To Catch A Player (Second Chance)

by Piper Sullivan

  I leaned in and squinted at the small words. “Dear Meddling Matchmakers, congratulations. Your meddling has worked. I am madly in love with Reese St. James. Waiting to hear if she feels the same. Will post status updates as they occur.” I flashed a look at him at the last sentence.

  “That’s a pretty big declaration.”

  “It’s not big enough, Reese. I would do anything—hell, I will do anything you need to believe that my heart belongs to you. Anything.”

  I believed him. Not because I wanted to, even though I really did. I believed him because the love in his hazel eyes was more intoxicating than any I’d ever seen aimed in my direction. All those times I imagined a man admiring my girl-next-door looks or extra curves and never once had they ever looked like that.

  Like I was a rock star or a queen. Like I was Julia freakin’ Roberts. “Well, there is one thing you can do, Detective Slater.”

  “Name it.”

  “Say it again.” I needed to hear it again. Just one more time, and then I would be sure.

  He smiled and let out a slow sigh that had me leaning in just in case I missed a single word. “I’m in love with you, Reese.”

  That’s it. I smiled and went to him, cupping his face in my hands as my thumbs rubbed back and forth over the stubble that had grown since morning. Maybe yesterday morning. “That’s really nice to hear, Jackson, because I’ve recently realized something myself.”

  “Oh, yeah? What’s that?” His smile was playful, but he was as anxious as I was to hear me return those all-important words.

  “That I’m hopelessly in love with you, too.”

  His shoulders sank in relief. “Well, that’s damn good to hear, woman. Were you gonna make me wait all night for it?”

  I laughed and tossed my head back, feeling light and free and so damn happy I thought I might burst with it. “It’d be no less than what you deserve. I guess I’ll have to train you better.”

  He laughed and pulled me closer. “I respond very well to positive reinforcement, especially the naked variety.”

  “You don’t say,” I told him, swatting playfully at his roaming hands.

  “Just something to keep in mind. Later.” Then, before I could say another word, Jackson claimed my mouth in a hot and fiery kiss that felt like the start of something really big and really great. Maybe it was wishful thinking on my part, or maybe it was just strange to start thinking that things might actually work out in my favor—either way, it was an odd feeling. And I kind of liked it. “Say it again?”

  “What? That I love you? That I’m madly in love with you, and until a few minutes ago, I thought I’d never get to kiss these lips again? Because all of that is true.”

  “These lips are yours for as long as you want them, sweetheart. Longer, even.” That promise sounded like music to my ears and I leaned forward and pressed my lips to his, taking exactly what I needed and using only my mouth and hands to show this wonderful man exactly how much he meant to me.

  “Longer sounds good. Now, shut up and kiss me good.”

  Jackson moaned and fisted his big hands in the fabric of my T-shirt, tugging me as close as I could get without being in his arms. “Yes, ma’am.”

  Turned out Netflix & chill was a lot more fun when there was someone there with you.

  Jackson

  Waking up with Reese not just in my arms, but with her body plastered completely against mine and one leg flung between my own, was the very definition of heaven, as far as I was concerned. She was warm and soft; a small smile touched her sleeping lips as she snuggled closer and I pulled her to me, pressing a kiss to that silky space between her neck and shoulder.

  “Mmm.” She woke up with a moan and smile. Just for me. “Morning.”

  “It’s a great morning now,” I told her and leaned over, stealing a kiss before she could turn her head and squeal about morning breath. “Great morning.”

  When I pulled back, Reese smacked a hand over her mouth. “You’re a morning kisser?”

  I nodded and smiled. “Is that a problem?”

  “I don’t know, do you enjoy the taste and scent of morning breath?”

  I barked out a laugh and scooped her up, placing her body right on top of mine and holding her there, savoring the feel of soft, naked feminine curves pressed right where I needed them. “Just thinking about all the things you did with that mouth last night makes me not really give a damn about morning breath.”

  Her skin turned bright red and Reese shook her head. “I shouldn’t be surprised by those words, but I am.”

  I already knew what she was thinking, because I hadn’t stopped thinking about it since last night. I’d told her being in love with her made me sick to my stomach. How could a man ever live that down? There was only one way. “I’m going to make it up to you. I swear.”

  She blinked and sat up, bringing the hot dampness of her core right on top of my straining erection. And then she threw her head back and moaned, loudly. Twice. I squeezed her hips and that seemed to bring Reese out of her stupor. “Sorry. Make what up to me?”

  I blinked. Seriously? “Last night. The way I said I love you for the first time? Nausea ringing any bells?” She’d been so upset about it last night that my mind had been spinning with ways to make it up to her. I’d planned to reach out to all the other Hometown Heroes for ideas.

  A wide smile split her face and she shook her head, blond hair tumbling messily around her shoulders. “I have some recollection about you being sick to your stomach, but I don’t think a do-over is necessary. Do you?”

  “Hell yeah, I do. You deserve better than that.”

  Reese’s expression softened and she cupped one side of my face with a gentle smile. “Jackson, I love that you think that. In fact, it only makes me love you more. But it was actually kind of perfect.”

  Now it was my turn to laugh. “Not that I mind at all, but this isn’t some kind of love-inspired rose-colored-glasses thing, is it?” Because I loved her, but that shit was creepy.

  “No.” She laughed and pressed a soft, slow kiss to my mouth. “I am perfectly aware of your flaws. Your many flaws,” she added with an amused smirk. “And I love you, anyway.”

  She shrieked out a laugh when I squeezed her hips and flipped our positions. “You love me in spite of my many flaws? How sweet.”

  “I meant your many, many flaws,” she offered with another laugh, a sound I knew I would never get tired of hearing. “Not just your flaws, Jackson. This thing between us has been strange from the beginning. We started backwards as a one-night stand, and then enemies. Then friends.”

  Her soft, affectionate smile hit me in the chest like a ton of bricks and another wave of love washed over me. “Then lovers,” I reminded her with a thrust of my hips.

  “Yes, and then lovers. But this whole thing has been unorthodox, and the way you confessed to loving me,” she sang, moving her hips, “is right in line with that. I love it. And I love you.”

  And that was more than enough for me. Though I would make it up to her, and I planned to do it in a way that would blow last night out of the water. “Good, because I love you, too.”

  My lips brushed against hers and we kissed for an eternity, neither of us caring that we hadn’t brushed our teeth or gotten out of the bed. Gotten dressed. Started the day. Nothing else mattered, just the feel of her lips on mine. My hair-roughened legs against her silky-smooth ones. My semi-calloused hands grazing her skin.

  Three quick rings of the doorbell pulled us both from the kiss that never ended, both of us with wide, bright, lust-filled eyes. And a matching knowing smile on our faces. “Cock-blocked,” she said with a laugh and pushed at my chest. “It could be a barbecue sauce emergency.”

  “Now I’ve heard everything. A barbecue sauce emergency, huh?” I rolled off of Reese reluctantly, taking my time as my gaze raked over her naked body. “I feel my own barbecue sauce emergency popping up,” I told her, looking down at the uncomfortable erection jutting out between us.
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  She laughed. “That is unfortunate, but I promise to bring some home later… if you’re serious.” The smile she wore and those little circles pinking her cheeks were too much and I grabbed Reese before she stood, sliding her body underneath mine so I could kiss her like I meant it.

  Because I did. I really meant it. “I’m damn serious.”

  “Oh. Okay.” Her words came out low and breathy and, instinctively, my hips flexed against hers. “Jackson.”

  The bell rang. Again. “Dammit. Who is ringing the bell this time of morning?”

  Reese reached over for her phone, swiped the screen to life and burst out laughing. “It’s almost ten o’clock, hardly the crack of dawn.” She rolled off the bed once again and reached for her robe. “Maybe you should stay up here until your discomfort passes.” With a sassy smile, she turned and walked out of the bedroom, and I kept my gaze on her until she disappeared.

  Then I smiled.

  Reese loved me.

  She was in love with me. And it felt amazing.

  Reese

  “I know where you’ve been hiding out the past few days,” Ginger said as she breezed into the kitchen, looking incredible in a green dress and matching espadrilles that had me equally green… with envy. “What I want to know is why?”

  I frowned over my shoulder at my nosy friend and continued to roll out the biscuit dough, giving her a shake of my head. “Nice to see you too, Ginger, and I’m not hiding, I’m working. Thanks to your write-up online, I now have to figure out if I want to jar my own sauce sooner rather than later.” And it was a decision I wasn’t ready to make. Yet.

  “Well, that is good news and I’m happy to help in any way I can.” She flashed a wide grin and took her spot on the stainless steel table in the corner that was more of a storage area than a usable piece of equipment. “So, things are good with you and Jackson?”

  I frowned. “Who said anything about Jackson?” It was a terrible attempt at deflecting the question, so I kept my head down and pretended the dough was the most interesting thing in the world.

  “I did, so don’t try to be coy. Just give me all the details and I promise not to ask too many probing questions.” I didn’t believe her, or those perfectly sculpted arched brows aimed at me. “I said too many, not none.”

  “Thanks for the clarification,” I told her, my voice heavy with sarcasm. Ginger didn’t respond at first and when I looked up, she was still staring at me with that knowing smirk on her face. Waiting. “Okay, fine, maybe Jackson and I have been spending some time together.”

  “Some overnight time?”

  I looked up, surprised and she rolled her eyes.

  “Oh, come on, Reese! If you guys wanted to keep this a secret, you shouldn’t leave his car in front of your place. All night.”

  Crap. That had been an oversight I hadn’t thought of. I shrugged causally. “Didn’t realize people were staking out my house for overnight visitors.”

  “It’s Tulip, what else are we gonna do?” She laughed to herself and shook her head. “So… how are things?”

  “Good,” I said absently, unwilling to do the whole gushing thing, even though just thinking about those three little words that Jackson spoke with such ease made me giddy with excitement.

  “That smile says better than good, so spill it, sister.” I knew Ginger wouldn’t drop it until I did, so I told her some things. But not everything.

  “Things are good. For now.” I was enjoying the first rush of being in love and everything that went along with that, but I was wary enough to keep most of it to myself.

  “Now is all that’s guaranteed, so enjoy it, I say.”

  “You think it’s that simple?” I’d never thought about it in such simplistic terms, but maybe that was my failing, making things more complicated than they needed to be. Jackson loved me and I loved him. For today, that was enough.

  “I wouldn’t say it was simple, but when things are good, I try to enjoy them. Good things don’t always last, and instead of worrying my way through those good times, I decide to enjoy them. The worry will come soon enough, anyway.”

  I stopped loading the dough onto the baking sheets and stared at Ginger. “That was really insightful.”

  “Thanks,” she snorted. “I am a journalist and a very insightful person, thank you very much.”

  “Of course you are. Obviously, you are,” I added with emphasis. “I just meant I think you hit the nail on the head.” I was so busy worrying about how things might play out with Jackson, so busy dwelling on my failed attempts at love in the past, that I was ready to toss out something, someone that was here and real. And who wanted me. “I’m an idiot.”

  “We’re all idiots when it comes to love. This is love, isn’t it?” There was something about her tone and the look in her eyes that gave me pause.

  My gaze narrowed and I pointed a flour-covered hand at her. “What’s going on? Are you in on this whole matchmaking thing?” It seemed like the whole town was in on it, in one way or another, but Ginger was my friend.

  “Not how you’re thinking, Miss Suspicious.” She sighed and slid off the table in the corner before she made her way to me, leaning against the table right in my personal space. “I’m invested because I want you to be happy, and if this is love, then you are beyond happy. But hiding it.”

  I frowned at her logic. “And if it’s not love?”

  “Isn’t it?”

  I threw my hands in the air and shook my head. “Seriously, woman? You’re making me crazy!”

  She laughed and, wisely, took a step back. “You’re the one who’s in love and pretending it’s no big deal, so I’m just trying to figure out what’s going on. So… what’s going on?”

  I sucked in a deep breath. And then another. And finally, one more. “I don’t know. We both said the words,” I whispered. “But I don’t know what that means.”

  Ginger squealed and wrapped her arms around me, apparently oblivious to the fact that she would now be covered in flour. “That’s so great, Reese! I’m so happy for you guys.”

  “Thanks,” I told her, feeling weird that she seemed to be more excited than I was.

  “Listen to me, Reese. Jackson said he loves you, which means he does. And you love him, too, which is pretty great. That means you’re in love, and you get to decide what that means. Enjoy it for a month or two or even one hundred, until you want more. Or less.”

  “Just like that?”

  She gave a sharp nod. “Just. Like. That. To paraphrase a very wise princess, Reese, you just have to let it go. Let it go and enjoy the now.”

  I stared at her a long moment. “What, no song?”

  “You don’t deserve one, smart ass.” Ginger stuck her tongue out and quickly ducked to dodge a flying kitchen towel. “Trust that he’s a grown man who knows his mind and his heart.”

  “Who knows his heart?” Rafe’s deep voice startled a scream out of both of us. “Well, don’t keep me in suspense, ladies.”

  “We’re having girl talk,” Ginger told him with a smile. “But you can join if you give me a scoop on the next hometown hero love story.” She stared at Rafe and he stared back, an adult staring contest that would rival even the brattiest of siblings.

  Rafe, always the gentleman, tossed his hands up in defeat. “No, thanks. Reese will just tell me later.”

  “No, she won’t,” I shot back with a grin.

  Rafe leaned against the wall right beside the door and grinned that charming grin that I’d seen rope even the most high-maintenance woman into his arms. “Then I guess my lips are sealed.” He made a big show of zipping his lips and throwing away the key, a move that put me on edge.

  “What do you know?” When he didn’t answer, I picked up the first utensil my hand landed on and pointed in his direction. “What. Do. You. Know?”

  “I know plenty, Reese. I am the fire chief, you know.”

  My gaze narrowed. “Smart ass.”

  “Agreed.”

  “Tell me.�
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  “I saw your boyfriend.”

  I sucked in a breath at his words. “And?”

  “And,” Rafe said as he pushed off the wall with another of his playful and charming smiles, “and I think I’ll just sit back and see how things play out.” He brushed past me and grabbed Ginger’s arm before he whispered, “I think you’ll enjoy this, too. Maybe. Hopefully.”

  Before I could threaten Rafe into telling me what he knew, the swinging doors flew open once again. “We’re not… Jackson? What are you doing here?” We didn’t have plans today, and as far as I knew, he had to work today. Though he wasn’t dressed for work.

  “I, uh, wanted to see you.” He raked a hand nervously through his thick hair and let out a shaky breath. “Are you busy?”

  “Nope, she just put the biscuits in the oven,” Ginger called out. “I’ll set the timer,” she added, more subdued when I glared at her.

  “No busier than usual. What’s wrong?” I took a moment to drink Jackson in as he stood towering over me in worn jeans and a dark green shirt that highlighted the marble swirl of his hazel yes.

  “Nothing is wrong. I have a surprise for you.” His lips quirked into a crooked grin and he took a step back, disappearing through the swinging doors and reappearing a few seconds later. “It’s more like a few surprises that equal one big surprise so… bear with me. Please.”

  Jackson set down the three boxes in his arms, pressed a short but hot kiss to my lips, and disappeared again.

  “I was promised interesting,” Ginger groused in the corner.

  “Seeing the detective all flustered is plenty entertaining,” Rafe insisted in a poor imitation of a whisper.

  “Shut it,” I called out to them and shook my hands, hoping to cool the heat and nerves that made them damp. I didn’t know what Jackson was up to, but he was nervous. And that made me nervous.

  They snickered, but it died as soon as Jackson re-entered the kitchen with a visitor.