Playing to Win

“Well, only if you want to.” She bit her lip, drawing my attention to it.

A flash of heat coursed through my body. I knew what those lips felt like. Tasted like.

“Does this mean you like my music?”

She shrugged. “It’s okay, I guess.”

I shook my head and chuckled. “I’m never gonna catch a break with you, am I?”

“Probably not.” She gestured toward my guitar. “Are you going to play something or not?”

“I’ll play whatever you want,” I told her, meaning it, too. She had no idea, but she had me wrapped around her pretty little finger.

“Play that song again. Is it new?”

I nodded. “I started it today. You like it?”

She grinned, not giving me an inch. “I can’t believe you can just think up a tune and play it in a day.”

“It doesn’t always come so easy.” My fingers moved over the guitar strings, but my eyes never left hers.

“Does it have lyrics?”

“Yeah, but they aren’t ready yet.” More like, I wasn’t ready yet. I played for several minutes. Jordan leaned back in her chair and closed her eyes. Playing for an audience always made my blood pump. Playing for Jordan had it thrumming. I loved the serenity in her expression. I loved that my song had the power to make her stop and listen and ask me to keep playing.

Someday, I hoped I’d be playing in concerts with more than an audience of one, but for now, this was perfect.

Once I strummed the last chord, I held my hand over the strings to quiet them and watched as Jordan’s eyes slowly opened.

“That one’s okay.”

I laughed out loud. “Thanks for keeping me humble.”

She smiled. “No, thank you. Payton said they already had everything worked out for you two.”

“It’s not a big deal. Ms. Jackson acted right away to make it happen. I think she figured she’d better before I changed my mind or lost interest.”

“You aren’t going to do that, are you? Change your mind or lose interest?”

I reached across the distance between us to smooth the pucker between her eyes with my fingers. “No.”

Her shoulders lost some of their starch. “Good. I think this could be really good for him. He seemed excited when he told us about it at dinner.”

“I’m glad. But Jordan, don’t get your hopes up too high. Maybe Payton will get interested in music and straighten up, but maybe he won’t.” I hated the thought of letting her down. But in the end, Payton had to choose. I couldn’t force him to change. He had to do that all on his own.

“I know.” She stood up and paced the small patch of grass beside the furniture. “I do know. I’m just glad for something, anything, that might help him.”

I rose to my feet and rested my guitar against the arm of the chair. “I hope it helps, too.” However, we needed to talk about something else.

Reaching out, I took hold of Jordan’s hips and pulled her close. Her mouth dropped open a little and she rested her hands against my chest.

“You let me kiss you earlier.”

She nodded, a small smile tugging at her lips.

“In fact, if I remember right, you kissed me first.”

“I can neither confirm nor deny,” she said making me laugh.

“You can’t, huh? Well, can you if you’re gonna kiss me again or not?”

“Hmm.” She pretended to think about it. “I’m not sure. Maybe you should kiss me this time?”

I moved my hands from her hips to wrap my arms around her waist. “I think that can be arranged.” I didn’t hesitate this time, didn’t tempt her to beat me to the punch. My lips collided with hers and I could have sworn I’d been kissing her forever. We fell into a tantalizing rhythm.

For several long moments, our mouths grew familiar, intimate. There were plenty of things I didn’t know about Jordan Parks, but I knew she fit in my arms. I knew she tasted like my favorite flavor. I knew her hair felt soft against my skin. With that knowledge came a sense of possession. Jordan would always be her own person, but I certainly hoped some part of her could be mine.

“Jordan,” I murmured between kisses. Darkness had fallen and we stood tucked beneath the trees. I didn’t worry too much about getting caught making out with the Coach’s daughter, but still.