Chapter Fifteen
The tall high school rose above them, extending into the overcast sky. What had started out as a sunny, bright day had quickly changed over to fog and drear. If he wasn’t mistaken, they were in for a storm. A big one. He wondered what Susan would think about that. She’d probably been hoping for clear skies—not clouds and downpours.
But hadn’t he heard someone say that rain was good luck for a wedding?
“What are the odds for bad weather tomorrow?” he asked, turning to Kayla. “You should know, right?”
She blinked at him. “Um, not really. I’m an actuary, not a weatherman.”
“Is there a difference?” He wrapped her hand in his, tugging her around the back of the building. “Both look at the facts and spew out statistics at the general population, right?”
“Well when you put it that way…” She grinned and looked up at the sky. Her graceful neck arched just right, and it made him pause. Since when had he been enthralled by a woman’s neck, for f*ck’s sakes?
“I’m waiting.”
“I know. I’m thinking.” She shot him an annoyed look. “I’ll put it at a fifty percent chance of rain.”
“See? You even sound like a real weatherman.”
She rolled her eyes. “It’s okay. Rain is good luck for a wedding, contrary to popular belief. So it’s a good thing.”
“I thought I heard that somewhere.” He led her toward the football field in the back. “So, tell me the truth. Were you on that field kicking your legs up and shaking your ass for all of the boys?”
She frowned at the field. “Not even close.”
“Really? With that ass,” he palmed her backside through the jeans, “and with that body,” he trailed his fingers over her hips. He loved the way they curved so gracefully. “I’d have put my money on you being a cheerleader. Maybe even chief cheerleader.”
“Well, you would have lost.” She gave him a small smile. “Sadly, I was pretty much the furthest thing from a cheerleader.”
“Hmm.” He tapped a finger on his chin. “The jock?”
“Puh-lease.”
“The math-a-lete?”
“Closer.” She headed toward the field, her gaze on the bleachers. “I did like numbers, but that’s not a shock, I’m sure.”
“All right. I give up. What were you?”
She sighed. “I was in the five percent of the adolescent population that stayed in orchestra throughout high school.”
He almost laughed, but didn’t. He thought back on their time together. She had a habit of tapping her fingers when she was nervous or irritated. And for some reason, he thought for sure she must play the violin. He had no idea why. It was just a hunch, so he went with it. “Violin?”
“Yep.” She smiled, but the smile looked sad. “I liked the music. And liked being in the orchestra. My part was always so clearly laid out. I knew exactly where I was seated and when to come in. It was comforting to a person like me.”
“I can see that about you. Do you still play?”
“Sometimes.” She shrugged. “I do it when I’m stressed out or thinking. But I miss being in an actual orchestra. It’s the one place where I felt like I belonged. You know what I mean?”
He studied her. He might not have been a nerd in high school, but he’d never felt as if he belonged anywhere back then. Had never found his home, so to speak. Being a military brat, he’d never settled down long enough to really find a close group of friends or colleagues. Not until the military, when he forged some strong relationships with the guys around him. So he got what she meant way too well. He liked being needed. Liked helping others. But besides that…what did he have now?
Nothing. That’s what.
He was tempted to make a joke and laugh off the moment. Make light of the fact that she’d shared something about herself she probably didn’t tell many people. It’s what he normally did. It was him. But he couldn’t do it. Instead he cupped her cheek and ran his thumb over her lower lip. “I do know what you mean about belonging. But honestly? I don’t think I’ve ever found that security.”
She blinked up at him. “You have your career. Your men.”
“Yeah, but do I belong there? Do I feel at peace?” He shrugged, feeling restless. “I don’t think I could say that. I’ve never lost myself in something or someone so completely that everything else just faded away.”
Not until you.
He immediately shook the thought from his head.
She snorted. “I find that hard to believe. You seem to know exactly where you’re going and what you’re doing at every point in time.” She headed for the bleachers, her hand still holding his. “I know you like helping people, and I know you have a life plan that you stick to—and that’s half of what you need to get where you want to be in life. You know what you want, and you go get it. That’s awesome.”
“What’s the other half?”
“Sheer, stubborn determination to win.” She eyed him, a smile playing on her lips. “I think you’ve got that down, too.”
He laughed. “You think?”
“Oh yeah.” She opened the gate and walked into the stands. He couldn’t believe it wasn’t locked, but maybe they didn’t worry about that in North Carolina. “You’ve definitely got the stubborn part down to an art form. I mean, look at the way you took over and demanded to be my fake boyfriend? If that isn’t sheer determination, then I don’t know what is.”
“Nah. I just wanted to get in your pants.”
“Well, you succeeded.” She grinned up at him.
“That’s something I’ve always been pretty confident in,” he joked, tightening his fingers on hers. “My ability to woo a woman.”
“Yeah, I can see why.”
“Though, I never went to the extremes with anyone else that I went to with you.” He roamed his gaze over her. She wore a grey wool jacket, a pair of jeans, and a white knit hat. Her cheeks were flushed from the cold, and she looked so damn pretty it hurt.
She chuckled. He expected her to say something sentimental or sweet, but she turned away, her cheeks going even redder. “You didn’t tell me who you were in high school yet.”
He blinked at the change of subject. “Uh…why don’t you guess?”
“Guess?” She strolled toward the area where the team sits when they’re not on the field. “I have a ninety-four percent chance of getting it right, based on what I know about you.”
He raised a brow. “Sounds as if you like those odds.”
“I do.”
“Enough to bet on it?”
“Hmmm…” She paused, as if she was worried she might be wrong. “What are we talking here? Money? Sexual favors?”
He scanned the surrounding area. There were no cameras, and they were definitely the only ones here. “If you’re wrong, you have to do any sexual favor I ask for.”
She laughed. “That’s all?”
“Yep.” He gestured toward the field. “Right here. Right now.”
She sucked in a deep breath, then blew it out. He could almost make out her breath in the cold air. “Seriously?”
“What’s the matter?” He spun her until her back rested against the chain link fence, then grabbed both her hands. He lifted them so they pressed against the metal on either side of her head. “Are you too scared your calculations are off?”
“God, no.” She bit down on her lip, her gaze on his mouth. “Fine, but I pick the favor.”
He groaned. “Deal. Go ahead and guess already.” He nibbled on the side of her neck. “Take all the facts you know about me and tell me what I was like in high school.”
When he lowered his head and nipped the spot where her shoulder and neck met, she groaned and arched her back. “You’re very take charge, and you came from a military family, so you probably moved around a lot. It wouldn’t have given you a good chance to develop the team camaraderie that most sports need to flow nicely, and you were always the new kid, so I’m guessing you weren’t in any sports. You don’t strike me as the musical type, so I’m thinking…”
When she didn’t finish, he cocked a brow. “Yeah?”
“You were the guy who kept to the edge of the crowd, didn’t have any activities he excelled at, even though you were smart. I’d say you were into art and a loner. Maybe even a skater boy.”
He shook his head. “Wrong.”
“Not possible.” She narrowed her eyes on him. “You’re lying.”
He laughed. “I’m not lying. Your odds were off, and you lost.”
“Impossible,” she said, her lips pressed tight. “What were you, then?”
“Hmm.”
He lowered his mouth to hers. But he didn’t kiss her. He just hovered there, enjoying the moment. Her hands curled into fists, but she didn’t fight his hold. “Tell me,” she demanded.
“I was the quarterback—the guy chasing down the cheerleaders. And they chased me, too.”
“No way. That’s not possible.”
He laughed. “I assure you it’s true.”
“If you were always moving around, how did you gain that position without knowing the coaches? The rest of the team?”
“I was just that good.”
She turned her head, a challenging light in her eyes. “Prove it.”
“And how do you propose I do that?” He looked at the area she’d been looking at. There was an errant football under the corner of the bleachers. “Ah. I see now.”
“If you can throw a ball and impress me? Then you win.”
“I already won.” He lowered his head towards her. “Be warned: I will be collecting my prize as soon as I throw that ball.”
She smirked up at him. “Consider me scared.”
He laughed at how she’d turned his words from last night back on him. He pushed off the fence, releasing her in the process, and then made his way over to the football. It had been years since he threw one with any seriousness besides f*cking around in the desert, but he should still be able to prove he had skills.
Or that he’d had skills, anyway.
“We’ll go mid-field, and then I’ll throw it as hard as I can. Deal?”
“Deal.” She started running toward the field. “Let’s go, slow-poke!”
He shook his head at her silliness, and then easily caught up to her. Hell, he could have blown past her, but what fun would that have been? By the time they made it to midfield, she was out of breath and he was laughing.
“All right.” She bent over and rested her hand on her knees. “Impress me, quarterback boy.”
He grinned. “Done.”
“Wait,” she called out, holding a hand up. “You need a kiss for good luck.”
She straightened and then threw herself against him, kissing him full on the mouth, her arms snaking around his neck. He fumbled the ball as he wrapped his arms around her, hauling her close. F*ck football. He’d rather be playing with her.
But she broke away and danced out of his reach. “Go for it.”
He took a deep breath, picked up the ball, and gave himself a second to re-center his bearings. Once he had it all figured out, he positioned himself, eyed the wind, and then cranked back before letting loose. The ball arced across the field with a perfect spiral, then hit the ground and bounced a bit before landing a little bit in front of the ten yard line.
He turned to her with a raised brow, and she looked back at him with her mouth parted. “Do you believe me now?” he asked.
“Yep,” she sighed. “Damn you.”
“I told you.”
“Yeah, yeah.” She started for the enclosed team stands. She crooked her finger at him, grinning as she walked backwards. “Let’s go, lover boy.”
He followed her, his hands shoved in his pockets. By the time they made it to the spot they’d been in earlier, he was lost in her. Mesmerized by the swing of her hips. The way her hair swayed with each step. Hell, with everything about her.
He had to reel it in. Now.
She turned and curled her hands around his neck. “Time for me to pay up. And I know just the way to do it.”
He lowered his mouth to hers, kissing her as if his life depended on it. And, hell, right now it kind of felt like it did. And he was dying to know how she’d pay her debt.
She stepped closer, her hand dipping between their bodies to cup his cock. He groaned into her mouth, need coursing through his veins. She squeezed him, her fingers moving over him, and then she raised her hand, gripping his waistband tight.
When she slipped the button out of the loophole, he broke off the kiss. As much as he wanted to do this, he couldn’t make her do something so private in such a public place. “You don’t have to. I was just f*cking around with you.”
“Which is exactly what I’m trying to do with you.”
She grabbed his hand and tugged him into the corner by the wall. As far as secure places in public went…this was as good as it got. No one would even know they were here unless they came around the corner and into the same area. Chances were they were safe.
But what if he was wrong?
She undid his button, then slowly unzipped his pants. Then knelt on the cement. The sight of her on her knees at his feet pushed him over the moral ledge. F*ck it. They were doing this.
She tugged his pants and boxers down, and he sucked in a deep breath at the frigid air hitting his cock. But then her mouth closed around him, and he forgot all about the cold and just focused on her. On what she made him feel. She sucked him in deep, her tongue rolling over the head, and he closed his eyes tight.
Holy f*cking shit, she was incredible. Her hand curled around the back of his ass, holding him still, and she went down on him right here. Right now.
His entire body pulsed with the pleasure she gave him. His balls went tight and his stomach clenched, making him want to groan out loud. Kayla was amazing in every way. The fact that she was willing to do this—in public!—drove him f*cking insane.
Then again, between the plane and the rental car lot, they’d done lots of things in public. He’d been told women like her existed. Women who were kind and funny and wild in bed. He hadn’t believed it until now. Now he knew differently.
The perfect woman did exist—and her name was Kayla.
He clenched his jaw and watched her through his lowered lids. Seeing her on her knees in front of him, her mouth slowly taking him deeper and deeper until he was completely inside of her, sent him over the edge. She moaned, and he knew he was done.
He buried his hands in her hair and tried to tug her off. “I’m going to come. You need to stop.”
She slapped his hands away and sucked harder. He tried to hold off. Tried to wait. But this was her, and he couldn’t hold back. She was too damned amazing. He closed his eyes and arched into her mouth once, twice, then he exploded. She sucked harder, swallowing every drop. Then she let go of him inch by agonizing inch, her mouth slowly releasing him.
As she stood, she swiped a hand over her mouth, and then she tugged his boxers up. He reached down and quickly adjusted his pants, and within seconds, it was as if nothing had even happened.
They were both clothed and just standing there.
“Jesus, Kayla.” He sagged against the wall of the cement wall. “Now it’s your turn.”
He reached for her, but she skirted out of his reach. “Nope. I don’t get a turn. I lost fair and square—but you can make it up to me tonight, if you want.”
“I don’t care if you lost.” He stalked after her. “I don’t leave my women wanting, so get your ass back here.”
Laughing, she backed up, the wind whipping her hair all about. “You sounded like a pimp just then. Just so you know.”
“Gee, thanks.” His response only made her laugh harder.
She glanced over her shoulder. “Let’s go lay down on the field. I always wanted to lie in the middle and look up at the sky.”
That made no sense. “Why would you want to do that? The ground is probably freezing.”
She shrugged and walked backwards toward the field, a big smile on her face. “You coming?”
His breath lodged in his throat, and then he followed her. He had a habit of doing that. Following her around. If he was a lesser man, it just might bother him.
But he wasn’t, and it didn’t. And they might not have long together—only one more day, really—but until he walked away?
He’d be at her side, no holds barred.