Playing For Keeps (10 page)

“Sorry. The belt does that because of how the
door opens. Here, let me help.”

He leaned over. When he touched her hair, he
reckoned it was the softest thing he’d ever felt—like the inside of
a cornstalk. He didn’t let go right away.

“Mike.” Her voice was throaty.

His arm stretched across her chest, his
shoulder grazing hers. The contact was intimate. He drew back a bit
and looked into her face. Her cheeks were flushed. Her eyes were
wide and sparkled like stars in the southern sky.

And suddenly Mike wanted to kiss her more
than he wanted to win the Super Bowl. He might have resisted,
though, given their circumstances, if her tongue hadn’t come out
and licked her lips just then. He lifted his hand to them, brushed
his thumb over them. Still, he might have controlled himself if
Jacelyn hadn’t raised her own hand to his neck and anchored it
there. His skin, already sweaty, heated at her touch.

He lowered his mouth. He pressed. She
pressed. He inched closer. She moved toward him. Her hand tightened
on his neck; he tunneled his fingers through her hair. She moaned;
he ran his tongue over the seam of her lips. She opened them. He
took the invitation.

His other arm wrapped around her; when she
leaned forward, he pulled her closer. Through the summer dress he
felt her curves, her heat. To get more of it, he left her mouth and
buried his face in her neck. His hand moved down to her breast,
cradled it in his palm, massaged it.

A car whizzed by, with a muffler that should
have been in a junkyard. The noise jolted both of them.

“Oh!” she said.

He smiled down at her. Her hair was a sexy
mess, and he tucked a strand behind her ear. “Jacey, that was—”

“A mistake.”

“What?”

“It was an unprofessional, foolish
mistake.”

“Hold on, darlin.”

“Let me go, Mike, please.” She pushed on his
chest. He drew back.

She reached for the door handle. Fumbled
it.

“I’ll get it.” He started to open his
door.

“No, stay here. I think it’s better if you
don’t come in.”

“Why not?” Hell, she’d put his body in
overdrive and then slammed on the brakes. He was still reeling from
the momentum. When she didn’t answer, he barked, “Why the hell not?
You kiss me like you’re suckin’ up the air I breathe and then you
say I’m not coming in. What game are you playing?”

“Look, Mike, I can’t do this. You and me,
it’s unthinkable.”

“You didn’t need to think about it a few
minutes ago, sweetheart.” Maybe that was the problem.

“No, I won’t do this. I’m not some groupie.
I—” She covered her mouth with her hands.

“Oh, I get it. It’s beneath the professor to
kiss a jock.”

“No, but being a groupie is untenable. And I
hardly know you.” She waved to encompass the interior of the car.
“I never do this kind of thing.”

“I see.” He swore. “Get out of the car.”

Jacelyn tried the handle again. “I can’t—it’s
stuck.”

Reaching past her, ignoring the brush of his
arm against her, he thrust open the door. As though she was
escaping a mugger, she bolted and ran up the driveway. He shook his
head as he watched her scoot into her house and close the door.

She probably locked it. Against him.

What had he been thinking? Despite what she
said, she was a lofty professor and he was the dumb jock. He hit
the steering wheel hard with the palm of his hand and swore at the
pain. Both kinds.

Jacelyn wasn’t embarrassed. And she wasn’t
angry. Oh, she regretted having once again insulted Mike. But the
overriding emotion swirling inside her this morning as she opened
the door to the Outreach Center was arousal because of what had
happened yesterday in the car. Mike’s body had felt wonderful
pressing into her, his mouth on hers, his hand closing over her
breast. “Oh, Lord. What am I
doing?”

“I don’t know, but I think I’d like to.”
Millie’s voice came from behind her. Jacelyn turned to see her
friend following her inside. “Want to talk?”

“Maybe.” She set her things down on her desk.
She was missing two textbooks and her iPod because she’d left them
in Mike’s car. Damn it.

“Come sit here.” Millie dropped onto the
tapestry couch that was stuck in between their desks in the crowded
space. “What’s going on?”

Jacelyn joined her. “I’m not in a good
place.”

“Professionally or personally?”

“Both. Actually, they intersect.” She stared
at the dingy walls, the filmy windows. “Remember how you said the
other day...that it...well, I needed a ride home...”

Millie’s laugh was low and throaty. “Spit it
out, Jacelyn.”

“Mike Kingston kissed me yesterday.”

“Wow, that was fast.”

“In his red Ferrari.”

“He has a red Ferrari?”

“We were in my driveway in broad
daylight.”

“Was it good?” There was mischief in Millie’s
face.

“Of course it was good, or I wouldn’t have
lost my mind and gone at it with him right out in the open like
that. God, anyone could have seen us.”

“You
went at it?
Oh, be still my
heart.”

“This is not good, Mil.”

“You just said it was.”

“Not the kiss. Well, yes, the kiss.”

“That’s clear.”

She swiveled in her seat to face Millie. “I
liked the kiss, and everything else that happened. It’s just that
professionally, this is suicide.”

“You worried about those jerks who were
criticizing him yesterday?”

“No. Maybe. They’re tough enough to deal with
under any circumstances. I’ll lose credibility with them if I date
a ballplayer.”

“Who the hell cares? I can’t believe you’d
let that hold you back.”

“He’s going to be in the speaker series for
the Sports Studies program.”

“So?”

“He wants to teach in the business
department.”

“Ah, well, that could be an issue. You’d
oversee him, then. Evaluations, that kind of thing.”

“I know.” She scowled. “Do you think he
kissed me to get an in for the job?”

Millie laughed out loud. “You have to be
kidding.” At Jacelyn’s sober look, she said, “Did you know
Sports Illustrated
named him football’s most eligible
bachelor last year? Kyle showed me a copy.”

“No. But what does that have to do with
anything?”

“There was an interview with him talking
about jocks and groupies and affairs. He doesn’t take those things
lightly.”

“He never married Tyler’s mother.”

“Maybe he was different years ago. But he
sounded mature about his relationships with women in the article.
Like he’s choosy about whom he kisses. Does he strike you as being
unethical?”

“No.”

“Like he’d try to get what he wants by
seducing you?”

“No.”

“Another thing the article said was that he’s
now one of the most respected coaches around. He’s accessible and
the players like him. I think any college with a Sports Studies
program would be lucky to get him.”

“Probably.”

“So he wouldn’t have to kiss you to get an in
for teaching.”

Jacelyn shook her head. “Of course you’re
right.”

“You should go online and read the
article.”

“Maybe.”

“That takes care of one worry.”

Because the conversation made her
uncomfortable, Jacelyn glanced at her watch.

Millie asked, “Do you have to go
somewhere?”

“No. I was supposed to have a meeting with Ed
Dickinson.” The Alumni Association president. “We were going to
talk about donations to the Outreach Program. But he canceled.”

“Do you think anything’s wrong? Those funds
account for half of our scholarship money.”

“No, he’s a busy man. He was making time for
me and something probably came up.”

“Well,
I
have to go. I’m meeting
with my department to discuss numbers.” She studied Jacelyn. “Want
to talk about this thing with Mike more later?”

“I want to forget all about Mike
Kingston.”

“Ha! Fat chance.” Millie rose. On close
inspection, Jacelyn’s friend and colleague looked different. Her
hair was down around her shoulders and her pretty brown eyes shone.
“Oh, by the way, Gage Garrison asked me to go to the parade tonight
with him.”

“Really? Now
that
was fast.”

“Nah. As you said yourself, they’re only here
a few weeks.” She gave Jacelyn a sly look. “Besides, I had drinks
with him last night. We got to know each other pretty well.”

When Millie left, Jacelyn stared after her.
Millie didn’t give a damn about what anybody thought; still, she
was highly respected on campus. There was something admirable about
that. She wished she had some of the confidence Millie possessed,
probably built up by having a loving husband until he died. Jacelyn
had Neil. Enough said.

Jacelyn stood, crossed to her computer and
called up the names of students who had already applied for aid for
next year. The process began almost a year in advance so kids could
make early decisions about colleges. But instead of concentrating
on the screen, Jacelyn’s thoughts returned to Mike. She wondered
how he was doing.
What
he was doing. Damn it all!

o0o

Tyler had been difficult all afternoon. Mike
was spending a few hours alone with him before his parents arrived
for the parade tonight and had hoped to enjoy their time
together.

But the kid was being as ornery as a
four-time-sacked quarterback. “I don’t wanna eat lunch.”

“Aren’t you hungry, Champ?”

He looked at the peanut-butter sandwich.
“Mommy never made me eat this.”

“I’m sorry. You wanna go out for a burger or
something?”

“Can we go see Kyle and his mama
instead?”

Kyle’s mama, Mike thought, who’d felt
terrific under his hands yesterday. “She’s workin’ right about now,
son.”

“Can I see her tonight?”

“She’ll be at the parade.” As he nursed his
coffee, he had a thought. “Tyler, it’s okay if you miss your own
mama. You can say so.”

The boy broke crumbs off the bread before him
and nibbled on them. “I like you.”

Mike’s heart twisted in his chest. “I like
you, too. I
love
you. And we’re getting to know each other
right fine. But you can still like me and miss your mama.”

“I can?”

Mike angled his chair. “Come here.” He held
out his arms and Tyler dived into them. He gripped his neck, making
Mike’s throat constrict. “It’s okay, Champ.” The boy began to cry.
Mike soothed his back, smoothed down his hair. Just held on.
Tyler’s sobs dwindled to hiccups. Then he quieted.

When the doorbell rang, Mike kissed his head.
“That’s Nana and Papa, Ty.”

Tyler pulled back. “Don’t tell ‘em.”

“What?”

“You know...that I...you know.”

“Ty, it’s all right to cry.”

Big, doubtful eyes challenged that statement
and Mike was reminded of rookies who questioned everything he
said.

“My players cry.”

“Not hardly.” The bell again.

Mike stood, hiking Tyler up with him. “Yep,
they do. Come on, let’s go see your grandparents.”

When he opened the door, Mike’s own eyes
widened. “Hell and damnation!”

“Hi, little brother.”

“Logan, you SOB. What are you doin’
here?”

“I came for the parade.”

“From where?”

“I’ll tell you all about it.” He smiled at
Tyler. “Hi, little guy.”

Shy now, Tyler buried his face in Mike’s
neck. God, that felt good. From behind Logan, Mike saw his parents
walking toward the porch. “Come on in, everybody.”

Later, after chowing down on pizza for
dinner, Mike’s parents took Ty to get some ice cream and Logan
stayed behind. His movie star look-alike brother gave Mike a
knowing smile. “So, what’s bothering you, Mikey?”

“Tell me about you first.”

“Uh-uh. You spill it, then I’ll tell you
about my wife.”

Mike sputtered Molson’s all over himself.
“You got married?”

“Yep.”

“I gotta hear about the woman who snared
Logan Hunter.”

He shook his head. “More the other way, boyo.
Now talk to me.” He studied Mike. “It’s a woman.”

“Nah, camp’s a zoo. No time for women up
here.”

“I wasn’t born yesterday.”

“Nope, no woman.”

“What were you thinking about during pizza
when you totally lost track of the conversation—about eight
times?”

Casually, Mike peeled the label off the beer.
“Her name’s Jacey.”

“She a camp-girl?”

Mike snorted at the derogatory name athletes
gave to women who pursued jocks at summer training camps. “Not
hardly. She’s the head of the Business Department here at
Beckett.”

“Smart, huh?” Logan sipped his own beer. When
Mike just nodded, his brother said, “Your old nemesis.”

“Hey, we all had our roles. You were James
Bond, I was the dumb jock, Luke and Nick were the scholars, just
like Mom and Dad.”

“You never wanted to be the dumb jock.”

“No. But people can’t see beyond their
expectations.”

“Right. This Jacey doesn’t?”

“Looks that way.” He raked a hand through his
hair. “She’s driving me nuts.”

“What happened?”

“I don’t even know her that well. But we were
parked in my car yesterday afternoon and she practically blew the
top of my head off.”

“You did it in the
car?
Goddamn, you
lead an exciting life.”

“Get your mind out of the gutter. Not much
happened. Just what did—I’d go after her real good if she was
willing.”

“And she’s not?”

“She says she isn’t. It’s just that I don’t
believe her.”

“This day and age,
no
never means
yes.”

“I know.” Mike stood. “You’re right. I gotta
put her out of my mind.”

“I didn’t say that.”

“No, she’s no good for me. I don’t need that
crap from a woman.”