Curveball (For the Love of the Game #3) Read online

  Curveball

  FOR THE LOVE OF THE GAME SERIES

  BOOK 3

  BY: NADINE HUDSON

  Copyright © 2021 Nadine Hudson

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any similarity to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

  Description

  Quinn

  Are you insane? You know this is going to end badly! You have zero business getting involved with him.

  If being a hot freaking mess were an Olympic sport then bring on the gold because I would reign supreme in that category! Not only am I trapped being a victim of my unfortunate circumstances, but now the secrets keep piling up around me left and right, quicker than I can keep track of them. I am in no position to be falling for the campus baseball stud. No way! My predicament, my secrets, make it impossible for us to be happy together. This cannot happen.

  Tucker

  She can pretend not to be interested all she wants, but those stormy blue eyes already gave her away. I recognize the lust dancing behind them and I won’t stop until she finally admits it too. Her resistance only serves to peak my intrigue. After all, I do love a good game of hardball.

  Another steamy read from her special Blackbox Collection, Nadine Hudson gives you more of what you love in this Second Chance, Secret Relationship, Sports Romance that has sizzling heat and the games you love, but you have never seen them played like this before! HEA Guaranteed!

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  The Love of a Lieutenant

  Table of Contents

  One

  Tucker

  Sunday

  Clank.

  Clank.

  Clank.

  The repetitive sound of the metal dumbbells meeting above my chest was my anchor when I felt like I was spiraling out of control. It kept me focused. Focused on the beads of sweat that ran down my forehead and neck and soaked my shirt. Focused on my rhythmic breathing. Focused on the burn in my tight shoulders and chest that flared up in a hurts-so-good kind of way with each rep that I grunted through.

  Focused on anything besides Quinn. Anything other than what just happened a few hours ago in her apartment when she told her mom she wasn’t serious about me. About us. After all the time we’ve spent together. After the incredible night we just had. I can’t make sense of any of it. My brow furrowed and I tightly pressed my lips together as I picked up speed the more the thoughts of earlier invaded my mind.

  “Woohoo! You see who my Astro’s picked up in the draft, Monroe? Hell yeah! We fittin’ to give your Ranger’s a run for their money this year,” Nate gloated as he approached and sat on the bench beside mine, nudging my leg with his hand, carrying dumbbells of his own. We’ve always had a rivalry between our two favorite Major League teams, but today I didn’t feel like engaging him in the back and forth. I simply wasn’t in the mood.

  “Woah, buddy. Take it easy. You don’t wanna wear yourself out,” he warned, but I shrugged off his warning and continued pumping my arms at full speed until I was breathless. When I finally sat up and released my grip on the weights my arms felt like rubber and I knew I’d probably just made myself sore for tomorrow, but I didn’t care. I needed to purge the anger, the frustration, hell, the pain that coursed through me. And this was the best way I knew how.

  “You wanna talk about it?” Nate asked tentatively, raising a brow.

  “No,” I bit out before sucking down some water from my bottle, still trying to catch my breath.

  “Is it Quinn?”

  “I said I don’t want to fucking talk about it, okay?” I snapped as I stood and stormed past him toward the locker room. It was too soon, too fresh in my mind and I wasn’t ready to relive it.

  I grabbed a quick shower to cool myself down before my meeting with Coach Anderson. Today was my mid-season review. We each had to meet with him to talk through our options and plans for the future and today was my turn. As stressful as this meeting usually was, it was a welcomed distraction. Besides, I already knew what my plans were. My offer from the Rainiers still stood and I was ready to accept it if I didn’t get an offer from a Major League team.

  I slowly pulled open the door to Coach Anderson’s office and slid inside. He was sitting behind his desk and was on the phone, but he waved me in. I took a seat in the chair across from him and waited until he finished. His office was tidy and clean aside from his desk, which was a mess of papers and files. He rummaged through some of them as he spoke until he found a blue folder with my name written on the tab and pulled it out of the pile.

  “Okay. Yep. Alright, thanks for calling Dave.” Coach Anderson hung up the phone, scribbled a few notes into the file then closed it and turned his attention to me.

  “I assume you know who that was?” he asked, sitting back in his chair.

  “David Levan?” I guessed. David Levan was the recruiter who made me my offer with the Rainiers last season.

  Coach Anderson nodded in confirmation before continuing, “Said he’s been talkin’ to Seth Rudy quite a bit lately and Seth is very interested in you. Said he’s not ready to pull the trigger on an official offer just yet, but wants to see how you do after one or two seasons with the Rainiers and as long as all goes well, he’d like to pull you up.”

  My heart jumped in my chest. Seth Rudy. The Head Coach for the Seattle Mariners? Is interested in me? I’m so pumped that I can’t hardly believe it. A smile tugged at the corners of my mouth as my jaw hung open. I was completely speechless. This was the news I’d been hoping for my whole life, but I honestly wasn’t expecting it. Coach Anderson seemed amused by my reaction.

  “Congratulations, Tucker. I haven’t had talent like yours in some time, but I am proud to call you one of my players. I know how hard you’ve worked for this. You’ve earned it.” He extended a hand over his desk toward me and I absentmindedly grabbed hold and shook it.

  “Th-thank you! Thank you, Coach. I-I can’t believe this. I just… I don’t even know what to say.”

  Coach Anderson chuckled at my reply. “Say take me to Seattle .”

  * * *

  Quinn

  When I was finally able to pick myself up off the floor Chastity guided me

  to the bathroom. I sluggishly followed behind her still blubbering to myself while I tried to catch my breath wiping my tears on my sleeve.

  “There ya go,” she said quietly as she brushed back the tear soaked strands of hair that clung to my face. “Do you want to tell me what happened?” she asked softly.

  “I fucked up Chastity,” I sniffled.

  “Well, I can see that,” she joked, trying to lighten the mood I think. “But what happened?”

  I sucked in a deep breath and started to explain. I told her everything. I told her about being a virgin. I told her about my parents and my demented upbringing. I told her about Tucker and last night. And then finally I told her about how I potentially just lost the best thing in my life. For the first time since I met Chastity, she was speechless. She didn’t even try to interrupt me when I was explaining. Instead she sat beside me and listened attentively.

  When I finished she sat up straight and squared her shoulders to face me. She leaned in closer and in a serious tone asked, “Do you want me to off her, Quinn? The Devil Woman, I mean. I’m telling you, I know some people who could take care of this for you?”

  We both burst out laughing together at the absurdity of her offer and her second attempt to lighten the mood was succ
essful.

  “Listen, from what I’ve seen, Tucker is crazy about you. You just need to go talk to him and fuck your parents and what they think. You are a strong, independent, grown ass woman. You don’t need them.”

  And this was why Chastity was my best friend. She always knew exactly what to say to make me feel better. Even if I didn’t quite believe it all myself.

  “Why don’t you get a shower and cool off a little bit, huh? I’ll bring you some clothes to change into. We have that Kappa Delta Phi’s charity event today at the animal shelter.” Her voice got a little higher as if she were trying to entice me with the idea of being amongst friends. Little did she know I had zero desire to be within one hundred miles of those snobs.

  But I couldn’t say that.

  I couldn’t tell her that I hated the idea of pledging KDP.

  Or that their so-called requirements made me sick to my stomach.

  After what she’d just done for me, I didn’t want her feeling bad about the choice she made freely to pledge KDP.

  I was still trapped.

  Trapped in a prison of my parents' making. The only times I’ve ever felt completely free was when I was with Tucker. He made me feel strong. In control. Like I had a choice. Like my voice mattered. The thought alone caused new tears to prick my eyes. I dropped my face into my hands and started sobbing again, “What have I done?”

  I sat there for what felt like hours. I’m not even sure at what point Chastity left the room, but when I lifted my head again she was gone. When I was able to taper off the tears, I got a shower like Chastity had suggested. When I got out and made my way to my bedroom, I opened the door and smiled. She laid out a pair of my jeans and one of her tops that I’d been admiring for weeks now.

  I brushed my hair and got myself together before meeting Chastity in the living room and heading to the charity event together.

  “Well, it’s about damn time, Matthews. I was starting to wonder if you actually even wanted to rush Kappa Delta Phi,” Carly snarked as she snatched Tucker’s student ID from my hand. An evil grin curled on her lips as she looked it over and turned it to face Janelle who was hanging on her shoulder trying to get a peek. Janelle’s jaw dropped in amusement.

  Carly nodded her head and waved a hand to someone standing behind me and when I turned around Amanda Charleston was approaching us. Her long, blonde, freshly curled hair bounced as she walked toward us. Her pale, mint green eyes were narrowed on Carly, her gaze fierce. I was almost mesmerized by how confident and collected she was. Everything she did seemed to be done with perfection and intention. This was the kind of girl who would have some badass song playing to her slow motion entrance in a movie scene.

  Amanda stopped when she reached Carly and held out her hand. Carly’s smirk grew as she handed Amanda the ID. My eyes nervously bounced back and forth between them and I fidgeted with my fingers as I waited for someone to say something.

  “So…” Amanda’s voice broke the silence. “You fucked Tucker Monroe, huh?”

  I wasn’t sure what to say. I wasn’t prepared to answer questions about Tucker. I thought I could just show them the ID and be done with it. My heart began to pound hard against my rib cage and I felt myself break out in a cold sweat. She was so intimidating and being surrounded by the three of them made me feel more out of my element than usual so I just nodded in response.

  “Interesting…” She pursed her lips as her eyes fell to his ID again and I suddenly realized this wasn’t about me. The way she looked at it made a flame ignite in my gut. I hated that she looked at him like that. Like she wanted to devour him. I wanted to rip it out of her hand. To pry it from her lustful eyes, but instead I gritted my teeth and bore it.

  “So was he good, Quinn?” Her cunning eyes moved back to me and a small grin pulled at one side of her mouth. Again, I was without words. I knew she was enjoying this. She was the kind of person who got off on the torment of other people. That’s why she and Carly and Janelle were so close. They were all like that. Sick. Brutal. Not unlike my own mother. You would think I would be used to it by now.

  I felt my hands tighten into fists and I wanted to punch her in the mouth for even asking me about him, but I held still. “Aww c’mon. We’re all friends here.” She waved her hands toward Carly and Janelle who were hovering at her side like the vultures they were, preying on my weakness. They no doubt told her about Tucker and I in the food court that day. Our first kiss. Tucker.

  “Listen, I just want to know what your secret was to getting him in bed.” She smiled sweetly as she spoke and it made my stomach twist into knots. “I’ve had my eye on him for...what girls? Two years now?” She admitted while tapping his ID against her soft dainty palm. “Besides, I’ve been thinking about making everyone re-do their initial pledge requirements. Myself included. What better way to go out my senior year than with Tucker Monroe, the soon-to-be Major League draft pick’s ID as my prize?” She grinned at Carly and Janelle whose responses matched hers.

  She leaned in just slightly closer to me and whispered again, “C’mon, Quinn. You can tell me. He was good, wasn’t he? He knows how to swing that bat of his, huh?” She giggled quietly in a most horrifying way.

  “You know how I know, Quinn? Because… I’ve… already… had… him…”

  This bitch. She’s just been toying with me this whole time. The worst part is, I don’t even know if I should believe her or not. Regardless, bile built up in my stomach at the mere thought of her with Tucker and for a second, I thought I might throw up. My eyes dropped to the ground, but Amanda lowered her head to catch my gaze. She wasn’t going to let me off that easily. She wanted a reaction. She wanted to make me squirm. And suddenly Tucker’s words, followed by glimpses of last night came flickering back to me. This is your first time, Quinn. I’m not gonna fuck you...But if you really think you’re ready, I will make love to you.

  He loves me. Me. Not her.

  The recollection filled me with a strength that only he could and I lifted my stare from the ground as I squared my shoulders to face Amanda.

  “He was incredible,” I blurted with a cocky confidence that rivaled hers. “He was beyond incredible. He was the best thing to ever happen to me and he made me scream his name so fucking loud that I can’t believe you didn’t hear it from your ivory fucking tower, you coniving, blood thirsty bitch.”

  I watched as the anger built in her face. Carly’s and Janelle’s mouths fell open in surprise. I suspected no one had ever talked to Amanda like that. Like they didn’t give a shit whether or not they were on her bad side. And why would they? People went to great lengths to make friends and play nice with Amanda. In the business world her family had the best, most important connections. The kinds of connections that would make or break you.

  As good as it felt in the moment to take control and have a voice—the voice that Tucker helped me find—I was terrified of the repercussions of what I’d just done.

  She stood there for a moment, stunned I think, before regaining her confidence and smirking at me. “I’ll be sure to tell him that when I return this to him and explain how I got it.”

  Shit. No.

  Two

  Tucker

  Monday

  I yanked open the door to the Edison building and ran a hand back through my unkempt hair when I glanced up to find Quinn waiting on the steps for me. I sucked in a deep breath, trying to prepare myself for whatever it was she had to say as best I could. I watched as she took in a breath too, probably for the same reason.

  As I got closer she stood up and fidgeted with her outfit— ripped jeans, sneakers, and a t-shirt. Her usual, but she always somehow made the ensemble look remarkable, but today I tried not to notice.

  “Tucker, can we please talk?” she asked in a quiet voice, her eyes were rimmed with red and appeared puffy. They were filled with the same pain that has consumed me since yesterday morning. I don’t know what she has to be so upset about. She’s the one who decided she wasn’t serious about me
.

  I followed her to a more secluded corner of the hallway, out of the way of our peers busily moving around us toward their classrooms. When we stopped her hands reached out for me, but before she touched me I tensed and she hesitated letting them fall back to her sides.

  I wanted her to touch me. I wanted to touch her. I wanted to squeeze her tightly and smash my mouth to hers and pretend yesterday never happened. Pretend it was all a bad dream and go back to the perfect existance we were living just the night before. Instead, I remained still and cold as stone and waited for her to speak.

  “I-I don’t really know where to start except to tell you that I’m so so sorry about yesterday.” My stance grew firmer and I stood taller at her words. Or maybe it was the recollection of what she said yesterday that made me tense up. Of course not. That’s ridiculous. Regardless, the sting passed through me once more and I winced. “I don’t expect you to forgive me, but I do need you to know that I didn’t mean what I said to my mom yesterday.”

  My eyes darted to hers and anger erupted inside of me. Her gaze was cast down to the floor which only served to fuel my rage. I stepped closer to her, cramping her space, intimidating her with my size and pinning her small body between mine and the wall. I slid both hands on either side of her face and tilted her eyes to mine. Forcing her to look at me, I held her face in place. “Then why the hell did you say it?” My voice was rough and firm as I spoke through gritted teeth.

  She flinched at my question and I caught her bottom lip beginning to tremble. “I couldn’t…” she started.

  “Couldn’t what?” I lashed back.

  “I couldn’t let her know how much you mean to me,” she finally blurted out.