Chapter Forty-One

Aiden

“ G ood game,” Roman says as he passes me on his way out of the locker room.

“Yeah, thanks, man. You too,” I reply. The high after going four for four and hitting a home run is washed away when I checked my phone. No missed calls or messages. It’s unfair for me to expect any after only a few hours, but the distance between Bec and I is becoming painful. I’m craving every taste of her she’ll give me.

We haven’t been able to talk as much as I’d like with our mismatched schedules in addition to being in different time zones. The random message here and there, her sass, her teasing, her shyness sprinkled with bouts of that familiar confidence, are all that’s getting me through until I can see her again. I slide my phone into my back pocket, sling my bag over my shoulder, and head to the parking lot, not looking up as I walk out of the locker room.

“God, does he look depressed or what?”

“Why is he sulking like a baby? Did I black out? I thought they won the game.”

Denial hits me first, stopping me from walking any farther. No way. No fucking way those voices belong to the women I imagine they do. Still, I can’t help turning back to confirm my head is lying to me, teasing and taunting me because I’m missing Bec and my family.

“Hoooooly shhhit,” I drawl. “What…what are you doing here?”

Bec looks up at me, her shoulders curve in the smallest bit, a sheepish look spreading over her face. Her hair is pulled into a messy pile on top of her head. She’s wearing cutoff jean shorts, an Aviators jersey, and Chucks. She’s the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen.

My body is frozen for a moment more before I take three large strides until she’s only inches from me. I don’t think, my body acts on impulse. I slide my palm along Bec’s lower back and pull her toward me. My arms circle her shoulders, hugging her close, eliminating any space between us. Her head fits perfectly in the space between my chin and chest, and as she leans into me, her arms tuck into my chest. Every ounce of tension in my body melts and drifts away and I completely relax with Bec in my arms. I drop a soft kiss on the top of her head, softly whispering, “I can’t believe you’re here.”

“Well, I had to make sure you’re a real baseball player. I haven’t even seen a trading card. Seemed highly suspicious,” she says.

“Had your doubts, did you?”

“Not anymore. You were great.”

“How did you get here?” I ask.

“You’re welcome,” Evie says from down the hall where she’s leaning on her elbow with a shit-eating grin on her face. “I couldn’t handle another morose phone call from you. Thought you might need some fans in the stands tonight, so I dragged Bec along with me.”

“How…how did you two…?” I’m so shocked, my sluggish brain can’t even formulate the questions I need answers to in order to figure out how my sister and Bec are together in front of me. I point my finger back and forth between the two of them, hoping my inability to form the question doesn’t stop them from giving me answers.

“I gave her a copy of your seventh-grade class picture in exchange for her agreeing to be my travel buddy.” The light behind Evie’s eyes might as well be a dancing flame. Little sisters…they know exactly how to humble you.

I press my eyes shut, saying a silent prayer to no one that she’s lying right now. “Not seventh grade.”

“Seventh grade,” Bec confirms. “Finally, I get to watch you board at the humiliation station. It’s about damn time for you to take your turn.”

“In my defense—” I sputter.

“In my defense, I was about to sneeze,” Evie speaks over me animatedly, dropping her voice low. She winks at Bec. “Told you. That’s his excuse every time.”

“Because it’s the truth! What kind of monster refuses to retake a twelve-year-old kid’s photo when they snapped it midsneeze ,” I yell. “That picture haunted me all the way through my senior year of high school.”

Bec takes a step back, leaning against the concrete wall beside Evie. The two of them share a look, and my stomach drops. That look can only mean trouble for me.

“What else did you do, Evie?” I ask.

“Nothing you need to worry about right now.” Bec pats my chest in a placating gesture. “So, where’s good for dinner around here, hotshot?” Bec makes her way down the hall toward the exit, and before Evie can follow her, I step in front of her.

“Evie…what did you do?” I repeat.

“Relax, big brother, we’re just messing with you. The picture was the only dirt I shared…for now. But…” Evie leans to the side, looking over my shoulder at Bec and then back at me, her smile softening. “I see why you’re so caught up on her. She’s really great, Aiden. I can see it in your eyes already. You’re wrapped up in this way more than you even realize. Now don’t fuck this up, okay? I want to see you happy. You deserve it.”

She pats my shoulder, and a chuckle of disbelief escapes me as I turn to follow them. Evie’s wrong, though. I’ve always known I was in over my head when it came to Bec. Now that I know her better, now that she’s given me glimpses behind her defenses to the woman underneath, I’m all too willing to sink into deeper waters, thanking her the entire way down. Her confidence may have suffered a slight setback, but I’m not doing my job if she doesn’t realize how damn perfect she is. And how damn perfect she is for me.

* * *

“Aiden, breathe. Evie’s a big girl. She can handle herself.”

“I’m not watching her.” I’m watching Pete, and I swear to god, if I see his hand brush her leg one more time, I’m going to give my own teammate a black eye.

Turns out, Evie and Bec are staying in a hotel nearby and when Evie suggested we go for drinks after dinner, I didn’t think twice about it. I should have realized the team would be celebrating, but I was too distracted by Bec’s hand in mine and how fucking hot she looks in that jersey with my name across her back. I’m paying for it now, watching my stupid teammates swarm my sister. My blood is boiling, running hot through my veins.

“If it bothers you that much, I think I know how to take your mind off it,” she says, running her hand from the nape of my neck down my back to massage between my shoulder blades.

The shift in her tone pulls my attention from the overwhelming urge to play the overprotective brother. The corner of her mouth quirks up when my eyes meet hers.

“There he is,” she says confidently. Bec leans in close, her breath hot against my neck as her hand trails up my back again. She tilts her head up toward my ear and whispers, “I wanted to see if I could hit a home run of my own tonight.”

Without any warning, she wraps her other hand over my upper thigh, inching toward my dick, which springs to life immediately. I cough and adjust myself, trying to hide how hard she’s making me even though she’s barely touched me. I’m not easily rattled, but everything about Bec’s hands on me muddles my thoughts, and my mind empties completely until all that’s left is the compulsion to consume her.

“Come upstairs with me,” I say, pulling her closer to me with a strong hand around her waist.

“What about Evie?” she says, leaning into my side, her tits pressed into my rib cage.

I groan. “One second,” I say before reluctantly pulling myself out of her grasp.

I adjust myself again before standing up and then stalk over to the bar where Pete and Evie are laughing with one another.

“Well, if it isn’t the man in question,” Evie taunts.

“You’re right, Eves. I can see the hearts in his eyes when he’s close like this. Couldn’t tell from across the room,” Pete says.

I ignore him completely, looking only at Evie. “Evie, Bec and I—” I begin to say.

She holds up her hand, cutting me off. “Don’t make this weird, big brother. Go hang with your girlfriend. I’m fine here by myself.”

“I’ll keep you company,” Pete says quickly.

“Matthews, I swear to god, if you even think of trying something with my little sister, I’ll—”

“You’ll what, Aiden? We’ve talked about this. You promised. Now, go enjoy your time with your girl. I’ll take a cab back to my hotel and text you when I get there.”

I know what I promised. After years of scaring off dates and hopeful boyfriends with my overbearing tendencies, Evie had enough. While she was earning her undergraduate degree, she ripped me a new asshole for it. She wouldn’t talk to me for three weeks, our longest fight. I know it’s not fair to think I can protect her from everything, but the fear of losing control…well, it’s not something I handle well when I’m worried about the people I care about.

“Text me when you leave here, and when you get into your room,” I demand.

She salutes me before pushing me lightly on the shoulder back toward Bec. “I promise. Now, go. Stop wasting your time worrying. I’m having fun.”

“Evie, I…I didn’t thank you. For going to meet Bec. For bringing her here.”

“No thanks needed, Aiden. By the way, thanks for covering my bar tab.” She winks. “Charged to your room, I figured you wouldn’t mind.”

I chuckle in response. “I owe you a hell of a lot more than that. I’ll look for your text.”

Dropping my smile, I look over at Pete to see his dumbass staring at my sister, his eyes lit up with obvious attraction.

“Don’t piss me off, Matthews.”

“You don’t need to worry about me,” Pete concedes, chuckling over the rim of his drink. “Have a good night, Price.”

* * *

“Hurry up,” Bec says, pushing me playfully while I fumble with the key card, dropping it on the floor of my hotel room as Bec backs me up to the wall just past the doorway, her hands forcefully pushing against my chest. When I hit the wall, I let out a small groan as she eagerly kisses and sucks on my neck.

“So demanding,” I say .

“And I’ll continue to be demanding the rest of the night.” She looks up at me smugly as she palms my hard cock through my pants. Wasting no time, Bec pulls my belt buckle loose with her other hand.

“Is that so? Tell me.” I grip Bec by her ass, digging my fingers into her cheeks, turning her to pin her against the hotel door, her body encased by mine. “What is it you want? I’m more than happy to give it to you.”

“I want the second baseman I watched all day to fuck me so hard I forget about the two weeks I had to spend without him.” My rigid dick swells and hardens even more hearing the filthy words coming out of Bec’s mouth. It feels amazing to be wanted. But to be wanted by her, to see and hear the way my body craves her is reciprocated only drives my need for her higher.

“I thought I sent you something to take care of yourself while I was gone,” I tease.

She pushes me off her unexpectedly, and I stumble backward a few steps, laughing.

“You’re right.” She shrugs. Her breathlessness and disheveled appearance contradicting the way she’s trying to come off as unaffected by the heat between us. “I should get back to my own hotel room and finish myself off since you were so generous to give me a replacement .”

I drop my chin, all joking forgotten. “Say that again.”

“Thank you for pointing out that I don’t need you.” She turns, reaching for the door handle, but I grab her wrist before she can open it and pin her back against the door once again, her hand above her head. I grab her other hand and hold them both firmly against the wood frame before leaning down to whisper in her ear.

“I’m going to show you just how much you fucking need me. Do you know how I know? Because of this,” I say, brushing the knuckles of my free hand over her blushing cheeks, her face flush with want. “Because of this.” I palm her breast and pinch her tight nipple through her shirt while she gasps, her head dropping into the space between my neck and shoulder. “And because of this.” I slip my hand into her shorts, running two of my fingers through her soaked entrance.

“Oh fuck,” Bec pants, her head dropping back against the door frame, her eyes shut tight while I take my time exploring every wet inch of her.

“Look at me, Bec.” When she does, her eyes are heavy with lust and she bites her lower lip. The sight of her like this sends another bolt of arousal to my groin.

I lift my hand between us and take my fingers coated in her arousal into my mouth, sucking on the taste of her.

“This doesn’t taste like someone who doesn’t need me. This tastes like you need me as bad as I fucking need you. Every time I think about the look on your face when I’m making you come, I get so goddamn hard. I’m tired of fucking my fist thinking about it, Bec.”

“Jesus,” Bec moans.

“Our bodies speak a language I didn’t know until you. Now tell me you fucking need me so I can fuck that pussy like I’ve been craving for weeks now.”

“Fuck. I need you, Aiden,” she whimpers. Bec’s hands strain against where I still have them pinned with one hand, her hips grinding against my dick.

I release her and step back, reaching down to pull her shirt—my goddamn jersey—off her perfect body. Her lace bra does nothing to cover her nipples and I bend down to suck one into my mouth, giving it a bite.

Bec gasps and grips my hair, holding me to her, demanding more of the combination of pleasure with a little pain. “Don’t stop,” she says.

I don’t. I suck and lick and grip and taste her tits until she’s writhing against the door. She yanks my head back to kiss me fiercely and my body responds to her lust instantly .

I push my pants and briefs to the floor and step out of them while Bec tears off her shorts, thong, and bra. I still can’t believe she’s here. That she came here for me. Traveled all this way just to be with me for one night. I won’t waste a minute of the time we have together. I want her all night.

We collide again in a fit of clumsy limbs and greedy tongues. I lift Bec into my arms and lean us both against the door of my room, pressing the head of my cock to her slit.

“Yes, yes,” Bec pants between fierce kisses. Our groans overlap as I pulse into her between her deliciously thick thighs. She wraps them tightly around my waist. When I’m fully seated inside her, I pause and revel in the feel of her walls squeezing my cock like nothing I’ve ever felt before.

“Fuck, Bec.” I sigh, still in disbelief that she’s here. That she can be this perfect for me, despite my flaws.

“Make me come, Aiden. I need to come.”

The desperation in her voice matches the relentless rhythm of movement taking over between our bodies. She grinds her clit against my pelvis while I drive into her, squeezing her ass cheeks in my palms, her pussy gripping me just as tightly. I know I won’t last long.

“God, just like that,” she says, her voice shaking. Our breathing is heavy, our movements more uncontrolled, and I feel her body tightening in my arms as she gets closer to coming. When she topples over the edge, my name falls off her lips in between her moans and sends me barreling into my own release as I groan into the space between her neck and shoulder.

We stand for a minute together, our breaths slowing, our bodies still wrapped tightly around each other, her arms linked around my shoulders, my cum spilling from where we’re still joined.

I feel her startle in my arms as a firm knock sounds three times on the opposite side of the hotel door. Her eyes lock onto mine, as wide as saucers.

“This is Steve from hotel reception,” a male voice rings out. “We got a noise complaint. Can you two keep it down?”

Bec bites her lips between her teeth, stifling a laugh, and I try to do the same.

“Yeah, man. Sorry about that. Had the TV too loud, I think.”

“Jesus fucking Christ,” I hear my new friend Steve mumble as he walks away.

I pull out of Bec, carry her to the bed, and drop her onto the mattress with a bounce before collapsing beside her. We slowly turn our heads toward each other at the same time…and burst into laughter. A gut-splitting, soul-reviving laughter that blinds me to all the darkest parts of myself and leaves only Bec, only the light that shines from her warming me from the inside out.