Playing to Win

The stuff on the ice wasn’t that bad until you added in the school element. “I’m fine.”

His dark eyes searched mine. I wanted to be mad at him for interfering, but I couldn’t. What he’d done was kind of sweet.

“You called me ‘babe’.” Did he see my pulse pounding in my throat? He stood so close, how could he not?

Asher’s eyes darkened, his expression softening. “I had to get him away from you. I didn’t know how else to do it without getting into a fight.”

“Yeah, but now, he probably thinks we’re, you know.”

His lips turned up and the desire to reach out and touch them became almost impossible to resist. I didn’t go gah-gah over boys. But something about Asher lured me in. Maybe his song. Or his willingness to help my brother. But what about my rule. Falling for Asher could be catastrophic.

Or it could be incredible.

Asher

“Yeah, but now, he probably thinks we’re, you know,” she said, her eyes widening.

Oh, yeah. I knew.

“And that would be a problem?” What could possibly be the point of denying my attraction at this point? Jordan hit all my buttons in all the right ways. I noticed her. All. The. Time. That’s how I noticed Jessup messing with her. I couldn’t keep my eyes off her.

After interfering at practice and getting my butt handed to me about it, I held back from saying anything, doing anything. But it was there. Every practice, I’d grit my teeth against the desire to paste that guy into the boards, but I understood. Jordan had something to prove. She didn’t need me flying in to protect her. Hockey was a physical sport. Besides, her dad and her brother were both there every day, making me think I’d been overly sensitive because I wanted to kiss her.

Watching her shove Jessup’s arm off her shoulder and then seeing him try to put it back, well, I couldn’t take it anymore. I had to do something.

Now, Jessup was long gone and Jordan stood with her back against the wall in the now empty hall, staring up at me with those huge blue eyes of hers, her pulse pounding in her neck, and I did something crazy.

With my hands braced on either side of her head, I dipped my head until my nose brushed the soft skin at the back of her jaw. Jordan looked tough, but she smelled like the most feminine thing I’d ever encountered.

“You smell so good,” I murmured, inhaling deeply.

Her breath came out short and choppy. “I do?”

“Mhmm.” I nodded and my nose brushed back and forth over her skin.

“What are you doing,” she asked, breathlessly.

“I don’t want to be your enemy, Jordan.” Stepping closer, I brought our bodies in contact with each other.

“You don’t?”

“No.”

“What do you want, then?”

I thought she’d never ask.

“I want to kiss you.”

Her breath hitched. “You do?”

I nodded again. “Can I?”

She nodded.

Yes!

But first, we had to clear the air.

“Ms. Jackson said she’d talk to whoever’s in charge at the middle school about Payton.”

Jordan’s hands gripped my sides. “She did? When?”

“I talked to her a few minutes ago. I really was looking for you. I explained the situation to her and she thinks it’s a great idea.” Unable to wait any longer, I pressed my lips to her neck.

Jordan shivered, her fists clenching my tee shirt. “Asher-”

“I’m happy to help your brother if I can, but kissing you can’t be about that.” I lifted my head, needing to see her eyes. “I want to kiss you more than just about anything,” I whispered. “But don’t kiss me as a favor. Kiss me because you want to.”

I drew my hands away from the wall and used them to frame her face. Her skin felt soft against my calloused fingertips, and with more patience than I knew I had, I waited.

“Jordan?”

“Oh, just do it already.” Lifting onto her toes, Jordan brought her lips to mine.

It had been building, this need to hold her, kiss her. I couldn’t hold back if I tried. My hands abandoned her cheeks to find her waist while our lips worked together, pulling, tugging, tasting.

I bent my knees and lifted her off the ground, gasping into her mouth. Her fingers threaded through my hair and my knees weakened.