Chasing The BallGirl (FanGirl Series2) Read online

  “Nope. I’m just sleepy. School and all.” I leaned into his hard chest to hold myself up. “You’re comfy. I’m gonna take a nap right here.” I giggled. “And you smell really, really good.”

  “Uh-oh, Giggly Sam is coming out. You know what happens after that.” Katie laughed.

  “Comatose Sam,” the entire table, except Ryan, said in unison.

  “Sure does. I think I’m going to catch a cab back to the house before I pass out. Y’all have fun.” I attempted to stand, but my legs had a different plan. Those wobbly knees gave way, and I was suddenly in Ryan’s arms. I glanced up and could have drowned in those blue eyes. “Hey, Ryan.”

  He grinned down at me, and he was the most beautiful human being alive. I should give in and at least have one hot night with him. It would be better than not having a night with him at all, right? The way his lips and tongue controlled my mouth … what else could he do with those sexual weapons?

  “I’ll take you home, Sammie,” he offered.

  “No!” Jenna and I yelled at the same time.

  I glared at Jenna, who gave a sweet smile.

  “I mean, Sammie shouldn’t go home yet. Giggly Sam is so much fun. Stay for a while longer.”

  “Yeah, because it’s Sammie you want to hang out with,” Mia mumbled.

  “It’s because she wants to sleep with Ryan,” my drunken honesty pointed out. I received wide eyes from everyone at the table. I pushed off Ryan and steadied myself on the table. “What? It’s true. And you know what, Jenna? You totally should let him use his sexual weapons on you.”

  “Sexual weapons?” Ryan barked out a laugh.

  “Yeah. Your lips and tongue—total sexual weapons. I know firsthand.” I pointed to Jenna, who was still speechless. “You, you should sex him up. You’re so his type. In fact, you’d be doing me a super-big favor. If you do him, then I won’t want to anymore, and it will help me fight this crazy attraction I have for him. You’re my least favorite roommate, so if I’m envious of you, it won’t ruin our nonexistent friendship. It’s a win-win all around.”

  All my roommates were now howling, except Jenna.

  “Jen, I’m trying to help you out.” I turned to Ryan and put my hand on his arm, feeling his rock-hard biceps underneath. “Ryan, will you fuck my friend? You’d be helping yourself, her, and me. Please say yes.”

  “Holy shit! I’ve never heard Sam drop the F-bomb! I like Loose Lips Lucy over here!” Vanna pointed out.

  Ryan leaned down to my ear. “Sweetheart, there’s no way in hell I’m going to fuck your roommate, especially if it’s going to deter you from letting me get your attention. I want more than anything right now to kiss the fuck out of you and use my sexual weapons in places other than that sweet mouth of yours … but not while you’re drunk.” He placed an open-mouthed kiss on my neck, right under my ear, and moved back enough to look in my eyes. “I’ll claim that mouth of yours again soon enough.”

  I stared dreamily at his lips, wanting to feel them again. It wouldn’t be wrong, would it? Just for a second? “How about—”

  “And we are heading out before Sammie does even more things she’ll regret in the morning.” Katie wrapped her arm around my shoulders. “Sam, tell Ryan good night.”

  I buried my head into his chest and inhaled deeply. “I want to kiss you again so badly. I wish you weren’t a man-whore.”

  He pulled away and looked down at me. Maybe it was because my vision was definitely swimmy, but he looked regretful.

  “Are you sure you don’t need me to take her home, so you all can stay out?” he asked Katie.

  “No, it’s fine. I’ll take her home. She’s done this for me plenty of times. Thanks though.”

  He looked down at me again and smiled. “I’ll be seeing you soon, Samantha.”

  He kissed my forehead, and Katie nudged me.

  “Say good-bye to Ryan,” she told me.

  “Good night, sexy man-whore.” I winked.

  I could still hear him laughing as Katie led me out of the bar and into a taxi.

  Chapter Nine: Ryan

  “Absolutely not, dick face.”

  I sighed into the phone, knowing I wasn’t going to get too far with Lexi. “Come on, Lex. I’ll give you just about anything you want in return for Sam’s number.”

  I knew it was a long shot, but I had to give it an attempt.

  Over the last three weeks, I had tried just about every avenue I could think of to get Sam’s phone number. While I had been on vacation with my family, I’d spent an embarrassing amount of time scouring social media, looking for one of her accounts, but I had come up empty. I’d asked Carson, who referred me to Melody. After a week of harassing Mel, she’d finally given me a number. Except it wasn’t Sam’s.

  It was Lexi’s.

  “There is nothing I want from you, ho-bag.”

  “How about we negotiate? I can get you tickets for every home game for the entire next season in exchange for Sam’s number.”

  She laughed into the phone. “Dude, are you dumb? My best friend has season tickets. I can go whenever the hell I want. I’m not selling Sammie out. If she wanted you to have her number, you would have it. Personally, I think this is pretty awesome.”

  “What is?”

  “That there is a girl who doesn’t want your skanky ass, and you can’t handle it. It’s driving you batshit crazy that you can’t wink and drop her pants, and I love it.”

  “It’s not,” I argued.

  Except it was. It was driving me up a damn wall, and she was all I could think about. The only problem was, I didn’t know if it was because I wanted to win the game or if there was something more there.

  I thought it was the latter, and that scared the shit out of me. I’d never had that type of relationship.

  “When’s the last time you saw her?” Lexi interrupted.

  “Three weeks ago at Point North. She was out with her roommates.”

  “And why didn’t you ask her for her number then?”

  “Because, when she saw me, she took two double shots in a row and got shit-faced. I couldn’t have a coherent conversation with her.”

  Lexi howled into the phone. “I love that fucking girl.”

  “I’m not getting anywhere with you,” I huffed into the phone.

  “Nope. I’m hanging up on you now. I have a date with Adam in an hour and have to get ready.”

  “Boy toy taking you somewhere nice?”

  “He let me choose, so tonight, we’re crushing tacos at Paco’s.”

  “Classy, Lex.”

  “I know. Bye, loser!” She ended the call.

  ***

  I had been standing outside Paco’s Tacos for about an hour. Luckily, I hadn’t been recognized, thanks to the Boston baseball hat and hoodie I was wearing. If I was out and about and didn’t want to be noticed, I’d wear our rival team’s clothing. Who would ever suspect Baltimore’s leading pitcher to be walking around in another team’s clothes?

  I could hear Lexi talking before I could see her, thanks to that loud fucking mouth of hers. She rounded the corner to the strip of stores Paco’s was located in, and she was on the phone, looking to the ground as she spoke.

  “If Grady is sick, you need to stay home with him. He needs you more than I do right now.”

  He must have said something she didn’t agree with because she looked up to the sky and huffed.

  “I know we haven’t seen each other in a few weeks, but you’re a father, Adam. Please, I’m fine with not meeting up tonight. There will be other times. Stay home, or I’ll be pissed.” She stopped a few feet away from the entrance to Paco’s and sighed. “Of course I want to see you. I know your mother is capable of taking care of him, but he wants you. I’m hanging up before we get into a fight. I hope he feels better.” She tossed her phone in her purse.

  That was when I realized that pain-in-the-ass Lexi had a soft spot in that heart of hers for kids. She was obviously pissed off at this guy.

  I also
recognized that this was not the time to bribe her for Sam’s number. She could sob into tacos for an hour as I listened to her complain about this douche, which was not exactly my idea of a good time.

  Abort mission, Cruz!

  I pulled my hat further down, but before I could take a step, she glanced up at me.

  “What the fuck are you looking at, ass—Ryan? Is that you wearing your rival’s shit?”

  Fuck.

  “Hey, Lexi.”

  “What the hell are you doing here? And dressed like that?” Her nose was scrunched as if I reeked of stench.

  Might as well be, to be honest.

  “I was going to crash your date and harass you until you gave me Sam’s number, but it looks like that might have backfired.”

  Lexi crossed her arms over her chest. “Seriously? You were going to ruin my date for a girl’s number? You really are a dick.”

  “Never said I wasn’t.”

  She looked at me for a long moment, chewing something over in that scary-ass mind of hers. “You actually like Sam, don’t you? She’s more than a potential fuck toy.”

  I shoved my cold hands into the front pocket of the hoodie and looked to the ground, escaping her intimidating stare. “Yeah, I think I might.”

  Her chuckle turned into a full belly laugh. “Holy shit, never thought I’d see the day.” Once her laughter subsided, she opened the door to Paco’s. “Come on, lover boy. You’re going to buy me tacos and a hefty gift card and explain a few things, and I might give you Sammie’s number.”

  I looked up from the ground to the open door, smiling victoriously.

  Lexi held her hand up to stop me. “I said I might give you her number. Don’t get cocky. Now, get inside. I’m hangry.”

  A platter of tacos and a pitcher of beer later, Lexi was asking the hard-hitting questions, ones that I didn’t even know if I knew the answers to.

  “When you had Mel and me buy those dresses for Sam for the gala, did you plan on trying to get in her pants that night?”

  “No. I’ve been attracted to Sam since last season, but it was obvious that she was sweeter than the girls I fucked with. Carson confirmed my thoughts and told me to leave her alone, so I did. She was the off-limits type of girl—one I could flirt with, but I left it at that. I wanted her to go to the gala because she deserved to be there more than anyone who works for that damn team. Everyone loves her, and she works really hard. It was a no-brainer to do that for her.”

  Lexi was squinting at me, and I knew it was because she wasn’t sure if she could believe what I had said or not.

  “So, how did you go from thinking she was hot to basically breaking that girl’s heart that night?”

  “I was embarrassed. And really fucking disappointed. Sam and I had been having a great time, even before I kissed her. When I asked her to come home with me, I told her I didn’t need to have sex. I just wanted her. Her time. Her kisses. Any part of herself she was willing to give me, I wanted. When I kissed her that night, it was a wake-up call.”

  “In what way?”

  “That someone was capable of making me want more than sex. I haven’t wanted that in quite a while,” I admitted.

  Her eyes grew wide, and for the first time since I’d met Lexi, she was speechless.

  I refilled both our cups with beer before continuing, “Are you ready to hear my big secret, Lex? I’ve been a man-whore because I’m terrified of falling in love and getting my heart broken. But the one-night stands and nameless women … it’s getting old. I see what Carson and Mel have, and … I don’t know. I’m envious. I thought that I would never have an exclusive relationship … but I can’t stop thinking about Sam. I think I’m willing to risk it for her.”

  Lexi’s eyes were swimming with tears, but she took a large gulp of her beer to hide them. “You think Sam is that girl? The one to risk heartache on?”

  “Yeah, I think she is. I’m becoming more and more convinced every day. I haven’t slept with anyone since I kissed her.”

  The taco that was in her hand dropped to her platter. “You haven’t stuck your dick in someone in two and a half months?”

  I shook my head and took a drink of my beer.

  Lexi wiped her hands off on her napkin and pulled her phone out of her purse. “Here, take the number before I change my mind.”

  “Really?”

  “Yes, really. You owe me a gift card for this shit. I still don’t like you too much.”

  Once I had Sam’s number programmed in my phone, I watched as Lexi typed away on her phone.

  “Everything okay?”

  She put her phone back in her purse and sighed. “Yeah, it’s great.”

  “I heard part of your argument with Adam. Do you need to talk about it?” I offered, feeling a little soft for her.

  “Nah, I’m okay. I’ll call Mel later and cry to her.”

  Thank God.

  “But, no matter what, we don’t tell people that part of the reason I gave you Sam’s number is because you admitted all that shit. The story stays at you bribed me with tacos and a gift card, or I’ll cut off that third arm of yours. Got it?”

  “Deal.” I laughed and shook her outstretched hand.

  Lexi might be a pain in the ass, but she wasn’t so bad.

  Chapter Ten: Sammie

  Before I knew it, the holidays were over, and I was back to rotations.

  Only three and a half months to go, I chanted to myself as I slowly made my way into Williams Family Pharmacy, my rotation site for the next four weeks. The last two weeks here had gone by in a blur, thanks to the ever-spreading flu nearing epidemic proportions.

  I was tired of school. I’d been a student for the last twenty years, and lately, I’d been feeling burned out. Even my “days off” included research for special projects from my preceptors. I would just like a weekend to do absolutely nothing. Just lay in bed, binge-watch Netflix, and eat whatever in the hell I wanted. That sounded like a perfect vacation.

  Thank God I didn’t have a social life because I wouldn’t have time for anyone right now. I hadn’t seen or heard from Ryan since the drunken night at Point North, not that I actually thought I would. He didn’t have my phone number and had no clue where I lived. He had probably forgotten about that night—or I hoped so. It wasn’t my finest hour, to say the least.

  I’d had some sucking up to do with Jenna, and after I’d bought her a half-gallon bottle of Fireball, she had forgiven me for the “least favorite roommate” comment. It was true; she was my least favorite, but it had been rude of me to point it out. Fireball fixed everything with that girl.

  I pushed the door open to the pharmacy and smiled at the old-school bell that rung as you entered. This pharmacy felt as if you’d stepped into the fifties, and I adored it.

  Williams Family Pharmacy had been in the family for several generations, according to Mr. Williams. His grandfather had opened it in the fifties, his father had taken over in the eighties, and he’d inherited it in the late nineties after his father passed away. His son, Ricky, was a year behind me in pharmacy school, and he was being groomed to take on the family business.

  “Samantha, I’m happy you’re here,” Mr. Williams called out from behind the pharmacy counter. “Both of our technicians scheduled for today called out. They have succumbed to the flu.”

  “Oh no, that’s terrible. You tell me what I need to do, and I’ll get it done.”

  He smiled. “You’re going to make a wonderful pharmacist, and if you choose retail pharmacy, you’ll be an asset to your team. Today, I want you to run the show. I’ll be your tech. I have another tech coming in around noon. You tell me what I need to do.”

  I felt my brows pinch together, completely in disbelief. “Seriously?”

  “Unless you don’t think you can handle it.”

  “No! I mean, I can totally handle it! Thank you, Mr. Williams!”

  I was so pumped. Usually, if a technician called out, preceptors would use me to fill in their spots. For
Mr. Williams to let me take the led today when two technicians had called out was huge.

  He smiled warmly at my enthusiasm. “Then, let’s do this.”

  *~*~*~*

  I stayed two hours past closing to help Mr. Williams finish ordering medications and prepare the nursing home delivery orders for the next day. Although my day had gone by quickly and it was one of my best since being on rotations, my body was exhausted, and my head was throbbing.