Fair Play (10 page)

Me -- No, I didn’t, but I certainly do now.

Her -- Glad I was able to enlighten you ;)

Scarlet squirms under the covers next to me. I know from experience that it will only be a matter of minutes before she is snuggled up against me. As much as I don’t want to, I should probably wrap this up with Quinn.

Me -- I hate to be a party pooper, but I’ve got a beautiful girl in my bed that is just about to claim my chest as her pillow. I should probably go.

Her -- I hope she’s not the real-life interest that I’m in competition with because if she’s in your bed already, I think she’s won the battle.

Me -- Nope, war’s still on, this is my little girl, and she already owns my heart. She’s excellent at sharing however, I’m sure if she likes you she will let you have a piece.

Her -- Whew. Good to know ;) I’ll let you get to snuggling.

Me -- Thanks, how do you feel about exchanging phone numbers? We don’t have to talk, but it’s easier to text than using Match Pro’s messaging service.

She pauses to think.

Me -- If that makes you uncomfortable, don’t worry about it, we can continue to talk here.

Her -- Let’s stay here on Match Pro for a little longer. My daddy raised me to be an overcautious girl when it comes to safety.

Me -- No problem. I hope my daughter listens to me like that someday.

Her -- I have a feeling she will. You’re quite the charmer.

Me -- Why, thank you.

Her -- Okay, same time same place tonight?

Me -- Absolutely.

Her -- Goodnight Emmett. And Emmett?

Me -- Yeah?

Her -- I really like you. I hope you don’t turn out to be a jerk.

Me -- I really like you too, Quinn, and don’t worry your pretty little toes about that. I’m not nor will I ever be a jerk.

Her -- Good, snuggle up with your best girl, and we can text tomorrow.

Me -- Okay. Goodnight.

Her -- Goodnight.

As if on cue, Scarlet scoots closer and lifts her sleepy head to lay it on my chest. I wrap my arm around her, and she sighs softly. God, I love this sweet girl.

I reach out to put my phone back on my nightstand but before I can, it vibrates in my hand. It’s a picture.

I open it up and smile. On my screen are the most beautiful feet I’ve ever seen, and I’m not necessarily a foot man. Her toes are perfectly manicured with shiny pink polish, and her skin looks buttery soft. I would have no problem rubbing these feet.

As I stare at the picture, I get the feeling I’ve seen these feet before, but that’s impossible. I get a lot of crazy things sent to my fan email address, but never a picture of feet. Other body parts yes, feet no.

I send her an emoji of a flame and a fingernail being painted, and she returns with a smiley emoji.

I slide the phone back onto the table and think about earlier this evening when I kissed Téa and the way she looked standing in my guest room in her underwear, and then I think about Quinn’s cute feet.

What a difference a week makes. Five days ago I was ready to give up on dating, and now I have two women in my life renewing my hope for a relationship.  

“Give me some help here, Mariah,” I whisper. I know she’s always with Scarlet and me, watching over us, making sure I don’t screw things up too badly. She sends me signs, and I trust her, she has heavenly connections after all.

I can see Mariah’s big blue eyes boring through me like she’s trying to tell me something as I fall asleep.

I feel the way Téa’s full, supple lips sliding against mine made my heart beat faster earlier tonight.

And finally, that picture of Quinn’s pretty pink toes plays over and over like a slide show in my head, confusing me even more.

This is going to be one long night of strange dreams.

Téa

Breathing the humid South Carolina air in the summer is like breathing water.

I’m starting to regret my decision to sit by the pool and soak up the sun while I wait for everyone to start the day. My feet are propped up on the overstuffed lounger, and I can see condensation gathering in beads on the surface of my toenail polish. It’s that humid here. It’s hot in Chicago, but we don’t have humidity like this.

I have my phone in my hand, and I’ve been contemplating sending a good morning text to Emmett. We agreed to chat tonight, but I’m in a strange place and I’m lonely. That’s what friends are for, right?

I don’t want to wake him too early though, we both went to bed late and he had lazy day plans, so they’re probably still sleeping just like everyone here.

When I crept out into the hall this morning, Nick’s door was open halfway, and I couldn’t help but peek in.

Nick and Scarlet were spooning. It was one of the sweetest sights I’ve ever seen. I was itching to grab my camera and take a photo of them, but I didn’t want Nick to think I’m a wacko creeper taking pictures of him and his daughter while they were sleeping.

Scarlet was curled up like a kitten in his arms. I think I felt my heart falter in my chest.

Then I came downstairs and tiptoed past Ben, who was sprawled out on the couch sawing wood like a lumberjack.

That man is mammoth. He makes Nick’s full-sized couch look like child’s furniture. I’d guess him to be six foot six and at least three hundred pounds of solid muscle. Nick said Ben played for the South Carolina Hawks too. He must play defense because I can't imagine this giant man running more than a few yards at a time.

His longish blond hair was sticking out everywhere. He had one hand thrown over his eyes and one leg over the back of the couch. He looked uncomfortable, to say the least. The television was still on ESPN with the volume turned down so low you couldn’t hear it, and even if you could have, Ben’s snoring would have drowned out the sound.

I rest my hands on my stomach when it growls. It would be rude to help myself to something to eat at this point in my stay. I think for now I’ll keep growling until Nick wakes up.

The pool looks inviting, and the hot sun is only getting hotter. My heart is beginning to pound in my chest from the heat. I need to either go inside or get into the water.

I stand up and walk around the pool to the shallow end and step down the first three steps until the water is around my thighs.  I wasn’t sure what I was going to do when I came downstairs, so I'm not in my swimsuit. I threw on cut-offs and a pink t-shirt that says No One Cares across the bust.

The water feels so good I take one more step down until the stray threads of my cut-offs are floating on the surface. The air is thick and unmoving. An occasional bird calls out a tune in one of the trees surrounding Nick’s property but other than that, it’s quiet and peaceful.

I like the buzz of the city, but I think I could learn to like this too. I raise my hand to shade my eyes and look around the yard. When I’ve scanned everything in sight, I feel my stomach rumble again and look toward the doors to the house. I jump and grab the side of the pool for balance when I see Nick standing there, leaning on the frame of the door, wearing nothing but a pair of loose lounge pants that are barely hanging onto his trim hips.

His chest is magnificent, chiseled and defined exactly the way I had imagined it, and he has the infamous V that points to the end zone of all end zones.

“It’s not true, you know,” he says, pushing off the doorframe and making his way toward me.

“What’s not?”

He lifts his chin in my direction, eyeing my t-shirt.

“I care.” He squats down on the edge of the pool next to me, and my heart accelerates.

I'm not sure what he's talking about, and his proximity scrambles my brain so much that I can't respond. 

“You okay there? You’re not having a heat stroke, are you?” he says, reaching out to cradle my elbow.

I blink twice slowly and shake off the shock of seeing this attractive, half-naked man so early in the morning.

“Yeah, sorry.” I look at his hand holding my elbow and follow the muscular path of his arm up to his chest and down his body, giving him a once over before I speak again. “You’re beautiful.”

His left eyebrow arches high, and he turns to look at me suspiciously.

“Come on, out of the water. You are having a heat stroke.” He pulls at my arm to help me out of the pool, and instinctively I pull away. He loses his balance, and we topple into the cold water with a splash.

When my face breaks the surface, I gasp and laugh at the shocked expression on his face.

“You think that’s funny? Come here.” He reaches out to grab me, but I squeal and dive underwater. I try to swim away, but he grabs my leg and yanks me back.

He rights me in the water and wraps his arms around my waist, pulling me against his chest. He pins my arms to my sides, so there’s no hope of escape. I look up into his playful, smoky gray eyes.

“You’re a feisty little thing, aren’t you?”

I open my eyes wide and jut my chin out. "Only when someone pushes me into a pool."

“Pushed? You pulled me in.” His arms tighten around me when I squirm.

“Don’t try to resist, you’re mine now,” he says, sliding his hands under my ass to lift me up. I have no choice but to wrap my legs around his waist and slide my hands around his neck.

I have no smart-ass response. In fact, I can’t speak at all because in seconds, his mouth is covering mine and we are sinking underwater.

His lips are warm under the cold water and his soft tongue slides against mine. A shiver runs down my spine, and his arms tighten around me. If I had breath in my lungs, I would moan but since I don't, I enjoy the kiss until we are both starving for oxygen.

We break the surface and gasp for breath without breaking the kiss. He walks us deeper into the pool and slides one hand up my back to my neck, gathering my hair and pulling it back gently, exposing more of my neck.

I close my eyes and give him what he wants. He trails soft kisses along my neck and down to my collarbone, where he sucks on the sensitive triangle where it meets the curve of my shoulder.

Goose bumps explode over the surface of my skin, and I arch my back and grip his waist with my legs pressing my core against the bulge growing by the minute between his legs. I slide my hands down his sculpted back and under the loose drawstring waistband of his pants. We moan simultaneously when I feel the tight muscles of his ass clench under in my hands.

He has the best ass ever, the absolute best.

“Ahem, y’alll might wanna cool it. Scarlet’s awake, I heard her running around upstairs,” Ben says from the kitchen door where he is standing with his arms crossed over his chest. From the ear-to-ear grin on his face, I think he has been enjoying the Nick and Téa make out show instead of ESPN.

I wiggle out of Nick’s arms when Ben’s appearance takes him by surprise and swim to the stairs. I pull myself out of the water and shiver as the previously non-existent breeze blows over my wet skin.

I look like I’ve just competed in a wet t-shirt contest. The No One Cares logo on my shirt isn’t exactly accurate now that I’m soaked to the skin. I care about being exposed, and Nick cares that Ben has a front row seat to the Téa titty show. And from the goofy smile plastered on Ben’s face, he definitely cares. 

“Enjoying yourself, Ben?” Nick says with a warning in his voice.

Ben stands up straight and drops his arms.

“Nah, I just wanted to warn you is all. I didn’t know if she would understand all this.” He waves his hand, gesturing at Nick and me in the pool.

“We fell in,” I say, turning my back to Ben.

“I’ll say,” Ben says sarcastically.

Nick’s eyes darken when he glares at his friend, and a wave of guilt for causing a rift between two longtime friends washes over me.

“You can leave, or make yourself useful and grab us some towels from the laundry room and distract Scarlet, take your pick.”

“Sure, towels, got it, be right back.”

I peek over my shoulder, and he is gone.

“Sorry, he’s usually not such a voyeur, or at least I didn’t think he was.”

“It’s fine. I’m not usually shy, but he caught me by surprise.”

“I got carried away," he says.

“Well, technically I got carried away.”

His brows pull together for a moment until he gets it and smiles.

“You getting out of the water or are you going to swim in your PJs all day?”

“I can’t get out yet.” He lowers his head and looks up at me through his beautiful, thick black lashes.

“Oh.” I bite my lip to keep from laughing.

“You’re not helping matters with your see-through t-shirt and bra.”

Now I look down. I knew my shirt was soaked, but I forgot I was wearing such a sheer bra. I cross my arms over my breasts and hear the water swirling around him while he chuckles, swimming to the edge of the pool. When I look back, he has his arms crossed over the cement with his chin resting on his knuckles.

“Better?” I ask.

“No. You can cover up as much as you want, but the image of you dripping wet in a see-through shirt is burned in my mind forever.”

“So does that mean you’ll be having this particular problem forever?”

“Possibly.”

“That might be a little awkward around Scarlet.”

“Thank you.”

“For what?”

“For mentioning my daughter, I’m cured.”

“You’re welcome.”

Ben returns to the kitchen door covering his eyes with one hand and holding out two towels for us with the other.

“Here’s your towels, Scarlet’s eating cereal at the island and I’m heading out. Thanks for letting me sleep on your couch, man. Nice to meet you, Téa.”

I walk with my arms still crossed over my chest to the door to take the towels. I peek over my shoulder and see that when my back is turned, Ben uncover his eyes. Nick gives him the peace sign. “Later.”

I wrap the thick white bath sheet around my torso and tuck the corner in between my breasts to keep it from falling off. It’s so big it goes around me twice and drags on the ground.

Nick places his hands on the edge of the pool palms down and pulls himself out of the water in one fluid movement. I avert my eyes when I notice that his pants are just as transparent as my shirt and bra. But not before seeing his best-kept secret to date. To say I am impressed would be a huge understatement.

Huge.

I hand him the towel when he comes closer. He takes it and dries his face before leaning over to whisper in my ear, “Now we’re even,” before kissing me on the cheek.

God, I love the feel of his mouth on my skin, even something as benign as a simple peck on the cheek floods my body with red-hot desire.

I place my hand on his chest and shove him away, keeping my eyes focused on a large pine tree in his yard to keep from tackling him back into the pool.

“Come on. We have to stop Scarlet from eating cereal. You promised her waffles, remember?”

“Oh yeah, how could I forget?”

I hear a sloppy flop of material hitting the ground and snap my head in his direction without thinking. He just dropped his pants and wrapped his towel around his waist.

“How are you going to explain that to Scarlet?” I ask, nodding at the towel covering his Adonis-like body.

“I’ll tell her the truth. You pulled me into the pool in my clothes,” he says with a casual shrug.

I put my hands on my hips and stand up straighter. “I did no such thing, you lost your balance and pushed me in.”

“Who do you think she’s going to believe?” He winks, showing a hint of cockiness that worries me. Being cocky isn't a trait I've ever had a good experience with in the past.

“Please don’t turn out to be a jerk, Nick. I was just starting to like you.”

He stops moving and stares at me, brows furrowed and head tilted to the side.

“What?” I ask when he stares in silence for a good thirty seconds.

“Nothing.” He shakes the thought away and threads his fingers through mine to lead me into the house.