He laughed.
“No, not that,” he said. Then he leaned in, crowding her into the passenger side of his pick-up truck. “Unless of course you want to come back to my place.”
Her expression changed. “See, there you go. And it was going so nicely—”
“Hold your horses,” he said, laughing again. He grabbed her gently by the shoulders and reversed her escape into his truck. “As much as the idea appeals to me,” he couldn’t stop his eyes from roaming down the sundress she had worn tonight, ”I have something else in mind. It’ll give us a chance to actually talk. Trust me.”
She considered him for a moment, then shrugged. He let go of her shoulders and watched as she stepped up into the truck. As she bent forward to duck in, he had a lovely view of her round backside underneath the thin, pinkish-orange fabric of her dress.
Oh sweet Jordan Douglas.
No sense going down that road…yet.
He closed the door after her and jogged around to his side of the truck and got in.
The idea had struck him as soon as they were finishing up their meal. Jordan in that dress was just killing him. Those dimples of hers were killing him even more. There was no way he wanted to let her go so soon. Other than his place, which he obviously would have been more than happy to take her, the only other idea that sprung to mind was one that had been put on the shelf long ago. He figured this one would be an easier sell.
“So, are you going to leave me in suspense?” she asked, actually giving in to a smile as he started the ignition.
“I think I might,” he said, grinning back at her.
“Should I be scared of you?” A tiny edge of trepidation crept into her voice.
“Always, darlin’.”
She was just on the right side of tipsy to laugh at that.
They sat in silence as he made his way back onto US-59. When he finally exited, Jordan looked around.
“The museum?” she asked, looking at the clock in his front panel. It was well after 11:30 p.m. “I think it’s closed.”
“Close, but no cigar,” he said, making his way around the curve to the parking lot for Hermann Park.
“What’s going on? Where are we going?”
“Boy, you just don’t like surprises do you?”
“Depends on what kind,” she responded, that trepidation creeping in just a bit more.
Carter pulled the truck into the near empty lot and turned off the engine. He reached in back and grabbed the extra-large, clean towel he packed in case he preferred to shower at home instead of in the Sluggers’ clubhouse and didn’t want to get the seat of his truck funky.
He responded to Jordan’s confused look with a smile as he walked around to open her door for her. He crooked his elbow, offering it to her, ever the gentleman. Might as well go full throttle on this little ride he was taking her.
Jordan rolled her eyes with a smile. Then she took his arm and bowed her head graciously, playing along with it. They both laughed as he led her toward the huge grassy hill on the other side of the Miller Outdoor Theatre seating area. Any concert that had been there was long over and they had the area mostly to themselves.
The inspiration for this adventure had happened purely by coincidence after some charity event a year ago at the Museum of Natural Science, which was right next to the park. After his obligatory round of schmoozing and hand-shaking, Carter had just wanted some alone time. It had been a dark night so he had been able to wander around outside anonymously. Strolling along, hands in the pocket of his tuxedo, he had seen a couple lying there on a blanket looking up at the sky. They were completely oblivious to him, and he’d watched them for a good 10 minutes while they stared up and smiled, heads together, whispering to one another. He was a professional athlete with a 4-year $25 million contract, doing exactly what he loved most for a living…and he’d never been so envious in his life. Nothing but the night sky and a beautiful woman lying next to you.
He hoped Jordan was worth it.
He unfurled the towel onto the grass. The towel was meant for two people but when you were Carter Fox’s size it got a bit crowded, even when he made a point of positioning himself right on the edge, long legs stretched out as he leaned back on his hands. He patted the space next to him, encouraging her to take a seat. He watched the debate play out in her cautious eyes before they came to a decision and had her shrugging as she finally plopped down next to him, tucking her legs underneath her in an endearingly ladylike fashion.
“So what’s this?” she asked, giving a small laugh and looking around as she sat facing him, leaning on one arm. “You want to make out in the park?”
“Well, my intention was to get to know you a little better, but if you want to get down and dirty,” he leaned over and shoved his stubble covered chin into her neck.
“Carter!” she yelped in surprise. He felt her laugh and cringe away from the prickliness of his chin.
“Jeez! you really are bad,” she laughed, slapping him on the chest and shaking her head.
“That’s why they love me.”
She just kept shaking her head as she looked away toward the museums across the street. He noted that the smile remained on her face. That was a good sign.
“So what did you want to know about me?” she finally asked.
“What makes Jordan Douglas tick?” he asked his voice laced with a hint of mockery.
“Oh come on! What a lame question, and so cliché. I mean, how would you answer if a reporter asked you a question like that?”
“Baseball,” he said simply. He lay back down on the towel, resting his body on one elbow as he faced her. “It’s the one thing I’m good at.”
“I have my doubts about that,” she said. “You seem pretty capable in a few other areas.”
He just chuckled as he took that in. “But really, tell me something about Jordan Douglas that might surprise me.”
He sensed a pause and then a sigh. “Really? Work and school, school and work. Like you, my life orbits around a tiny sphere of things I’m really good at.”
“I too have my doubts about that,” he replied.
She gave a small chuckle, then she squinted one eye giving him a thoughtful look. That tongue of hers rolled around in her cheek. Perhaps it was the margaritas, but eventually, the choice to speak her mind won out.
“Okay, but you have to promise not to laugh,” she finally said. “Actually, you have to promise to laugh.”
“Now I’m just confused, but go ahead and tell me anyway.”
“Off-color jokes,” she said in a huff. “Not too dirty of course, but, well, I’ve got a bunch of them.”
That was the last thing he would have ever expected and blurted out a loud laugh.
She laughed and slapped him on the arm. “I haven’t even told one yet!”
“Okay fine, shoot.”
She did a little wriggle of anticipation—which caused a part of him to wriggle with anticipation as well—then took a deep breath.
“What do you call babies born in a whorehouse?”
Carter twisted his lips with thought, having no idea what the punchline was. He grinned and gave her a shrug. “What?”
“Brothel Sprouts.”
It was so bad he couldn’t help but laugh, throwing his head back with a steady stream of guffaws.
“Oh come on,” she chided, not sure if he was teasing or legitimately laughing at the joke. He couldn’t have told her one way or the other.
“Okay,” he said, recovering. “That wasn’t even in the universe of dirty. You want dirty I can show you dirty.”
“I’ll bet,” she said, a little sauce in her tone.
Carter filed that one away for later. “But I’ll give it to you, you did make me laugh. Though I’m not sure if it’s with you or at you.”
“I said they’d be dirty, not good,” she replied, matter-of-factly.
“You can do better than that,” he goaded.
Jordan pursed her lips—which only made hi
m want to suck on them—as she debated it, then chuckled. “Okay. How many perverts does it take to screw in a light bulb?”
A slow smile came to Carter’s face and he shrugged.
“Only one, but it takes an entire ER team to get it back out.”
This time his laugh was for real, and Jordan joined him.
“Okay, dirty and funny,” he said after his laughter died down. “You win that one.”
“Speaking of which, what’s your super-secret thing, mister?”
Instead of answering, he fell onto his back and once again patted the towel next to him.
“Come lie down here next to me.”
She just looked down at him with a wary expression.
“I promise I won’t try anything.”
She bit back a smile then fell back next to him with a dramatic plop. Her body felt tiny next to his. He brought one large arm around and nudged her head until she finally lifted it so he could place it under her head. Then he brought her closer so it was resting on his shoulder instead.
“There, now isn’t that better?” he drawled.
“Just don’t try anything, tough guy,” she warned.
“Relax, I’m not going to try anything. I just want to show you something.”
She laughed lightly against his chest and it felt like heaven. He wondered what those two love birds that were the inspiration for tonight’s little imitation had talked about. Were they just beginning to get to know each other as well?
“Look up at the sky. See that bright white dot there?” he pointed to it.
“The star?” she asked after a moment.
“It’s not a star. It’s Venus. Goddess of Love.” He nudged the back of her head with his shoulder as he said it and was rewarded with a small chuckle. “Did you know that it spins in the opposite direction from the other planets? It also rotates so slowly that a day on the planet is longer than a year.”
There was a short silence from her before she spoke up.
“How do you know so much about Venus?” she asked and he was pleased to note the admiration in her voice.
“What little boy grows up in the home of NASA, and doesn’t want to be an astronaut? I used to devour books about space, still do. I even have a telescope in my bedroom at home.”
“Tell me some more facts about space,” she prodded, snuggling in closer to him.
Carter smiled, loving the fact that she was curious about something he loved. “Well, space is huge, beyond what you can even imagine. Just to show you, the sun is big enough to hold over a million Earth-sized planets inside of it…and some of those stars you see up there are big enough to hold a million suns…and some of the largest known stars in the universe are big enough to hold a million of those stars.”
He heard her give a heavy sigh. It was something he could fully appreciate, the enormity of everything he’d just said. Here they were, Carter and Jordan, two tiny little blips on the map of the universe. It could make even a man his size feel small.
“It’s all so amazing,” she breathed with wonder, moving in even closer.
“It is,” he agreed.
They stared up at the blanket of lights above them in silence.
Oh yeah, Jordan was definitely worth this.
11
After a group of teenagers had interrupted their astrological observance, the two of them had reluctantly returned to Carter’s truck.
They were now sitting in the car on the street of her parents’ house. They had been sitting here talking for the past ten minutes, and she was very much enjoying herself. She found that a Jordan that wasn’t so anally retentive was actually kind of fun. No thinking about law school or work or work or law school.
Two large margaritas. Jordan should have remembered how much tequila affected her.
And now, here she was, right down the street from her parents’ house in a man’s car. Not just any car, a pick-up truck. This was something she never could have done in school. It was home by 9 p.m., mom waiting up with the lights on. Pretending she was in high school made her feel absurdly naughty.
Carter had parked at the dead end of the street her parents lived on. The dead end, where the street lights faded to black.
Nice move there, Slugger, she thought.
“So why do you live with your parents?” he asked her.
“It seemed stupid to rent an apartment for just three months while I’m here. More importantly, I have student loans. About $97,000 when all is said and done.”
Carter whistled in surprise.
“My thoughts exactly,” Jordan laughed. “Mom’s a high school teacher, Dad’s an Air Traffic Controller. It was all on me and Sallie Mae, but it was worth it. I think….I hope. In the meantime, yes I’m still living at home, at least for the summer. Even in law school, I have a roommate.” her head fell against the head rest. “I seriously can’t wait to have a place all to myself.”
She turned to him, with a squinty-eyed look. “And you? How did you become a Slugger?”
“Well, I was at Texas A&M—”
“You’re an Aggie?” she interrupted.
He turned to her with a grin. “Ah yes, I forgot you were a UT gal. Makes us kinda like Romeo and Juliet, huh?”
“Hmm, the alumni families would certainly disapprove of this union,” she said, playing along, then added in a lofty voice, “the tragic tale of the Longhorns and the Aggies.”
He laughed. “Well, if it makes you feel any better, I was picked up by the Sluggers before graduation. I don’t even have a class ring, which I think is heresy for an actual Aggie.”
“Ohhh,” she pouted, “that just makes you a little bit less excitingly inappropriate. In fact—”
Carter leaned in to kiss her. His lips were soft but firmly planted. Hers had no choice but to follow his lead as he worked both of their mouths slightly open. One large hand came up to cup the back of her head.
Jordan closed her eyes and moaned under his lips.
The moan turned into a frustrated groan when he abruptly pulled away.
“Sorry. I should have asked. I forgot how irate you get at unsolicited sexual advances.”
Jordan was still recovering and her eyes flew open. She found him looking down at her with a teasing smirk.
“Shut up and kiss me again, Slugger,” she murmured.
Carter chuckled and leaned in again. This time his tongue darted inside, and she felt her pelvis clench when the intrusion flitted against her own tongue. God, he was making her wet with just a kiss.
“Do you want me to stop?” he mumbled against her lips, obviously misinterpreting her intense moans against his mouth.
She just whimpered in response. Then she felt his hand come down to rest on the thigh of her skirt. It was a simple, cotton, sun dress with a flared skirt; a skirt that offered little in the way of obstruction for wandering hands.
He waited a moment before sliding it down toward her knee. Even through the fabric of the dress, she felt the hand leave a tingling sensation in its path.
She let the hand wander.
Eventually, it reached the hem of the skirt. The callused palms felt like sandpaper against her smooth thigh. It reminded her that she spent her days sitting in an air conditioned office staring at a computer. Carter Fox spent his days getting sweaty on the baseball field. The rushing heat inside of her intensified.
Her hand wandered up his arm, feeling the result of hours upon hours of swinging bats and throwing balls. He was so big.
His hand wandered under the hem of her skirt and she shuddered, reflexively squeezing his hard bicep.
He mistook that as a sign he should stop and immediately lifted his palm from her thigh. She groaned in disappointment and brought her hand down to his, leading it all the way to the lower part of her inner thigh.
You know what to do Carter.
And he did. The rough fingers felt even more scandalous against the softer skin between her legs. Her breathing intensified under his mouth and she wasn’t so su
re that she wasn’t soaking herself right through her dress onto his seat. It had been forever since she’d done something like this. She might as well have been in a convent rather than law school these past two years.
She gasped as the fingers met the cotton fabric of her panties, running a finger along her slit through the damp fabric.
“Naughty girl,” he mumbled with a smile against her lips.
She just gripped his arm harder in response, parting her legs for him.
His fingers crept under the edge of her underwear, pushing it roughly aside. She momentarily thanked herself for having the foresight to get waxed this morning. Not that she had been planning anything like this—at all.
The blood rushing through her body made every single nerve-ending between her legs even more sensitive. She groaned, trembling against him as his fingers slid along the slick outer lips. He hadn’t even penetrated her and already he was making her come.
Carter caught her with his other arm, reaching it over the center console and wrapping it around her back protectively. She felt small in his embrace.
So big and strong.
Sweet Lord, he was turning her into some kind of wilting violet!
The fingers began to probe, eventually finding the tiny little bundle of nerves. She literally jumped out of her seat just from the first feathery touch. The rough finger came back around, circling it gently. She had to wrap her arms around his neck to stay upright. The stimulation continued and she pulled her lips away from his, unable to breathe any longer.
“Look at me,” he instructed.
She brought her breathing under control, despite his continued massaging of her clit. Then she looked directly into his piercing, green eyes. They stared back at her with just as much intensity.
“Open your legs wider. I want to feel every part of you.”
She twisted in her seat to face him, then spread her right leg open as wide as she could. She kept her arms around his neck as his fingers slid down further into her underwear. Her eyes grew wide when he guided, first one, then two fingers inside of her. As they wandered up, twisting and stroking, his thumb stayed focused on her clit. The mixture of sensations drove her wild, and she could feel the swelling of the orgasmic wave that was about to hit her.
Home Run: A Texas Heat Romance Page 6
