The Perfect Game (The Perfect Game 1)

“I don’t want any other girl. ” He brought my hand to his lips and kissed it gently. “You hear me?”

“I hear you,” was all I could force out in a whisper.

“But do you believe me?” He cocked his head to one side and raised an eyebrow.

I shrugged my shoulder. “I guess we’ll see. ”

“Damn straight we’ll see. ” He jerked his head playfully. “I’ll prove it to you. ”

I rolled my eyes and he pressed his warm mouth against mine, his tongue parting my lips. I jerked away. “If this is your way of proving it…”

His mouth instantly found mine again, the heat between us hot enough to start a fire. The taut muscles of his abs pressed tightly against my stomach. I found myself suddenly aware of his fingers and their location against the small of my back, pulling me against him. His body grew harder with every moment that passed and my defenses lowered.

I maneuvered my hands underneath his shirt and ran my fingers along the curves of his back. His skin was smooth and soft, yet hard and muscular. I found myself unable to stop exploring as I caressed every inch I could reach of his warm skin. Feeling his body this way sent excited tingles shooting throughout my entire body. He pressed the hardness in his jeans against me and I struggled to catch my breath. And even though I wasn’t ready to be one of Jack Carter’s conquests, I found it difficult to resist him when I was this turned on.

Melissa cleared her throat. “Jesus, you two. I feel like I should leave a tip after watching that. ”

I peeled my tingling body away from his and wiped at my bottom lip, lust blurring my vision.

“We take quarters. ” Jack smirked before leaning in for one last peck.

Melissa’s face contorted with confusion at the inside joke I realized I’d never shared with her. “Whatever. I have to finish my homework. Hurry up and make me some food. ”

Jack impressed me by not only helping cook dinner, but cleaning up as well. He attempted to swat me with the dish towel a total of twelve times. It annoyed the hell out of me, but I’ll admit I also found it endearing. I shook my head absentmindedly, lost in thought.

“What are you shaking your head at?” Jack asked, leaning his hip against the counter.

“I was just thinking about us. ” I flashed him a reassuring smile as I placed the towel back around the handle of the stove.

“Oh, yeah? What about us?” He took a step toward me.

I put my hand up to stop him. “Just about how differently I feel about you today versus when we met at the party that night. ”

“And how do you feel about me today?” He grabbed my hand and tucked it behind my back, pulling my body against his.

“Well, I don’t hate you today. ” I smiled, my heart rate picking up speed.

His lips moved toward my face, brushing against my cheek without stopping. “You didn’t hate me that night either,” he whispered, his breath hot against my ear.

Excited chills replaced my will to playfully fight back. I pushed him and spun on my heels away from his hot body. “I have to get ready for bed. ”

“I’ll come with you,” he called out to my retreating back.

I stopped and turned to face him, my eyes narrowing. “No, you will not. ” I pressed my hand firmly against his hard chest. “You’ll stay right here until I’m done. Go watch SportsCenter or Baseball Tonight or something. ”

His eyebrows pulled together. “Seriously?”

“Seriously. ”

His face softened, a half smile appearing. “Okay, Kitten. You get ready for bed and I’ll wait here. ”

I assumed he thought I was up to something, but the truth was I had no intention of doing anything sexual with him tonight. I wasn’t ready and before this night was through, I was going to have to admit that to him. It was a conversation I dreaded having. I washed the makeup off my face, brushed my teeth, and slipped into my pink tank top and white boxer shorts before reentering the living room.

“You can come in now,” I announced from the doorway.

Jack’s gaze slid over my body, then he pushed himself up from the couch and sauntered toward me, a smile plastered across his cheeks. “Night, Melissa. ” He smacked my backside with his hand and steered me toward my bedroom.

“Stop it, brat!” I shouted as I ran into the bedroom. I watched as he closed the door behind him and then reached into his overnight bag.