Chasing The BallGirl (FanGirl Series2) Page 7

  I was stunned. “Thank you.”

  He handed me a bottle of orange Gatorade and pointed to the prescription. “Take your medicine. And keep drinking. Owen said, if you don’t keep hydrated, he’ll admit you to the hospital for fluids.”

  I did as he’d said and nodded to the chair. “What’s up with the duffel bag?”

  “You don’t want me to wear the clothes I was in last night for the next few days, do you?”

  “Next few days?”

  “I’m not leaving until you’re back on your feet, Sam.”

  I would think I was dreaming, but I hurt too badly. “Lexi mentioned you stayed last night,” I said quietly.

  He put his duffel on the floor and moved the chair next to my bed. “When I got here, your fever was almost one hundred four. I wasn’t leaving you.”

  “How did you find out I was sick anyway? And who told you where I lived?”

  “I was trying to find you to take you for that drink last night and ran into your roommates. Katie told me you were sick.” His jaw flexed, and he crossed his arms over his chest. “Your roommates aren’t your friends, Sam. They pretty much said you could take care of yourself because they couldn’t get sick. I got here, and you were burning up and completely out of it. Owen said you could have easily been hospitalized or worse if I hadn’t come over.”

  I knew that I didn’t have a close relationship with my roommates, but I’d never expected them to turn their backs if I actually needed them.

  “That doesn’t make me feel any better.” I felt my eyes fill with tears.

  “They are selfish assholes who don’t deserve you as a friend.” Ryan grabbed my hand and laced his fingers through mine. “The next part will make you feel better. Jenna asked me to come home to be her fuck buddy, and I agreed … but to just find out where you lived. You should have seen the look on her face when I told her I was here for you, not her.”

  I laughed hard, which in return caused me to cough.

  “Damn it, I didn’t mean for you to have a coughing fit. Drink your Gatorade.”

  After the episode subsided, I nodded. “The coughing was worth it. That did make me feel better.”

  “This morning, when I was leaving to go to the pharmacy, your entire household gave me a death stare. I got an even bigger one when I came back.”

  “I only have a few months before I graduate, pass my boards, and get my license. I’ll be able to afford a place on my own then.” I yawned at the end of the sentence, not sure if he could understand what I had said.

  “How about you lie down and get rest? I’ll turn the TV on for you.”

  I squeezed his hand when he stood up. “I don’t want to go to sleep.”

  “Sammie, you need to sleep to get better.”

  “I don’t want to sleep while you’re here. I’d rather spend the time with you before you leave.” I was too tired and sick to care about lying to him about how I felt.

  He dropped my hand and took off his coat before slipping his shoes off. “Scoot over.”

  I rolled to my side and he slid under the blankets with me. He leaned over me, not leaving a lot of space between us.

  “I’m not going anywhere, baby. Like I said, I’m taking care of you until you’re back on your feet. I want you to rest, and I promise, when you wake up, I’ll be right here.”

  “But you’re going to get sick, too.”

  “I have that medicine. But, even if I didn’t, I don’t care.”

  He leaned down and pressed his lips to my forehead. Then, he moved my head to his chest. I draped my leg over his and snuggled into him, and I barely remembered him turning the TV on before I drifted to sleep almost immediately.

  ~*~*~

  I woke up to my head on Ryan’s lap and his fingers running through my hair. He was lightly massaging my scalp, and it felt more than amazing. I felt myself purr unintentionally, and I nuzzled into his leg more.

  “Careful there, sweetheart. You’re going to awake the beast if you keep doing that.”

  When I realized what he was referencing, I quickly sat up. “I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to … you know.”

  Ryan laughed at my reaction and put the book in his hand down on the bed. “I’m teasing. Calm down.”

  He lowered my head back onto his lap and resumed softly rubbing my head. I would do just about anything for him to continue this forever.

  I saw the book he’d put down next to me and had to blink a few times to make sure I was actually seeing things correctly. “Are you reading a romance novel?”

  “Guilty pleasure. They’re pretty good actually. How are you feeling?” he asked.

  “Better than before my nap; that’s for sure.”

  He chuckled. “That wasn’t a nap, Sam. You were out all day. It’s late Saturday night.”

  I grabbed my phone off the nightstand and verified that it was indeed almost midnight. “I can’t believe I have been sleeping almost nonstop for the last forty-eight hours.”

  “Thank goodness you don’t snore like Carson does, or I would have been out of here,” he joked.

  The comment made me realize that he had been here with me almost the entire time, and for what reason? Did he think this was going to convince me to sleep with him? Did he feel bad that I was alone, and I was just the recipient of his sympathy?

  He must have noticed the confliction on my face. “What’s wrong?”

  “Why?”

  “Why what?” He frowned.

  “Why have you been taking care of me for the last few days? Why do you keep coming around? Why …” Finally, I let out a defeated sigh, ready to just know the answer. “Why are you messing with my head?”

  He was silent for a solid minute, and in instances such as this, silence was not golden. Silence was deafening. And his lack of words was causing anxiety to creep up my throat, nearly strangling me.

  “Forget it.” I moved to get out of bed when his hand wrapped around my upper arm.

  “I like you.” His voice was soft and low. “And I don’t mean that in an I want a one-night stand kind of way. I really like spending time with you. I care about you, Sam.”

  I didn’t know exactly how to respond to that. My heart wanted to believe him so badly … but the part of me that had been devastated the night of the gala came through. “How can I believe that after the night of the gala?”

  He rested his head against the headboard and closed his eyes. “I know.”

  “You were different that night. You made me believe that I could actually be different. You wanted to know things about me, you paid attention to me and only me, and you were in a serious pissing contest with Caine—”

  “You noticed?” He opened one eyelid.

  “It was kind of hard not to.” I tried not to smile. “But the thing that got me the most was the way you kissed me. It wasn’t what I had been expecting from you at all, and it made me feel like I was different.”

  “You are. I’ve never kissed anyone like that. Ever.”

  “But then you said those things …” A lump formed in my throat as I heard those words replay in my head. “You made it clear that I wasn’t different. That anyone could occupy your time. You didn’t get what you wanted from me, so it was time to move on. So, forgive me if I have a hard time believing that your intentions are genuine.”

  When he heard the emotion in my voice, he put his arm around my shoulders and pulled me into his side. I rested my head on his shoulder, and he kissed the top of my head.

  “I’m sorry, Sam. So fucking sorry. I’m going to prove it to you.”

  I was too tired to argue that I wouldn’t give him the opportunity to do so. I knew without a doubt that, if the protective wall around my heart ever crumbled slightly, Ryan Cruz would find his way in and could destroy me. Since having him to myself would never be an option, I decided to soak in this moment of being in his arms, and I fell asleep soon after.

  Chapter Thirteen: Ryan

  I was wet.

  My shirt,
the bed, Sam … everything was wet. I opened my eyes, and Sam was covered in a sheen of sweat. Her fever must have broken while we were sleeping. Her temperature had been up and down over the last day, but her head was cool against my chest right at the moment. She’d been sick for three days now. Hopefully, she was over the worst of it.

  I needed to change the sheets and get her and me both showered.

  “Baby,” I whispered in her ear.

  I wiped the damp pieces of hair from her forehead, and she stirred awake.

  “I’m wet.” She yawned, pinching her brows together.

  “Your fever broke. I’ll change your sheets while you shower. I’ll get in after you.”

  She sat up and stretched. “I can change them. Go ahead and get in the shower.” She stood and wobbled, leaning against her nightstand for balance.

  I rounded the bed and helped her to the chair at her desk. “Sit. Where are your sheets?”

  She closed her eyes and sighed. “Top shelf of the closet.”

  I quickly changed the sheets before retreating to the bathroom to turn the shower on to the hottest setting. I returned to her room, picked her up from the chair, and carried her into the bathroom.

  “I can walk, Ryan. Put me down,” she argued.

  “You about passed out when you got out of bed five minutes ago, so carrying you it is. I’ll also be helping you in the shower, so get over it.” I set her on the sink.

  She disagreed, “I didn’t nearly pass out. I just stood up too quickly and was light-headed. There is no way you’re getting in that shower with me.”

  “I will keep my boxers on, but I am getting in with you. Your balance is off, and I’m not going to let you fall and crack your head open. I’ll behave; don’t worry,” I promised.

  I watched her chew her lip, internally debating.

  “Don’t get any ideas.”

  “Never.” I chuckled.

  Do you hear that, cock? Behave yourself.

  She lowered herself from the sink and frowned. “I know you’ve seen thousands of naked girls, but can you turn around while I get undressed? I think I can manage at least this on my own.”

  I nodded and turned around, a smile plastered on my face.

  “You can take your clothes off, too, if you can keep your penis under control.”

  “As long as you don’t look,” I teased. I stripped out of my shorts and shirt. “Are you ready? I’ll get in first and help you in.”

  “Okay.”

  I got in and closed my eyes before extending my hand to her. Her soft hand held mine, and she stepped in. I closed the shower door behind her

  “Okay, you can open your eyes now,” she said quietly.

  I peeked one eye open, and she giggled. She had her back to me and was looking over her shoulder.

  Goddamn, she is so beautiful.

  She reached down and grabbed her shower gel and loofah. I stood back as she washed herself, admiring the lines of her backside.

  My cock wasn’t listening.

  “Can you turn around? I don’t want you to see me wash certain areas.”

  God help me.

  I did as she’d asked, and a moment later, she handed me the loofah over my shoulder.

  “Do you want to use mine?”

  This girl is killing me.

  I turned around to grab the shower gel. I didn’t realize she was standing so close, and I knocked into her. I pulled her to me, so she wouldn’t fall, and they we were, wet and soapy and naked … not a damn thing separating us.

  I felt her nipples harden against my chest, and from the knowing look in her eyes, she could feel my cock against her stomach.

  “I’m sorry,” I mumbled.

  Her eyes landed on my lips, and then her chin slightly tilted up toward mine.

  What I wouldn’t do to taste her again. To kiss that perfect mouth. To be with her.

  I ran a thumb over her bottom lip, talking myself out of claiming her mouth again. I grabbed her cheeks and decided to give her a fair warning. “Sweetheart, you can’t look at me like that. I said that I would be good, but I’m not a fucking saint. I’m two seconds away from turning you around and taking you from behind.”

  Her eyes shot to mine, and her cheeks turned pink, but she didn’t remove her body from mine. “Can you hand me the shampoo behind you?” she asked quietly.

  I took the shampoo and squeezed a considerable amount in my palm. “I’ll do it,” I told her. I rubbed the shampoo through her wet hair and massaged her scalp.

  “This feels amazing.” Her eyes fluttered shut, and that little mouth was slightly gaped open.

  I would do this for hours just to see her exactly like this.

  Sam was still tucked against my body and had her hands resting on my lower hips for balance.

  “Lean your head back into the water,” I told her.

  When she did, I finally got a look at her breasts, which did nothing to help the raging hard-on that was resting against Sam’s stomach. I wanted to pay as much attention to them as I was to her hair, but I couldn’t. I ran my hands through her silky hair to remove the suds, and when a little moan left her open mouth, I almost lost my shit. I must have hissed myself because her grip on my hips tightened, and she pulled me tighter against her.

  I lifted her from the stream of water and rested my forehead to hers. “Goddamn it, Sam. You’re gonna fucking kill me. I need a breather.”

  I was hoping she would be the one to put space between us because I was physically unable to take her hands off of me. She didn’t remove herself from me. Instead, she slowly raised herself on her tiptoes. Her wet, smooth body moved up mine, her hard nipples rubbing across my chest, the soft skin of her stomach sliding up my cock. One hand tangled in the wet hair at the nape of my neck while the other rubbed against the stubble on my cheek. She brought her lips to mine, hesitantly testing the waters. I allowed her to lead the kiss for a minute, but when she became more demanding, I pulled away.

  “Sweetheart, is this what you want? Because I’m trying to be good …”

  “I don’t want you to be good.” She reached between us and wrapped her hand around my cock.

  “Goddamn it,” I said through gritted teeth.

  I had never held back like this with anyone, but Sam wasn’t just anyone. If I were to fuck her against this shower wall right now, it could ruin everything. I was going to prove to this girl that I wanted more than just her body, and I was going to prove to myself that I was capable of doing just that.

  “We can’t,” I told her. “I want to be a better man for you, one that you deserve. I have a lot to prove to you, and I’m starting now.”

  I kissed her forehead before I rested my chin on the top of her head. I held her like that for what felt like forever … until she moved, and then it felt like not long enough.

  “I’m going to get out and get dressed,” she said so quietly that I barely heard her over the shower.

  “I can help you—”

  She put her hand on my chest to stop me. “I need a minute or two to myself. I’ll be fine, I promise.”

  She opened the shower door and stepped out, leaving me in the lukewarm stream. Something was wrong, and I didn’t like the way things felt right now.

  I wrapped a towel around my bottom half and went back into her bedroom to grab my bag. She was sitting on the edge of the bed, dressed in yoga pants and an oversize sweatshirt, staring out the window. Her eyes were red around the rims, and my stomach dropped to the ground.

  I knelt on the floor in front of her and grabbed her hands. “Sam, did I say the wrong thing?”

  She still didn’t take her attention from the window, but a tear fell onto her cheek. “No … I’m just confused.”

  “I know, sweetheart. I’ve never felt this way. Ever,” I honestly told her.

  “You think there is something between us more than physical attraction?”

  “There’s more than physical attraction, Sam, and you know it. Shit, didn’t you feel it whe
n we kissed? I’ve never experienced anything like it.”

  “I told myself that, with kisses like that, it was no wonder you were able to bag as many women as you had.” She let go of my hands and slid back on her bed. “Okay, so we might have something more than physical attraction; I’ll give you that. From your track record, you don’t stay with the same woman for more than one night. I’m not that girl. I need more than that.”