Catching Ava (Spring Training Book 3) Read online

  “Do you have parking somewhere?”

  “Yep. I have a garage accessible from the back. But I didn’t figure we would stay here long right now.”

  “Ah. Okay.” After he unlocked the door, she ducked under his arm and entered his place.

  It was far more than a simple condo, which shouldn’t surprise her. After all, the guy made plenty of money. He could own whatever place he wanted.

  He dropped his bag and shut the door, locking it at her back. “Come on in.” He grabbed her hand and dragged her farther into the living room. A plush, beige sectional surrounded an entertainment center that appeared to house everything a bachelor could possibly need.

  “Are you hungry?” he asked as he lured her into the attached kitchen area.

  “Not really.” The truth was she couldn’t possibly eat. Her heart was racing from being in his presence, and her stomach was a twisted knot of arousal from inhaling his scent. It wasn’t that he wore a specific cologne or anything. It was his soap, his shampoo, his deodorant. All those things combined with his own personal musk to drive her crazy.

  He glanced at his watch. “It’s early still. We could go out for dinner in a while.”

  “Sounds good.” She fidgeted where he left her standing in the kitchen while he opened the fridge.

  A second later, he turned around with a bottle of water, which he took a long drink of and then set on the island. He leaned his butt against the side of the island. Then he met her gaze, his expression serious. Seconds ticked by. “Come here, Ava.”

  She barely had enough brain cells to tell her feet to move, but finally she managed to close the distance between them. When had this intensity picked up?

  When they’d gone out Friday night, he’d been easygoing. Light. Their conversations and texts had been similar. But now that she was with him… Yeah. Totally different.

  As she stepped into his space, he spread his feet wider, grabbed her waist, and hauled her against his body. The bulge in his pants was undeniable. Her pulse picked up speed.

  She was definitely in over her head. But she’d known that before she came to Jupiter that morning. Somewhere in her mind, she’d been fully aware of what she was getting into with this man. And she’d craved it.

  She’d had three days to daydream about a moment like this one. None of her imaginings came close to how she actually felt in his arms, however. The intensity of his gaze made her clasp her legs together. Her heart raced. Her mouth was dry.

  There was a reason why she packed a bag and tucked it in her car. Now that she stood in his condo with his hands on her waist, she knew she’d made the right choice. She was twenty-two for God’s sake. It was time to lose the V-card.

  She wasn’t one of those prudes who held on to her virginity for religious reasons or because she had some high moral standards or even because she wanted to wait until marriage. It had just happened. Or rather hadn’t happened.

  She’d been a hard worker in school. She’d dated, but her studies had always taken priority, and somehow she’d never met anyone she wanted to go out with more than a few times, let alone sleep with. Until Xavier. He had a magnetic pull on her, and she knew the timing was right. Xavier was exactly the person she wanted to have sex with for the first time. Any lingering doubt about this plan fled.

  He eased his hands up her sides, grazing her breasts on the way, and then cupped her face with both palms and tipped her head back. “That kiss in the car was supposed to break the ice. I don’t think it worked.”

  Before she could respond, he closed the gap and took her mouth again. The first kiss had taken her breath away. This one was so much more. Her knees threatened to buckle.

  She leaned toward him and flattened her hands on his chest to keep from sliding to the floor. Her eyes fluttered closed as he tasted every inch of her mouth and sucked her lips between his until they were swollen. She panted heavily when he finally broke the kiss.

  His hands smoothed down from her cheeks to her neck to her shoulders. “Wow.”

  “Yeah.” She blinked, having trouble focusing. Her breasts were swollen and pressing against her bra, making it seem two sizes too small. Her nipples were puckered and tight. Both were pleading for attention they shouldn’t crave this early in a relationship.

  That slow smile she’d come to expect spread again. “I thought the first kiss was an anomaly. Apparently not.”

  “Yeah,” she repeated, feeling rather stupid. But any other words she had running through her mind wouldn’t come together to form a coherent thought. Even if they did, she wouldn’t have been able to get them to come out of her mouth. If she tried to speak, she would embarrass herself.

  He pulled her closer against him, causing her to ease her hands around from his rock-hard chest to his sides. Then he buried his face in her hair and inhaled. “Love your shampoo. I noticed it Friday night, but I never got a chance to get close enough.”

  “Raspberry vanilla,” she stated, feeling a little ridiculous.

  “Mmm.” His hands cupped her ass and then smoothed up her body until they threaded in her hair. “And your hair is so damn soft. I wanted to run my fingers through it the other night too. Again, thwarted by the lover’s quarrel.”

  She tipped her face back and set her chin on his chest to meet his gaze.

  “Your skin and hair are so fair you’re like porcelain.”

  She giggled. “Now you’re starting to sound like a sappy novel.”

  “You making fun of me?” He smirked while he dropped one hand to her ass and pinched her butt cheek.

  She yelped, jumping in his arms. “You did not just pinch me.”

  He wiggled his brows. “Is there someone else in the room?”

  A question had niggled in her mind from the moment she’d agreed to go out with him Friday. And without her permission, it flew out of her mouth. “Do you belong to the same club in Miami Dominic goes to? Zodiac?” She didn’t particularly care if he practiced some form of BDSM. In fact, the idea titillated her more than it should. However, she wanted to know. Prepare herself mentally or something.

  He eased his hand from her butt up her body to cup her face. His thumb rubbed her bottom lip, his gaze honing in on the spot as she parted her lips for him and drew in a breath. “Would it bother you?”

  “I don’t know. Yes. No. Maybe.”

  He lifted his gaze to hers and licked his lips. “Ava, I know you have questions. And you should. And I’ll answer all of them. I promise. But let’s take our time. No rush.

  “If you’ve spoken to your sister about her relationship, then I’m sure you know a little about dominance. If you’re curious about me, I can tell you I am pretty dominant. Yes. But I would never expect you to be someone you’re not. And I would never push you to do something you aren’t comfortable with.”

  She nodded. Did that ease her mind? She wasn’t sure. Partly because she didn’t know if she was interested in him because she knew he was dominant and she wanted a taste of that lifestyle, or if she was scared out of her mind to find out. Probably a little of both.

  “You’re not the usual sort of woman I date. And I’ll be honest, I may be overstepping my bounds by asking you to come here today. My mind is yelling at me that you’re too young, too innocent, and too naïve. My heart is pleading with me to snag you up, lock you in my bedroom, and keep you for all the same reasons.”

  What did that even mean?

  He kissed her nose. “So, I have no idea if this is a good idea or a horrible one, but I do know I couldn’t live without finding out. I swear I’ll do everything in my power to avoid hurting you.”

  “I would never let you do something to me that might hurt,” she blurted out.

  He nodded, his expression more serious. “Ava, I didn’t mean physically. That goes without saying. I mean emotionally.”

  “Oh.” She flushed again. He was right. She was so naïve. She’d read about BDSM. She’d even encouraged her sister to give it a try. But knowing and participating were
two totally different things.

  “Look at me.”

  She didn’t realize she’d glanced down.

  “D/s is not something you leap into. It’s a learning process. I can tell without a doubt you’ve never experienced it. And I’m not an ass. Does it make me so hard I want to strip you down in my kitchen and explore every inch of your body? Yes. But I have self-control, hon.

  “One day at a time here. There’s an undeniable intensity between us. You feel it, and I do too. It hovered on the edges all night Friday night. Hell, I couldn’t take my gaze off you at Zia and Brett’s wedding. I’m drawn to you like a magnet. Is it logical? Probably not. But it’s there all the same. So we go with it and see what happens.”

  She swallowed. Everything he said washed over her like a soothing balm.

  His hands eased around to her lower back again and held her tight. His erection pressed into her belly. “Don’t worry about D/s right now. Ignore it. Wipe it out of your head. If we have the chemistry for it, it will fall into place. If not…” He shrugged.

  She worried about what he left unsaid. Would they have nothing if she wasn’t submissive? But she didn’t ask. And what the hell was she thinking? It wasn’t like she intended for this relationship to get serious. The man was a professional baseball player. She was a recent graduate without a full-time job. She needed to lighten up, enjoy whatever this was for however long it lasted, and make the most of it.

  Xavier didn’t let the subject drop yet. “What you need to know is that it has nothing to do with someone striking you in any way. Dominance and submission are many things to many people. Some submissives enjoy being spanked or flogged or restrained. Others don’t. It’s not some mandatory aspect of the lifestyle. And I wouldn’t even consider pondering such a thing with anyone inexperienced for months, perhaps years.”

  She exhaled audibly.

  He chuckled. “That’s what I thought. Okay, that conversation happened about two weeks ahead of schedule, but we’ve covered it. Relax. Let’s go out. Have fun. Enjoy ourselves.”

  She nodded. Every word he said was perfect. Every move he made was perfect. Irrationally she thought she would let him do anything he wanted to her right that second in the kitchen. All he had to do was ask. Or command.

  Her panties were wet. Her nipples were stiff. Her mouth was dry.

  If he had any idea how inexperienced she was, he would probably run.

  Chapter Three

  Xavier couldn’t believe how this weird, unprecedented date was going. He had expected to take Ava to dinner, talk about mundane things, get to know her, and kiss her goodnight.

  He had not expected to kiss her in his car before they pulled out of the lot. He had not expected to discuss dominance with her in his kitchen with his hard dick pressing into her belly. He had not expected to feel even stronger for her at the flush of her cheeks and the widening of her eyes.

  She was unbelievably innocent for someone who had graduated from college. Instead of being turned off, he found he liked her even more. He’d never dated a woman as naïve as her. Well, not naïve exactly. She wasn’t ignorant. She was inexperienced. He didn’t dare ask if she was a virgin. The answer might cause him to come in his pants.

  He had no business dating a virgin.

  The idea was preposterous. And yet, while half of him hoped she at least had some experience in the bedroom to keep him from feeling like he was stealing someone’s innocence, the other half of him prayed she was indeed untouched and all his.

  They had to get out of his condo. With a groan he couldn’t stop, he eased her away from him, holding her at arm’s length and letting his gaze roam up and down her body. She was tiny, like her sister. Blond, gorgeous curls hung down her back. Her blue eyes sparkled. Her cheeks were rosy from lust or embarrassment or shock or all three.

  The dress she wore had driven him bonkers from the moment he first saw her in the stands at the game. White. Fitted at the top to accentuate her breasts. The skirt was full and short and cute and sexy and sweet and youthful. Innocence wafted off her. Even her sandals were part of the package that was all Ava. Flat. Dainty. Silver.

  He groaned again.

  She flushed further.

  He closed his eyes, but the image didn’t go away. She was burned to the back of his eyelids. Perhaps permanently. “Let’s get out of here.”

  “Oh. Okay.” She sounded hesitant. Surprised. Her voice was lower. Gravelly.

  Dammit.

  He could read her so well. When he opened his eyes, he caught her shifting her weight back and forth from one foot to the other. She was aroused. He could smell it in the air. And it was killing him.

  But he would ruin whatever tenuous connection they had going if he took things too far too fast.

  So they needed to leave. Being alone in his home with her was a horrible idea.

  He slid his hands down to clasp hers and then pushed off the counter, turned them around, and walked backward toward the front door, unwilling to drop either of her hands to get there.

  Damn. He was so lucky. Or in so much trouble. Probably both.

  When they stepped outside, a camera flashed in his face.

  Shit.

  He spun around and blocked her against the front door before anyone could see her. He flattened his hands on both sides of her face and met her gaze. “Paparazzi. Can you handle it? Can you ignore them? If you want to go back inside, we will.”

  She shook her head. “No. I’m okay. Unless you don’t want…” Her voice trailed off as her face lowered.

  He moved one hand to lift her chin, forcing her to look at him. “Ava, I would happily flaunt you to the entire world. Do not doubt me. This is about you. I won’t have you uncomfortable.”

  She nodded. “I’m good.” Her voice was low and gravelly again. Was she telling the truth?

  He held his breath for two heartbeats to gather his wits. She couldn’t even know how she felt about cameras in her face. No way in hell had she ever been faced with a situation like this. He needed to keep that in mind. Ava Phillips was not a woman who had dated a celebrity before. He let out a slow breath. “Okay, ignore them. I’ll smile politely. We head for the car.”

  “Got it.”

  He turned back around, holding her hand at his back and protecting her from the cameras the only way he knew how. Leading her to the car was a challenge, but they made it. He popped the locks, settled her inside, and then faced the man with the camera. “Please. Some privacy.”

  Shockingly, the guy nodded and backed off, lowering his camera.

  With a sigh of relief, Xavier rounded the hood and climbed in the driver’s side. “That wasn’t too bad as paparazzi go.” He looked toward her and found her shaking a little but smiling.

  “Okay.”

  Suddenly he knew where to take her. “This may be the craziest idea I’ve ever had, but I have a plan. Trust me?”

  She nodded, smiling wider. “Absolutely.”

  He started the engine. Was he insane?

  * * *

  Twenty minutes later, Ava glanced out the window as Xavier pulled to a stop in front of a quaint little restaurant she’d never heard of. Monreal’s. She realized that was his last name and shot him a look.

  He smiled. “My uncle owns it. On my father’s side. He has one in Miami too. But he prefers to stay in the Jupiter area during spring training.”

  “Oh.” My God. He’s brought me to a family restaurant. Her fingers shook as she removed her seat belt. Seconds later, he opened her door.

  “Don’t stress. My aunt and uncle are amazing, friendly people. They’re going to love you.”

  This felt huge. He brought her to meet family? On their second date? He took her hand again and led her toward the side of the restaurant and then through the rear. They stepped into the kitchen.

  It was hot and loud, and instantly she relaxed. Everyone was shouting in Spanish, but it was all friendly banter. Suddenly, the minor in Spanish she got in college seemed like the best
choice she’d ever made. But he didn’t need to know that yet. She never had been comfortable speaking with native speakers. It made her nervous.

  “Xavier.” The sweet feminine voice that shouted his name startled Ava.

  She shifted her gaze to find a cute, bubbly woman almost her exact same size rushing toward them. She grabbed Xavier around the neck and hugged him.

  Xavier didn’t release Ava’s hand, however.

  When the woman let him go, she spun toward Ava.

  “Cecilia, this is Ava. Ava, my cousin Cili.”

  “Nice to meet you.” Ava tugged her hand free of Xavier’s and reached to shake Cili’s.

  Cili’s eyes sparkled. She glanced at Xavier with a smile that grew by the second. “Well, then. Come on in. Let’s get you a table. Papa’s going to be so excited.”

  “Is your mom here too?” Xavier asked.

  “Yep. I’ll make sure she’s sitting.” Cili giggled.

  Xavier slapped her playfully on the arm as they wove through the kitchen and out into the main restaurant.

  Apparently, bringing Ava was a shock. He obviously didn’t bring women home to meet his family often. For some reason, that soothed Ava. She liked to think she was as special as he made her feel.

  It took about five minutes for everyone who was a relative to hug Ava and get them settled at a semi-private table near the entrance to the kitchen.

  His aunt Margo and his uncle Raúl were extremely welcoming and friendly. They were also stunned. Was it because she was so…white? Or was it because he never brought anyone to meet them?

  Ava wondered how his parents would react if they met her. For a moment, she felt the intense loss of her own parents who would never meet whatever man she fell in love with.

  Xavier helped her get seated and took the chair next to her. “My aunt makes a killer margarita. Do you like tequila?”

  She nodded. “I do, but not too strong. I still have to drive later tonight.”