Playing for Kicks (Play Makers Book 5) (55 page)

Because they’re enjoying the party while
you have your
own
meltdown.

“Hey, babe,” Bam asked gently. “What’s with
you tonight?”

“Oh.” She managed a better smile. “Just
tired, I guess.”

“Is it the baby?”

“No, nothing like that.” She touched his jaw.
“You guys are so sweet. But trust me, this baby’s tougher than the
rest of us put together.”

“No doubt.” He quirked a teasing eyebrow.
“Did you and Bammie have a pillow fight? And I missed it?”

She had to laugh at that. “Sorry to
disappoint you, but no. She had a rough week, that’s all. And my
maternal instincts are kicking in, so I’ve been hovering.”

“She misses bartending?”

“That’s part of it. And there’s the packing.
And moving to a new city.”

“She’s moving here?” His ice-blue eyes
sparkled. “Awesome. She can live with me and Rachel. Hell, she can
even
sleep
with us if she wants.”

“I’m sure that’s her secret wish,” Erica
drawled. Then she asked warily, “How does she seem to you?”

“Bammie? She’s on fire. You saw her with
Riga, right? What a babe.” Pausing to clear his throat, he
murmured, “Is something wrong? Should I talk to her?”

“No, please don’t.” Erica remembered the
bungled toasts and shuddered. “Don’t tell her I said anything,
okay?”

“Whatever you say.” His grip tightened
possessively. “You
own
us, remember? Especially Deck, but me
too. So just tell us what you need.”

“
This
is all I need. Thanks, Bam.”

“Anytime.”

They returned to the group in time to see
that Sean had ordered drinks: Scotch for Johnny and Bam, Cosmos for
Rachel and Tess, and Coke for Erica and Sean.

“You’re so sweet,” she told the kicker with
an appreciative smile. “But you should have a real drink.”

“Bam’s trying to steal you from me,” he
explained. “I had to make my move.”

“Thanks.” She stared up into his green eyes,
greedily enjoying the sparkle while also feeling guilty. Or rather,
powerless to help him.
Warn
him.

Tess gave her a teasing nudge. “I just told
Rachel about the horrors of our shopping trip.”

“
What?”
she gasped.

“I’m talking about Cruella de Ville,” Tess
explained quickly. “Remember?”

“Oh, right.”

Rachel jumped in, saying, “That slinky black
gown sounds scary. And uncomfortably close to what
I’m
wearing.”

“Don’t be silly, Tatiana,” Tess said with a
laugh. “Yours is sleeveless. And green. And classy. Of course,
you’d make the Cruella dress look classy too.”

At that moment, the chairwoman of the event
asked everyone to quiet down, then introduced the first speaker,
who took only a few minutes.

Then the second speaker, who took quite a bit
longer.

And then the third.

Sean leaned close to Erica, confiding, “I
might need that stiff drink after all.”

“Me too,” she admitted.

Then the chairwoman was back at the podium to
announce the winning bids from the silent auction. When “Erica
McSpurling” won the Noelle Sharpe book, Erica glanced at Johnny,
surprised he would use that silly name for their entry.

He shook his head. “Must have been Deck.
That’s
true love.”

Erica’s eyes flooded with tears as she turned
to Sean and Tess. “Did you guys do that? For me?”

“Oh, my God. For a winner, you’re
such
a loser,” Tess teased her. Then she pulled her into a loving
embrace and whispered, “You were there when I needed you. Now
I’m
fine and
you’re
a wreck.
Please
stop
worrying. I’ve never been happier, I promise.”

“What if it’s the other thing? What if he
charmed you, but you’re festering underneath?”

“Oh, Lord.” Tess’s eyes filled with tears.
“It’s not that, I promise. You poor, deranged preggo. Sean and I
are fine.
Forever.”

“What the hell?” Sean asked, only half
joking.

“Yeah,” Johnny said, turning Erica toward
himself and staring into her eyes. “If there’s something
wrong—”

“It’s hormones, I promise. I apologize,
everyone.”

To Erica’s relief, the guys seemed to accept
the explanation. Rachel looked skeptical but didn’t say anything,
just sent her a look that was so supportive, she would have told
her the whole story if it hadn’t been for Bam’s role in Tess’s
meltdown. It would kill him if he knew, and Rachel probably
couldn’t keep the secret from him, so it was best just to stick
with the hormone excuse forever.

• • •

Tess had explained she wanted to interview
one of the rookies about his lucky pillow, but as Erica watched her
flirt with
two
hulking guys—boys, really—she felt a new wave
of dread. The rookies seemed so smitten, and too young to have
fallen into serious love before. So what if one of
them
could see Tess as his Juliet? Did Tess sense that? Was that why she
was sparkling so wildly?

Johnny’s arm encircled her waist. “You keep
staring at Tess, babe. It’s bizarre.”

“Where’s Sean?” she asked before she could
stop herself. “He shouldn’t leave her alone with those—well, those
players.”

Johnny chuckled. “You think
those
guys
can compete with Decker? You’re forgetting his effect on women.
Even
before
he gives them diamond horses.”

“You’re right. I’m just being silly,” she
agreed.

His gaze penetrated hers, then he announced,
“We’re outta here. We’ll pick up some ice cream and watch the
wedding video for the hundredth time, okay?”

“That sounds perfect. Let me just run to the
ladies’ first.” After pecking him on the cheek, she escaped toward
the restrooms but detoured to a secluded atrium that led to an even
more deserted outdoor patio. Bam loved telling the story of how he
met “the teach” there, and while they always claimed it was just a
kiss, Erica knew from Rachel’s blush it must have gone a little
further than that.

So romantic. Just like Romeo and Juliet
but without the dying part. Just like Johnny said.
Her eyes
filled with tears.
If only Sean could give that to Tess.

• • •

Standing alone, Johnny watched as Tess
interviewed Wish Bennett and his sidekick Jordy in the distance. It
had bothered Erica—a
lot
—for some reason.

She’s worried about Tess. The question is:
Why?

Sean walked up, cheerful as always these
days. “Where’s the mother-to-be?”

“Ladies’ room. Where were
you?”

“That chair lady drafted me to move props to
her car. Why is it always me?” he complained.

“You’re a babe magnet, remember?” He cleared
his throat. “Erica didn’t think you should leave Tess alone with
the rookies. And it’s kinda true, Deck. They’re all over her.”

“Those losers?” Sean chuckled as he studied
his girlfriend and her new admirers. “Looks like she’s having fun,
so what’s the harm?”

“She had fun with Riga too,” Johnny reminded
him.

“Yeah, that was hilarious.”

Rachel approached and told Sean sternly, “You
need to break that up. Those guys are mauling her.”

“Huh?” Sean looked again and grimaced.

And for good reason, since Wish Bennett was
trying to put his arm around Tess’s waist. She was doing a great
job of evading him, but still, it was too much, so Johnny made a
mental note to talk to the upstart on Monday.

“I’d better get over there,” Sean agreed.
“After that, we’ll probably take off. She had a tiring week.”

“Good idea.” He nodded in approval as the
youngest member of the Triple Threat re-staked his claim on his
girlfriend.

Rachel nodded in approval, then turned back
to Johnny. “Have you seen Vince?”

“Nope. I think they abandoned us. So what do
you say? I never danced with a Bond girl before.”

Her blue eyes twinkled as she slipped her
hand into his and said in a pseudo-seductive voice, “Just call me
Tatiana.”

• • •

Tess’s interview with Wish yielded tons of
material for the new article, but her favorite part was when Sean
looped an arm around her shoulders to signal whose girl she was. So
much better than punching the rookies out like he’d done to
Zane.

“Are you sure we don’t need to say good-bye?”
she asked as he propelled her toward the exit.

“To who? Erica’s in the restroom, John and
Rachel are dancing, and Bam’s off harassing someone. Plus .
. .” He nibbled her ear. “They saw you in this dress, so they
know
what’s on my mind.”

She half expected him to take her to her
suite, but he chose the lobby doors instead, explaining, “My place
is more private, right? Unless you need something from your
room.”

“Can I use your toothbrush?”

“Hell yeah.”

“Then I’m good.”

It was surprisingly windy at valet parking,
giving her an excuse to snuggle against Sean until he had ushered
her safely into his car. As soon as they pulled away from the curb,
he started teasing her about Riga and the rookies, and
she
teased
him
about the bossy chairwoman, admitting, “Who could
blame her? You look pretty good tonight, Romeo.”

“Keep that thought.” He eyed her curiously.
“So? What’s up with you and Erica?”

“Oh, Lord.” She heaved a loud sigh. “Remember
how I told you Colbys don’t cry? I broke the code yesterday. And it
shocked her. So even though it was cathartic for
me,
she’s
still a mess.”

“You cried?” His eyes flashed. “Remind me to
strangle Bannerman for that stupid toast.”

“I blame the bobble heads,” she joked. “Not
to mention the cats.”

He still seemed troubled as they neared his
property, so she added lightly, “I think it’s hormones, too. For
Erica, I mean. Poor thing.”

“Yeah, she’s a mess.” He drove through the
gate, then groaned. “Dammit, the tarp came loose.”

Tess grimaced as the heavy material flapped
in the wind over the kitchen skylight, secured by a single corner.
“Are you worried it’ll leak if it rains?”

“It’s more about the glue I used on the roof
tiles. But I was gonna take the tarp off tomorrow anyway. Looks
like I’ll be doing it tonight.”

“In a tux?” She got out as soon as he came to
a stop, then walked over to persuade him otherwise. “Wait until
tomorrow. I have plans for you tonight.”

“It’ll just take five minutes. But you’re
right, I’ll change first.” He hesitated, then glanced from her to
the house. “You live here now. Right?”

She nodded, then moved into his arms and
kissed him amorously. “Forget about the tarp. I’ll buy you a new
one.”

“It’s my best one,” he said stubbornly. Then
he flashed a grin. “Is this what it’s gonna be like? I’ll never get
anything done.”

“You’ll get
me
done.”

“Yeah.” He kissed her again, then picked her
up, making her shriek with anticipation as he carried her to the
house.

By the time they reached his bedroom they had
built up enough lust to propel them into bed for a wild romp.
Still, he seemed to really,
really
love that tarp because as
soon as they were done, he was on his feet and looking for jeans
and a Villanova shirt.

She rolled her eyes. “You’re lucky I’m madly
in love with you.”

“Yeah, I know.” He eyed her body fondly, then
walked to the door. “Don’t fall asleep. We need to talk about this
Erica thing, right? Because we
both
know Colbys don’t cry
without a damned good reason.”

She wanted to argue, but he had already
disappeared into the hall. And maybe he was right. Maybe if she
just laid it all on the table—the jealousy, the Romeo-and-Juliet
conundrum, the works—they could put it behind them forever.

“Because
she
got the title, but you
got the prize,” she told herself as she admired the horse charm.
“Poor Kerrie. If she had just gotten divorced right away, then
pretended
to like Erica and the guys until she got to know
them better, she could have lived happily ever after.”

The fact that she now pitied Kerrie instead
of envying her was a good sign. A great sign, really. So she
started a bubble bath, then wandered into the X-Caliber closet for
another peek at Sean’s baby shoes. She even dared look at the
brand-new baby shoes, wondering if her own child would wear them
one day.

Deciding Erica had gotten baby-hormones all
over her, she returned to the half-filled tub and took a quick dip
to freshen up. Sean had been gone for a while, but as a kicker he
was sure-footed, so the chances of him falling off a roof were nil.
More likely he was chasing the tarp across the lawn, begging it not
to leave him.

As she toweled off, she stepped onto the
small balcony off the bathroom. It might not give her a view of the
roof, but a portion of the yard was in sight. And she might get a
glimpse of the ladder as well. And while the image of Romeo
courting Juliet on a balcony tried to ruin the moment, she decided
if Sean appeared, she’d just go for it. Have him sing to her.

Why not? This wasn’t fifteenth-century
Verona, after all. And tragedy was way,
way
overrated.

• • •

Fresh from the roof, Sean ambled into the
bathroom and stopped short, awed by the sight of Tess—so nude, so
breathtaking—bathed in moonlight on the balcony. He had promised
himself not to take her for granted, so he took a moment to
remember why.

She was everything to him. Light, air, fun,
sex, love, all rolled into the prettiest girl ever.

“Hey,” he murmured finally.

She turned toward him, her eyes sparkling
more brightly than the diamond charm between her breasts. No hint
of shyness over being surprised in such a naked condition. Like
Eve, pre-apple.