“What about you? Do you ladies live around here?” I ask. I really only want to know about Parker, but her friend is cool. She’s keeping me here with them, so there’s that.
“Yeah. Born and raised. We’re both seniors in college. We live just across town.”
“What’s your major?” I ask Parker as my hand rubs circles on the small of her back.
“Public relations.”
“And you?” I lean in close to Parker to speak to Autumn. I don’t miss her slight intake of breath at my nearness.
“Accounting.” Autumn shrugs. “I like numbers.”
Before I can reply, a guy, one I recognize who was here with them last week, walks up. He drapes his arm over both of their shoulders, and they both have smiles for him. It’s awkward because my hand still rests on the small of Parker’s back, but I’m not moving it. She’s here standing next to me, letting me touch her. No way in hell am I giving that up. Not yet.
“Bailey.” The guy nods at me.
I return his nod, and I realize that none of them seem to give one single fuck that I’m a professional baseball player. “You ladies want to dance?” the guy asks.
“What are you doing here, Troy?” Autumn asks him. “I thought we told you it was girls’ night?” She raises an eyebrow, and though her gaze isn’t even directed at me, I fight the urge to squirm.
“It’s guys’ night too.” He points at a table just off to the right where a group of guys sits with beers. A few have scantily clad women on their laps. I do a double take when I see the blonde from earlier getting felt up by one of them. She doesn’t seem to mind as she sips the drink in her hand.
“Poor guy.” Parker turns so that she’s facing him. This brings her back to my front, and I don’t hesitate to move in close, placing my hand on her hip. She doesn’t even react other than the way her shoulders slightly stiffen. “Troy boy, we love you, you know that, right?” she asks him.
I don’t let the “we love you” part offend me. She’s not mine. Not yet. Hell, I don’t even really want her to be mine. Not really. That’s not how I roll, but I do want her.
“However, Autumn and I are girls. That means we don’t have the twig and berries like you do.” She reaches out and pats his cheek. Troy tosses his head back in laughter, and I find that I’m biting down on my cheek to keep from laughing as well. Parker’s got spunk. I like it.
“Do you need me to show you?” Autumn chimes in.
Troy’s eyes heat. “Come on, crazy girl.” He laces his fingers with hers and leads her to the dance floor.
“What do you say, Parker? Should we join them?”
The woman who has been monopolizing my thoughts for the past week turns and smiles. “You think you can keep up, Bailey?” she teases.
I lean in close, our lips a breath away. “Let me show you.” Just another inch if that, and I could press my lips to hers. I ache to taste her, but it’s too soon. She still seems to be unaffected, and that needs to change. It’s time for the player to step up his game.
She swallows hard, which pulls my attention from her intoxicating blue eyes to her throat, which leads to my eyes scanning the long slender column of her neck. Her hair is pulled back tonight, giving me a great view of all her creamy skin. My mouth remembers the taste of her as I lick my lips. How is it possible that one night on the dance floor with this woman has me so tied up in knots?
“Come on, gorgeous. Show me what you’ve got.” I take a step back, putting some distance between us. It’s not what I want, but I think she needs it, and it wouldn’t hurt for me to calm down a little either.
She brings her drink to her lips and drains it before setting the now empty glass back on the bar. “You might be the captain of the infield, but that doesn’t mean shit on the dance floor.” With that, she walks off, swaying those sexy hips of hers. I follow her like a puppy. When she reaches the edge of the dance floor, she turns to look for me, and I’m there. My hands land on her hips, and I pull her back to my front.
“I think you already know what I can do on the dance floor.” With that, I begin to grind my hips, and she pushes her ass against me. Together, we make our way onto the crowded dance floor.
The beat thumps through the speakers, but I couldn’t tell you what song or artist it is. All I know is this woman in my arms. We’re making music of our own as our bodies sync with every move. It’s as if we’ve been dance partners for years or bed partners. The chemistry is off the charts, and I’m hard as a rock. I need her.
Tonight.
I can’t take another week of thinking about her. I need to seal the deal so I can get my life back. The lovely Parker has already taken up way too much space in my head. When she raises her hands in the air and sways her hips, I bend to kiss her neck. She leans into me, letting me hold her weight. She’s not fighting this pull between us. Not that I think she could because it’s strong as hell.
She turns to face me, and I feel another set of hands behind me. Looking over my shoulder, I see Autumn and Troy behind her. It’s like one big cluster of grinding. Hands are everywhere, but only mine are on her. I let it ride for a few minutes before breaking away and moving us to a darkened corner on the back edge of the dance floor.
She’s still facing me. Her hands are buried in my hair as I grip her hips. I move us to the wall and slide my hands down to her thighs and lift. She wraps her legs around my waist, locking her ankles.
“You’ve got me here, Bailey. Now, what are you going to do with me?” she asks.
Gripping her ponytail with one hand, I cover her lips with mine. She’s tentative at first, which is something new for me. I can’t remember a woman I’ve kissed in the past five or six years who was hesitant. They’re all hoping to change me. To land a payday being connected to a professional athlete.
Not Parker.
“Open for me,” I murmur against her lips, then kiss her again. My tongue traces her bottom lip, and finally, her mouth opens. I don’t hesitate to kiss her slow and deep. Her tongue battles with mine. Stroke after stroke, I kiss her with everything I have. For the first time in my life, I’m content to stand here in the dark corner of this crowded club with this gorgeous woman wrapped around me and just kiss her.
She’s intoxicating.
Song after song blares over the sound system, and we don’t move from our secluded spot in the corner. I don’t think my cock has ever been this hard. I remove my mouth from hers and trail kisses over her jaw and to her ear. “Let’s get out of here,” I whisper. My voice is gruff from the need coursing through my veins.
As soon as the words are out of my mouth, she freezes. Her arms drop from my hair to my chest as she unlocks her legs and slides to the floor. Her hands are on my chest, pushing, putting distance that I don’t want between us. I don’t think she does either. At least it didn’t feel like she did a few seconds ago.
“What’s going on?” I ask, stepping close again. I tuck a loose strand that’s fallen out of her ponytail behind her ear.
“Autumn and I came together.”
“We can make sure she gets home safe,” I assure her.
“Thanks, but I-I can’t. I need to go.”