Captain's Knock, page 1
Captain’s Knock
Also by Renee Dahlia
BeST
Count Me In
Strum Me Hard
Cricket Slam
Captain's Knock
Desiring The Dexingtons
Love Wasn't Built In A Day
The Secret Life of Spinsters
The Widow's Modiste
Gamble Racing
Driven To Distraction
Driven By Passion
Driven By Ambition
Driven To Protect
Great War
Her Lady's Melody
Her Lady's Fortune
His Lord's Soldier
Kapow
Out of Her League
His Buxom Beauty
Craving His Spotlight
Her Pregnant Rival
Seraph's Burlesque Club
Show Up
Show Off
Show Queen
Show Time
Show Dance
Standalone
The Shipwrecked Earl's Bride
Watch for more at Renee Dahlia’s site.
Table of Contents
Title Page
Also By Renee Dahlia
Captain’s Knock | Renée Dahlia
About the author
Foreword
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Epilogue
What the heck is Cricket?
Acknowledgements
All Books by Renée Dahlia
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Also By Renee Dahlia
Captain’s Knock
Renée Dahlia
Read Captain’s Knock now on my Patreon, or pre-order for September 2023.
When Gwen’s captain Tyra awkwardly blurts out that she gets herself off to help her sleep before games, the last thing Gwen expects is for the conversation to go one step further. Now she’s Tyra’s pre-game hook-up and her crush on her captain is going to be impossible to conceal.
They keep their hook ups a secret from the team, and when they are discovered, one will deny it, hurting the other who wants a relationship.
A hook-up to lovers sapphic novella with guaranteed HEA.
About the author
An avid reader, Renée Dahlia writes contemporary and historical queer romance. Renée is a bisexual cis woman who is fascinated by people and loves to explore human relationships, with a side of humour, through her writing. Renée has a degree in physics and mathematics, using this to write data-based magazine articles for the horse racing industry. Her love of horses often shines through in her fiction, and she loves a good intrigue and to escape the real world in the pages of a book. When she isn’t reading or writing, Renée spends her time with her four children, usually watching them play cricket.
To Gossie and Deb – champions of women’s cricket!
Foreword
Welcome to CAPTAIN’S KNOCK, a sapphic sports romance.
The Cricket Slam series is set across a fictional T20 women’s cricket tournament in Australia. Each book will be released on my Patreon first, then to the rest of the world at a later date.
If you love hook-up to lovers romance with sports and teammates, this is the novella for you.
Please note this book contains sports injuries.
This book is written in Australian English and some spelling and phrases may be unfamiliar to American readers.
If you are keen to keep up to date on new releases and, more importantly, sales, I recommend you sign up to my newsletter, or follow me on social media.
Social Media Links
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romance.com.au
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I hope you enjoy reading this book!
Renée
Chapter 1
One of the best things about being the captain was a room to herself for the whole tournament. Cricket Slam consisted of three months of constant travel around Australia’s major cities and a game every few days, and after long days in the field constantly deciding on strategy, she always appreciated the space to be alone. Tyra checked her phone. She had forty minutes before the first team meeting where she would have to say something to her new team. There was only one thing for it; the best way to get rid of her anxiety. She turned on the water for the shower, stripping off her travel clothes while she waited for the water to heat up, then stepped under the spray.
“Oh, fuck yeah.” She mumbled aloud as the warm water flowed over her body, enjoying that this hotel had decent water pressure. After quickly washing herself all over, from her head down to her toes, she stroked herself quickly because this was why she’d jumped in the shower. Rubbing one out always helped relax her brain and her body—yah, orgasms—and it’d become a bit of a habit before she had to do public speaking when they weren’t playing. Playing the game was different, talking to the media after a game was easy. It was probably the adrenalin of the game that made it easier than any pre-match speaking when her nerves were on edge with anticipation.
With skilled fingers, she quickly brought herself to the edge, with closed eyes, and letting the sensations take over her body. Her body was her job and she adored it. She knew it, every muscle, every sinew, and it had brought her and her various teams much glory over the years.
“Fuck yes.” The orgasm was sharp. She loved the way her vagina pulsed around her fingers; she’d never get tired of that feeling; on herself or on others. For a treat, she sucked on her fingers, tasting herself, then stood for a long moment, just leaning into that momentary sated feeling where her body relaxed enough to stop worrying about anything.
Eventually she turned off the water, dried herself off, and hung up the towel. She’d grab her dirty clothes later. She threw open the door from the ensuite to the rest of her hotel room and strode through.
“Holy shit. You look great.”
“Gwen?” Tyra froze. It’d been years since she’d last seen Gwen Carmack, in real life, anyway. They’d chatted online during the last state season—mostly sledging each other—and Tyra had been looking forward to playing on the same team as the solid batter.
“Yes.”
“What the fuck are you doing in my room?”
Gwen smiled. “Our room.”
“Excuse me?” No, she had a room to herself. Captain’s privilege.
“Avery and Tanya had a big fight and I told Shelly that I didn’t mind moving so Tanya could have my bed for a night or two.”
Tyra sighed. “Fine. They better sort it out before the first game.”
Gwen rolled her eyes. “I hope so. We need our keeper to be focused.”
Tyra started getting dressed. “We need everyone to be focused, not just Tanya. Fuck, those two are fucking disaster lesbians if there ever were any.”
“What do you mean?”
“I forgot that you are new to the team. I meant that kindly. Tanya’s very pedantic, she likes things to be—”
“Her way or the highway?”
Tyra sighed. “Well, I wouldn’t go quite that far. It’s more that she doesn’t cope well with surprises, and Avery is a typical leggie.”
“Right. She enjoys drama and taunting people into making mistakes.”
Tyra pulled on her uniform pants and grabbed her shirt. “Basically yes. When things are great between them, Avery helps Tanya relax and stop stressing about the unimportant details, but Avery doesn’t have a very good stop button. I’ll have a chat to each of them later and see what I can do.”
“It’s funny, right. Keepers are usually the ones doing the sledging.”
Tyra spread out her hands. “Tanya isn’t one for sledging. She’s more of a clinical player. We have slips to do the talking for her.”
“You know your team.”
Tyra laughed. “Yes, most of them.” She’d played with Tanya for years, for their state teams, for Australia, and for this Cricket Slam team, the Mighty Cherries. She hadn’t played with Gwen before, or the two internationals, or their rookies. “They have three weeks to sort it out before our first game. Don’t worry about it. They’ll make up and break up a few times this season. They’ve always been like that.” She finished getting dressed and ran some product through her short black hair.
“Until then, I guess you have to put up with me.”
“Or you could share with Avery.” Tyra paused. “Actually, no, stay here. It’ll sort itself out in a day or two.”
“And then you’ll kick me out. I’ve been sharing with Aditi.”
Tyra raised one eyebrow—what did Gwen mean by kick her out?
“It’s fine. She’s going to be my opening partner, so we should get to know each other better.”
“Okay, take a step back for a moment. Tanya is now rooming, temporarily, with our star international signing?”
“Yes.”
“Fuck.” Tyra grabbed her phone and called the team manager. “Shelly. What the hell is going on? Why is Tanya rooming with Aditi?”
“She had a fight with Avery and wanted to move.”
“And you thought it was best to put her with Aditi, and send Gwen to me? Wo uldn’t it make more sense to put our most expensive player with the captain?”
Shelly cleared her throat. “Aditi consented to this.”
“Right.”
“She’s a bit intimidated by you and wanted a roommate who—”
“Wasn’t the captain. Fine. Okay.” Tyra breathed out slowly. It happened and she was okay if a player wanted to maintain some distance. “Can you talk to Avery and Tanya?”
“I have. There’s some issue with their dogs.”
“Shit. Are they sick?”
Shelly chuckled. “No, no, all good. It’s just that Tanya wanted her brother to look after them for the season, and Avery wanted them to go to a dog hotel, and it all blew up. You know them.”
“Good luck with that.”
“Thanks. I’ll see you in ten.” Shelly hung up.
“All good?” Gwen asked.
“No, but yeah. It’ll get sorted soon enough.” She was old enough that her feelings weren’t hurt by Aditi not wanting to room with her. Being the captain came with certain power and responsibility that separated her from her teammates a bit. In cricket, the captain and the coach made the team selections for each match, and the captain did all the strategy during the game. She had the sole power to decide the batting order, and who would bowl when and for how long.
“Come on, then. Let’s go to the team meeting.” Gwen dragged her gaze over Tyra’s body—or perhaps it was just her imagination and a remnant of a functional orgasm—and strode out of their hotel room.
Chapter 2
Gwen didn’t hear a word that their coach, Dylan Skyler, or Tyra said during their first team meeting. Since she’d arrived at the team hotel, everything had been disruptive. First the drama with Tanya wanting to move rooms, then seeing Tyra naked with her beautiful body on display. Tyra Eddie; Australian captain and cricketing royalty. Her father had played for the West Indies, and her mother was a world-renowned sports physiotherapist. Tyra had grown up in Australia once her father had retired from playing to work in commentary.
Basically, seeing Tyra naked had completely fried her brain. Her captain was stunningly hot with perfect breasts and abs to die for, and the fact that she didn’t care that Gwen saw her naked only added to the appeal. Tyra was so confident in her skin; and Gwen couldn’t stop thinking about how Tyra shaved her head but not her pussy. Lust was the only explanation for why she couldn’t focus. This team, this opportunity, was the one thing she’d worked her ass off to achieve. She’d made a Cricket Slam team—the Mighty Cherries—although she would’ve taken any contract that had been offered to her. She wasn’t going to waste this chance; and the chance to prove herself worthy of Australian selection. Fantasising over her captain had to stop right now. Like this second. Now. Right now. Absolutely.
“Team dinner in an hour, then we are going to have a casual evening together with a movie in one of the conference rooms.” The team manager, Shelly, made her announcement.
“One thing before we all go,” Tyra said. “I know that everyone knows each other’s playing record, but not everyone has played together before, so let’s go around the room. Introduce yourself and tell us your favourite cricket moment in your career so far.”
Gwen let out her breath. She’d been holding it as soon as Tyra said ‘introduce yourself’ because people usually followed that with some nonsense, like ‘tell us something about yourself that no one in the room knows’ and it was always awkward. But cricket stuff, yeah, she could do that.
Dylan held up one finger. “Wait. We aren’t letting you off so easily. It can’t be making a team or winning a game. It has to be something that we can’t know just from reading a scorecard.”
“Could I mention my five-for for Australia in the World Championship Final?” Avery asked, and Gwen tried not to roll her eyes at the humble boast, right after Dylan had said not to mention the scorecard.
“Only if tell us why that one mattered to you.”
“Okay. I’m Avery Harris-Ramsey. I’m married to Tanya Vickory, who is the love of my life and also fucking annoying right now. Rupert and Russell need to be with someone who will care for them properly.” They’d named their dogs Rupert and Russell? Cute.
“That’s enough, Avery. Save the marital spat for later.” Dylan said.
“It’s okay. I might have over-reacted. My brother really wanted to look after Rupert and Russell, and I think I’m just as worried as you.” Tanya stood up, walked across the room, and kissed Avery on the head. They snuggled together, whispering quietly. Was it wrong to be a tiny bit irritated that they’d reconciled so fast and now she wouldn’t get to stay in Tyra’s room? Probably. Playing in a team that was cohesive would be much better for her career.
“Avery. Let’s hear about the hat-trick.” Dylan winked at the leg-spinner, who sent the coach a look of disdain at his deliberate error.
“It was a five-for. We batted first and put on 270, but South Africa were cruising at 2/200 after 30 overs. Tyra tossed me the ball and told me to do my best. The first one I tossed up was smacked for six.”
The room groaned.
“It happens.” Avery was such a typical spinner. “I tossed the next one up in the same place. It was edged to my brilliant Tanya. Two overs later, I’d taken five and we had them at 7/212. Game on.”
“One catch and two stumpings from Tanya, a brilliant catch in the deep by Willetts, and a caught and bowled,” Tyra said.
“And we won the game and the World Championship.”
Dylan grinned. “Who wants to top that?”
Several players mentioned different games, and as expected the international players all picked moments from games at that level. She waited until last for her turn, taking her time to figure out which story she wanted to tell. There had been a few wild ones, like the time she smacked a six into the sightscreen at Bellreve Oval and broke it.
“Gwen?”
“Hi everyone. I’m Gwen Carmack, opening batter. I gained selection with an average of 46.7 over the most recent state season and I’m really pleased to be here. My story isn’t really about me, but it is about a win. In my debut state game, seven years ago, I was the non-striker for the first over and Ellen Gustofer stormed in. I’ve never seen a bowler so quick.”
“It’s such a shame she injured her back and had to retire early,” Dylan said and several people in the room nodded.
“Her first ball took out the middle stump and we were 1/0. We managed to grind out the over and finished those six balls at 1/3, and eventually survived Gustofer’s first spell. Coming into the last ten overs, the game looked like going our way...” She paused, not wanting to mention that she had been 135 not out at that point. Assuming everyone else loved cricket stats as much as she did, they would know, she didn’t need to gloat. “...when Gustofer came back on for another spell. I stood at the non-strikers end as she took a glorious hat-trick. She was really at her prime that year.” Gwen paused. This was her favourite part of the story.
“Probably the most devastating pace bowler in the modern game.” Someone spoke but Gwen missed who.
“It happened so fast that our number eleven wasn’t ready. Drinkwater ran onto the field with her gloves still in her helmet to avoid being timed out, and stood at the crease, ready to face a lethal ball from a fired up Gustofer. Drinkwater managed to keep the ball off the stumps and together we batted out the rest of the innings. Drinkwater finished 3 not out, and I put on another thirty runs in the last ten overs. It was enough to win the game, but the real moment in this story is how well Drinkwater did under such pressure.” She hadn’t meant to tell such a long story, yet glancing around the room, people were either transfixed by her story or so bored they hadn’t realised she’d stopped talking.
“Drinkwater? The English off-spinner?”
“Yes. She was out here for a university exchange program.” They’d studied law together for a bit before Chloe had returned to England where she’d played a few seasons for their national team.
“She got me out at Lords once. Her flight was amazing.” Aditi shook her head. “The ball just dipped on me.”
“Great story, Gwen.” Dylan finished up with a few more details about tonight’s dinner and movie, and everyone dispersed. Gwen headed back to her room; Tyra’s room, really, now that the happy couple had worked out their differences. Until someone told her otherwise, she’d stay there, and if she saw Tyra naked again, well, that was a bonus.
