Playing For Keeps (18 page)

“Yeah, great.”

Mike finally looked at Jacelyn. “This is a
surprise.”

“
I gave in to Kyle’s pleading.”

His gaze turned cool. “Oh, I see.”

“I wanted to catch the game, too, Coach.” She
tried for a smile. “You were pretty good out there.”

“Thanks.” He asked Ty, “So, what d’you wanna
do tonight, buddy?”

“Can we go to the Rainforest Café Daddy, with
Millie and the guys?”

Mike looked at Millie for confirmation.

She shrugged. “They have it all worked
but…”

“Sure, if it’s fine with y’all.”

“Now we just gotta convince Mom to go with
us.”

“Really, I...”

“Please, Mommy.” Kyle swung an arm around her
shoulder, and played the wheedling little boy.

It sounded silly to protest, since she really
had no excuse. And in her heart, she wanted to go with them. “All
right, I’ll come.”

Mike held her gaze a moment then said,
“Great. Just great.”

o0o

“Come see the Talking Tree, Jacey.” Once in
the restaurant, Tyler reached out to take her hand, but Mike held
him back.

“Hey, little guy. It’s
Dr.
Ross.”

Jacelyn smiled weakly. “I said he could call
me that. Or at least
what his daddy calls me.
He asked
last week. We seem to all be past the formality stage.”

They sure as hell were past formalities.
Especially since Mike couldn’t stop thinking about the way she’d
felt leaning into him at the canal, sitting next to him in the
swing, the kiss in the laundry room.

Damn, he had to stop this. “If it’s okay with
you.”

Jacelyn nodded, stood and followed the boys
to the huge tree in the center of me dining room that talked to
patrons about saving the planet. She wore simple beige cotton
slacks and a button-down navy shirt with a matching sweater thrown
over her shoulders.

Mike wondered what she had on underneath.
Something as sexy as the garter belt; he’d bet.

“Hey, Coach, where are you?” Garrison
asked.

Thinking about things I shouldn’t.
“Nowhere.” He sipped his beer. “The guys were lookin’ pretty good
today. How’s Watson’s ankle?”

“Healing,” Gage said. “He’ll be ready to
train next week.”

They discussed more of the players and their
conditioning. Finally Mike realized the tangent they’d gone off on.
“Sorry, Millie, this is probably boring as hell to you.”

“No, not at all. Every day I pick up tidbits
for my Psychology of Sports course.”

“You just using me for that class, babe?”
Gage grinned.

“And other things.”

“How’s it going with the faculty these days?”
Mike asked.

“Pretty quiet.” She glanced to where Jacelyn
stood by the tree with Tyler. Kyle was taking a picture of them.
“Talk’s died down, if that’s what you mean.”

He ducked his head. He shouldn’t have asked.
He hated discussing this with someone other than Jacelyn. “It is.
I’m glad.”

Mike watched the boys wander around while
they waited for their food. Water dripped from numerous fountains,
and in several tanks around the room, fish darted and cruised. He
caught sight of Jacelyn approaching the table.

“That tree is so cool. Kyle took pictures.”
She sat down. “They’re having a good time.”

“So I see.” Mike frowned. “What’s all this
about the boys spending the night together?”

“It was Tyler’s idea,” Millie said. “After
Kyle told him he and my boys used to have sleepovers when they were
younger.” At Mike’s hesitation, she added, “They’re all great kids,
Coach. They’ll watch over him.”

“It’s not that. He has nightmares since his
mother died. Though there have been a lot fewer, lately.”

“Kyle knows how to handle those, Mike,”
Jacelyn put in. “Ty’s more than ready to do this.”

“Okay, sure.”

She smiled.

Millie asked, “What time are you driving back
tomorrow, Jace?”

“Early. I’d like to run some preliminary
numbers on the Outreach allotment at the office.”

“When are you meeting with Ed Dickinson to
finalize the amount?”

“Next week. It’s just a formality,
though.”

“What are we talking about?” Gage wanted to
know.

“The Alumni Association provides half of the
Outreach funds for scholarships.”

Gage asked about the Outreach Center, and how
she and Jacelyn had come to be in charge. Mike was interested to
listen to a little bit of her past. He learned she’d gone to
Beckett on a scholarship and Millie had paid for school by working
and with grants and school aid.

“Did I see you and Lansing with an alumni guy
this week?” Gage asked Mike.

“Yeah, as team liaison, I wanted to talk
about some internships. Alumni are always a big asset to a Sports
Studies program, especially getting placements for the kids.”

“Which you’re a part of, I hear,” Millie
said. “Congratulations, by the way.”

“Thanks.” Though, right now, it was a hollow
victory. He felt a little like the time he’d run in the winning
touchdown for a game, but his best friend on the team had gotten
hurt on a tackle and never played football again.

Staring over at Jacelyn, he could see she
felt the same.

o0o

Millie came out of the bathroom, fully
dressed. In her hand, she held a duffel bag. “I’m not sleeping here
tonight.”

Jacelyn looked up from one of the two double
beds, where she sat leafing through a hotel magazine. “No?”

“I’m staying with Gage.”

“Ah, I see.”

Watching Jacelyn, Millie cocked her head.
“You don’t approve.”

Jacelyn sighed. “It’s not that. Never.
Besides, the only thing I’d worry about is your boys…”

“Finding out I’m shacking up with a
jock?”

“Was that a slam at me?”

“Sort of.” Millie came to the bed and dropped
down on the edge. “I worry that you gave Mike up for the wrong
reason.”

“It’s so complicated, Millie. And murky now.”
How many times had she wondered if she’d made the right
decision.

“I suppose it is.” She nodded to the door.
“As far as the boys finding out where I slept, they’re on a
different floor, and I told them to call my cell if there was a
problem. It’s a risk I’m willing to take.” When Jacelyn didn’t
respond—jealousy was clogging her throat—Millie took her hand. “You
know, Jace, when Tom died, I regretted so much of what I didn’t do
with him. That’s what happens when you lose someone you love. You
regret the things you didn’t do, not the things you did.”

“I understand.” She squeezed her friend’s
hand, sensing Millie needed to talk. “What do you regret not
doing?”

Her grin was girlish. “When we were dating,
Tom wanted to have sex about six months before I said yes. I was
crazy about him, but afraid of it. Then when we were first married,
there was this obgyn convention in Cancun. He wanted me to go, but
Ronny was little and I was afraid to leave him with my parents.”
Her look was sad. “And sometimes, I wish I’d had another baby.”

Jacelyn remembered the conversation she’d had
with Mike, on her bed, about the very same thing.

“I vowed after Tom’s death that I wouldn’t
waste any time if I fell in love again.”

“Are you in love with Gage?”

“No. I’ve only known him a few weeks. But I
like him. He’s smart and funny and handsome as all get out. His
wife died five years ago, so we have a lot in common.” Then she
stood and faced Jacelyn. “And he’s great in bed.”

Jacelyn laughed. “Well, there you go.”

Millie grinned again. “You have choices about
Mike, you know.”

“Yes, I know, and I’ve made them.”

“Sometimes choices are wrong and we need to
regroup.”

Jacelyn swallowed hard. “I’ve been
miserable.”

“Gage says Mike has been, too.”

“I know, I can tell.”

“Well, think about it.” Millie wiggled her
brows. “While I’m off having hot sex.” She rolled her eyes. “Who
would have thought at forty-five I’d feel like a teenager
again.”

“It’s nice. Now go. Don’t keep your beau
waiting.”

“I’ll be in room 435.”

“All right.”

At the door, Millie turned to look over her
shoulder. “It’s right next to Mike’s room—437, in case you’re
interested.”

“Go, Millicent.”

After Millie left, Jacelyn wandered around
the room. It was ten at night and she was restless. She tried
watching TV but the male lead on a movie reminded her too much of
Mike. She tried reading, but had only brought a romance novel. What
had she been thinking? Finally, she ran bath water, pinned up her
hair and climbed in. The heat was soothing. The water stroked her
skin. Closing her eyes, she imagined Mike’s hands on her. Imagined
him
stroking her, touching her, making love with her.

She’d bet her PhD
he
was great in
bed, too.

o0o

Mike was like a caged tiger, prowling the
room. He forced himself to calm down; flopping onto the mattress,
he sipped a beer and turned on the TV. Blindly, he flipped through
the channels with the remote. He settled on a showing of
Shane.

But he couldn’t get Jacelyn out of his mind.
It wouldn’t be so bad if he wasn’t alone. If he didn’t know she was
by herself right down the hall. If she hadn’t looked so good after
the game with her hair all windblown and her cheeks all rosy. If
she hadn’t stared at him at dinner as if she wanted him for
dessert. Settling back into a mound of pillows, he told himself her
welfare came first. He was leaving town in less than two weeks. His
life was in Buckland, and he traveled a lot. How could he ask her
to have that summer fling Cavanaugh talked about then go on his
merry way, leaving her to do damage control back in Rockford?

Then again, could he let her go completely?
Could he bear to see her next spring when he came up to teach his
course? She’d probably be dating someone else. Making love with a
Beckett guy.

This was a no-win situation.

There was a knock on the door. Mike frowned
and put the beer down. The kids had said they’d call if something
was wrong, but still... He bounded off the bed, crossed to the door
and whipped it open.

And there she stood wearing a light raincoat.
From the top peeked some peachy-colored satin thing. God. He looked
into her face. It was glowing with anticipation. Still, he had to
think of her first. “Jacey, you don’t want to do this.”

“Yes, Mike, I do.”

He grasped her arms, which was a mistake. His
whole body reacted. “Your reputation as a teacher is at stake. I
won’t let you sacrifice that for me.”

She leaned in close and all his good
intentions flew out the proverbial window. He dragged her inside
and slammed the door shut. A hot tide of passion rose up within
him, making his whole body vibrate. He pressed her into the wall
and took her mouth. It was as demanding as his. He devoured her;
she consumed him.

Mike fumbled with the buttons on her coat.
When it fell to the floor, his hands closed over her breasts and
she gave a long, low, lusty moan. He kneaded her, plumped her,
reveled in her. His hands slid over the watery-silk feel of
whatever the hell she had on and found the supple flesh of her
bottom; it was covered in the same satiny material. He dragged her
close, her middle meeting his. She arched into him,
short-circuiting his senses. His lips left hers and went to her
neck. She mirrored his actions and took a bite out of his shoulder.
A jolt of lust shot through him.

“Jacey, oh, darlin’.”

“I want this so much,” she murmured. “I want
you.”

“Not nearly as much as I want you.” He slid
the straps off her shoulders. “You’re sure?” he asked, kissing the
bare flesh there.

“No, of course I’m not. But I don’t care
anymore.”

He drew back. “What will...”

Her fingers came up to his mouth. “Shh, no
questions. No
talk.
Let’s just do this.”

He chuckled. “You got a real romantic streak,
sweetheart.”

She practically climbed up him. He gripped
her bottom and lifted her; she circled her legs around him.
“Please, Mike. I want this.”

“Then let me at you.” He stumbled to the bed.
Because she was kissing his chest, grinding against him, he dropped
her a little too fast onto the mattress. Hungry desire coursed
through him as she stretched out. Her top slipped, revealing the
creamy swell of her breasts. Her hair was a wild tangle from his
hands. He wanted her with a primitive intensity.

Mike bent one knee on the bed and closed a
hand over her throat—trailed it down to the top she wore. “This is
real pretty, love, but I wanna see you. Lift up.”

She raised her arms and he slid the camisole
off. The sight that greeted him made his stomach clench. He cupped
her breasts, then bent over and took a nipple in his mouth. Still
kneeling on the bed, he slid his hands beneath her and drew off the
satiny matching pants. Then he straightened.

“You are by far the most beautiful thing I
ever laid eyes on. I got a notion just to stare at you all
night.”

“Mi-ke.” She reached for his shorts. He moved
in close so she had better access. The navy briefs he wore were
tight, hitting him at the thigh. Jacelyn tugged. Harder. When the
waistband reached his erection, she freed him. He was heavy with
need, and kicked off the boxers the rest of the way. She drew in
her breath when she saw him, then clasped him in a strong, sensuous
grip.

His
breath left him then. “Honey,
don’t. I been wantin’ this so long, I’m gonna go off like a
shotgun.”

Still she stroked him till he forced her hand
away. Turning, he hurried to the bathroom for one of the condoms he
carried in his shaving kit. Back at the bed, he tried to put it on,
but his hands were clumsy. She giggled.

“Like what you do to me, woman?”

“Oh, yeah.”