Rookie Mistake: A Sports Romance Novel (The Beasts of Baseball Book 1) Read Online Free Page A

door. “Whitney, wait!” Calvin’s voice called out as I hailed a cab. My arm was gripped, and I spun towards the man who was supposed to love me. The man I’d given up everything for.
    “Don’t—” I started, trying to jerk away from his grip.
    “Please, Whitney, forgive me!” he pleaded, louder than I would have liked. People passed us by, staring at our openly displayed drama and offering up looks of pity, disgust, and some of amusement.
    I just want to go home. Not to Calvin’s, but home to Indiana.
    “I told them I had to go. I promise I tried to leave,” he said, his words slurring together as he drooled and spoke at the same time. His eyes were bloodshot, his hair sticking up all over his head.
    This was not the boy I fell in love with in high school, not the one who played college baseball and winked at me from the pitcher’s mound, and he was certainly not the one who promised to love me forever.
    A yellow cab pulled to the curb, and the driver leaned towards his open passenger window. “You need a ride or what?”
    “Yes,” I said, moving to the back door. Before my hand could reach the handle, Calvin had me by the waist, crying and begging for me to listen and not to leave him. “Get in the car, Calvin,” I ordered. “You’re gonna be arrested for public intoxication.”
    I opened the back door and guided Calvin inside the cab. My fingers smashed against the metal frame as I created the barrier to stop his head from slamming into it. Once he was safely inside, I thought about sending him home alone, but where would I go? All my clothes were at Calvin’s, so I climbed into the back seat next to him.
    “I’m so sorry, Whitney. Please forgive me,” he pleaded. “It wasn’t how it looked. I… she… it wasn’t how it looked.”
    I didn’t respond. There was nothing to say in that moment. I was pissed. I had no idea who that girl was, or why she was spreading her legs for my man, or why he allowed it. He was drunk, useless right now, and I just wanted to get him to bed.
    The cab pulled up in front of Calvin’s apartment building. He was nearly passed out, leaning heavily against the window, and had drool falling from the side of his mouth. I reached into my purse and handed the cab driver a twenty.
    “Thank you,” I said, embarrassed beyond measure.
    “Do you need help?” he asked.
    “No, I got it,” I replied and clenched my fingers around Calvin’s nipples, twisting and pulling until he let out a yelp. “We’re home.” My voice was amazingly calm.
    His eyes were so red I could barely see the blue in them. He climbed out of the cab, stopped at the steps of his apartment building and puked on the sidewalk.
    Great, now I’m supposed to take care of him?
    “I love you,” he mumbled and wrapped his arm around my shoulders. I guided him into the building and then up the three flights of stairs. My back was aching from supporting most of his weight, and my head hurt from the anger that was raging through my veins.
    Finding the key was no easy task with Calvin leaning on me as I dug through my purse, but I finally managed to get us both inside before waking any of the neighbors.
    Calvin tried to fall onto the couch, but I pulled him down the hallway to his bedroom. A large king bed was situated in the center of the room, perfectly made thanks to me. Two glasses of champagne sat on the nightstand where I’d planned a romantic greeting when he arrived home.
    But he didn’t come home, did he? No, he was busy getting a lap dance from some slut!
    I let him fall back onto the mattress and pulled off his shoes. I wasn’t sure if he had a bag or anything at the bar, and as soon as I started worrying about it, I stopped myself.
    He doesn’t deserve my concern.
    I worked the button of his jeans open then pulled down the zipper. He was like dead weight, not cooperating at all as I lifted his backside to pull the denim away from his body. His legs were dangling over the edge of the bed, and