Page 12 of Catcher

Finally, I speak, my words coming out shaky. “Are… are you okay?” Dumb question, Ruby. Of course, the man is not okay.

Catcher continues to stare at me, unmoving. It’s as if I’m not even here, and he’s looking right through me. When he still doesn’t say anything, I decide to abandon the awkwardness of the encounter. “I… I’ll just go then.” But before I can turn away, Catcher is up off the bed. His movements are so quick, I don’t have time to process what’s happening before his arm is around my waist, and I’m pulled into the room. Just as quickly, the door is slammed shut behind me, and my back is pressed up against it. With his arm still around me, Catcher brings his face level to mine. I can still smell the whiskey on his breath. His large body engulfs mine, and I can feel the heat radiating from his skin.

The silence between us is defining. The only sound that can be heard is the beating of my heart. I want to ask him what’s happening, but I find myself unable to talk. Instead, I stare up at Catcher’s face. Without much thought, I bring my hands up between us and rest my palms against his bare chest. The moment I touch him, his nose flares, and the emptiness in his eyes is replaced with hunger. I gasp, and my nipples turn hard. The change doesn’t go unnoticed as Catcher’s eyes flick down to my chest, where my nipples indeed can be seen through my T-shirt’s thin material.

I stop breathing when suddenly, Catcher dips his head and opens his mouth over my right breast. I feel the graze of his teeth over my nipple even through my tee. I’ve never felt anything better than Catcher’s mouth on me. “Catcher,” I gasp, arching my back. His name on my lips is throwing fuel on the fire because the second my voice fills the room, Catcher is moving, taking me with him.

Before I can process what’s happening, my shirt is off over my head, and my back hits the mattress with a soft bounce. Catcher still doesn’t say a word as he tugs my sleep shorts over my hips and down my legs, taking my panties with them before tossing them to the floor. A part of me wonders if I should stop what’s happening, but all thoughts fly out the window when two large hands grip my knees, push them up, and spread my legs wide open.

My hands fist the sheet in an effort to control how turned on and utterly terrified I am in the moment. I don’t think Catcher has spoken a handful of words to me in the time we’ve known each other, yet here I am, lying naked on his bed with him staring down at me. I’ve never felt more exposed and vulnerable in my life, yet I want more.

And as if he can read my thoughts, Catcher rids himself of his briefs, and his cock springs free. Just like the rest of him, his cock is perfect. Long and thick. My sex clenches at the thought of it being inside me. My eyes move away from his dick to his face as he settles one knee on the bed between my spread legs. He balances his weight above me with one hand while using the other to cup my pussy. My hips buck when he uses the pad of his thumb to tease my clit just before spearing two fingers inside me.

I moan. “Yes.” As his fingers continue to work lazy strokes in and out of me, I cry out when suddenly I lose his touch. I peer up at Catcher through hooded eyes and watch as he brings the same fingers that were just inside me up to his mouth, sucking them clean. Then with that same hand, he grabs hold of his heavy cock and brings the tip down to my opening. Not once do his eyes break their connection with mine. His muscles ripple with barely controlled restraint as he brings his body down to cover mine completely. Then, and only then, does he finally speak, “Wrap yourself around me, baby.”

There is no hesitation when I hook my legs over his hips and thread my fingers through Catcher’s hair as he buries his face in the crook of my neck. And without warning, Catcher powers forward, filling me all the way to the hilt. I cry out at the same time a growl rumbles beneath his chest. There’s no time to become accustomed to the sheer size of him before he starts fucking me. There’s nothing to do but hold on. Soon, my orgasm starts to build, and Catcher’s thrusts become more brutal. Never, and I mean never, has anyone fucked me so hard.

“Catcher,” I choke out just before my release crashes through me. My orgasm seems to go on forever, and not once does Catcher stop. Without losing rhythm, he powers through, riding out my release. It’s not until moments later when one of his hands grabs hold of my ass in a bruising grip that he allows himself to find his own release. We stay connected until his breathing returns to normal.

I don’t dare move, afraid of losing his heat. And though I have a million questions swirling in my head, I don’t dare speak. Neither does Catcher. I want to ask what just happened? What does it mean? Should I get up and go back to my room? Just as the last thought drifts from my mind, Catcher slowly slips out of me and rolls to my side. Still, he doesn’t say a word. Biting my bottom lip, I stare up at the ceiling for several seconds before making my decision. Without looking at the man beside me, I go to sit up. Just as I’m about to climb off the bed, an arm wraps around my waist, and I’m hauled back against Catcher’s hard chest. Again, he doesn’t speak. Instead, he settles in behind me. Not long after that, his arm around me goes slack and his breaths even out.

I smile.

My eyes open to the feel of the warm sun shining through the curtain’s cracks. The heavy arm across my belly and the heat at my back serve as reminders of what happened just a few short hours ago. I twist slightly and peek over my shoulder to find Catcher still sleeping. He looks so different now, peaceful. If I hadn’t woken up next to him just now, I would have thought last night was a dream.

Not wanting to wake him, I carefully move his arm and slip out of bed. Spying my tee and shorts on the floor, I scoop them up and head to the ensuite bathroom, where I dress and wash my face. I can’t help but smile when I look in the mirror and take in the state of my hair, my wild curls falling all around my face, which I have to admit is glowing.

The sound of movement on the opposite side of the door draws me out of my post-sexual haze. And when I step out of the bathroom, I find Catcher standing by his dresser, tugging on a pair of jeans. The smile on my face dies when his head snaps in my direction. At first, he looks stricken at the sight of me. That glance morphs into a sneer. “You lost?”

I blink up at him, taken aback. “What?”

“You heard me. I asked if you were fuckin’ lost?”

I open and close my mouth, uncertain of what’s happening.

Catcher curls his lip up. “Look, I don’t know what your fuckin’ game is, but I’m not playin’ it.”

“Game?” I whisper.

“Yeah. Your game. Don’t think I have noticed those Bambi eyes following me whenever we’re around each other. I’m not interested.”

Catcher’s words are a punch to the gut.

“Catcher, I don’t—” My voice starts to shake.

“Christ,” he cuts me off. “Whatever fairy-tale shit you got in your head is not gonna happen. I don’t fuckin’ want you. I don’t exist to you because you sure as fuck don’t exist to me. Now, I don’t know what kind of game you are playin’ by sneakin’ into my room while I’m sleepin’, but your play ends today. Got me?”

I think I’m going to be sick. It’s at this moment that I realize Catcher doesn’t remember last night at all. And what’s worse is Catcher watches the single tear that I’ve desperately been trying to hold on to roll down my cheek. I can’t believe this beautiful man standing in front of me is spewing such hurtful words. The same man I let inside my body last night.

Goddammit! I was foolish, and now I’m paying the price.

“I g-got you, Catcher.” The words come out broken.

With nothing left to say, I skirt past him and run out of his bedroom, across the hall to where I was staying. I snatch my duffel bag off the floor and pull out the shorts I wore the day before. Desperate to escape, I don’t bother with a bra or socks before stuffing my feet into my shoes. With my bag slung over my shoulder, I swipe my cell from the nightstand and run down the hallway, choking back sobs as I’m relieved I don’t run into anyone on my hasty retreat, retrieving my keys from the bowl on my way out.

The second I burst through the clubhouse door, I run straight into a brick wall… Riggs. Luckily, his hands grab hold of my shoulders to keep me from falling.

“You okay?”