Playing For Keeps (13 page)

“You looked great out there,” Eric told him.
Just today, Jacelyn had found out that Mike and Eric had gone for a
beer Sunday night.

“Thanks.” Mike faced Jacelyn. “So, what’d you
think of your first day at camp, Dr. Ross?”

“It’s a bit more violent this close up,” she
said, shielding her eyes from the sun.

He cocked his head, then took off his cap and
settled it on her. “Here, you’re getting burned.”

She smiled up at him.

“You guys wanna come to the locker room with
me?” he asked as he put Tyler down. “I’d invite you, Dr.
Ross...”

Kyle and Eric began to laugh. “Mom, in a
locker room? That’ll be the day.”

Jacelyn cleared her throat. “I’ve had enough
excitement for one morning.” She grabbed her bag from the
bleachers. “I’m picking out paint with Millie in a half hour,
anyway.”

“Paint? I thought your office was all done.”
This from Eric.

“It’s for the Outreach Center. Millie and I
are going to do it ourselves.”

“Now?” Mike asked.

“No, Wednesday.”

“Can I go with Dr. Ross?” Tyler asked.

“To pick out paint?” Jacelyn ruffled his
hair. “Don’t you wanna see the players, honey?”

He peered up at her. “Nope. I wanna be with
you.”

“Okay by me,” Jacelyn told Mike.

Kyle shrugged. “I’ll come get him when we’re
done, Mom. Will you be at the Center?”

“Yes.” She held out her hand. “Come on, young
man. We’ve got some decorating decisions to make.”

Tyler placed his hand in hers. She grasped it
and a wave of maternal longing swept through her.

Mike reached over and tugged on the bill of
his cap. “Thanks, Jacey.”

“What? For spending some time with one of my
favorite guys?”

“He’s a lucky boy, I’d say.” Mike’s look
reminded her of Saturday night, and the intimacy of lying on the
bed.

Any man in his right mind would want to
lap you up like this morning’s cream.

Jacelyn had to struggle to keep her voice
even. “See you later.”

Mike, Kyle and her brother went to the field
house. She and Tyler headed in the opposite direction toward Basil
Hall. As they walked in the bright sunlight, with the rich smells
of summer surrounding them, they played I Spy. When they arrived at
the Outreach Center, she found Millie inside the office with Gage
Garrison. Millie smiled at Tyler. “Who’s this?”

“Tyler Kingston, meet my friend Dr.
Smith.”

“Hey,” Tyler said, turning his face into
Jacelyn’s side.

She mouthed, “He’s shy.”

Crossing to them, Gage squatted down. “You
remember me, don’t you, Champ?”

“Hey, Gage.”

“What you doin’ here?” Gage asked.

“I’m helping Dr. Ross.”

Jacelyn smiled. Millie gave her a look that
said,
What’s going on?

After having firmly decided not to pursue a
relationship with Mike, Jacelyn didn’t want to answer that
question.

o0o

Mike was having trouble concentrating on the
TV screen before him. He’d planned to go with Tyler and Kyle to a
movie—a 3-D production at the Imax theater. But something had
happened to the film and the show had been canceled. Instead,
they’d rented a cartoon, and Kyle had suggested they watch it at
his house on the large-screen TV in the family room.

He’d also said they wouldn’t be disturbing
his mother because she was out on a date with Professor Hal.

Son of a bitch! Slouched on the couch, his
feet up on an ottoman, with Ty nestled into him and Kyle on the
floor, Mike couldn’t focus on the DVD. Instead, he kept thinking
about Jacelyn’s skin and wondering if the jerk she was with was
touching its creamy smoothness. He kept remembering the feel of her
silky hair, picturing Harrison smelling it, sliding strands between
his fingers. When Mike’s mind strayed to X-rated territory, he
swore silently, but viciously.

“What’s the matter, Daddy?”

“Nothin’, son.” He sighed and sank deeper
into the pillows of Jacelyn’s overstuffed couch. It didn’t help
that he was sore from his little exhibition on the field today.
What the hell had he been thinking, putting himself on the line
like that? His lids grew heavy. As he drifted in that dimension
between sleep and waking, he thought of Jacelyn again and how she
was real easy on the eyes in her cute pajamas just a few nights
ago...

“Mike?”

He stirred. A hand clasped his shoulder. The
scent of lilacs surrounded him. That’s what Jacey smelled
like...some flowery lotion.

A shake, harder.
“Mike.”

His lids lifted. She was sitting next to him.
He reached for her, his hand brushing her hair, coming to rest on
her shoulder. “Jacey. Mmm.”

“Jacelyn!”

What the hell was that rude interruption?
Mike closed his eyes again and willed it away.

“Mike, please. You’re asleep on my couch.”
Now a really hard shake. Enough to rouse him.

“What?” His eyes opened and cleared.

It was Jacelyn all right, perched on the edge
of the couch next to him. But Professor Hal hovered over her like a
protective daddy.

“Hey, hi.” Mike shifted. Oh, hell. Thankfully
a throw pillow was on his lap. Dreaming about the woman before him
had a downright obvious effect on his body.

“Mike, what are you doing here?”

“Huh?”

“Is that your car in the driveway?”

“Oh, yeah, it is. The SUV I told you about I
drove it to take us to the movies.”

“What the hell are you doing camped out on
Dr. Ross’s couch?”

Jacelyn’s head snapped around. “Hal, please.
You’re being rude.”

“He’s got his hands all over you and you
expect me to be polite about it?”

“He was asleep.”

“Oh, for God’s sake.”

Fully awake, Mike watched the professor. He
looked loaded for bear, Mike thought smiling.

“Mike.” Jacelyn’s voice was strained. “Please
explain what you’re doing on my couch.”

“The Imax movie was canceled so we came back
here to watch a movie instead. Not 3-D but it was fun.” He looked
around. “Where’re the kids?”

“Upstairs, in Kyle’s room playing a video
game, I think. I haven’t gone up yet, but I can hear them.”

“I must have fallen asleep.”

Professor Hal’s face was red. “Jacelyn, this
is ridiculous.”

Mike’s gut clenched. Not just at Hal’s
rudeness, but by how he yanked Jacelyn to her feet. Mike came up on
his elbows. “I wouldn’t manhandle her if I were you, Harrison.”

“Who the hell do you think you are?”

“A Southern gentleman who knows how to treat
a lady.”

Jacelyn pulled away from Harrison. “Stop
this, both of you.” She faced Hal. “You’d better go.”

“Me?
He should go.”

“He will, as soon as Tyler and Kyle finish
upstairs.”

“You’re kidding, right?”

Her hair swirled around her shoulders as she
shook her head. For the first time, Mike noticed she was wearing a
pretty peach one-piece thing that clung in all the right places. He
clutched the pillow tighter to his front.

“Go, Hal. We’ll talk tomorrow.”

Eyes wide with shock, Harrison glared at
Mike, then pivoted and stalked out. Like some hotheaded rookie, he
slammed the door.

When Jacelyn turned back to him, she was
obviously upset.

“I’m sorry, Jacelyn.”

“It’s not your fault. He behaved badly.”

“I mean, I’m sorry that you’re upset because
of me.”

She sighed and sank down next to him
again.

He dropped his feet from the ottoman and
straightened. “Arrgh...”

“What’s wrong?”

“I wrenched my shoulder today at
practice.”

“Now there’s a surprise.”

Ducking his head sheepishly, Mike shrugged.
“I shoulda known better. I was showin’ off for the rookie.”
Rotating his shoulder, he winced.

“Hurt a lot?”

“‘Fraid so. I went into the whirlpool at the
field house, but Gage was too busy to give me a massage, which
usually takes care of this right away. So it stiffened up on me.”
He patted the arm of the couch. “And sleeping on this thing didn’t
help.”

She smiled shyly. And shocked the hell out of
him by saying, “I could rub it.”

Oh, man.
“Now darlin’, that’s the
best offer I’ve had in a long time.”

“I highly doubt that. I know women hang
around players.”

“It’s a true statement, cross my heart and
hope to die.”

“Take your shirt off, Coach,” she said dryly,
“then turnover.”

He managed to shed the T-shirt and get
facedown without dropping the pillow. On his stomach, his cheek
buried in the couch, he groaned again, not because of the pain in
his shoulder but because of the pain lower down.

When Jacelyn’s hands slid onto his skin, it
was nirvana. He closed his eyes to savor the sensation.

Fingers gentle on his neck...

“Did you have fun on your date?”

“No, we came home early.”

Pressure on his deltoid...

“Why?”

“I was bored. I made excuses.”

Fingertips digging into his shoulder...

“Ahhh...”

“Feel good?”

“Sweetheart, this is seven steps above
heaven.”

She found the strained muscle, dug into
it...

“Oh, God, Jacey, you’re killin’ me.”

A chuckle.

Long, deep strokes. Now down his spine…

“Why do you date him if he bores you?”

“I’ve been asking myself the same
question.”

The heels of both hands at his waist...

“Ah, jeez, oh, God...” More moans.

After a while, she said, “I’m going to break
it off with him. I don’t want to see him anymore after...”

When she hesitated, he waited, then said,
“After what a jerk he was just now?”

A very long pause. “I was going to say,” she
whispered softly, “after meeting you.”

“That’s it.” His hurting shoulder forgotten,
he flipped over. In one swift motion, he tumbled her down so she
was half on top of him. Right where she belonged.

“Mike, don’t.”

He brushed her hair back and left his hands
in it. “After what you just said, you expect me not to react?”

Jacelyn arched the lower part of her body.
And giggled. “Well, you reacted all right. But I didn’t mean to...”
The woman actually blushed.

“Mean to what? Make me hard?”

She buried her face in his chest. “Mike.”

“Jacey, baby.” One hand cupped her neck, one
traveled down her back and rested intimately on her hip.

Coming up on her elbows, she stared at him
intently. “What I said the other night still stands. I’m sorry if
my remark was suggestive.”

“Honey, you’re suggestive just
breathin’.”

“Oh, God, nobody sees me that way.”

“What, are they blind?”

She giggled again. He chuckled.

“Okay, okay. I’ll let you up. After.”

“After what?”

“A kiss.”

“I can’t kiss you here. The boys are right
upstairs.”

“Well, if that’s all that’s stopping you...”
Mike set her back, rolled to his feet, and in lithe, wide-receiver
mode, maneuvered around her to stand. He grabbed her hand and
pulled her up.

“What are you doing?”

He said nothing, just led her toward the
kitchen. He surveyed the homey space, noting the hallway off it.
“What’s down there?”

“A powder room first, then a laundry room at
the end.”

His eyes narrowed. “That’ll do right fine.”
He dragged her down the long corridor. The laundry room had a
washer and dryer, and not much else but a window facing the back;
moonlight streamed in through the slatted blinds. Closing the door,
he left the light off and backed her up against the wall. “Now,
nobody’ll catch us.”

“Mike, that doesn’t alter—” He took her mouth
before she could finish the protest.

Jacelyn held back—for all of about twenty
seconds. She sank into him. His hands banded around her waist and
he slid one up to her neck, locking her to him. She sidled in
close, rubbing against him like a kitten needing stroking.

He stroked. His hands slipped down to her
fanny, clenched on it. She was supple and so feminine it made his
breath catch in his throat

It also made him harder than granite. “Jacey,
darlin’,” he murmured into the crook between her neck and shoulder.
Man, she smelled good.

“Mmm.” She burrowed into his bare chest.
Inhaled him. Even licked him once. Then she tried to get closer.
Like she wanted to be inside his skin.

Like she wanted
him
to be inside
her.

Voluntarily she lifted her mouth again to
his; the kiss went on a long time.

A voice came from far away—the front of the
house maybe. “Mom?”

Shit.

“Mom, where are you?”

“Oh, no.” Jacelyn eased her mouth away,
letting go of her death grip on his neck.

“Son of a bitch.”

She cuddled into his chest, ran her hand
through the mat of hair there. “It’s probably for the best.”

“How can you say that?” he asked gruffly, his
lips on her forehead.

Still holding on, she whispered, “This is
wonderful, Mike. But nothing’s changed since we discussed ‘us’ the
other night.”

Cursing his weakness for going back on his
word, Mike said, “I know. I lost my head. But I want you.”

“Mom?” The voice was closer.

She managed some distance between them. Not a
good idea. In the shaft of moonlight, he could see her mouth was
swollen, her hair a mess. He reckoned he’d never in his life see a
prettier sight. One of the buttons on the peach thing was undone,
giving him a glimpse of creamy skin. Reaching out—not because he
wanted to—he did it up.

She straightened her shoulders. “We have to
go.”

“Mom...” Kyle’s voice came from the
kitchen.

He glanced around. “Yeah? Well, how do you
suggest we get out of here together?”

“Oh, damn.” She started to laugh.

And, despite the fact that his body was about
to combust, so did Mike.