Don't Worry Baby_A Bad Boy Secret Baby Romance Read online

  Ryan was a great friend, and I valued our friendship, but the Sharks—Liam and Brad and Brian and the other guys—were on a different level. They were sure of who they were. The second-stringers were all a little unsure of where they stood, and I didn’t want to be there. Was I arrogant in assuming I was worth more? Maybe. But if I didn’t look at the whole thing as if belonged at the top, I wasn’t going to get there.

  Training started, and we worked on our tackles and huddles. It was a rough one, physically challenging, and we had jostled around and shoved a lot. This what we trained for. We had to learn to handle a hit because in football, it was inevitable. I felt good on the field, but I knew as soon as the adrenaline faded, all my aches and pains would show up after hits I couldn’t even remember.

  Brad and a few other Sharks players I didn’t know personally stood on the side of the field when we finished, and I realized they’d been watching us play.

  “This was a good session,” Brad said when I joined them and shook his hand.

  “It was,” I said. I felt on top of my game, and the men had worked together better than on Friday when they had been at each other’s throats.

  “You’re getting better,” Brad said, and I tried to hide how happy I was to hear him say that.

  “I’m working hard,” I said.

  Brad nodded. “It shows.”

  We talked shop for a short while before I steered the conversation toward Saturday night.

  “Thank you again for inviting me,” I said. “I had a great time.”

  “I’m glad,” Brad said. “We try to host dinners when we can to keep in touch. It’s so easy to live past each other or get too involved in the game.”

  I nodded. I could understand that. Football easily became the air we breathed when it was this serious.

  “So, I was wondering,” I started. “Could I ask you for Hailey’s number?”

  Brad looked at me, surprised.

  “You’re asking me for a girl’s number?”

  I shrugged nonchalantly. “Yeah, I didn’t get it on the night. I should have. I couldn’t keep my eyes off her.”

  Brad chuckled. “Okay, but she’s not a piece of meat. She’s Carly’s best friend.”

  I nodded. “I know, I’m not trying to get some company for the night. I want to get to know her.”

  Brad nodded and took his phone out of his pocket, finding her number and sending it to me.

  “She’s a good person, Nick,” Brad said.

  I nodded again. He was protective of her. I could understand that. It was Carly’s best friend, and he was hosting her. But when I had seen her, I had forgotten about everything else. When Brad had mentioned the out-of-town guest he was hosting, I hadn’t for one second thought it was a woman, let alone a woman who looked like that.

  “Thanks,” I said when I received the number.

  I didn’t usually ask other people for a woman’s number. I could get them myself, thank you very much. But she had caught me off guard, and I had spent the night watching her or talking to her. I hadn’t thought about getting her contact details until after I had left. Which was saying something about how she had affected me. Usually, I couldn’t think of anything other than getting into their pants. This time, I had wanted to know about her, what made her tick. I had watched her laughing and talking with the others, and she had been amazing to watch. It sounded creepy, but it wasn’t. She was beautiful and gracious.

  I showered up, exchanged jokes with the guys, and finally headed to my car. When I hit the road, I dialed Hailey’s number. The caller tone filled the car through my Bluetooth radio system, and she answered after a few short rings. Her voice wrapped around me, smooth and husky.

  “Hi, it’s Nick,” I said. “We met at Brad’s dinner party on Saturday.

  She remembered who I was, which made me happy, and told me it was fine when I said I had taken her number from Brad.

  “I was wondering, do you want to go out with me on Friday?”

  “Are you asking me on a date, Nick?” she asked. She was a little coy. Playing hard to get was so fucking sexy.

  “I am,” I said.

  She was hesitant. I wondered if Carly had told her anything about me and my reputation with women.

  “It’s nothing crazy,” I said. “I just want to take you out, show you a different side of Miami than I’m sure you’ve been seeing. I want to get to you know you a little better.”

  “That would be nice,” she finally said, and I could hear her smiling.

  Score.

  “Can I pick you up?” I asked. “Or would you like to meet me somewhere?”

  I was proud of myself for asking. She was already hesitant. I didn’t want to do anything to make her uncomfortable. Even if this woman was nothing more than a one-night stand, I wanted her to feel special because she had seemed different when I’d met her.

  “You can pick me up,” she said carefully.

  “I’ll call you during the week and let you know what the plans are, then,” I said.

  She agreed, and I ended the call. When I was sure the line wasn’t open anymore, I fist pumped and told myself, “that’s how we do it, Nick.” I had always been on top of my charm. The other night with Ryan at the pub had left me wondering if I was losing my touch, but I wasn’t. I was right up there, ready to show what a thrill it was to be with me.

  I drove the rest of the way home blaring music over my sound system, singing along. I didn’t get pissed off with road hogs, and I was in a good mood when I arrived at home.

  I drank a post-training shake and took the meat I wanted to steam for supper out of the freezer before sitting down in front of the television. I didn’t switch it on. Instead, I flashed on Hailey’s face.

  She had blond hair that hung over her shoulder in waves and green eyes that reminded me of springtime. When she smiled, she lit up the room, and her laughter reminded me of windchimes. It sounded stupid and cheesy even in my own head, but I couldn’t help the analogy.

  On Friday, I would find out more about her. I hadn’t been this drawn to a woman before. I had wanted to fuck women for sure. I had seen a piece of ass and gunned for her until I’d gotten it, but this was different. This was about who she was as a person. Sure, Hailey had a hot body. God, she had an incredible ass and tits that looked perfectly sized for my hands. But her eyes were mesmerizing, and her lips made me want to kiss her whenever she said something interesting, which was all the time.

  When I noticed a woman’s face and her personality, more than her delectable ass, I sat up and took notice.

  I had been a playboy all my life. The pursuit of women had intrigued me from a young age, and the moment I’d realized they thought I was irresistible, it had been game over. I could get anyone I wanted without trying very hard.

  As fun as that was, it got boring. I was tired of women throwing themselves at me. Women often complained about men wanting only one thing, but in my experience, the women I’d been with hadn’t been after much else either.

  I had a feeling Hailey was different. She seemed like the kind of woman who would care to find out who I was on the inside and not only how big my package was. I didn’t know for sure. We hadn’t spoken much besides lightly flirting with each other, but I wanted to find out.

  Instead of switching on the television, I walked back to the kitchen and started on a garden salad. I could cook. As a football player with a strict diet, I’d had to learn to create my meals because takeaway joints were out of the question, and no one was going to put it all together for me unless I hired a cook, which seemed pointless until I was on the team where I wanted to be.

  So, I cooked. Maybe, if everything went well with Hailey on our first date and I could see her again, I would cook for her. There was nothing sexier than a man who could cook, I’d been told.

  I steamed vegetables after making the garden salad and put oranges in the juicer for breakfast for the next morning

  Finally, when I was done, I sat down at the count
er with my plate. Yeah, going out on a date with someone who was more than a lay would be a great idea. I was getting tired of eating alone every night. I wasn’t sure when it had changed for me, when I had realized I didn’t want to be so detached anymore, but everything was changing.

  Maybe it was because I knew where I was headed in my football career, so I wanted my personal life to be on track too. Maybe it was because I was settled into a routine now, and I had time to realize I was lonely when I wasn’t training all the time.

  Or maybe it was me growing up. Whatever it was, I was hoping my date with Hailey would prove she wanted more too. But that was still a big maybe. Until then, I would do me.

  Chapter 5

  Hailey

  “I have no idea how we’re going to find something,” I said to Carly. We were at the mall, and we had worked our way through three shops already. Nothing I found worked for me. It was either too casual or too dressy, or it didn’t show off my ass or bunched around my waist.

  “It’s not your wedding, Hailey,” Carly said, frustrated. “I’m sure we can find something if you’ll be a little less fussy.”

  I turned to her. “Were you less fussy when you went out with Brad?”

  She shook her head. “Fine,” she said because she knew I had a point. If it was a date, it wasn’t the same as any other event. And this wasn’t any old date, either. This was a date with the boy I had dreamed about during my entire high school career. This was a fantasy about to come true, and when it had all been perfect in my head for so long, it was hard to match that.

  “Besides,” I said. “He doesn’t recognize me. Which means I get to start from scratch with him. This time, I get to do it the way I want it to be.”

  Carly frowned and abandoned the dresses she had been combing through. She came to me, her hand on her hip. “Explain that to me,” she said. “What do you mean he doesn’t recognize you? You tutored him, didn’t you?”

  I nodded. “I did, but I had ugly duckling syndrome.”

  “What the hell is that?” Carly asked.

  “You know the story of the Ugly Duckling, don’t you? Where the duckling is born so ugly, everyone rejects him only for him to come back a beautiful swan?”

  “I know the story,” Carly said.

  “Right. So, I was the ugly duckling. I only became all this,” I gestured to myself, “after high school. In school, I looked terrible. My hair was an absolute mess, I had these hideous braces, and my skin was horrible. All of that without makeup, which my mom wouldn’t let me wear, and a couple of pounds extra made me look a lot different than I do now.”

  Carly blinked at me. “Are you kidding me?”

  I shook my head. “I’m serious.” I laughed. “You wouldn’t have recognized me either, and we’re friends. Nick barely looked at me then. I guess a part of me isn’t surprised.”

  “You have to show me,” Carly said. “Do you have a photo?”

  I laughed. “God, I don’t think I can handle you seeing me like that. I couldn’t handle anyone seeing me like that.”

  “No, show me!” Carly insisted, and we bantered back and forth until I rolled my eyes, still laughing, and conceded. I took out my phone and logged onto Facebook. I had deleted all the photos of my younger self in my profile, but there were friends who still had class photos posted. I found one and enlarged it for Carly to see.

  She took the phone and squinted at the screen. When she looked up at me, her eyes were shining.

  “No way,” she said.

  “I know.” I laughed. “If Nick didn’t even look at me then, he wouldn’t recognize me now.”

  “I don’t blame him,” Carly said. “You’re hot now. I can figure out the braces and the weight, but how did you get your skin to clear up?”

  I pulled up my shoulders. “After school, I finally found a skin care regime that worked, and I figured out that if I cut out dairy products, it makes a difference. I put a lot of effort into my skin. That and exercise and a lot of water apparently turned me into a swan.”

  Carly shook her head, disbelieving.

  “Incredible.” she said. “Well, you have no excuse not to be able to buy any dress right off the shelf for this date because no matter what you wear, you’ll look amazing.”

  I couldn’t help but smile. “You’re a great friend, Carly.”

  “Oh, believe me, I know.”

  We laughed and continued to flip through the racks.

  When I got ready for my date later, I was nervous. I’d had a crush on Nick for ages. I’d always wanted to go out with him, but I had never thought this day would come. It was a fantasy I had given up on a long time ago.

  Now, it was finally happening.

  When Nick arrived to pick me up, he wore suit pants with a teal green shirt, unbuttoned and sleeves rolled up halfway. He looked semi-formal and absolutely stunning. When he saw me, he grinned, and it was the melt-into-my-panties grin that I had seen on him in high school. My stomach erupted in butterflies.

  “Well, don’t you look stunning?” he said, and I blushed.

  I had found a dress that worked perfectly. It was a black dress with a lace overlay that covered my low neckline enough to leave something up to the imagination. It showed off my curves. It was short enough to be sexy but not so short as to be slutty, and I felt amazing in it.

  And judging by the way Nick looked at me, he thought it looked amazing too.

  “Let’s go,” he said.

  Nick took me to Zuma, a Japanese Restaurant that looked out over the Miami River and to the islands across. The restaurant was something different than usual, and it was classy, the atmosphere perfect for a first date where we would start to get to know each other.

  And dinner was spectacular, not only the food but the company. It was comfortable with Nick right away, as if we had been friends for years. I had never felt this at ease with someone, and I knew it wasn’t because I had known him before. It wasn’t because of the saké we tried, or the wine we drank when we didn’t like it either. It was because we got along on a level I didn’t think either of us had anticipated. We talked and ate and drank, and I felt like I was walking on air.

  When dinner was finally over, neither of us wanted to head home. I didn’t want to end the night already, and I didn’t have the feeling Nick wanted it to end, either.

  “I know it’s a little forward, but do you want to come back to my place and have another drink with me?”

  I nodded. I knew what it could look like, but I didn’t usually do sex on a first date. I was a virgin, after all. And I wanted to spend more time with him.

  Nick drove us back to his place and led me to the kitchen. I didn’t focus on my surroundings. All I could see was Nick and the way he looked at me like I was the most exotic thing he had ever seen. I loved the way he looked at me. It made me feel hot, a little flustered, but sexy.

  He poured us each a glass of wine, and we stood on either side of a breakfast counter in the kitchen. We talked, but neither of us paid attention to the conversation. Nick leaned forward, interrupting me mid-sentence, and kissed me.

  Desire tackled me, and I wanted him. God, I wanted him so badly. I may not have had sex, but I had done a hell of a lot of other things with men, and I knew what it felt like to be horny.

  When Nick broke the kiss, his eyes were hungry, suggesting he felt the same way I did.

  “I don’t usually voice things like this, but tonight is getting serious,” Nick said. “I don’t want you to do something you don’t want to do.”

  I was surprised at how open he was about it and how easy it seemed to answer him.

  “I don’t think anything we’ll do would be something I don’t want,” I said and realized how coy it sounded. “I mean, I do want it.”

  Nick grinned at me fumbling my words.

  “But there’s something you must know,” I said. I took a deep breath. “I’m a virgin.”

  Nick’s eyes widened, his lips parting in surprise. “How is that possible?”
he asked. “Do you mind me asking why?”

  I shrugged. “Because the right guy never came along, I guess. It’s got nothing to do with morality or religion or anything. It just never happened for me.”

  I couldn’t tell what was going through Nick’s mind, but I didn’t get the feeling it was bad. In fact, it looked like it was very, very good.

  “Okay, but any moment you don’t want this, you’ll tell me, right?” he asked. “I don’t want to rush you.”

  I shook my head. “Don’t worry, I’ll tell you. But we’re safe, I’m on the pill and everything.”

  I realized how silly I sounded saying it like that, and I covered my mouth with my hand.

  “I’m sorry, that was an overshare,” I said.

  Nick laughed. “No, it’s fine. If you’re a virgin, why are you on the pill?”

  I blushed. “It’s to regulate my periods. I don’t think I need to elaborate on that too much.”

  Nick shook his head. “No, I get it. Well, I think it’s good you mentioned it. It’s good to know you’re safe.”

  “I’m pretty sure it was a turn-off.”

  “Let’s make it fair, then,” Nick said and leaned against the counter. “I had to do an STD screening for training, and I haven’t been with anyone since then. So, I’m safe too.”

  With Nick sharing that with me, it made me feel better about what I had blurted out. He was a genuinely nice guy, going out of his way to make me feel better about it. I was pleasantly surprised at the person he had become. I had watched him grow from a boy to a young man, but he had had something reckless about him then that wasn’t there now.

  What was left was all good. It was confidence and authority, and he had a goal and had worked toward something. At dinner, he had told me about how serious he was about his football career, and I admired it when people were serious about something and dedicated themselves to it.