Page 47 of Always My Comfort

“Like this?” He pecked my cheek. “Or like this?” He pressed his lips to mine, his teeth biting down on my bottom lip, begging for entrance, tongue swiping away at the sting.

When he pulled away, my fingers were curled into his hair, my chest rising and falling with shaky breaths. “That—like that,” I whispered.

“Time to go home, sweetheart.” He kissed my temple and then led me to the truck, where we talked about our future for the next two hours, and then fell into his bed, completely and utterly exhausted and happy.

CHAPTER18

Richard

“Rich,if you don’t clean up your act, the team will have no choice but to switch you with another—better—player. My hands are tied right now,” my manager reminded me about my exploding career.

I was nursing a hangover from the night before. One round of beers with a few friends turned into tequila shots and half-naked women. Now, there were headlines about what a player Pitcher Richard Balmer was, and the team manager was not pleased.

I had been warned a few years ago to keep my image clean. The team manager, my cousin, had told me to clean up my act. So, I had clung to the first good-looking girl I saw.

A young, hot, schoolteacher seemed like the perfect answer to all my problems. She’d been fun at first, fresh out of college, way too trusting, a great romp in the sheets, and the perfect, little girlfriend to clean up my image.

It had been fun until she started talking about the future. She didn’t understand that I wasn’t interested in ten years’ time.

“I’ll fix it.” I closed my eyes and dragged a hand down my face, wishing I could pull the covers over my head and ignore my manager and all the other problems that he brought along with him.

“That’s what you said last time. Now, that new pitcher, Jaxon Dexter, is starting at the game on Saturday.”

You must be shitting me.

“I’ll call Kyle,” I say, referring to my cousin, the team manager, “and get him to talk to Coach.”

“Kyle can’t fix everything, Richard. His money is running out. There are rumors that he’s going to be selling the team.” I sat up, my eyes flying open. I look at my manager, who was dressed in a pair of joggers. He’d come prepared to get my ass out of bed and in the gym.

“What do you mean, running out of money?”

“News is spreading like wildfire. Nothing is confirmed, but your spot on that team, because of him, is not guaranteed anymore.”

I hated not knowing the news first. I hated being the last to find out.

My phone buzzed from the bedside table, my best friend’s name flashing on the screen. “It’s Dylan. I have to take it,” I told Liam, who crossed his arms with a scowl.

“Did you know Dexter has been shagging Logan?” Dylan’s voice slurred through the speaker.

“What are you talking about?”

“Ramon just saw them at a restaurant all over each other.”

“We broke up, Dylan. I don’t care who she fucks anymore,” I gritted out, tired of everyone talking to me about Logan.

“She’s fucking pregnant, man. Could it be yours?”

Dropping the phone, I looked at Liam. This was either going to make or break my career.

I knew it wasn’t not mine, but the public didn’t know that, and if she was so far along in her pregnancy that Roman could tell, then she could have been cheating on me the whole time. Instead of me being the bad guy, I could be the victim.

I could spin everything in my favor. I could make everyone pity me and hate Jaxon, securing my spot on the team.

“Get me a news reporter now.”

CHAPTER19

Jaxon

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