Playing for Kicks (Play Makers Book 5) (41 page)

So all she said was, “Thanks, Romeo,” hoping
the “Romeo” said it all.

He flashed a cocky grin. “So the dress
doesn’t wrinkle? No matter what I do? Sounds like a challenge.”

She couldn’t help smiling, mostly because he
was so adorable, but also because he had no idea what was coming.
The Eagles song, the dancing, the mindless sex that would usher in
the next phase of their romance.

“Hey, Tess?”

“Yes?”

“Are you sure you’re not upset about the
horse? We could stop someplace. Get a cup of coffee. Talk about
it—”

“I’m the opposite of upset,” she told him
warmly. “Maybe a little nervous about meeting Rachel, since she’s
so important to you. But that’s only because I want to make a good
impression.”

“
That’s
what’s bothering you? She’s
the best, baby. You’ll see. Man . . .” he added, more
sincerely this time. “I should’ve thought of that, right? But this
is Rachel. The nicest person in the world, so don’t worry. And
let’s face it, if she puts up with Bannerman, she’ll love anyone,
right?”

“Good point. And anyway, tonight is all about
you.”

When he looked surprised—almost startled—she
realized her amorous mood must be freaking him out but she didn’t
care. It wasn’t like she could hide it for long. Not now that the
last barrier between them had fallen.

“We’re here,” he murmured, pulling onto a
narrow road leading to the small airfield. “Last chance to choose
naked
Jaws
. Everyone would understand.”

She smiled to rebut the suggestion, then
noticed Johnny next to a small plane in the distance, waving in a
friendly but also no-nonsense manner. “Are we late?”

Sean glanced at the dashboard clock. “It’s a
private plane, so a few minutes either way won’t matter.” He parked
next to Johnny’s SUV and came around to open her door. Then he
repeated, “Last chance.”

She looped her arms around his neck. “I
agree. This might be our last chance to kiss until after
dinner.”

“Good point.” His mouth covered hers, kissing
her gently.

But she needed more, so she pulled his head
down and wriggled, anxious to feel every part of him.

“Geezus, you really
did
miss me,” he
said with a chuckle.

“Hey!” Johnny shouted. “Let’s move.”

She giggled. “He’s so bossy sometimes. I
guess Erica and Bam are already on board.”

“Bam flew down early so he could meet Rachel
at the airport.”

“That’s so romantic.”

“Right,” Sean drawled. “Although
his
explanation is he wants to pre-bang her.”

Tess laughed. “For him, that’s romantic.
Right?”

“Yeah.” He signaled to Johnny that he should
just go in the plane to wait. Then he pulled Tess close and
whispered, “You’ll love her, I promise.”

“I know I will.” She brushed her lips over
his, then said with a sigh, “We’d better go before your QB bursts a
blood vessel.”

• • •

The private jet was small but luxurious,
including four cushy captain’s chairs that swiveled to face a small
table. And apparently Erica had known about this feature because
she brought a three-hundred-piece jigsaw puzzle for them to work
while they chatted.

Since Erica was already wearing an elegant
sleeveless dress, Tess used the jet’s bathroom to change into the
sarong, but covered it with a soft white sweater with pearl
buttons, saving the full effect for when she and Sean were alone.
She also twisted her hair up and secured it with a fancy pearl clip
in place of the white gardenia she had always worn at the
resort.

“Is that raw silk?” Erica gushed on cue.
“It’s gorgeous.”

“You look like a librarian,” Johnny teased
her.

She bit back a smile. “That’s what I was
going for.”

She expected more jokes, but instead Johnny
prompted Sean to give details about his trip to the ranch.

“It went well. We had thunderstorms in the
morning, so we couldn’t go out early. But that meant pancakes,
right? Then we headed out mid-afternoon. My uncle’s a good tracker,
but the rain had washed everything away. Still, we caught up with
the herd in a canyon and I made the shot. After that, we had a
great dinner. Then I flew home.”

“So the horse didn’t feel any pain?” Erica
asked.

“She never saw it coming. One clean shot and
it was over.” Turning to Tess, he insisted, “I swear, babe, she
didn’t feel a thing.”

Tess winced, realizing Johnny must have told
him she was upset about the horse. So she said softly, “I know she
didn’t. Thanks to you.”

The QB seemed unconvinced. “Right between the
eyes. Right, Deck?”

“Enough,” Tess told him with a wistful smile.
“I’m fine, I promise.”

“You haven’t cracked any jokes since you got
here,” he countered her. “Rachel’s expecting the Bam and Bammie
show, you know.”

Erica came to her defense. “She’s nervous
about meeting Rachel for the first time. Right, Tess?”

Johnny’s expression lightened. “Is that it?
Rachel’s the nicest person in the world, Tess. No worries on that
score.”

“I agree,” Erica told her husband. “But she’s
good friends with Kerrie. So if Tess feels nervous, that’s
understandable. Even though Rachel would never take sides.”

“She’s friends with Kerrie?” Tess turned to
Sean, honestly shocked. “I didn’t know that.”

“Yeah, they’re close.” He grimaced. “I
thought you knew.”

“No.” She gave Erica a grateful smile.
“Thanks for the heads-up. Should I be worried?”

“Not at all. I should have told you sooner. I
just figured . . .” She eyed Sean nervously. “It’s no big
deal, right?”

He shrugged. “I should have said something.
Because yeah . . .” He gave Tess an apologetic smile. “They’re
friends. And I kinda dumped it all on her after the breakup. Which
wasn’t fair, but she agreed I should just make a clean break and
she’d pick up the pieces.”

“That makes sense,” Tess said carefully. “I
wish I’d known sooner, but I’m the one who told you not to tell me
stuff about Kerrie, right? And I still feel that way. She’s the
past. I’m—well, I’m the present.”

“And the future,” Sean said, his eyes
blazing. Then a cloud crossed his face. “You’re right, I should
have told you. Sorry, babe.”

“Me and my big mouth,” Erica said
lightly.

“No,” Tess murmured. “I needed to know. Can’t
you just see me making jokes about—Well, you know me.”

Her heart sank. She had focused so completely
on the sleeping arrangements, it hadn’t occurred to her she and
Rachel might not click. Rachel was “teach” and Tess was “Bammie.”
What could go wrong?

You could make jokes about married twins,
that’s what.

The steward approached to announce they were
landing. Luckily, they had barely assembled any pieces of the
puzzle, so Erica swept it back into its box so the table could be
folded back into the floor. Then they all swiveled into landing
positions.

Sean reached for Tess’s hand, saying,
“Rachel’s gonna love you because you’re cool and you make me
happy.”

She gave him a reassuring smile. Even if
things were a tad awkward at the beginning, they would get past it
because they both cared about Sean. And why shouldn’t the poor
woman be protective of her friend? Sean had indeed dumped Kerrie,
and Rachel had picked up the pieces, so giving her some slack was a
no-brainer.

Still, she felt a twinge of nerves forty-five
minutes later when he escorted her into the brightly lit restaurant
where a live band pumped out salsa like a tomato factory.

“So wild,” she murmured to Sean.

“You can still change your mind.”

“No way. We’re in this together, Romeo.”

He grinned down at her. “Don’t say I didn’t
warn you.”

In that instant, Bam grabbed her into a huge
hug. “Bammie! I figured you’d bail, but here you are. Looking good,
too.” Ignoring Sean and the others, he ushered Tess to a table away
from the band, where a stunning blonde was on her feet and smiling
warmly.

Wow . . .

Sean had described Rachel as the most
beautiful girl he ever met, and now Tess knew why. Delicate
features, a tall, slender body with perfect posture, lustrous skin,
and an aura that almost transcended beauty.

“Tess?” the schoolteacher said graciously.
“I’m so glad you came. Vince talks about you night and day.”

“It’s so nice to meet you, Rachel,” Tess
murmured.

Rachel’s gaze shifted to Sean a few steps
behind. “I feel like I haven’t seen him in years.”

“I know. I’m sorry.”

“Don’t apologize. I’m just glad he’s having
fun.” She reached out to hug him as he approached. “Finally.”

“Hey, babe. You look amazing. As usual.”

As Rachel greeted Erica and Johnny, Tess
tried to take a seat at the far end of the table, but Bam cut her
off, insisting, “Sit right here. I promised the teach you’d crack
her up.”

Chagrined, Tess motioned for Sean to sit
between her and Rachel, then smiled when Johnny sat on her free
side, with Erica and Bam across from them. Hopefully Bam would be
so gregarious, no one would notice if Tess was quiet. Or at least,
only Sean would notice.

The halfback continued playing host, ordering
drinks for everyone and explaining that appetizers were already on
their way. Then he said, “Say something hilarious, Bammie. I
promised the teach.”

She sighed, then leaned toward the beautiful
blonde and said instead, “Sean tells me you’re close friends with
Kerrie. So this must be awkward for you. I’m so sorry, Rachel.
Please don’t feel the need to—well, to do anything, really. I just
wish things were different.”

“Are you nuts?” Bam complained. “Things are
great.”

Rachel gave him a look, then turned back to
Tess. “I was worried it would be awkward for
you
. So thanks
for saying something. And yes, Kerrie and I are friends. Really
good friends, to be honest. But she and Sean were a horrible
mismatch. I mean . . .” Her gaze grew intense. “He was so
miserable toward the end, Tess. It never would have worked. So
please don’t feel uncomfortable.”

“Thanks for saying that. I’m just so
sorry.”

“Me too.”

Sean cleared his throat. “Thanks again for
taking the hit, Rachel. I’m sure it’s been rough.”

“It was bad at first but little by little .
. .” She touched his shoulder. “I meant what I said. You were
right to break it off. Not just for your sake, but hers too.”

“Thanks, babe.”

Bam chuckled. “Now Bammie and the teach
should kiss and make up. Erica, you get in on that too.”

“Geezus, Bam,” Johnny said, laughing. “Just
grow up, will you?”

Tess gave Rachel a wistful smile. “Sean
always says you’re the most beautiful woman he ever saw. And I
thought he was exaggerating. But wow.”

“Oh, my God, Sean,” Rachel scolded him.
“What’s wrong with you?” To Tess she explained, “He does that with
everyone. You should have heard how he raved about
Erica
when I first met him.”

“Erica?” Tess gave a light laugh. “Let’s see:
She’s so amazing? So smart? She can solve any problem? And she
smells
so good?”

Rachel dissolved into laughter. “Oh, my God,
Sean. Again with the ‘smells so good’? I’m so sorry, Tess.”

“Unfortunately, it’s all true. And now you
really
are
the most beautiful girl ever. I’m getting a
complex.”

“Come on, Deck,” Bam prodded Sean. “Say
something nice about Bammie.”

“We all know what he likes about Tess,”
Johnny interrupted with a grin. “He says it all the time, right?
She’s so cool.”

The rest of the table nodded to confirm
it.

“Yeah,” Sean said proudly. “I even told
Riga.”

Tess eyed him in surprise. “Really?”

“Yeah.”

Johnny chuckled. “Did it piss him off? He
says ‘women are the number one threat to our season.’ That’s an
exact quote.”

“Yeah, Deck,” Bam said, clearly impressed.
“Did he blast you for talking about babes?”

“I told him Tess was different because she’s
so cool. And
he
said . . .” Sean adopted what must have
been a Riga-esque voice, low and rumbling, and intoned a sarcastic:
“Well, as long as she’s
cool
.”

Sean’s teammates roared at the impression.
And then to Tess’s delight, all three of them started talking like
the grouchy coach, and any awkwardness dissipated on the spot.

As the guys joked around, the women tried to
chat over them. Erica had alerted Rachel to her future membership
in the book club, and the schoolteacher had taken it seriously,
reading both
Zombie Renaissance
and the mystery novel. She
also told them Darcie had been looking for houses for her and
“Vince,” and had found three possibilities, one of which was
apparently perfect for them but wasn’t technically on the market
because the elderly owner kept changing his mind about selling.

Darcie was sure he just had to meet Rachel
and Bam in person to know his deceased wife’s dream house was in
safe hands. And since Rachel’s summer school stint ended this week,
she was flying to Portland on Saturday for a full day of
house-hunting and persuasion.

The conversation caught Bam’s ear. “Yeah, so
we should get together again on Sunday. T-bones at the
McSpurs?”

Sean turned to Tess. “Are you available?”

She smiled, appreciating the nod.
“Absolutely. I’m working
this
Sunday and Monday, then I’m
officially retired.”

Erica played referee, insisting, “We always
have steak. And it’s not Rachel’s favorite. So why not try
something different? Salmon, maybe?”

“Salmon?” Bam groaned. “We have that ten days
a week already.”

Rachel laughed. “It’s true, we have it a lot.
And steak’s fine with me.”

The waiter came for their dinner orders, and
they all went with Bam’s recommendation: Pollo con Salsa Verde.