Page 20 of Taking the Pitch (Love & Baseball #2)

CHAPTER NINETEEN

amelia

I. Am. So. Screwed.

After listening to Lucy talk about her and Kessler’s story, watching Judd with Hudson, feeling and experiencing the love Marlene has for everyone in this room, I’m a goner.

I’m seeing Judd in a whole new light. Not only am I starting to fall hard for him, but his family, too.

And that scares the ever-loving shit out of me.

I don’t know if I’m capable of loving someone the way Lucy loves Kessler or Marlene loves Henry. Judd deserves someone who can give him that.

Something inside of me broke the night my parents died, and I don’t know if it can be fixed.

“Did you have a good time tonight?” Judd asks, reaching over and giving my hand a squeeze. Tingles shoot through my arm, like they always seem to do when we touch, before he pulls away and places his hand back on the steering wheel.

“Truthfully?” I ask, looking over at him in the driver’s seat of his Jeep. It’s dark enough that I can only see his profile.

“I always want the truth, even if it’s painful. Hit me with it, Mills. Was Mom too much? Did she make you uncomfortable?”

“No, not at all. Your mom was perfect. And Lucy was hilarious. They made me feel right at home.”

“Then what’s the problem?”

I blow out a breath. “There isn’t a problem, that’s the problem.”

“I’m not following.”

Turning in my seat, I prop my arm on the center console and rest my chin on it, staring at him. “What I’m trying to say is that your family is amazing and loving and welcoming and I really, really like them and that’s the most comfortable I’ve felt with strangers in I don’t even know how long.”

“Oooh ‘kay. I’m sorry, still not catching on here.”

I huff out a breath. “I was hoping that they wouldn’t be this wonderful.”

“Why would you want that, Shortcake?” Judd asks, turning into the parking garage of our apartment complex. Once we’re parked, he turns to me. Green eyes I have grown to enjoy looking at me, shine bright under the fluorescent lights.

I bite my bottom lip and Judd’s eyes flick to the movement. He reaches out, his thumb freeing my lip from the assault of my teeth, then tracing my chin. “Amelia?” he whispers, gazing into my eyes.

“Because it would make it easier to not want you,” I whisper back to him.

Judd’s pupils grow bigger. “Is that what you want? To not want me?”

I nod, my head moving in jerky movements like my muscles even know I’m lying.

Judd smirks and leans closer, enveloping my senses with the scent I’ve come to recognize as comfort. His hand slides from my chin and across my cheek to cup the back of my neck. Making a delicious shiver run up my spine. “Then tell me you don’t want to see me any more. Tell me not even a small part of you wants to explore this energy between us. Tell me that all your fears and anxiety don’t lessen when I’m around you and I’ll leave you alone.”

I suck in a deep breath, trying to calm my racing heart. My mouth opens, but words fail to come out.

Judd gives me a sinister smirk. “Can you tell me any of that pretty girl?” he asks, moving even closer until our faces are an inch apart.

“No.”

“Good. Now, I’m going to kiss those perfectly plump lips like I’ve been wanting to since the moment I came to your apartment to pick you up. Any objections?”

I lick my lips and shake my head once, giving him permission because as much as I want to fight this, I can’t. All the feelings Lucy talked about having with Kessler are exactly the way I feel when I’m around Judd. While that frightens me, I can’t deny wanting to kiss him again any more than I can deny myself air.

I’m not sure who moves first, or if we both move at the same time, but when our lips connect, I swear I see stars.

His soft lips are gentle at first, caressing mine in a sweet embrace. Grabbing the front of his shirt and trying to pull him even closer, I open my mouth slightly, wanting, no needing more, swiping my tongue across his lips. He opens without hesitation, letting me in. Our tongues tangle together in a dance. Judd pulls back slightly and nips my lip, sending a rush of heat straight to my core, making me whimper.

“Mmm, I love that sound,” Judd mumbles, moving from my lips to pepper kisses along my jaw and down my neck. He bites a spot on my neck, making me gasp at the sting. Then swipes his tongue over it, soothing my skin.

“Jesus,” I whisper, moving my hands into his silky hair. When Judd reaches the space between my neck and collarbone, I tip my head to the side to give him better access. He pulls the collar of my shirt away and sucks hard. A long moan leaves my mouth, and I can feel a rush of wetness between my legs. If he can do that to my body from just licking and sucking my neck, I wonder what he can do to me in other places.

Just as I’m about to reach my hand under Judd’s flannel, a very cold, very wet nose pokes my face from under Judd’s chin, followed by a lick of a tongue that’s not Judd’s.

“Bruno!” I squeal, whipping my head back. Bruno takes that as an invitation and crawls from the back into the front seat with me, completely breaking the moment.

Judd’s chest rumbles with a laugh, and he scrubs a hand down his face. “Nothing like a fifty-pound ball of fur in your face to break the moment.”

I peek out over Bruno’s back and see Judd adjust himself before reaching for the door. A sense of pride courses through me, knowing I made him react like that. Bruno and I both watch as he rounds the front of the Jeep to our door and opens it. Bruno leaps off my lap and sniffs around the cement. Judd reaches for the Tupperware container of leftover desserts his mom insisted I take home, then offers me his other hand. Taking it, he helps me out of the Jeep and closes the door. Removing his hand from mine, he drops it to my hip and backs me into the vehicle.

The chill of the parking garage fades as my body heats back up from the contact.

Jesus, Millie. Has it really been that long where a simple touch makes your body want to go up in flames?

Judd’s hand moves up my body and stops at my chin, tipping it up so I’m looking at him. There’s nothing simple about the way Judd is looking at me. Hunger, desire and something else I don’t want to think about reflect back at me.

He leans down, kissing me again. This time it’s slower, deeper, more. He pulls back way too soon and gives me that devilish smirk of his. “Come on, Shortcake. Let’s get you inside before you freeze to death.”

“I’m not cold,” I mutter, grabbing the front of his flannel and tugging him back to me. Surprise flashes across his face before he leans down again.

But instead of kissing my lips, he turns his face at the last minute and kisses my cheek, then whispers, “You’re a greedy girl, aren’t you?” into my ear. Clenching my thighs together, I close my eyes and suppress the moan that desperately wants to escape.

Why is that so fucking hot?

Chuckling, Judd straightens and steps back, making me shiver at the loss of his body heat. Okay, so it is cold in here. Wanting to get upstairs, I clip Bruno’s leash onto his collar and take Judd’s outstretched hand. Judd hits the button for the elevator when we reach it and the doors open automatically. Thankful we don’t have to wait; I hurry into the elevator with Bruno. Judd follows and stabs the button for my floor. Turning to face me, he gives me a heated look that makes my insides dance. The doors chime, indicating they’re closing, and he starts towards me, but before he can take another step, we hear someone yell, “Hold the door, please!”

Judd’s hand snakes out, hitting one of the doors, stopping them from closing. A woman around my age comes into view, herding two young children into the elevator. “Thank you,” she says once they’re all inside.

“No problem,” Judd tells her. He releases the door, and they proceed to close again. When he moves back, he hits the button for the eighth floor.

Does he know this woman?

The little boy looks at Judd and squints his eyes. “You look different without your parrot.”

Judd chuckles and squats down so he’s at the kid’s eye level. “And you look different when you’re not a Ninja Turtle.” He looks at the girl glued to her mom’s legs. “And a princess. How was your Halloween? Did you guys get lots of candy?”

The boy shakes his head vigorously and I’m afraid he’s going to give himself whiplash. “ So much candy,” he exclaims, widening his arms to show us how much. “But mom says we can’t eat it all because if we did, it would make us sick and give us lots of cavities,” he says slightly bummed.

Judd’s smile grows wider, and he chuckles. “She’s right. You should always listen to your mom. They know best.”

The little girl tugs on her mom’s sleeve and she shifts her reusable bag to her other arm with her purse and picks her up, propping her on her hip. The girl whispers something into her mom’s ear and points at Bruno.

“Oh, he has a vest on, honey. That means he’s working, and we can’t touch him.”

Disappointment floods the girl’s face, and she tucks it into her mom’s shoulder, making my heart crack.

“What’s that mean?” the boy asks, looking from his mom to Bruno and me.

“It means Bruno is a special dog that is trained to help me if I need it,” I tell him, crouching down next to Bruno.

“Does he have powers!” the boy shouts.

Judd and I laugh. His mother shushes him and reminds him to use his inside voice.

“No, he doesn’t have powers. He just knows how to calm me down if I get too nervous about something.”

I look up at the girl who’s peeking out from her mom’s shoulder, watching Bruno. “Would you like to pet him? He really likes kids.”

“Are you sure?” their mom asks.

“Of course.”

She sets the girl down and she takes her brother’s hand as they walk closer to Bruno. Bruno wags his butt in excitement, and I give him the command to sit.

“Put your hand out, palm down like this,” I tell them, showing them with my hand. “That way, he can sniff you.”

They both do as I show them and Bruno sniffs both their hands before pushing his head into their palms, making both of them giggle. Bruno sits patiently while they both stroke his head and ears. “He’s soft,” the girl whispers so quietly I almost don’t hear her. Her eyes completely transfixed on Bruno like she’s in a trance.

“I brush him a lot. He’s really hairy,” I say, making the kids laugh.

The elevator dings, announcing our arrival at their floor.

“Say thank you to the nice lady for letting you pet her dog.”

Both kids say thank you and bye and high five Judd as their mom herds them out the doors and down the hallway. Once the doors close, we both stand and look at each other.

“How do you know them?” I ask.

Judd lifts a shoulder and tucks his hands into his pockets, leaning against the wall. “I really don’t. They were on the same elevator as me on Halloween and named my fake parrot.”

“That’s cute. You’re really good with kids.”

“Mom says it’s because I still act like one,” he jokes, making me laugh.

The elevator dings again, making my heart rate increase. “Ladies first,” Judd says, gesturing out the door with his hand.

I exit the elevator and Judd follows me out, placing his hand at the small of my back. By the time we make it the short distance to the door, my body is like a live wire humming with energy.

It takes me three tries to get the key into the door to unlock it. On the third try, Judd places his hand over mine, steadying it. Once I get the door open, I walk in and unclip Bruno from his leash and hang up my purse and keys. Turning, I notice Judd still in the doorway, hands above him, holding onto the frame.

“Are you coming in?” I ask.

“Only if you want me to, Shortcake. I’m not going to push you into something you’re not ready for.”

That right there means more to me than he’ll ever know.

Walking to him, I hold out my hand. When he takes it, I tug him in and close the door.

Judd pulls me to his chest, caressing my cheek with one hand while his other sits dangerously low at the small of my back. He rests his forehead against mine, giving us a moment to just breathe each other in. “We’ll go at whatever pace you want, Shortcake. Just say the word and we’ll stop. Okay?”

His lips crash to mine as soon as I nod. His hands run down the length of my back and over the swell of my ass. When he reaches the backs of my thighs, he lifts me effortlessly without breaking our kiss, pinning me against the door. I wrap my legs around him tightly, loving the way his body feels between mine.

We hear a whine and break the kiss, turning to Bruno, who’s watching us from his bed.

“We should probably go to the bedroom, or he’s just going to keep interrupting us.”

Judd nods, and I expect him to set me down. Instead, he carries me through my apartment and into my room, closing the door with his foot and pinning me against this door.

“Why are we standing when there’s a perfectly good bed over there?” I ask with a laugh.

“Oh, don’t worry, pretty girl, I’m going to fuck you there too. Now, take your sweater off so I can see those pretty tits.”

Heat shoots to my core at his words and I do as he says, tossing the sweater to the floor.

He groans at the sight of my black lace bra. “Did you wear that for me?” he asks, tracing his tongue over the top of one of the cups. I lean my head back against the door, pushing my breasts out more. “Mmm, you like that, don’t you? What about this?”

Judd sucks a nipple into his mouth through the lace, making my hips buck. “Yes, more, more of that,” I beg, tightening my legs around him, pulling the huge bulge in his jeans to my center.

“More of what? More of this?” he asks again, licking a trail to my other breast and sucking the other nipple into his mouth.

“Yes,” I hiss, arching my back and tugging at the hair at the back of his head.

He releases a hand from my legs and reaches up, pinching my other nipple while still sucking the other one, making me cry out.

“God Mills, you’re so responsive. I bet you’re soaked down there, aren’t you, baby?” he croons.

I nod my head and whimper, relishing in the sensations his hand and tongue have brought to my body.

“Show me.”

I freeze and open my eyes to stare at his dilated ones.

He gives me a wicked smile and sets me onto my unsteady feet. Kneeling down, he unzips one boot. Slowly tracing a finger along my leg as he goes, sending chills through my body before repeating the action with the other one.

After helping me step out of them, he sits back on his haunches and looks up at me. “Show me that pretty pussy, Amelia.”

Holy. Fuck .

I’ve never been talked to like this during sex. Have I written about it? Yeah. But I have never experienced it. I’ve been missing out, because his words alone could probably make me come. I’m so turned on.

“Amelia, if I have to ask again, I’ll have to punish you for making me wait.”

I rub my thighs together, trying to ease the ache that’s formed there. If I wasn’t so desperate for release, I’d be tempted to find out what his punishment is. Instead, I hook my thumb into the tops of my leggings and shove them down and pull them off my feet, kicking them away. All that’s left is matching black lace bikini cut underwear.

“So beautiful,” he murmurs, ghosting both hands up my calves and over the backs of my thighs. He stops just below where my ass begins and traces a path back and forth with his thumbs. “Are you achy baby? Do you need a release?”

I look into his eyes and nod, reaching up to cup both my breasts.

“Use your words, Amelia. I won’t touch you unless you tell me what you want.”

“Yes,” I whisper.

“Yes what, pretty girl?”

“Yes, I need a release.”

“Such a good girl using your words,” he praises. Warmth spreads through my body at his words.

Holy shit, do I have a praise kink?

Judd skims his hands to the front of my thighs, his fingertips brushing the edge of my underwear.

I suck in a breath. The anticipation of what his next move is has me on edge.

“As pretty as these look on you, I’m afraid they’re in the way,” Judd says, hooking a finger under the lace panties and snapping them against my skin, making me gasp. He slides them down my legs and helps me step out of them, tossing them into the pile with my leggings and sweater.

Judd stands, looking down at me like I’m his last meal. “You’re wearing too many clothes,” I grumble and reach for the buttons on his flannel. He grabs my hand and tugs, pulling me into his chest.

“This isn’t about me, Shortcake. This is about you and your pleasure. Just from the little I’ve done to you, I can tell you’ve never been with a man who knows how to please their woman. That changes tonight,” he tells me, cupping my jaw and bringing his lips to mine. His tongue strokes mine and I swear I could spend hours just kissing this man. His other hand skims around my ribs to the back of my bra, flicking the clasp open in one try.

I pull back and smirk. “You’re way too good at that,” I tell him, tossing my final piece of clothing into the pile. Standing completely naked before him.

Normally I’m uncomfortable being so exposed like this, but the way Judd is looking at me, the way his eyes are drinking in my body like I’m water and he’s been stuck in the desert for weeks, makes me feel sexy, wanted.

Judd grabs my hips and walks me back against the door. The wood is cool on my naked back, doing little to tame the heat that’s built up inside of me. “You’re so fucking beautiful, Mills,” he whispers, staring into my eyes. My heart speeds up at his words. I’ve been told I’m beautiful before. But the way he says it makes me actually believe it.

He takes my lips again, his kisses turning hungry. He skims his lips over my jaw and down my neck, nipping and kissing as he goes. He pulls back, cupping my breasts and running the pads of his thumbs over both nipples. I gasp and arch into his touch. “So sensitive,” he murmurs, repeating the motion.

“Judd,” I whimper, threading my fingers into Judd’s soft hair as he leans down to take a nipple into his mouth. His tongue flicks over my nipple as he rubs the other one with his thumb, making me see stars. I watch as he kisses his way over to the other breast and gives it the same attention, repeating the motion.

Looking up at me through his lashes, Judd takes his hand and skims down my stomach, and stops just above where I want him. I push into his hand, making him chuckle. He stops his assault on my nipple and detaches his mouth with a pop. “You want my hand on your pussy, baby?” he asks, sliding it half an inch closer. “Or do you want my mouth?” he asks, getting down onto his knees.

My mouth goes dry at the sight of Judd on his knees before me. “Which is it, baby? Hand?” He moves his hand closer, this thumb resting just above my clit. “Or mouth?” He leans forward and places a kiss on each of my hip bones, making me squirm.

“Yes, both,” I force out, needing him to touch me before I combust.

Judd’s deep rumble fills the space. “Such a greedy girl. But I won’t give you anything if you don’t use your manners.”

“Please,” I beg. “Please use both.”

Judd hums with approval. “Good girl,” he praises before sliding his thumb over my swollen clit.

Yep, I definitely have a praise kink.

“Yes,” I hiss through my teeth, tightening my grip on his hair. “Just like that.” Judd’s thumb stops, and I quickly add a ‘please’.

He circles my clit one more time before trailing his hand lower and swiping a finger through my slit. “Fuck, Mills. You’re drenched for me.”

My mouth parts slightly as I watch Judd take his finger and suck it into his mouth. “Mmm, you taste so sweet, just like I thought you would. Now put your leg over my shoulder. I’m ready for my second dessert.”

Grabbing one of my ankles, Judd places it on his shoulder, then traces a path up my leg as he moves closer. Once he’s satisfied with his position, he looks up at me. “Hold on, Shortcake. I’m starving.”

His mouth is on me in an instant, licking a path from my clit to my entrance and back again, making my leg quake. “More,” I beg. “Please. More.”

Judd chuckles into my pussy. “Since you asked so nicely.” Inserting one finger, Judd growls into my clit. “Fuck you’re tight baby.”

Words fail me and all I can do is whimper in response as Judd plays my body like a fine-tuned instrument. My head spins at the sensations Judd’s making with just his finger and tongue. “H- how are you so good at this?”

Judd pulls back and stares up at me, mouth glistening from his feast. “Anyone who can’t get a woman off using their mouth isn’t doing it right,” he says simply, before going back to eating my pussy like it’s his job.

Tipping my head back, I reach up with my free hand and tweak one of my nipples, magnifying my pleasure.

“Eyes on me, baby. I want to watch you when you fall apart.”

Prying my eyes open, I stare down at Judd, watching him insert another finger into me and nearly making my knee buckle.

“That’s right, squeeze my fingers with that pretty pussy of yours.”

My insides quiver, signaling my impending orgasm. “I’m cl-close.”

Judd hums into my pussy, driving me wild. The sensation of his fingers and tongue overwhelms me, and it’s almost too much. I tug on his hair, trying to pull him away. “I can’t, Judd. It’s, it’s too much. I can’t.”

He pulls his mouth away from my clit and replaces it with the thumb of his other hand. “Yes, you can, baby. You’re being such a good girl soaking my face. You’re almost there,” he croons, encouraging me.

I bite down on my bottom lip as my body tenses and my walls start to convulse. The wave of pleasure builds, higher and higher, until I don’t think I can take it anymore. “Judd.”

“That’s it, baby. Come for me,” he orders, pinching my clit and rolling it, sending me right over the edge.

“Fuck!” I cry out as I ride Judd’s hand. He strokes me with his fingers, drawing out my orgasm until there’s nothing left for me to give.

Judd lowers my leg from his shoulders after he licks me clean. My legs tremble and start to buckle until Judd swoops me up in his arms and takes me over to my bed to lay me down. “Holy shit,” I breathe out, throwing an arm over my eyes.

The bed shifts with Judd’s weight as he sits down on the edge of the bed, chuckling. “You okay, Shortcake?” he asks, fingers skimming across my stomach, leaving goosebumps in their path.

“I think I died.” I peek an eye out from under my arm. “Is this heaven?”

“It could be,” he tells me, leaning over me and giving me a kiss. It starts out soft, but quickly grows frantic with teeth and tongues clashing.

My stomach clenches when he bites that place on my neck I didn’t know existed until he found it.

Seems like Judd has uncovered a lot of things I didn’t know about myself before I met him, and I’m slowly starting to hope he uncovers more.