marking her but I need this right now.

  I need to claim what’s mine in this moment. I will never willingly hurt Tam, nor am I willing to let her go. I have loved this woman for so long, even before I had her to call my own. There is no way I am fucking this up. I’ll do whatever I have to, to show her what she means to me.

  I growl as I thrust deep and hard. Tam arches up into me. I totally ignore the hay stabbing me from beneath the blanket. This pussy and the woman it is attached to are all that matters right now. She is mine, period. I have come too far with her to let people that don’t matter tear us apart.

  “Ah, Baby, I’m so close,” Tam moans.

  “Give it to me Tam,” I hiss in her ear. “I love this pussy. Best fucking pussy I’ve ever had.”

  “Bradley,” she screams as her pussy flutters around me.

  “Tam,” I bellow back as I empty into her once more.

  I roll to my back not breaking our connection, while holding her to my chest. A few moments go by as we catch our breath. Tam tips her head up and looks at me.

  “Sex is not always the answer,” she says softly.

  “I know baby. But this time we both needed that,” I reply and lift up to kiss her lips. “We will work through all this, but I’m not losing you Tam. I will fight to the death for you.”

  She looks away from me and murmurs softly. “Be careful what you ask for.”

  Chapter 22

  I wish it weren’t so, but that engagement party has put a strain on our relationship. Only I’m not so sure that the party is all that is to blame. Tam has been distant and I know she is hiding something. She keeps telling me she is just nervous about the wedding and how the season will end for Ellerie and myself.

  While that could be true I’m not buying it. There is something Tam isn’t telling me. I don’t like it. I don’t want my woman stressed while she is carrying our baby. That’s right you heard me. I’m going to be a father again. This is why at first I didn’t think too much about her unusual behavior. With the morning sickness and her being so tired I had at first bl
amed it on the pregnancy.

  However, I had a week off this weekend and I know that something more is going on. She has been on the phone with her boss a lot. I have wondered if they are giving her a hard time at work about the upcoming wedding since she has put in for time off. Tam never takes time off, so it really shouldn’t be a problem.

  I’m giving her till the end of the weekend to come clean and then I am going to pull the truth from her. It has been five weeks since the engagement party. I don’t like this space that seems to be between us, especially not when we should be celebrating the wedding and the baby.

  We haven’t told anyone, though I am bursting at the seams to tell the world. I can’t wait to hold my little baby in my arms. I know I can never get back the time I missed with Ellie, but I don’t plan to miss a thing this time around.

  I have been in the pool with Ellie all morning hoping to get my mind off things. It worked, so much that I lost track of time. I think I wore my little girl out tossing her around the pool and teaching her to perfect her back stroke. She is a natural in the water.

  After getting her bathed and down for a nap I rush to the master bedroom to get ready for the meeting I am about to be running late for. The owner of the team asked me to join him down at the yacht club today for a late lunch. I’d much rather be relaxing for the game on Monday and spending time with my family, but duty calls.

  I walk into the bedroom to find Tam sitting in the middle of the bed staring down at her phone with a frustrated expression. Now that I think of it that is the expression she has most days now when her phone is in her hands.

  I know I’m going to be late now because I need to know what is going on with my woman. I climb onto the bed and she looks up as if she is just realizing that I am in the room with her. She blinks a few times, but I don’t give her time to process what is going on. I pull her into my lap and lift her face up to mine, placing a kiss to her lips.

  “I think this is about enough Darlin’,” I say as I pull away. “You need to tell me what is going on with you.”

  “I’m fine,” she says looking anywhere but in my eyes.

  “Come on Tam,” I sigh. “Stop lying to me. I need to know what is going on with you. It is affecting us.”

  She gets a sour look on her face and reaches to start twirling my hair around her finger. I start to rub circles on her back hoping to sooth her into talking to me. I give her a few minutes to open up.

  “Brad, can you just trust me to handle this. It is not something I want to stress you with,” she says softly.

  “Anything that concerns you is a concern for me. When are you going to learn to trust me to take care of you,” I ask her gently.

  “I do trust you, Baby. That is not what this is about this time. I have some things I need to handle and you need to be focused for the game. I don’t want to bother you with this,” she sighs and puts her head on my shoulder.

  “Darlin’, nothing is more important to me than you.”

  “Brad please, shouldn’t you be off for your meeting. You are going to be late,” she says lifting her head to check the time.

  “Like I said, nothing is more important than you,” I start but my cell phone rings.

  I take my phone out and look down at it and frown. Tam peeks at it and does the same. “Who is that?” she asks as the screen lights up with a picture of me and a young woman with big hair. I haven’t a clue myself.

  “I’m wondering the same thing,” I murmur as I send the call to voicemail.

  “How do you not know who that is? There is a picture of the two of you in your phone.” Tam says, narrowing her eyes at me.

  I go to answer her but my phone rings again with the same number and photo. I want Tam to always trust me so I answer the call and place it on speaker. Tam shifts from my lap to sit across from me cross legged.

  “Hello,” I say into the phone.

  “Hey honey, how are you,” a woman says through the phone, with a heavy southern drawl.

  Tam crosses her arms and lifts a brow at me. “I’m sorry, but who is this?” I ask.

  “Aw Bradley, don’t tell me you forgot about me. It’s Beth, didn’t my picture come up? We look so great in it,” she chirps.

  Tam gives me the stink eye and I press my lips and roll my eyes at her, holding up my phone and point to the picture. I then let my mouth fall open as if to say, ‘really, this looks good.’ Tam covers her mouth to stifle a laugh that bubbles up.

  Beth continues, oblivious to the fact that I am not paying her any attention. “I meant to call you sooner, but I’ve been out of the country. I just returned last night and I was so thrilled to hear you would be meeting on Daddy’s yacht this afternoon,” the woman coos.

  It clicks in that moment. Beth, from the meet and greet when I found Tam and Ellie. I haven’t thought about her since. I barely paid her attention that day. No wonder I didn’t remember her.

  “Listen, I’m already running late for that meeting. I need to go,” I say as politely as I can. I have no intention of ever answering another of her calls.

  “Oh that’s fine, I’ll just see you when you get here,” she purrs.

  This gives me pause. I was told that this was just for men. I scowl and say into the phone. “Excuse me?”

  “Oh, the wives decided to join you all at the last minute. Daddy thought it would be fun if I came along so you wouldn’t be the odd one out,” she says enthusiastically.

  “Well if they decided to invite the wives then someone should have informed me so that I could bring my fiancée,” I bite out.

  “Oh you mean the lawyer,” she says snidely.

  The pissed look on Tam’s face only pisses me off more. My blood is boiling right now. “I don’t know if I sent you some type of wrong message, but I am engaged to the only woman I am interested in. You and your daddy have a good time on that boat. Something has come up. I won’t be making it today,” I growl before I hang up.

  “Babe, you were invited by the owner to that lunch, you can’t not go,” Tam says with true concern in her voice.

  “The hell I can’t. Everyone is aware I’m engaged. Why the hell would they not tell me things changed, let alone invite some woman along for me,” I fume. “Tam if I have learned nothing else playing this sport, I have learned that the head office likes to play their own games. I go along for the most part, but not when it comes to my family. This bull won’t fly with me.”

  “Brad, you can’t just –.”

  “Yes. I can,” I cut her off. “Now come here. I want to rub your tummy and talk to our baby.”

  Chapter 23

  I feel like a bull caged in a room with the walls painted red as I storm my way into the locker room. I’m so pissed off I can’t even see straight. I tear into the locker room and toss my helmet at the wall. I have seen and heard a lot in this league but this takes the cake.

  I am usually the mellow guy in the locker room so all of the guys take pause at my outburst and watch with open mouths. I turn and lock eyes with Ellerie and he instantly reads me. I give him a curt nod and he nods back.

  “Ten minutes,” he says and I nod again.

  I need out of this building and I doubt it will take me ten minutes to get my shit and leave. I storm towards the shower stripping from my uniform as I go. I am showered and dressed faster than I have ever been before.

  Fuming I leave the locker room heading right for the parking lot. People are calling my name and asking questions but I ignore them all. The only person I acknowledge is Ellerie who is sitting in his Jaguar behind my truck, waiting for me.

  “Your place,” I call over my shoulder as I move pass his car and jump into my own truck.

  Ellerie and I have become close over the last few months, on and off the field. If I can trust anyone with what I have to say I know it is him. I just don’t want to take this to my house. Tam said she would be working from home this week and I don’t want to stress her over this.

  When we pull into Ellerie’s driv
eway I am still wound tight and raging to release this pent up tension. I just need to say this shit out loud to make sure I haven’t imagined it all. I know I did not just sit through that meeting in my coach’s office. I didn’t hear any of the words that were said to me. I must have gotten hit during practice or something.

  “Okay, what the hell is going on,” Ellerie asks as he retrieves two waters from the refrigerator and hands me one.

  “They want me to postpone the wedding,” I growl.

  “Wait what?” Ellerie says with a sour look on his face. He looks so much like Tam in the moment.

  “Apparently that is what the head office wanted to talk to me about on that little boat trip I didn’t make it to. They were going to suggest,” I say using air quotes. “That I do things a little more quietly and maybe even start to be seen in public with someone else a few times. Now they just want me to postpone the wedding. ‘It will be best for the rest of the season,’ as they had coach put it.”

  “You have got to be fucking kidding. First they fuck with Tam’s clients now this,” Ellerie growls causing me to almost choke on my water.

  “What? What the hell did you just say,” I hiss.

  “Shit,” Ellerie draws a hand down his face. “Listen, she didn’t want to distract you from the game. She has been working to get things in order, but it has been taking its toll. The whole shit is pissing me off. The way they have been treating her at games, her losing clients that have been loyal for years.

  “Tam is strong, but this is just some bullshit. I only found out by accident. They stepped to a friend of ours that wasn’t willing to bend and he came to me about the situation. She is my baby sister and I have been wanting to hurt someone over this, but she made me promise to let her handle it.”

  “Wait, how long has this been going on? I can’t believe this, she is pregnant. She doesn’t need this type of stress,” I fume.

  “I knew it,” Ellerie says with a slight smile.