For the Rush (Playing for Keeps #3) (9 page)

His gaze locked with mine. “Not at all. It’s one of the things I like about you.”

I smiled. “Good answer.”

“I’m full of ‘em.” He leaned into me. “But they’re not just words. I mean what I say.”

“I’m starting to get that.”

Holden

I wasn’t sure my plan would work. The look on Chloe’s face when I first started walking toward her freaked me out. It was definitely not a thrilled look. But the minute I touched her face I knew I had her. The way she melted into me told me all I needed to know. And it was awesome. The best feeling ever.

It was worth all of the teasing I got the last half of the game. I swear, I thought Ryan would never let up. But it didn’t matter. I meant what I said to Chloe. I liked her, and I didn’t care what others thought.

And now she stood in front of me leaning against the fence, looking like an angel in her pastel tank top and pants so tight they left nothing to the imagination. Her hair was tied back in a ponytail, and the strands danced behind her head in the slight breeze, almost creating a halo-like effect. I wanted to kiss her so bad, but I knew I should wait. She’d only just admitted she liked me. I didn’t want to push my luck. It seemed I was always screwing up when it came to her, and I wasn’t sure I could afford another one. There were only so many grand gestures I could come up with.

“My parents are expecting me home soon,” she said, and my heart sagged.

But I brushed it off, waving my hand in understanding. “I get it. I’ve got a strict Mom too.”

“Mom, huh? That’s funny. It’s opposite for me. My mom’s pretty lax, but my dad’s super strict.”

Her words hit their mark. I bit my lip. “Yeah, well, my dad’s not around so…” Reaching up, I nervously rubbed the back of my neck. Why had I said anything? It was just an innocent comment. Something she said to fill the silence. Not so I could pop off with something intimate and personal, ruining the whole moment.

“I’m sorry,” she said with so much sincerity it almost broke me.

No way was I going down that road tonight. No, tonight was about wowing her with my charm. Tonight was about fun. “It’s okay. I know something that will make me feel better.”

“You do?” She cocked an eyebrow, and damn if I didn’t think it was one of the sexiest things I’d ever seen.

Reaching forward, I curled my fingers in the chain links of the fence right next to her ear. Then I bent forward until my lips almost touched her cheek. She shivered, and it gave me a sense of satisfaction. I held her gaze. “Go out with me.”

“When?” A puff of air met my face.

“Tomorrow night.”

“What time?” Her eyes sparkled.

“I’ll pick you up at six.” I inhaled her sweet scent, my insides having a freaking party. I wanted nothing more than to lean forward a bit more and satisfy my curiosity by pressing my lips to her soft skin. But I held off, showing restraint.

“It’s a date.”

I shoved off the fence. “It sure is.”

When I got home, the house was dark. Silence wove around me as I stepped inside. The only light came from the kitchen. I assumed Mom had left it on when she went to bed, until I heard noise from inside – the rattle of a cup, the pull of a drawer. Inching forward, I poked my head inside the kitchen doorway. It was dimly lit, only the light from the stove illuminating the room. James’ back was to me, his elbow moving as if he was stirring something.

I walked into the room. James must have heard my footsteps because his head jerked, his neck craning.

“Where were you tonight?” I asked, my tone hard.

James spun around, leaning back against the counter. He held a mug in his hand. Steam rose from it. “Sorry I missed your game, bud.”

I winced. Seriously, I hated when he called me ‘bud.’ Did he think I was ten or something?

“I had a long day at work, so I stayed home,” he continued. “Needed some quiet time.”

“Long day at work, huh?” I glared. “You’ve been having a lot of those lately.”

“Is there something you want to ask me?” He threw me a challenging look.

I knew I had to tread lightly. Mom would kill me if I got into fight with my new stepdad, so for her sake I’d keep it civil. “Just find it odd, that’s all. It seems that the numbers will still be there to calculate in the morning.”

“It’s a little more complicated than that,” James replied dryly, running his free hand through his salt and pepper hair.

“To me it’s pretty simple, actually.”

“It is?” He raised his brows in bemusement.

“Yep. When I see my mom sitting alone every night on the couch it becomes pretty damn simple to me.”

“Holden,” his voice had softened. Gone was the amused expression, replaced by one of grave concern. “I would never do anything to hurt your mom. I’m not--”

I held up my hand, not wanting to hear him say the words “like your dad.” I knew he wasn’t like my dad, but I also didn’t want him waltzing in here acting like he was so much better than him either. I knew it didn’t make sense. Most of the time I hated my dad, but deep down I knew I loved him. And it’s not like it had always been bad. We’d had good times. At one point Mom and Dad were happy. Plus, Dad’s the reason I love football. I knew the way I felt about my dad was messed up, but I guess that was the curse of having parents. Even when you hated them, you loved them. Even when you wanted not to care, you did.

And even though you’d told your dad to go to hell, what you really wanted was for him to come home.

Chloe

“Where is he taking you?” Jasmine asked.

“He didn’t say.” Holding the phone to my ear with my right hand, I perused my closet with my left. My fingertips brushed over an array of tops, skirts and dresses. It landed on the floral dress I wore to Cole’s graduation, and a stab of sadness shot through me. If Cole were here he’d give me so much crap about dating Holden. He’d probably be in here right now teasing me, tossing out ugly outfits and daring me to wear them. Cole and I had always been pretty close, but we grew apart his last year of high school. And now that he was in college, I hardly ever heard from him. I’d called a few times, but when I got him he sounded distracted, so I’d stopped trying. But the truth was that I missed him. Releasing the dress, I touched the next hanger.

“Ooh, a surprise. Those are the best!” Jasmine squealed. “You do realize that Gianna and I are totally living vicariously through you now, so you have to share all the details with us.”

I giggled. “Well, maybe not all. I am a lady, you know.”

“You’re so gonna kiss him tonight, aren’t you?”

I stepped back from the closet, my cheeks warming. I hadn’t really planned on kissing Holden, but now that she mentioned it I could think of nothing else. I remembered the way his hand felt on my cheek, the intensity in his gaze when he stared into my eyes. Kissing him didn’t sound so bad, actually. In fact, it sounded kind of awesome.

“You’re thinking about it, aren’t you?” Jasmine prodded.

Shit. How long had I been standing here mute?

“No,” I lied. “I’m trying to figure out what to wear.” A closet full of clothes and nothing seemed right for tonight. Of course it would help if I had some direction. “Jazzy, I gotta go get ready.”

“All right.” I could hear the disappointment in her voice. “Call me later.”

“Okay.” I hung up with her and went into my text messages. Then I shot off a text to Holden asking him if I should dress casual or not.

His response came quickly.

Holden: You’re not going to wear your bikini?

I stared at the screen wondering if he was serious. Was he taking me swimming? Or to the spa? My heart sank. I was hoping for something more original than that. My phone vibrated in my hand, another text appearing on the screen.

Holden: Just kidding. Casual’s fine.

Whew. Thank god.

Me: OK.

After tossing my phone on the bed, I stepped back to my closet. I took down a black and white striped long ex-boyfriend tee and my skinny jeans from their hangers. Once I got dressed, I added hoop earrings and my black flats. Then I fixed my hair in large loose curls that fell down my back. Remembering how much Holden stared at my lips that first time he’d seen me in my band uniform, I decided to wear my red lipstick. I wondered if it would make him kiss me. Just the thought caused a swarm of butterflies to flutter in my belly. Taking a deep breath, I lined my eyes in black eyeliner and ran black mascara over my lashes. When I finished, I heard a distant knock at the front door. Shaking out my hands, I assessed my reflection in the mirror. For a moment I waffled back and forth with the lipstick wondering if it was too much, but then Mom knocked on my door.

“Come in,” I called.

The door popped open, Mom’s head peeking in. “Holden’s here, honey.” Her eyes widened. “Wow. You look so pretty.”

“It’s not too much?” I bit my lip, red staining my white teeth. Crap. Why had I done that? Leaning toward the mirror, I wiped it off with my fingers.

“He’ll love it.” She smiled. “Then again, from what I’ve seen I think he’d love how you look no matter what.”

No one was more shocked than me when Holden approached me on the field during the game. Well, no one except my parents. And certainly no one more than my dad. According to Mom, she practically had to hold Dad in place while Holden “accosted” me on the field. “Accosted” would be the word Dad used, of course. But Mom thought it was sweet and romantic. When male voices floated from downstairs, I stiffened.

“I better go save Holden from Dad.”

“Not a bad idea,” Mom agreed.

I snatched up my cell and purse and headed downstairs. Mom’s hand gently touched my back as I passed. She was the one who had held me when Ethan broke up with me. Honestly, she’d never been Ethan’s biggest fan. But I could tell she was already a fan of Holden. When I reached the bottom of the stairs, Holden’s head bobbed up, his eyes catching mine. His hair fell over his forehead, his dark eyes striking. His hands were shoved into the pocket of his jeans, the grey shirt he wore showing off the definition of his muscles.  I sucked in a breath.
It was safe to say that I was a fan of him too.

“You look amazing,” he said when I approached him.

Dad stood over his shoulder with a stern look on his face. My stomach clenched. I threw Mom a pleading look and she maneuvered around me to stand next to Dad. She placed a soothing hand on his arm and grinned at me.

“You two have a fun time,” she said.

“Thanks.” I glanced at both her and Dad before making my way to the front door.

“Nice to you meet you, Mr. and Mrs. Martin,” Holden said politely, then looked pointedly at my dad. “I’ll have her home by eleven.”

“No later,” Dad snapped.

My face colored. I narrowed my eyes. Mom rubbed Dad’s arm, and whispered something to him.

“Have fun,” Dad said, but his voice was odd and tight.

I shook my head. “See ya later.” Spinning around, I hurriedly escaped out the front door. I’d never been so happy to be out of my house in my life. Cool air smacked me in the face, the scent of the flowers near the porch overwhelming my senses. “Sorry about the drill sergeant in there.” I pointed over my shoulder with my thumb as we made our way toward Holden’s car.

“No problem. He just cares about you.” Sadness flickered momentarily in his eyes, but it was gone so quickly I wondered if it had been there at all.

“So where are we off to?” He opened the passenger door for me, and I slid into the front seat. I didn’t think Ethan opened the door for me once in our entire relationship. Glancing back at the house, I hoped Dad was watching through the window. Then he’d see what a gentleman Holden was.

“You’ll see.” He shut the door firmly and walked around the car. After opening his door, he plopped inside, the faint scent of cologne wafting under my nose. I nestled into the leather seat as he started the engine and pulled away from the curb. “Your parents seem nice.”

I nodded. “They’re all right.”

“You have an older brother, right?”

Nodding, I was surprised he remembered. “He’s away at college.” I stared out the window, willing away the ache in my heart when I thought of Cole.

“That’s cool. I always wanted a brother.”

I faced away from the window, studying Holden’s profile. “Sisters are tough, huh?” Huffing, I added, “I bet my brother would say the same thing.” As close as Cole and I were as kids, he became more secretive in his teenage years and it seemed that everything I did annoyed him.

“No sisters.”

My body swayed as Holden took a corner. The sky was darkening, headlights of passing cars painting our faces. “Only child. What’s that like?”

He shrugged, keeping his gaze trained forward and hands on the wheel. My dad would be proud of how responsible he was behaving. Ethan always thought it was fun to drive erratically, swerving into other lanes and going over the speed limit. “’S okay.”

Whenever Holden’s family was brought up, I felt a wall being built up between us, and I didn’t like it. However, a first date wasn’t the time to pry, so I let it go. “If I guess where we’re going, will you tell me?” I sat forward in my seat, taking in my surroundings. We were coming up on the freeway.

“Sure. Why not?”

He merged onto Highway 50 toward Sacramento. I remembered him telling me once about a friend whose band played at a club downtown. “Are you taking me to hear some live music?”

His head snapped in my direction. I worried he’d lose control of the vehicle. But he recovered quickly, facing forward again. “No way. I can’t believe you were right on your first guess.”

“What can I say? I’m that good,” I teased.

He shook his head. “If I had known that, I never would’ve agreed to the game.”

I felt bad, worried that I’d messed up his plans. “I’m sorry. I should’ve let you keep it a surprise.”

“Hey, it’s not a Christmas present,” he said lightly. “It’s fine that you guessed it.”

“Christmas presents are easy to guess. Ever since I was a little girl, I’d shake them the minute they were under the tree. I’d have them all figured out in one day. Used to drive my mom nuts.”

“I bet it did.” Holden chuckled. “I never tried to figure out my presents. Always enjoyed the surprise.”

“You like surprises, do you?”

“Yeah, I guess I do.”

Nodding, I filed the information away for later.

“I’ve learned tonight that you don’t, though, so I’ll remember that.”

“I like some surprises,” I said softly, hoping he’d catch my meaning.

“Oh yeah?” He cocked an eyebrow.

“Yeah. I like when someone surprises me by showing me a side of themselves I didn’t know existed.”

“Then get ready to be even more surprised.”  The enthusiasm in his voice made me wonder if I should be excited or concerned.

It took about twenty minutes to find the club, and another ten to find a parking space. I didn’t mind though. I liked being with Holden. He was easy to talk to, easy to banter with. And let’s not forget, he was very easy on the eyes. When we finally did find a space, I wasn’t sure Holden’s car would fit into it. Not because his car was large. It was a compact car, but the space looked like it would barely fit a Mini Cooper. However, somehow Holden made his vehicle fit.

“I’m impressed,” I told him. “I suck at parallel parking. If I had tried to do that, I would’ve taken out both of those cars.”

“Then I’m glad you weren’t driving,” he said with a grin.

Our parking space was around the corner from the club. My flats pounded on the pavement as we walked. Cars zipped down the street and couples walked by us on the sidewalk. We passed a little cafe and a Mexican restaurant. The scent of chips and salsa made my stomach growl.

“They serve food in the club. It’s pub food,” Holden said. “But we can eat somewhere else if you want.”

Shaking off the embarrassment of him having heard my stomach growling, I shook my head. “Nah, the club sounds good.” We rounded the corner and my foot hit a slope in the pavement. I teetered on the balls of my feet for a moment. Holden’s arm extended to steady me.

“Thanks,” I mumbled, pushing hair out of my face. When I lowered my hand, Holden caught it in his, folding his fingers over mine. My heart flipped at the gesture. This time I didn’t wear gloves, so I could feel his rough skin against mine. It felt as good as I’d hoped. As we neared the club, I caught sight of the large bouncer standing outside, tattoos riding up his arms. I paused. “I’m not eighteen yet, remember?”

“Me either.” He flashed me one of his heart-stopping grins. “It’s an eighteen and under club. A place for younger bands to try out their stuff.”

“Oh.” I relaxed. “That’s cool.” I’d never heard of a club like that before.

Turns out the bouncer was actually a nice guy and not nearly as scary as the way he looked when I first noticed him. He and Holden greeted each other like old friends before he let us in.

“Do you bring a lot of dates here?” I knew it was a lame question, but I had to know.

“Never.”

I raised a brow. “But the bouncer acted like you were old friends.”

“We are. He used to go to Gold Rush High. Graduated a couple of years ago.” Snatching up my hand, he lead me inside. Music was already playing, and it swelled around us. It was dimly lit, dark wooden tables scattered throughout. The place was bigger than I had pictured it with open spaces for people to dance and a small stage up at the front. It kind of had the vibe of a pub and a café put together. The scent of fried food permeated the air, and my stomach piped up again. Luckily Holden didn’t hear it this time since it was so loud in here.

My lips involuntarily curved upward as I glanced around at the eclectic decorations on the wall, the music thumping under my feet. Definitely my kind of place. The music was edgy, the vibe fun. I squeezed Holden’s hand in anticipation as he guided me toward an empty table in the corner.

“This okay?” He leaned in close and spoke right in my ear. His soft breath tickled my ear, sending shivers down my spine.

I nodded, not trusting myself to speak. My knees buckled, but luckily I was near a chair so I landed in it. The chair legs scraped against the floor. I dropped my elbows on the table as Holden slid into the chair across from me. A waitress sidled up to our table, introduced herself, and handed us two menus. Holding up the menu, I glanced over it. Even though I was starving, I wasn’t sure how I’d be able to eat with Holden right across from me. Lowering the menu, I caught a glimpse of his dark hair, and my stomach tumbled to the ground. God, he was so hot. I could hardly believe I was out on a date with him.