Pass Interference (Fair Catch Series, Book Four)

by Christine Kersey

  “Then we make a good team because we balance each other out.” Did she just say that out loud? Her face heated, but her cheeks were already red from the cold air so she was sure Jax wouldn’t notice her embarrassment.

  He stopped, bringing her to a halt, then he faced her. “I like being on your team, Autumn.” His voice was low, his gaze direct.

  Heart racing, Autumn stared into his sky-blue eyes. He was so hot, so strong, so masculine. So desirable. Convincing herself to ignore the guilt she was sure would intrude, she stepped into Jax’s personal space, then reached up and stroked his face with her hands. “I like being on your team, Jax.”

  Powerful waves of desire slammed into her, and as Jax captured her mouth with his, Autumn focused on the strength of him, the taste of him, and the sweet feelings swirling inside her. This man made her feel things she hadn’t felt in a long time, things that made her want to give her heart to him.

  After several long moments he released her, and she was delighted to realize that all she’d felt was joy.

  She was falling for Jax Cordova, and she was happy.

  Chapter Eighteen

  Thrilled that Autumn had taken the initiative, that she hadn’t pulled away during their kiss, Jax grinned. The rain picked up, but he didn’t care. Then he noticed Autumn shiver.

  He took the picnic blanket out of his pack and wrapped it around her shoulders.

  “Thank you,” she said as she pulled it tight around her. She looked at Sasha, who was getting wetter by the minute. “We need to find shelter.”

  Jax agreed. He looked around. Thick pine trees surrounded them. No obvious place for shelter, unless they wanted to crowd into a pine tree. Not ideal. Then he noticed a rock outcropping. “There.” He pointed toward the outcropping before taking Autumn’s hand and hurrying with her to the small bit of shelter.

  The space was wide enough for all three of them, but only Sasha could stand comfortably. Jax and Autumn had to crouch or sit. But it was dry.

  “Are you hungry?” Jax asked.

  “Yeah.”

  Jax shrugged his backpack off of his shoulders, sat on the dirt, then took out a protein bar for each of them. He handed one to Autumn, who had sat beside him, then he tore the wrapper off of his and downed it in three bites. His stomach rumbled.

  Sasha had lain down, resting her head on her paws.

  “I have something for you,” Autumn said.

  Jax smiled. “Ah. Finally I get to see what you brought.”

  Smiling, Autumn reached into her pack and brought out a plastic container that held half a dozen muffins.

  Anticipation tore through Jax’s stomach, making his mouth water. “You must be some kind of angel.”

  Autumn laughed. “Yes. Just call me the Muffin Angel.”

  “Hmm. I prefer Angel Muffin.”

  She gently shoved his arm. “You’d better not.”

  The touch of her hand on his skin made him want to drag her into his arms, but he gained control over his impulse. He didn’t want to rush her. His gaze went to Sasha, who was watching them closely. “Can Sasha have one?”

  Autumn had begun to worry about Sasha getting hungry. She usually fed her in the early evening, so she knew she would be getting hungry soon. And she hadn’t brought any dog food. Touched that Jax had thought of her, Autumn’s attraction to him deepened. “These are banana muffins. No nuts. So I think they’ll be okay for her.”

  “Good thing. Because she’s looking mighty interested in them.”

  Autumn looked at Sasha, her love for her sweet dog washing over her, then she opened the container, took out a muffin, removed the paper, and set it in front of Sasha. It was gone in a flash.

  Laughing, Autumn turned to Jax. “Guess they taste okay.”

  “I don’t think she actually tasted it.”

  “No. Probably not.” After holding the container out to Jax, who took one muffin, Autumn took one out as well and slowly began eating.

  Rain fell from the sky in a steady beat, drumming the ground outside their cozy shelter. Glancing at Jax out of the corner of her eye, Autumn felt protected. Though she knew Jax couldn’t control everything, she had no doubt that he would do whatever he could to keep her safe. He was a good man. A man she could see herself with. A man she could easily fall in love with.

  Surprised at herself for thinking that, when all she felt was peace and warmth, she leaned against him. His arms went around her and she closed her eyes for a moment, savoring the feeling of being cared for.

  She felt him shiver.

  Straightening, she took the blanket off of her shoulders.

  “What are you doing?” he asked.

  She held it out to him. “We can share.”

  Nodding, he put it around his shoulders, then held it out to one side so she could snuggle under it with him. Eagerly, she took advantage of the invitation, and when he tucked her against his side with the blanket around her, her whole body relaxed and soon she felt herself drifting off.

  A while later Autumn startled awake. Disoriented, she couldn’t figure out where she was or what she was doing there. Then it all came back—the hike, Sasha running off, getting lost, snuggling with Jax while it rained.

  Softly sighing, Autumn felt warm and cozy. Jax had his arms around her and his body heat radiated from him, keeping the space inside the blanket toasty. Sasha was pressed against Autumn’s side, partially under the blanket.

  “Are you awake?” Jax asked.

  “How long was I asleep?” Autumn’s voice was sleep-filled.

  “About half an hour.”

  Her gaze went to the space outside their shelter. “The rain stopped.”

  “Yeah. We should probably get going.”

  As much as Autumn wanted to stay in the circle of Jax’s arms, she would prefer to do so someplace that didn’t involve being lost in the wilderness. “Let’s eat something first. For energy.”

  He chuckled. “Do you want a protein bar or a muffin?”

  “A protein bar.”

  “Good choice. Although I may ask you for a muffin soon.” He paused a beat. “Angel Muffin.”

  Smiling despite herself, Autumn said, “That’s Muffin Angel to you.”

  He laughed, then he opened the blanket so he could get to his backpack. Chilly air replaced the pocket of warmth. Autumn shivered.

  Jax took out a pair of protein bars, handed one to Autumn, then after setting his pack aside, he wrapped the blanket back around them. Heat began to overtake the chill.

  “I have to admit,” Autumn said around a bite of protein bar, “I’m not looking forward to hiking in this cold air.”

  “Yeah, but we’ll warm up while we walk.”

  She hoped so.

  They finished their snack, drank some water, then stood. The sun peeked through the clouds, and Autumn soaked up the rays in an attempt to stave off the chill in the air.

  Jax handed her the blanket, which she wrapped around her shoulders and tied on like a shawl.

  “Which way should we go?” he asked.

  Alarmed, Autumn stared at him. “I thought you knew which way to go.”

  “Uh, not really.”

  Looking from side to side, Autumn asked, “Which way did we come from before we stopped?”

  Jax pointed to the right. “That way.”

  “Are you sure?”

  One side of his mouth turned up. “Yeah. I am sure about that.”

  “Then I guess we go that way.” She pointed to the left.

  “Sounds good to me.”

  Completely unsure if that was the way back to the trail, Autumn began walking, Sasha’s leash in one hand and Jax’s hand in the other.

  Chapter Nineteen

  They walked and walked until Autumn’s feet were sore. She wanted to stop, but she didn’t want to be a baby. They needed to find that trail. She had to push herself.

  “How about another muffin?” Jax asked.

  Glad for an excuse to rest, she stopped, found a downed tree trun
k, then sat on the rough bark. Jax joined her and Sasha flopped to the forest floor.

  “Here you go,” she said as she took out the container of muffins. There were only three left. Jax took one, Autumn gave one to Sasha, then she had the last one. “Do you have any more protein bars?”

  Jax shook his head. “No. And our water’s nearly gone.”

  Fresh worry swept over her. It was one thing to be hungry, but they needed water. Autumn looked at Sasha, who was panting. She poured some water into Sasha’s bowl and set it in front of her. Sasha lapped up every drop.

  Jax poured some of his water into Sasha’s bowl. Sasha lapped up most of it, but lay back down when there was still a little left.

  “I guess she had enough,” Jax said.

  Beyond touched that he’d sacrificed his water for her dog, she rested her head on his shoulder. His arms went around her and she snuggled close to him. Her heart nearly burst with all kinds of good feelings for him. Was it love? She wasn’t sure, but whatever it was, it made her happy.

  Somehow, holding Autumn made everything okay—being lost, running out of food, nearly running out of water. Just having her there took away his worry. He didn’t understand it, but it brought him comfort. They would be okay. He knew it.

  After several minutes, he rubbed her arm. “Ready to find that trail?”

  She nodded against his shoulder. “Yeah.”

  He stood, then with an optimistic smile, he took her outstretched hands and pulled her to her feet. “Let’s do this.”

  One side of her mouth tugged up. “Easy peasy.”

  He laughed. “Yep.”

  Hands intertwined, they began walking, and twenty minutes later Jax saw it. “Is that the trail?”

  “Yes!” Autumn’s voice radiated elation. “It is!” She pulled her hand from his and jogged through the brush, stopping on what had to be the trail. Then she threw her head back and yelled, “We did it!”

  He caught up to her, then lifted her up and threw her over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes. Laughing, she hung over his back as he danced in a circle.

  “Jax,” she called out. “You’re gonna make me drop the leash.”

  He immediately set her on the ground. “We can’t let that happen.”

  Still grinning, she said, “That’s for sure.” Then she looked in both directions. “Do you have any idea which way leads back to the parking lot?”

  “Uh, no.” But he was so happy that they’d found the trail that he didn’t worry overly much about it. “Too bad I don’t have my dice. Then we could roll to decide which way to go.”

  Autumn’s eyes danced, and he knew she wasn’t worried either. “We could flip a coin instead. Or…” She knelt beside Sasha. “Take us back to the car, girl.”

  Tongue lolling, tail wagging, Sasha looked up at Autumn.

  Autumn laughed. “She’s no help.”

  Jax tried to picture some of the other women he’d dated standing in Autumn’s place. He was sure they’d be freaking out. Actually, they would have freaked out long ago. Back when they’d first realized they were lost. Not Autumn. She appeared to be having a good time.

  His attraction to her grew.

  “Do you have a coin?” he asked.

  “Uh, no.”

  “Huh.” He reached into his pockets, already knowing there wasn’t any change there. “Neither do I.”

  Autumn’s eyebrows rose. “Now what?”

  “I have an idea.” It wouldn’t necessarily help them choose the right direction, but it would be fun. Holding back a smile, he said, “You’ll need to kiss me.”

  She burst out laughing. “What?”

  A playful smile curved his mouth. “Stay with me here.”

  “Okay.” She drew out the word, but her eyes sparkled with interest.

  “So. When you start kissing me—”

  “I kiss you?”

  “That’s right. When you start kissing me, I start the timer on my phone. And when you stop kissing me, I stop the timer. If it stops on an odd number, we go that way.” He pointed to the left. “And if it stops on an even number, we go that way.” He pointed to the right. “What do you think?”

  Smirking, she said, “I think it’s worth a try.”

  Delighted that she’d agreed, Jax took his phone out and brought up the timer app. “Okay. Let’s do this.”

  Trying to calm the butterflies in her belly, Autumn walked over to Jax, stopping right in front of him. He gazed down at her, and she couldn’t tear her eyes from his. This idea was ludicrous, but what the heck?

  “Are you ready?” he asked, his voice low and sexy.

  Swallowing over the knot of nervousness that had spontaneously appeared in her throat, she nodded.

  Jax held up his phone, his thumb poised over the button like they were about to start a race, then he leaned down so she could reach his mouth.

  She couldn’t help it. Laughter bubbled from deep inside her and she started laughing so hard that she had to take a step back. Covering her mouth with her hand, she turned away for a moment, then turned back to Jax. The look on his face made her laugh harder. It was like he was offended or something, but then he started cracking up too.

  They laughed and laughed. Sasha looked confused, and after a moment she wandered over to a tree—as far as she could go on her leash—and began sniffing the ground.

  After several moments they got themselves under control.

  “We need to get going,” Jax said, his face mock-serious. “So let’s get this kiss over with.”

  “Over with?”

  He nodded. “Mmm-hmm. It’s like tossing a coin, only using our mouths.”

  “Huh. Have you guys ever tried that before a kick-off? You know, to decide who gets the ball first?”

  That earned her a loud laugh. “I’ll have to suggest it to Coach.” He shook his head. “Actually, I don’t think I will.”

  “No. I don’t think that would go over well.”

  He stared at her. “Are you going to do this? Or are you trying to get out of it?”

  She wasn’t going to pass up the opportunity to kiss him. “Yeah, I’ll do it.”

  He held up his phone. “Okay then. Come over here and let’s get this done.”

  Shaking her head as she grinned, Autumn marched right up to him, and after he leaned close, she placed her hands on his cheeks. “Ready?”

  His gaze slid to his phone before going back to her. “Yep.”

  “Okay. Get ready.”

  “I am.”

  Lifting herself up onto her toes, she mashed her mouth against his. She felt him move slightly, presumably to start the stopwatch. The ridiculousness of the idea swept over her again and laughter pushed up her throat. She had to let it out. She couldn’t hold it back. Breaking their kiss, she stepped back and burst out laughing.

  Jax pressed the button on his phone, then turned to her with a smile. “Even. We go that way.” He pointed to the right.

  Shaking her head as she softly chuckled, she said, “Okay.”

  They set a swift pace, and after about twenty minutes the parking lot came into view. Jax’s SUV was the only car in the lot.

  “Huh,” he said. “Guess everyone left when it started to rain.”

  “Guess so. But hey, we made it back.”

  He turned to her with a wide smile. “It’s all thanks to your kiss.”

  “That’s right. My magical kiss.”

  He stepped close to her and ran a finger down her jaw. “That’s because you’re my Angel Muffin.”

  The feel of his finger on her skin sent electricity skating through her, but hearing that nickname made her roll her eyes. She would have to come up with a nickname for him. But before she could begin to think of one, he slid a hand behind her neck, holding her in place. Anticipating another wonderful kiss, she held very still.

  He leaned toward her, pausing a moment as he stared into her eyes, then he brushed his lips across her forehead. “I don’t want to contaminate your magical lips
with mine,” he murmured beside her ear.

  She could hear the smile in his voice, and when he pulled back with a glint in his eyes, she smirked. “You know, it takes at least a week for the magic to wear off. You understand what that means, right?”

  His eyebrows shot up and surprise filled his eyes. “No. What does it mean?”

  She cocked her head. “Your lips can’t touch mine until the magic is gone or I’ll never get the magic back.”

  Now his eyebrows tugged together. “And how will you know when the magic’s gone?”

  “Oh, I’ll know.” Loving this flirtation, she smiled. “You’ll just have to wait until I tell you.”

  His forehead crinkled. “You’re just teasing, right?”

  Forcing her smile away, she said, “No. I’m completely serious.” Then her lips twitched. “I’m Angel Muffin. Remember?”

  Jax straightened. “Oh, I see. This is how you’re punishing me for calling you that.”

  It wasn’t, but she was having too much fun to disagree. Then again, did she want to stop all kissing for a whole week?

  Her gaze slid to his mouth and the desire to have him kiss her was so powerful that she almost told him she was kidding. But then she realized that maybe this could be a kind of test to see how quickly he would lose interest in her. Better for that to happen right away than for her to lose her heart to him before he broke it.

  “No,” she said. “It’s not a punishment.”

  Chapter Twenty

  This woman was driving him crazy. Good thing he would be busy with his off-season workout program all week. One hundred percent focused on football and working out, he wouldn’t have time to think of anything else. Except in the evenings. Maybe then he could break down her defenses.

  “All right,” he said. “If that’s how you want it.” Why did she want this? Confused, but kind of intrigued, Jax unlocked the SUV.

  “Yep.”

  Really, this whole thing was his own fault for kissing her on the forehead and introducing the idea of his lips not touching hers. He opened the rear door for Sasha to jump in, then he opened the passenger door for Autumn. When she climbed inside she passed so close to him that he had to restrain himself from dragging her into his arms and kissing her senseless.