Catching Lily (Spring Training Book 2) Read online

  “What’s up with you?” Brett asked as he shrugged out of his suit jacket at the back of the church. “Anyone who didn’t know better would assume you were the groom and I was a bystander, the way you keep tugging on your tie like it’s suffocating you.”

  It is. “Me? Nothing. I get nervous inside a church is all.” That was half-true. Dominic hadn’t been raised in a church. Neither of his parents had been religious, so they’d raised him and his sister as nothing.

  Good plan or bad? He didn’t know, but churches made him uncomfortable. So much ceremony. Rituals. Seriousness. It was unnerving for the unchurched.

  Brett pulled his phone out of his pocket and glanced at the screen. “Good. Zia and Lily are on their way. You remember Lily, right? She came with us to your house a few months ago for Monday night football.”

  “I remember her.” Dominic looked away, pretending to peer into the sanctuary.

  “Dom?” There was a moment of silence after Brett called out the nickname.

  Dominic permitted few people to call him by that shortened nickname, mainly because of what it implied. He was a Dom. That was for sure. It was too comedic.

  “Dude.” Brett chuckled. “You totally fucked her.”

  Dominic spun around, feeling the heat rush across his face. “Lily? Of course not. I haven’t even seen her again since that night.”

  Brett laughed this time. “That may be, but you did all the damage while we were there. How the hell did I not realize this before?” He slapped his forehead with a palm.

  Dominic couldn’t believe he was that transparent. He closed his eyes. Then his shoulders drooped. “She probably wants to cut off my balls and feed them to me. And I can’t blame her.”

  “Why? Word on the street is you’re pretty good at satisfying a lady.” Brett kept the teasing coming.

  “Can we be serious here? I didn’t mean to have sex with her. It just happened.”

  Brett really started laughing now, bent over at the waist. “It just happened? What? Your dick fell out of your jeans and landed inside her? And she just happened to be naked?”

  “Ha ha.”

  Brett wiped his eyes in mock hilarity. “Unless it wasn’t consensual, I don’t think you need to worry. Lily has never mentioned it to me. Not sure if she said anything to Zia, but I doubt it.”

  “Don’t insult me. I’ve never done anything nonconsensual. I mean… Okay. That’s not true. I have, but only because she asked me to and it was prearranged. Consensual nonconsent.”

  “I’m not even going to ask what the hell that means.”

  “The point is I didn’t force Lily to have sex with me, and you know it. And as for her telling Zia? I’m not sure it makes me feel better to think she didn’t tell her friend. What does that say about me? That it sucked and she’s embarrassed?”

  “You’ve thought about this a lot.” Brett appeared to be fighting a smile. He sucked his cheeks in.

  “You have no idea.” No sense denying it. “I’m an asshole. She was amazing. I should have called her. Taken her out. Shown her the real me.”

  “The real you? Sounds like you did show her the real you.”

  “Hardy har har.”

  “Look, Lily isn’t really the embarrassed type. Nor is she the sort to wait around for a man to call. If she wanted to see you again, she could have called just as well as you.”

  “I suppose. But I’m still a world-class asshole.”

  “Not going to argue that point.” Brett clapped his hands together. “This is going to be a fun night.” A door opened behind them. “Speak of the devil.”

  Dominic rolled his eyes, took a deep breath, and turned around to face his just reward. He deserved whatever she dished out after the way he undoubtedly made her feel like a quick fuck.

  “Hi.” Zia was breathless. “Sorry we’re late.” She gave Brett a quick kiss on the lips and then turned to kiss Dominic’s cheek. “You remember Lily, right?”

  “I do.” Dominic hoped his hand wasn’t sweating as he reached out to take Lily’s. Damn, her fingers were small. Her entire body was. She was petite. He’d forgotten how much. “Good to see you again.” He tried to shoot her a sincere smile.

  The truth was, it was way better than good to see her. Having her in front of him wiped the images he’d masturbated to off the earth. She was far better in person.

  Her hair hung in long curls down her back, longer than it had been three months ago if he wasn’t mistaken. Her eyes were a light blue he could see through. Too bad he couldn’t judge the thoughts in her head behind them.

  Damn. The dress she wore made him pray she didn’t notice the bulge in his suit pants. It was navy, professional by any reasonable standards, and formfitting. By his standards, it accentuated every curve on her small frame and made him salivate. The matching pumps made her calves look sinful.

  The first time he’d set eyes on her when she walked into his home three months ago, he’d wanted her immediately. His reaction hadn’t been rational. It unnerved him to crave a woman that badly.

  But this second meeting was worse. He nearly groaned at the realization that he still wanted her, perhaps more fiercely than before.

  “Nice to see you too.” She smiled, and then she winked conspiratorially.

  There was a god.

  “Shall we go inside?” Zia asked.

  Dominic turned to face her. Was she biting her lip to control a smile? Yes. She most certainly was. She knew. And she thought this was funny. He had no idea if that was a good sign or a bad one. All he wanted was for this evening and tomorrow night to go off without a hitch. If Lily didn’t take a swing at him or douse him with a glass of champagne, he would call it good.

  That’s what he’d been telling himself for weeks anyway.

  In reality, now that he stood close enough to remind himself of her scent and almost touch her soft curls… Yeah. He wanted her again.

  This couldn’t be good.

  In fact, she walked into the sanctuary without glancing back. Mad? Indifferent? Was he reading too much into it? He glanced at Zia again. “Where’s everyone else?”

  Brett answered that. “My parents are on their way. And my sister and her partner. The sitter was late. We can go ahead and get started. Most of the ceremony doesn’t involve any of them.”

  As they stepped into the sanctuary, Dominic noticed the pastor was already standing at the pulpit. He was shuffling some papers, and he looked up as the four of them headed down the aisle.

  Dominic had met Brett’s family several times over the years, including his sister Monica and her on-again-off-again girlfriend, Leslie. If he remembered correctly, Zia’s only relative was her estranged mother, who wouldn’t be attending the wedding.

  “Simple and elegant. That’s what we’ve planned,” Zia tossed over her shoulder.

  Forty-five minutes later, everyone knew their parts, and it was time to head to the restaurant for dinner.

  The church scene had gone far better than Dominic imagined, and by the time they stepped outside, he felt confident Lily had no hard feelings.

  Lily pulled out her keys.

  Zia turned toward Dominic. “Would you mind riding with Lily? She doesn’t know where the restaurant is. I’d like to sneak in fifteen minutes with Brett before all the insanity swoops in.”

  “Sure.” The idea was horrible. Alone? In a quiet car? With the woman he’d fucked in his bathroom and never bothered to call? He couldn’t think of a worse idea. Maybe she’d been civil for the last hour, but there was no telling what she might say if she had the chance.

  Zia grabbed Brett’s arm and skipped off toward his car.

  Lily nodded toward a cute silver sports car near the front of the church. A Lexus. A nice one. He was impressed.

  She popped the locks as they got closer, and he wrapped his hand around hers to take the keys from her. “I’ll drive.”

  “What?” She stopped walking, her mouth hanging open. “Why? You don’t like to ride shotgun?”

/>   “Nope.” He stepped to the passenger door and opened it for her, and then he took her hand to help her inside. With a deep breath, he rounded to the driver’s door and opened it. He had to lean down and push the button to ease the seat back about a foot before he would be able to fold himself into her car.

  Dominic situated himself, further adjusting his seat, and then he reached across Lily’s small frame to yank the seatbelt over her body and secure it. “Are you always this controlling?”

  “Yes.” He started the engine, and it purred to life. “But you knew that.”

  She pursed her lips, took a deep breath, and turned to stare out the window.

  “Besides, I’m the one who knows where we’re going. And I wouldn’t want you to drive distracted.”

  She faced him again. “Why the hell would I be distracted?”

  He winked. “Women always are.”

  “You’re so cocky.”

  He pulled out of the spot and revved the engine before heading for the street. As soon as he turned out of the lot, he glanced at her.

  She was turned on. Damn. His chest pounded.

  Either that or she wanted to take a swing at him.

  He was good with either one, as long as the thickness in the air from the standoff came to a halt. So he went for it. Why not? “Stop fidgeting.”

  She shot him another glare. “I’m not fidgeting.”

  “You are. You can’t keep your sexy ass still, your hands are fisting the material of your skirt enough to wrinkle it, and I’ve got no doubt if I reached between your legs I’d find out the source of your anxiety.”

  She gasped. “I take back what I said. You aren’t just cocky. You’re the cockiest bastard I’ve ever met.”

  “That may be, but you’re turned on by it, so it can’t be all bad.”

  “If you think we’re going to have a repeat performance from the last time we met, forget it.”

  “Why? It was hot. You liked it. I liked it. Why not do it again?”

  “My self-esteem is too high for another bathroom fuck.”

  “Ah. So now we get to the bottom of it. You’re pissed.”

  “Nope. Never said anything of the sort. Like you said, we had a fantastic fuck, and then we both walked away. What’s there to be pissed about?”

  He shot her a glance. She had crossed one leg over the other and was rubbing them together. Her fingers no longer fisted the material of her skirt, but she rubbed the hem between her thumbs and pointers. “I should have called.”

  “I could have called.”

  “True. But I should have called.”

  Silence reigned for several long minutes. And then Dominic took a turn into a vacant parking lot that ironically belonged to another church. It was dark out. And it was a Tuesday. No one was there.

  “What are you doing? This isn’t a restaurant.”

  He put the car in park and twisted his bulky body enough to look at her. “I’m sorry.”

  “You don’t need to be. It’s fine. Water under the bridge. Let’s forget it happened and go have dinner.” She squeezed her legs together.

  “Is that what you want? Really? You want to pretend we aren’t still attracted to each other and walk away? Because that idea sucks for me.”

  “Why?” Her voice was weak, and she nibbled her bottom lip.

  “Because I’ve thought about you hundreds of times in the last ninety-three days. I’ve never gotten you out of my mind for a full day. I masturbate to your image. And to make matters worse, the moment you stepped back into my life this evening, I realized you’re even better in person than the imaginary woman I’ve envisioned all these weeks.

  “So, unless you completely disagree with that assessment, I think we need to consider the chemistry, exchange phone numbers, and go on a real date.”

  Her mouth fell open and then closed. Her eyes were wide pools of ocean. “You could do that? Go on a real date?”

  He was confused. “Of course. Why not?”

  “You’re so bossy. I get the feeling you don’t exactly date. Seems like you’re more into ordering women around for your own sexual gratification than anything else. Why bother with dinner and a movie first?”

  He jerked back several inches. “Shit. That’s harsh.”

  She shrugged.

  He needed to straighten her out on a few things. “I don’t know where you got that idea, but it’s not true. Yes, I’m a Dominant. Not going to deny that. But you already knew it. And you liked it. You like it right now too.” He let his gaze roam slowly down her body to take in her stiffness, her flush, her fisted hands, the way she was shaking slightly.

  And then she licked her lips. God almighty.

  He leaned forward a few inches, feeling more confident. She’d undoubtedly done some research or at least asked around, but she was misinformed if she thought he needed a slave. “Lily, I’m a sexual Dominant. It doesn’t extend beyond that. It doesn’t mean I don’t have meaningful relationships that include dinner and dating.” Although he hadn’t for a very long time. But that was because he hadn’t met the right person. It had nothing to do with his dominance.

  She narrowed her gaze and crossed her arms. “How does a guy your age become so educated in BDSM?”

  He smiled. “Back to my age again.”

  “Yes.” Her face remained serious.

  He took a breath. Was he going to lay all his cards on the table in the front seat of her car right this second? Yep. It needed to be done. “Well, if you want to know the whole story, I’ll explain.”

  She lifted one eyebrow, waiting.

  “I’ve been playing ball my entire life. By the time I was twelve, I stood out as a pitcher. By the time I was sixteen and a junior in high school, major league teams were already sniffing at me. I didn’t lose my touch. My dad and my coaches were smart. They never let me pitch more innings than a kid my age should. Saved my arm. Made it possible for me to keep playing as an adult.”

  She nodded, listening intently.

  So he continued. “It’s tough at that age. It went to my head. I got cocky. After two years of junior college, I got drafted into a farm team. I was twenty when I left home to play in the minors. I drank too much. I partied too hard. It was no longer girls who hung around me, it was women. They threw themselves at me. I was out of control.”

  “What’d you do?”

  “It was Xavier who really saved my hide. He’s our third baseman. You might have met him at my house the night of the football party. Anyway, he took me aside one day when I got called up and first got to Miami. Gave me a lecture. Warned me I was going to piss it all away if I didn’t get my head on straight. He thought I might benefit from channeling my energy at a club. Hooked me up with a good friend of his who owns Zodiac. Lincoln. I owe that man everything.”

  She nodded again. “And going to a BDSM club caused you to straighten up? I don’t get the connection.”

  “That’s really what happened. I realized if I could control that aspect of my life entirely, the rest would calm down. I went there several nights a week, learned everything there is to know about the lifestyle, found out what I like and don’t like. I basically traded carousing around and drinking all the time for practicing dominance. It’s embedded in me now.”

  “And you saved your career.”

  “Yes.”

  “Do you dominate everyone you date?”

  He chose his words carefully. “I haven’t dated lately. But yes. It’s a part of who I am. It’s something I enjoy.” He leaned closer. “The best part is making a woman come completely undone by submitting to me.” He watched her closely while she processed what he said.

  She held his gaze, squirming slightly in her seat, and then she licked her lips again.

  That was it.

  He lurched forward, grasped her biceps with his hand, and hauled her closer to take her lips.

  God almighty, she tasted good. Better than he remembered on that front too. Minty, from gum perhaps. And under that was all Li
ly. Suddenly he needed to taste all of her again. It was as if a switch flipped, and his world shrank to include no one except Lily.

  She moaned into his mouth and tipped her head to one side to get a better angle.

  Dominic released her arm, reached to the side of his seat next to the door, and pushed the button that sent the seat moving backward as far as it would go. When it stopped moving, he broke the kiss and stared at her dazed expression.

  Damn, she was sexy when she was all hot and bothered and out of control. He popped her seatbelt, grabbed both her biceps, and easily lifted her over the console until she straddled his lap.

  She squealed. “Dominic.”

  He loved the sound of his name on her lips. Maybe he would even let her call him Dom.

  He set his hands on her thighs and pushed her tight skirt over her hips so her legs could spread wide to fully settle over him. His gaze landed on the scrap of navy lace covering her pussy, and he nearly shot off in his pants.

  They did have to attend a dinner, so he needed to use his brain cells. At least half of them. It wouldn’t be acceptable for them to arrive with come darkening their clothes.

  He pressed into her lower back until her pussy was shoved against his cock, and then he moaned. Or maybe it was her. Both probably.

  She wiggled her ass, rubbing herself against his pants while she grabbed his shoulders to brace herself.

  He grabbed her breasts, squeezing them hard without warning.

  This gave him exactly the desired effect he was going for. She tipped her head back, elongating her neck and moaning loud enough to fill the car with an echo.

  He wanted her. More than he’d ever wanted a woman in his life. More than he’d wanted her the night they met.

  He also knew one thing for certain. He wasn’t going to have her right now. Not in the front seat of the car. It was too risky. He would make a mess of his pants and her dress.

  No. He wasn’t going to fuck her before dinner, but he was going to make her scream out her own orgasm so that she remembered with absolute certainty what he could do to her. Then he could watch her blush all the way through dinner.