Free Hardball: A Sports Romance by Alexa Reiss Page B

her legs, she would’ve guessed at least two more times, but somewhere between recovering and talking there had been more times. She didn’t even know where any of that stamina had come from.
        But, it was all so incredibly worth it just to see Chance sleeping next to her without a care in the world.
        Arabella reached over to gently trace the sharp curve of his cheek bone. She had no idea where any of this would lead to.  Robert would undoubtedly throw a fit if he found out that they had sex. He had threatened Chance’s career several times if Arabella breathed word that things had gone too far.
        This was the last thing that she had ever expected to happen given the past week. She wasn’t even entirely sure if Chance’s words were honest, or if he would follow them up. The man had a golden heart, but it was dysfunctional and a bit reckless at times. Little things sent him spinning off course sometimes.
       Chance stirred awake from underneath Arabella’s fingers. He blinked hazily at her a few times before a grin tugged at his lips. The sight of it made Arabella’s stomach flutter crazily.
       “Good,” he mumbled, voice husky with sleep still. “I thought I was dreaming about everything last night.”
       “No,” she said. “You’re awake, and this isn’t a dream.”
       “I’m happy about it either way.”
       He curled his arm tighter around Arabella’s waist. “You’re not having any second thoughts about what we did last night, are you?”
        “Well—”
        Chance lifted his head to look at her.
        “Because I have no regrets about it,” he said, firmly. “So, don’t you get all worried about it now.”
        “I’m not.” At Chance’s skeptical look, she let out a resigned sigh. “Okay, I’m worried about it a little bit. I didn’t think things would happen the way they did last night.”
        “You don’t think any of it was for real?”
        “No, I do. That’s the part that scares me,” she said, softly.
        “Hey.” A finger hooked under her chin to bring her gaze up to clear blue eyes. “I’m not faking any of this. I meant what I said last night. I want to give it a try. Even if takes me all of me, I’m still going to do everything I can to make things work.”
        “I don’t doubt that part. I just know how hard a commitment is going to be for you.”
        “Hard,” Chance assented, but the expression in his face never wavered. “I never said I would get anything right. Hell, I’ll probably screw shit up more than once, but I’m always going to be trying to figure things out. Okay?”
       She thought about those words for a long moment. Blonde tresses of his hair were mused from the night before, but the morning light made them appear honey colored.
       “I don’t expect you to be perfect,” she told him then. “You wouldn’t be you if you were trying so damn hard to fill a role.”
        A rumble of laughter escaped Chance’s chest. He gathered her tightly against him, and Arabella felt the familiar poke of hardness on her thigh.
        “You’re absolutely right, darling,” he said. “I wouldn’t be myself if I were trying.”
        They managed to escape the bedroom to the shower thirty minutes later. While Chance finished drying off, Arabella poured herself a cup of coffee right as the front door to her house opened wide.
        “Where the hell have you been?” Lindsey demanded, striding into the kitchen with the steady clicks of high heels. “I’ve called you like five times wondering if you’re coming into work, or what happened to you yesterday.”
        “Shit,” Arabella said, spilling a bit of coffee on the counter in her surprise to see Lindsey. “I totally forget about going to the mall, Linds. I’m sorry. I, um, well—”
        “Wait a minute.”
        Lindsey’s head turned in the direction of Arabella’s bedroom. “Who else is in here? I smell