Playing For Keeps (21 page)

She cocked her head to the side,
studying him. "Oh, really? Don't think she's playing with
you?"

"Would never happen," he said,
gesturing again for her to leave. Even Mitch looked like he wanted
her to leave and that was saying something. The man usually wasn't
so selective about his bed partners and for him to want an easy
woman to leave said a great deal about how he felt about Haley.
Jason knew the man was starting to see Haley as a sister otherwise
he'd have to bitch slap him.

"Then why hasn't she slept with you
yet?" she asked, grinning smugly.

Everything in him froze with that
question. His eyes darted over to his two friends to see that both
men were staring at him, clearly shocked.

"You have absolutely no idea what the
hell you're talking about," Jason snapped, trying to ignore the
dread that was starting to rise.

They'd been together for two months
and never once had he pushed or questioned her about her refusal to
sleep with him. Even during those times when he'd thought he'd die
if he didn't slide into her he held back. He'd assumed she just
wanted to take it slow, make sure that he wasn't going to be an
asshole and drop her ass when he got bored with her.

Suddenly he wished he'd asked her why
she wouldn't sleep with him the first and only time she'd brought
it up instead of just being happy that she was giving him a
chance.

"Oh? I happen to know that she hasn't
slept with you and has no plans to. She's playing you right now.
According to her you just don't measure up to her
standards."

Mitch laughed it off. "Sweetheart, go
try and play someone else. You don't know shit about what you're
talking about."

She cocked a perfectly trimmed eyebrow
at him as she stood up. "Don't I? I know she won't sleep with him
because she's not in love with him," she announced triumphantly,
causing the air in his lungs to rush out of him.

"When you get tired of being played
with give me a call," she said, pushing a folded napkin towards
him.

He was barely aware of what Mitch and
Brad said to her or Mitch grabbing the napkin and tearing it
up.

Haley didn't love him.

"Jason, you don't look so good, man,"
Mitch said, getting up and taking the seat the cold hearted bitch
just vacated. He grabbed the pitcher of beer and filled Jason's
glass. "Take a drink," he said, shoving the glass at him until he
had little choice but to do exactly that.

"Look, I don't know what bullshit she
was spewing, but I do know that Haley absolutely adores you," Mitch
said in a reassuring voice, scaring the hell out of him. Mitch
wouldn't try comforting him unless it was bad.

"He's right," Brad easily agreed.
"She's obviously trying to start some shit for Haley. Just ignore
her bullshit. She doesn't know what she's talking
about."

Jason forced a smile. "Maybe you're
right."

Mitch snorted. "Of course we're right.
Anyone who's been around the two of you the last two months knows
you two can't keep your hands off each other."

But they hadn't made love, Jason
thought bitterly. She'd done everything with him but that and now
Jason had a sneaking suspicion the reason behind it was no longer
so simple.

"Did you order hot wings?" Haley
asked, wrapping her arms around his neck and pressing a sweet kiss
to his cheek.

Brad sent him an "I told you so" look
over his beer.

"No, not yet," he said, putting his
beer down so he could take her hand into his. His eyes shot past
Haley to the table of women who were looking this way and laughing.
His jaw clenched almost painfully at the idea of Haley playing
him.

Haley of course was oblivious to
everything including the change in his mood. "Well, I'm going to go
place an order at the bar then. I'll be right back."

"Okay," Jason said, unable to take his
eyes of the women laughing at him.

Mitch and Jason must have followed his
gaze.

"Don't tell Haley this, but most of
her friends are bitches," Mitch said, pouring the last of the beer
into his cup.

Normally he'd agree with that, but
right now he had a sinking feeling that he was the brunt of a joke.
He really couldn't help but feel that Haley might have been playing
him this whole time.

There was only one way to find out and
tonight he was afraid he'd get his answers one way or
another.

"Don't fuck this up," Brad said, no
doubt reading the determined expression on his face correctly. "I
don't know what's going on between you and Haley, but those women
are clearly out to fuck her over. Please don't screw yourself over
in the process."

Jason didn't answer right away. He
drained the rest of his glass slowly. Finally he put the glass back
on the table and sat back, allowing his eyes to search out his
little grasshopper. She was at the bar laughing at something Becky
the bartender said.

He didn't know what the hell he would
do if he found out his little grasshopper was playing him, but
tonight he was going to find out.

Chapter 19

"Baby, are you okay?"

Jason looked down at her and smiled.
"I'm fine," he said, putting his arm around her, pulling her
tightly against him as he led her towards her house.

Without a word he unlocked her door.
Haley tossed her purse onto the coffee table and headed for her
bedroom more than ready to get out of her high heels and
skirt.

"Haley?" Jason said, stopping
her.

She leaned against the wall as she
took her shoes off. "Yes?"

He ran a hand through his hair.
"I....I was wondering if you wanted to go for a swim," he said, but
Haley couldn't help but feel that wasn't what he wanted to
say.

Ever since she came back from the
bathroom she couldn't help but notice that Jason was acting
differently. He seemed genuinely upset, but denied it anytime she
asked. Mitch and Brad were surprisingly tight lipped about it.
Every now and then she caught both men sending killing glances
towards her friends.

More than once she caught her friends
watching them and laughing. She knew it was ridiculous, but she
couldn't help feeling a little paranoid. It was probably
nothing.

"A swim sounds like fun," she said,
deciding that she'd rather forget about everything else but Jason.
"I'll meet you at the pool in ten minutes."

"Okay," Jason said, sounding a little
sad, at least she thought he had.

She was being ridiculous, she
decided.

Fifteen minutes later she shut the
sliding glass door behind her just as Jason broke the water's
surface. Even in the dim moonlight Jason was breathtaking. She
watched the muscles in his arms flex as he ran his fingers through
his short hair.

"The water's great," Jason said,
gesturing for her to join him.

She took her glasses off and wished
she'd turned on the outside lights as her vision dimmed and became
fuzzy. Trying not to stumble, she walked the five feet to the patio
table, cautiously, and placed her glasses down.

Unfortunately for her the time it took
to put her glasses down hadn't helped her eyes adjust to the dim
light. She didn't want to wreck a romantic midnight swim by
throwing on the flood lights, but she also didn't think falling
flat on her face was exactly romantic either.

Why couldn't she be a candidate for
laser eye surgery?

She sighed heavily as she turned
around, fully prepared to throw on the flood lights and wreck
another romantic evening thanks to her poor eyesight when strong
wet arms scooped her up.

"Don't worry, my little grasshopper,
I've got you," Jason whispered, pressing a kiss to her
forehead.

"Maybe we should turn on the lights,"
she grumbled unhappily. "I can't see a thing," she admitted
quietly, feeling her cheeks burn with embarrassment. It was just
another reminder that she wasn't sexy or desirable.

"Don't worry, I won't let anything
happen to you," Jason promised as he carried her to the pool and
helped her into the lukewarm water.

While Jason lowered himself into the
pool she dove beneath the water to wet her hair. When she came back
up ten feet away she smoothed her hair back and
squinted.

"Jason?" she said, trying to separate
him from the rest of the dim shadows. She really could not see a
single thing out here. Maybe she should-

A small startled scream escaped her as
warm arms wrapped around her from behind. Jason chuckled softly in
her ear. "Did I scare you?"

"No," she lied.

"I'm sorry," he said, pressing a kiss
to the top of her head. "Do you forgive me?"

She huffed out a breath.
"No."

"What if I promise not to do it
again?" he asked, sounding amused.

"I'd break out the fists of fury
because we both know you'd be lying."

"We wouldn't want that." He
chuckled.

"No," she sniffed, "we
wouldn't."

"Then perhaps you'll let me make it up
to you with a kiss?" he said, already pressing wet kisses to her
neck. Closing her eyes, she leaned her head back and to the side to
give him better access.

"I suppose that would be acceptable,"
she said, biting back a small moan of pleasure as Jason ran his
hands down her hips and over her thighs before bringing them back
up again.

"That's very kind of you," Jason
whispered hoarsely, tracing his tongue up her neck, taking her
earlobe into his mouth and sucking it.

His hands skimmed up her sides almost
teasingly, ending just below her breasts before they glided down to
her hips. Haley reached up with one hand and gripped his wet hair,
yanking him down for the kiss he promised her.

He devoured her mouth on contact. His
tongue pushed its way inside of her mouth and she welcomed it,
suckled it, loving the way he groaned with every little teasing
lick and suckle.

Feeling a little daring, she reached
up with her free hand and released the front knot that held her
bikini top closed. Releasing his hair she shrugged the top off,
letting it fall between their bodies.

Her nipples hardened instantly from
the mixture of water, cool air, and desire for this man. It felt so
good, but she needed more. Placing her hands over his where they
still rested on her hips, she gently tugged them up, gliding them
over her wet body until they were where she wanted them, needed
them.

Jason's long pained moan sent shivers
throughout her body. She arched into his hands, loving the way they
weighed her breasts, squeezed, and caressed them. When he ran his
palms over her hard nipples she sucked on his tongue, making him
groan loudly as his hands closed around her breasts and
squeezed.

"Jason," she mumbled desperately
against his mouth. She needed more. Needed him.

He broke the kiss and turned her in
his arms. His mouth slammed down on hers as he yanked her against
him. She loved the way his warm hard chest felt against her
breasts, but she loved the feeling of his hard erection straining
against her even more.

She reached between them and cupped
him, running her fingers teasingly up his long length until she
found the large velvety head poking out the top of his swim trunks.
She cupped the large head in her hand, running her thumb over it
and spreading the few drops of excitement that leaked
out.

Jason broke away from her mouth with a
groan and worked his way down to her breasts, licking, kissing, and
sucking every inch of skin until his tongue was tracing circles
around her nipple, making it harden almost painfully.

His hands came up to play, grabbing
each breast and holding it up his mouth as an offering. The fact
that she couldn't see what he was doing only intensified each and
every sensation that he was causing. Just when she thought she'd
die if he didn't take her nipple into her mouth he moved onto the
other breast and began the torture all over again.

"Jason!" she cried out when he finally
put her out of her misery and took her over sensitized nipple into
his mouth. He pinched and gently twisted her other nipple with his
fingers. Haley was barely aware that he was backing her up against
the side of the pool.

He kept her nipple in his mouth,
suckling it hard as he worked her bikini bottom off. Haley was
helpless to do anything but hold on tightly to his shoulders as he
worked her into insanity.

His mouth left her nipple
with a loud
plop
.
"I need to taste you, my little grasshopper," he said hoarsely as
he picked her up and sat her carefully on the edge of the pool.
"Lie back."

Carefully, she lay back on the cool
cement. Jason gripped the backs of her knees and pulled her legs
open, spreading her wide.

"So beautiful," he said
quietly.

She felt his warm breath tickle her
thigh before he pressed a kiss right below the knee. A cool breeze
ran between her legs, teasing her soaked lips. She couldn't
remember ever being this turned on before or this wet.