Player Loves Curves Box Set #1-3 by Hope Ford
Jackie
I waitin my car for Reagan to finish up in the locker room. The longer I sit here the more freaked out I become. Did I really just storm into the locker room and call Carter out? I don’t regret it, I know he had it coming, but still, I can’t believe I did that in front of everyone… in front of Reagan.
What must he think of me? When I heard him snort at something Carter said, my attention went to him. It’s the first time I’d seen him up close and I have to say, the big screen or even seeing him out in left field from the stands doesn’t do him justice. He’s magnetic and I couldn’t take my eyes off him.
Sitting in my VW Bug, I tap my hands on the steering wheel as I watch the players come out of the stadium. When I spot Reagan, I suck in a breath. He’s wearing jeans and a tight white Henley that is stretched across his muscled chest. The white shirt brings out the darkness of his skin and makes his big brown eyes pop. He flicks the hair off his forehead and looks around the lot. When he spots me, he strides over and I do my best not to drool watching him. I get out of the car and meet him at the front of it. “So, uh, I’m sorry for putting you on the spot like I did. If you want to back out, I completely understand, but I appreciate you helping me out back there.”
He doesn’t even have to think about it. “I don’t want to back out. I’d like to have dinner with you.” His voice is deep and commanding and the way he’s staring at me causes me to fidget. He doesn’t give me time to respond. I smile at him and he turns me around with his hand on my lower back, leading me around the car and opening my door for me.
He waits until I’m settled and I watch as he walks around the car and gets in. As soon as he sits down, a giggle escapes my lips. He’s sitting with his knees pressed into his stomach. He’s so big, he looks almost ridiculous sitting in my little car.
He tries to turn toward me, but it’s too hard for him to maneuver even an inch. A smirk lights up his face. “What’s so funny?”
“Not only have I saddled you with a date but now I’m taking you to said date in a sardine can,” I say as my face heats up.
He covers my hand that’s on the gear shift and I stare at it. His hand is huge compared to mine, but that’s not what got my attention. It’s the fact that as soon as he touched me a tiny spark shot up my arm and my whole body trembled from the contact.
He’s looking at our joined hands and I know by the look on his face he can feel it too. He shakes his head as if he’s trying to clear his thoughts. “So I can ride like this if you’re more comfortable driving. Or we can take my car.”
I take my hand out from under his and pull the keys out of the ignition. I had to break the connection quick because if not I’m afraid I would embarrass myself even further by starting to take my clothes off or something. Damn. The man is fine. “I’m perfectly fine with you driving. I did get you into this, after all. You should at least be comfortable doing it.”
I hightail it out of the little car to put some distance between us. He walks around to me and holds his hand out. “Let’s quit saying you got me into this or acting like going out with you is a bother for me. I’m actually glad you asked me out.”
He’s staring hard at me and the look on his face tells me he’s serious. I put my hand in his and he pulls me away from my car to his black BMW in the next corner lot. Once he helps me in and I slide across the soft leather seats, I just shake my head that he was willing to ride in my tin can when he could have been riding in this.
We decide on a small restaurant and bar downtown and after we order, we start to talk. He asks me about my job and I tell him about the marketing firm I work for. I ask him about baseball and he surprises me by telling me that he started playing in high school. Most of the stories I’ve heard, they’ve played since they were little, but not him. He picked it up in high school and found out he was good at it.
I just smirk. “Good at it? You have the best batting average on the team. I’d say you’re more than good at it.”
He bites his lower lip, smiling at me. “So I guess you follow the game?”
“Yeah, I’ve always watched the games with my dad. It’s sort of our thing.”
We talk all through dinner and I had hoped to avoid the subject, but I can’t blame him for asking, “How’d you meet Carter?”
I roll my eyes and the smile drops from my face.
He holds his hands up in front of him. “Wait, you don’t have to talk about it.”
I shake my head, knowing I need to just tell him and get it out of the way. I’m sure he’s wondering how serious we were. “No, really, it’s fine. I uh, met him at a bachelorette party at a bar. He came up to me and started talking to me. I had heard the rumors about him but he was always a real gentleman with me. Luckily, I found out what he was really like before I, uh, got serious or anything with him. We never, uh, you know.”
My face turns fifty shades of red, I know it. But I keep thinking about Reagan calling Carter a walking STD and I don’t want him to think I slept with him. We didn’t and now I’m really glad.
Reagan’s face turns red and it embarrasses me even more. I can’t believe a guy like him is single. He’s sexy, smart, cultured. It’s impossible to fathom how he isn’t married. “So, uh, how are you still single?” I ask him as I push my plate away from me.
* * *
Reagan
I love watchingthe way her skin warms to a sexy shade of pink when she’s being brave or when she blushes. Usually, I bristle when I have to talk about my past relationships. There haven’t been many, for one thing, but mostly it’s because talking about Diana Major is a sore spot. I’m not about to tell her that I met my biggest relationship in high school, was engaged to her all through college, and then found out she was screwing around with other guys.
Jackie is smiling softly at me, waiting but not pushing for an answer. Damn, I like that about her too. Fuck, how do I answer and not screw this up?
“There was a woman in my life for a long time, but it’s been over for a few months. I’m ready to get back into the dating game.” It’s not exactly specific information and I wouldn’t blame her if she asked for more.
But she doesn’t. Instead her smile gets even bigger and she leans toward me. “Lucky me.”
