Playing for Kicks (Play Makers Book 5) (32 page)

So she murmured in his ear, “It’s so
exciting, Sean. Seventy yards. Yum.”

“Maybe seventy-one,” he said thickly.

“Whatever it was, it was
huge,”
she
assured him. “The biggest, hardest ever.”

“You’re hilarious, you know that?” His lips
teased her earlobe. “Man, Tess. What a day.”

“Are we going to watch the game? Or go
dancing? Whatever you want, Sean.”

He eyed her curiously, then reached to the
end of the bed and pulled a quilt up over them. “We’ll watch the
game. And order room service. How’s that?”

She nodded, said, “Just give me a second,”
then slipped out of the bed, scooping up her shirt and bra on her
way to the bathroom. She would change into sweats, and he’d be good
because he wasn’t just a good guy. He was a very grateful guy. And
smart enough to pretend this had never happened, at least for the
moment.

• • •

Camp went well the next day. Not that Sean
could actually kick the ball the way he wanted to, but he could do
the next best thing: think about Tess. She had wowed him, first by
skipping her shift to rush down and celebrate, then by granting him
access to her hot, sweet breasts, then wrapping it up with an
awesome hand job despite their buffer agreement.

He could only imagine how it would be when
they really got it on. Super hot, super unpredictable. Just
thinking about it blew his mind, and he reminded himself more than
once not to grin like a fool. Riga would go ballistic, imagining it
was about the game-changer scenario. John would ask
questions—respectful but relentless. And Bam would harass the hell
out of him until he figured it out.

His best course was to avoid his friends.
Avoid his coach. Avoid everyone.

Just think about Tess without letting his
happiness show on his face.

He wanted to be with her. Take her to bed.
Marry the hell out of her someday. Hell, he’d marry her today if
there weren’t a few obstacles in their path. The biggest one being
Tess herself. Because if she knew he felt this way, she would cut
him off. No doubt about it. Move straight back to Seattle to ensure
there was no misunderstanding.

She was into him for sure, but that wouldn’t
matter.

He had labeled her “skittish,” and while it
was almost the opposite of true, since she was sublimely cool, the
concept kept him in line. Reminded him of lazy afternoons on the
ranch when he had tried to lure an occasional wild horse out of a
grazing herd. It hardly ever worked, but every once in a while, one
would seem bored. Curious about the relaxed, non-threatening human
in the distance. And he actually
was
non-threatening, since
he had no intention of catching it.

He just wanted to get closer. Gain that
elusive trust. And while he usually screwed up, he learned how to
read the signs. To be patient. And every once in a while, he’d get
one to eat out of his hand. But he never took the next step—never
slipped a rope around the horse’s neck—because that was never the
goal. Or at least not to Sean.

His father and uncle were another story,
mocking him for not grabbing the prize. Or as his father would say,
“Hard to tell if Sean caught the horse or the horse caught
Sean.”

Laughing now, he reminded himself that Tess
wasn’t the only reason he was taking this thing slow. He had
honestly learned his lesson from the nightmare with Kerrie. Plus,
buffer dating rocked, at least the way Tess did it.

“Hey, Deck!” came a boisterous shout.

He turned to acknowledge Bam. “Hey.”

“What’s with you today? Did you get laid or
something? Was it Bammie?”

“Who else would it be?” Sean demanded, then
he grimaced. “Just go away.”

The halfback grinned and slapped him on the
back. “Remember when you used to cuss me out? I
miss
that,
bro.”

“Did you want something?” Sean drawled.

“Yeah, let’s grab her and buy her some
dinner. Your treat.”

“We have plans.”

“Too bad, because Erica wants to get
together. Because they missed their pantie-party at lunch
today.”

Hesitating, Sean tried to imagine what Tess
would want. They had planned on catching a show. Their way of
keeping things extra light to make up for last night. Or as she
liked to say:
Pace yourself, Romeo
.

Chuckling, he decided just to ask her, so he
pulled out his phone and told Bam, “Give me a minute.”

Predictably, the halfback grabbed it and
said, “Hey, Bammie. What’re you wearing?” then turned away from
Sean to indicate a private conversation.

Sean shook his head, annoyed but also
laughing at his friend’s obnoxious antics. And yes, there had been
a time when he would have cussed the halfback out for this, mostly
from frustration over the events of the last eight months, starting
with the tensions over the Super Bowl and ending with the Kerrie
mindfuck.

Now? Bannerman just cracked him up. Just like
the old times.

They seemed to be negotiating something, then
Bam returned the phone, explaining, “She’s in. You’re welcome.”

“We’ll see,” Sean told him dryly. Then he
spoke to Tess. “Hey, babe. We can stick with our plan, no
problem.”

“No, this works. You sound good,” she added
softly. “How was your day?”

Surprised, he assured her, “It’s been good.
How about yours? Bam says you canceled your lunch?”

“Erica canceled. And since I read all the
pages for book club for once, this definitely works for me.”

“Great, I’ll be over around six thirty. And
I’ll come up. So you don’t have to stand at the curb.”

“Like I’d fall for
that
again?” she
teased him. “See you at six thirty, Romeo.
At
the curb.”

Laughing, he said good-bye then saw Bam
staring at him. “What now?”

“You’re embarrassing yourself, dude.” Before
Sean could retort, the halfback said cheerfully, “She wanted
barbecue from Gusterson’s, but I convinced her to sample the
roadhouse. We can shoot pool while the girls have their pillow
fight.”

“Lucky for you, she thinks you’re funny,”
Sean said, shrugging. “So just let John know we’ll be there. And
grow the hell up, will ya?”

• • •

Bam had sold her on the roadhouse by
explaining it was the scene of the “nudie pics” of Darcie. And
while she wanted to be alone with Sean, she was also wary of it—not
because their previous night’s intimacy made her uncomfortable, but
because she was so hot to take it further she barely recognized
herself.

Her usual strategy of making detailed notes
and stick-figure depictions hadn’t cooled her down, so she had
reviewed the older entries. Sean and Kerrie. Sean, Kerrie and
Melody. Sean and Rachel. Erica with her amazing scent. So many
women, so many weaknesses. Yet it all just made him seem even more
adorable in her current condition.

So she tried for a breezy mood when she
hopped into his car, and was pleased when he took the cue, making
jokes about Bam, then listening as she recounted the first two
chapters’ worth of murder mystery.

At the roadhouse, John had reserved the very
booth where the photo had been shot, so they all ate clam chowder
while Bam begged the women to reenact “the breast day ever.”
Finally, they moved to the bar so the guys could shoot pool while
book club commenced at a nearby pub table.

“Sorry I had to cancel,” Erica began sweetly.
“I’m just so swamped at work.”

Tess rolled her eyes. “I’ll decide soon, I
promise.”

“Fine, let’s talk about you and Sean. Has
something changed?”

“We haven’t had sex yet if that’s what you’re
asking.”

“Yet?” Erica smiled in delight. “Meaning you
plan to do it soon? Yay! When you said buffer dating didn’t include
sex I actually believed you. But this is better.”

“Settle down,” Tess chided her. “Even if it
does happen, it’s weeks away.”

“Why? What’s the issue? You like him. He’s
crazy about you. The chemistry’s hot. And he’s been single for
weeks and weeks. What’s missing?”

She hesitated, but Erica was a loyal friend
these days, and Tess had been struggling with this on her own. So
she explained carefully, “Before we do it, I need to know what it
means.”

“Why does it have to
mean
something?”
Erica asked cautiously. “The first time I did it with Johnny, it
was just a burst of excitement. Two people wild about each other.
Later, sure, it started to mean something. But . . .” She
sighed. “I’m listening.”

“Okay.” She leaned forward in full
consultation mode. “I can’t resist him, so we know it’ll happen.
Either as the perfect ending to a perfect buffer romance, or the
start of something else. I almost prefer it as an ending. But
obviously, if it’s something bigger, I’d love that too. So I don’t
really have a preference. But I’d like to know going in.”

“Can’t it just be the next logical step?”

“Not with Sean. Don’t ask me how I know, but
I know.”

Leaning back, Erica pursed her lips like a
pseudo-shrink. “When you slept with the French dude, what did it
mean?”

“Nothing. And that was fine. And in answer to
your next question, I did it with one other guy, and that didn’t
mean anything either.” She arched a teasing eyebrow. “Long story
short, he had a crush on me, I kept putting him off, and
finally—well, at some point, it’s just common courtesy, right?”

“You had sex to be polite?” Erica giggled.
“Be polite to Sean then.”

When Tess laughed, too, Erica hammered the
point. “You’re so perfect for each other.
You’re
in the
moment.
He’s
in the moment.”

“So we drift away together?” Tess meant it as
a joke but it hit a nerve. Wasn’t that her father’s prediction?
She’d find some laid-back surfer dude in Hawaii, shack up on the
beach, and string necklaces for weed money.

“There’s more to me than that,” she assured
Erica. “And there’s more to Sean, too. I just need to know exactly
what that is before—” She broke off and glared. “Worst. Book club.
Ever.”

“Sorry. I’ll be good.”

“Actually . . .” Tess had noticed Sean
looking at her longingly from the pool table, and she couldn’t
resist waving to him.

He joined them in an instant, explaining to
Erica, “Tess needs to work on her article.”

Erica laughed. “You’re a worse liar than
she
is. Just go have fun. I’ll explain things to the
guys.”

• • •

“Did you have fun?” Sean asked as they drove
back to the Ashton.

She nodded.

“Just let me know if Bannerman gets too wild.
I owe those guys, since they shared
their
women with me all
these months. But I know he’s an animal.”

“That might be my favorite part,” she agreed
easily.

Sean chuckled. Then he cleared his throat and
said, “Can I ask you something?”

She nodded.

“Have you written my part of the
article?”

The question startled her and she scrambled
for a safe response, especially since she had tried it a couple of
times, most recently this afternoon, and always came up with the
same problem—she couldn’t figure him out. Take away the good looks,
the easy-going demeanor, the athleticism, and the raw sex appeal,
and she was left with a mystery man. Irresistible, for sure. But
who
was
this guy?

“Why do you ask?” she murmured.

“You said you finished with John and Erica.
And Coach Spurling. I already read the Noah Cunningham piece and
it’s great. And you finished Romanov’s part too, right?”

She winced but nodded.

“So I realized you might be waiting for the
verdict on X-Caliber.”

“Oh! No, not at all.” She settled back and
relaxed. “It’s not really relevant, since I’m writing about your
process. Especially the privacy aspect. Not the final decision.
Thanks, though.” Pausing, she added warily, “Do you think it’s
taking too long? Did Murf say something?”

“Geezus, no. I almost didn’t mention it,
because damn.” His smile warmed. “It’s a miracle you’ve written so
much already. Especially working at Zone D, commuting, and being
stalked by Lancers
.
But if it would help for me to just ink
the deal, I could.”

The decision didn’t surprise her. He had
basically said as much during their first interview. His memories
of his mom and dad were tied up in those shoe strings, so he
basically
had
to save X-Caliber.

Trying for a lighter mood, she told him, “I
want your part to be the best. It
will
be the best. Because
I’m biased.”

“Yeah, I know.” He pulled the Mercedes into a
ten-minute parking slot, killed the engine, and came around to open
her door. “Here we are.”

She wondered if he knew how much she wanted
him to come up with her. Or how much she would regret it if she
didn’t think it through first.

With a teasing smile he backed her against
the car. “So we’re on for tomorrow night?”

“I can’t wait.”

“We’ll need to get a late start,” he told her
regretfully. “Remember the raccoon? The vet wants to release him
tomorrow night at my place since that’s his natural habitat. So I
need to be there for a few minutes.”

“He’s better already?”

“He’s stable, and they don’t want to keep him
longer than necessary. He’s wild, right? So he needs to fend for
himself.” Chuckling, he added, “Some of the vet students have been
spoiling him rotten, so they’re coming over too. To say good-bye.
You’re invited too, obviously, but I got the impression you
wouldn’t want to. Which is fine.”

“I could make cookies,” she offered, charmed.
“Just a casual send-off, right? Maybe some chicken wings and a
vegetable platter? And iced tea to drink?”

Sean’s eyes sparkled. “That sounds awesome.
They’re gonna make a video, so to them it really is a celebration.”
He grinned. “You’re not afraid of the raccoon?”