Playing for Kicks (Play Makers Book 5) (39 page)

“I stayed up all night, but for a good cause.
Because guess what, Sean? I finished the article.”

“You’re kidding!” Relief flooded his worried
brain. “That’s amazing, Tess. When can I read it?”

“Pardon?”

“At least the part about me, right?”

“Oh.” She sounded tired again. “I ended up
cutting that.”

“Huh?”

“I was juggling so many personalities. So I
went back to the original plan. Just the Spurlings, Alexi, and
Noah. And it came together perfectly, so I guess Murf’s a genius
after all.”

Unwilling to read too much into that, he
reminded her in a cheerful tone, “You can’t kick me out of the
other one, right? Superstitious athletes? That’s me all over.”

“It’s you,” she agreed. “But let’s see what
happens with the first one first. And meanwhile I’ll start on my
book, since that’s the ultimate goal anyway.”

The ultimate goal?

Since when did Tess Colby have ultimate
goals?

Something was wrong, so he said firmly, “Hey,
Tess? I’m on my way, okay?”

“I’ll order the food,” she agreed. “I can’t
wait to see you, Sean.”

“Me either,” he told her quietly. “So just
don’t go anywhere.”

• • •

When he approached her suite, he only wanted
one thing: for her to still be there. They could deal with anything
else.

Still, when she opened the door, her
appearance shocked him. Like she had lost ten pounds overnight.
Pink UH T-shirt, white shorts, pink socks, pink lips
. . .

And deep circles under her eyes.

She stepped into his embrace and kissed him
amorously. “The food’s here, but let’s skip to dessert.”

“Have you been crying?” he asked, honestly
shocked.

“Me?” She laughed ruefully. “Colbys never
cry. I told you I was up all night writing. So I probably look
terrible. Feel free to take me to bed.”

“That sounds like fun. But let’s talk first.
For one thing,” he murmured, looking around the living area and
noticing how empty it was. No fruit bowl, no aloe plant. Nothing.
So he asked gently, “Where’s your stuff?”

“Oh. Well, like I said, I finished the
article. And I can write the book anywhere. So why abuse Murf’s
generosity?”

This couldn’t be happening, so he took her by
the hand and led her to the sofa, conscious of the stark bruise on
her wrist. “So you’re moving back to Seattle?”

She nodded. “I’ll do it on the weekend when
you’re in San Francisco. Perfect timing, right? Until then .
. .” She climbed into his lap, her eyes soft with affection.
“Make love to me, Sean.”

“In a minute,” he promised. “I just need to
get this straight. You’re leaving?”

“It was always temporary. An eight-week deal.
And it’s been amazing. But we knew it wouldn’t last forever. I just
feel so lucky . . .” She bit her lip, then insisted, “I won’t
check out until Friday. So we can have three nights to finish what
we started. After that, I’ll still have lunch with Erica every
Tuesday. And you and I can still get together. Nothing will change.
Consider it a reverse commute.” Her eyes filled with tears. “Just
go with it, Sean. It’s the best I can do.”

“Bullshit,” he told her with a warm growl.
“We messed up last night. You were in shock, I wanted to help, but
still, we handled it wrong—”

“What?” Her blue eyes widened in protest. “I
loved
it. Loved
you
for doing it. For being there
when I needed you most. I’ll never forget it.” She grasped his face
between her hands. “Part of me always knew we’d end this way—”

“Bullshit,” he repeated firmly. “I love you,
baby, but that’s just bullshit.”

“Stop saying that.” Her smile trembled. “It
was great last night, wasn’t it? So do it again.”

“I have a better idea.” He stood and pulled
her to her feet. “Let’s do the Tantric thing.”

“What?” She seemed offended by the thought.
“Why? We’re past that.”

“Let’s try it anyway. Just for fun.”

“No, Sean.” Her eyes filled with tears again.
“I don’t think it works anymore.”

He wanted to pull her close. Comfort her. But
Tantric was no-hands, wasn’t it? So he kept his distance, stared
down at her, and said softly, “Remember how it was? You were
talking about your new career. Your ideas for sports articles. And
I was trying to pay attention, but the words didn’t matter. All
that mattered was your voice. It just got to me, baby. Like an
amazing summer breeze.”

She seemed uncertain. “You were looking at me
. . .”

“And you were looking at me. Like you were
nervous. But excited too. Hot as hell. We both were. Even though we
didn’t understand it.”

She gulped audibly. “We weren’t ready. But it
was so amazing. And then . . .”

Sean watched, fascinated. Of all her amazing
qualities, this was the best. Her ability to re-center herself. To
shut out the noise.

To let Sean in.

Her cheeks flushed to a dark pink that was
echoed in her slightly parted lips. “Let’s go to bed.”

“I have a better idea,” he told her, his
voice thicker than he expected. “Let’s go to the show.”

“What?” Her eyes widened and then, to his
relief she actually laughed. “What about dinner?”

“I’ll buy you a hot dog. Come on, baby,” he
coaxed. “You know you want to.”

She hesitated, then flashed a euphoric smile.
“Let me get my shoes.”

• • •

She had been so ready for sex. So ready to
make these last few days sizzle for both their sakes. Instead she
was snuggled against him in a dark theater as he whispered idiotic,
adorable, irresistible questions into her willing ear. Questions
like: “Is that the guy from the gas station?” and “Is this a
flashback? Or is he dreaming? What the hell?”

Or her all-time favorite: “I thought she was
his sister. Now she’s a dude?”

“Stop,” she pleaded happily, kissing him just
so he wouldn’t disturb the other viewers. Luckily, there weren’t
many people there on a Tuesday night, but Sean reprimanded her
anyway, saying, “Hey, I’m trying to watch the show.”

By the time the credits rolled she was so hot
for him, so wet and deliriously happy, she dragged him by the hand
into the lobby and out into the night, then smothered him in
kisses.

He flashed a sexy grin as he urged her to his
car, where they kissed again before he handed her into her seat,
instructing her to “buckle up” before driving back to the Ashton,
where he surprised her by choosing ten-minute parking.

She was back in his arms as soon as she
exited the car. “You’re coming in, aren’t you? Because yum, I can’t
resist you.”

“Sure you can. It’s fun,” he reminded her.
“Buffer dating, right?”

“That’s so sweet, Sean. But we’re past
that.”

“Actually, we aren’t. Because we just did a
re-set.” He eyed her sternly. “Last night never happened, sex-wise.
All we did was cuddle. Maybe some groping because you know how I
am. But otherwise? We’re still waiting for the big event, since
that’s what we agreed to do. And frankly?” He quirked a mischievous
eyebrow. “I like it this way. Like a do-over.”

She shook her head, charmed but also knowing
it wasn’t this simple. Not even for a romantic like Sean. “We can’t
go backward, Romeo. Because, well—science.”

“We’re not going backward. Just setting
things straight.” His eyes flashed. “There’s no way some scumbag in
a bar tells
me
when to have sex with my girlfriend. Fuck him
if he thinks he can. We agreed we’d wait, and hell if he’s gonna
mess that up.”

Tess stared up at him, intrigued. It was
true, wasn’t it? Why would they let a creep like Jonah Zane decide
when—or
how—
they made love for the first time?

“Remember last Wednesday?” Sean said
seductively. “After the raccoon ran into the woods and the vet
students were gone too? And we were alone at last? Sweet.”

She almost sighed aloud, remembering how
their Tantric sex had become a half-naked make-out session with
goodies for all. “Everything seemed so simple that night—”

“Everything
is
simple. Why fight it,
babe?”

“A re-set?”

“That’s how I see it. So get some sleep.
Tomorrow we watch
Jaws.”
Nibbling her ear, he intoned the
movie’s ominous “dun-dun, dun-dun, dun-dun” until she shrieked for
mercy. And then, after a sheepish smile toward the valets, she
headed for the lobby doors.

• • •

A do-over? A re-set?

Was it even realistic?

She loved his attempt to buy them more time.
His refusal to let Zane’s creepy kiss force their hand. They had a
timetable, didn’t they? So she would take her cue from him. His
experience with Kerrie had taught him to take things slow. To
appreciate the little things. And while she wanted more someday, it
was all she could handle too.

Re-energized, she channeled her crazy into
yet another Noah re-write. The poor guy had opened up to her. Not
to Murf, not to his girlfriend, but to
her.
And so, at least
subconsciously, he must have wanted her to blow the doors off this
scandal.

For that she needed help. Or at least moral
support. And so when Sean called after training camp, she pounced
eagerly. “Puh-
lease
tell me you didn’t kick the ball too
far.”

“No danger of that,” he said with a chuckle.
“Are we still on for naked
Jaws?”

She laughed. “It doesn’t sound as scary that
way, but I’m in.”

“Great.” There was a slight pause before he
told her, “Everyone’s meeting for dinner at John’s place, since
Erica got back from New York a day early. I told them we might show
up late. Or not at all. So it’s up to you. I’m good either
way.”

“Let’s see how it goes. I miss them, but I
miss you more.”

“Good answer. Come on over. We’ll figure out
food once you get here.”

• • •

As she approached his front door she fought a
wave of giddy excitement. They needed to pace themselves. Which
meant they should play half-naked ferocious shark-like predator on
the sofa without the need to decide their romantic fate right
away.

Exhaling sharply, she knocked on the door,
surprised he wasn’t there to greet her. When he still didn’t answer
she stepped inside and called his name, but again, no response.

So she stopped by the kitchen to drop off a
bag of scones then went searching, finally detecting his voice from
the direction of his study. Apparently he was on the phone and
discussing something serious, so she approached cautiously.

He stood with his back to the doorway, his
attention fixed on a computer monitor as he spoke into the
landline. The video showed horses playing in a rolling meadow,
looking absolutely magnificent even on the twenty-six-inch screen.
She assumed they were wild, although Sean’s family raised horses so
maybe these were the tame ones. Either way, they looked so
carefree. So amazingly unfettered and happy.

“Damn, you’re right. I’d better head to the
airport . . . No, don’t say that. I get why you waited
. . . Yeah, tell her not to make a fuss.” He chuckled
grimly. “Yeah, I know. Don’t beat yourself up, okay? See you in a
few hours.”

Then he ended the call.

“Sean?” Tess murmured.

He turned and gave her a rueful smile. “Hey,
babe.”

“What’s going on?”

“That was my uncle. I’ve gotta go out to the
ranch for a couple of days.” Taking her by the hand, he brought her
closer to the desk, then hit play on the video and pointed to a
beautiful horse as it stumbled almost imperceptibly. “He took this
yesterday. See how she’s limping? He wanted to give it more time.
But he took this one a few hours ago.” He switched to the other
video and pointed out the same horse, now clearly in pain and
unable to keep up with the others.

“Poor thing,” she murmured. “But can’t a vet
take care of her?”

“We’d have to catch her first. Why scare her
to death? This way she won’t even know what happened.”

“You’re going to shoot her?” Tess’s mind went
numb. “Oh, Sean, I’m so sorry.”

“I’m our best shot, so it’s on me.” He
continued grimly. “When they’re on our land they’re our
responsibility. My grandpa used to say: ‘the day you can’t put down
a lame horse is the day you sell this ranch.’ And I agree with
that.”

“I’ll go with you.”

His eyes warmed. “Thanks, but let’s wait for
a happy occasion. Just hang out with the guys tonight. I’ll call or
text when I can, okay?”

When she nodded, her pulled her into a brisk,
no-nonsense hug. “Sorry, babe.”

“It’s fine.”

As she watched, he strode out of the room,
down the hall, and out the front door. Didn’t even pack a suitcase,
probably because he had duplicates of everything at the ranch. He
also hadn’t kissed her, which almost made sense since his thoughts
were on his crushing responsibility.

Because the horse was on his land, and
because it would scare the poor animal if they tried to capture her
and bring her to a vet to be euthanized, and because his uncle was
a poor shot. Not to mention a softie, since Sean had comforted him
about delaying the inevitable.

If someone had asked Tess before this, she
would have guessed Sean was a softie about such things, too. But
apparently he had done this before. And he was their best shot.

So it was on him.

• • •

She knew she couldn’t write a word or even
doodle in this numb state. And while it was tempting to grab the
bag of scones and climb into Sean’s bed with her phone on the
pillow, she couldn’t sleep either. So she ended up at the
McSpurling house, hoping for some distraction.

Erica met her with a huge smile. “Johnny was
so sure you guys wouldn’t show, so
yay
. Bam picked up ribs
from Gusty’s, so hopefully you’ll be in heaven.”