A pang of nervousness tickled her belly. “I really hope he does well,” she told Jackson.
“I’m sure he will. You don’t become the starting QB unless you’re good.”
“And he better not get hurt,” she added anxiously. “I’m always so worried he’ll get sacked and break his neck out there.”
“Injuries are a risk in every sport,” he agreed in a serious voice. “But worrying doesn’t achieve anything. There’s nothing you can do to protect him when he’s out there on the field, short of forbidding him to play.”
She bit her lip. “I know.”
They finally found an empty spot a million yards from the entrance, then trekked across the paved lot toward the gate. Jackson didn’t take her hand or walk overly close to her, but she was completely aware of his presence.
And she wasn’t the only one. Female heads swiveled sharply as Jackson sauntered past, his long strides eating the pavement. Every single woman, young and old, gazed at him with blatant appreciation, gawking as if they simply couldn’t believe their eyes.
Jackson, however, seemed oblivious to the admiring stares. “Football and injuries go hand in hand,” he said, picking up where they’d left off. “My teammate Cash learned that the hard way.”
“How so?”
“He was at Notre Dame, guaranteed to be the first overall pick in the NFL draft when he busted his shoulder. Took him a year to get back to playing shape, and by then the draft had passed and a whole new group of young QBs were anglin’ for the pros. So he enlisted.”
“I don’t want that to happen to Danny. Not the enlisting part—I wouldn’t be mad if he did that. But he has his heart set on playing college ball and then making it to the pros. I want him to achieve his dreams.”
“What about your dreams? What do you want out of life?”
“I’m doing what I want. Working outdoors, gardening, landscaping. I love what I do.”
“That’s good to hear. Not many people are able to do what they love.”
They reached the main gate, where three bored-looking teens sat behind a long table collecting entrance fees.
“Dang, shit’s changed since I was in high school,” Jackson remarked. “When did folks start paying to watch the games?”
“Nothing comes free anymore,” she replied with a sigh.
Despite their murmured complaints, the tickets only cost five bucks apiece, and Jackson dutifully handed one of the kids a ten-dollar bill.
“Want somethin’ to drink?” he asked.
“Sure.”
A quick stop at the concessions stand got them two plastic cups of Pepsi, and then they wandered over to the row of bleachers that were closest to the home team’s bench. The players weren’t on the field yet, but the cheerleaders were, and Mia immediately spotted Angie among a large group of girls and guys clad in the black and silver Warriors colors.
She pointed the pretty blonde out to Jackson. “That’s Danny’s girlfriend. She’s a total sweetheart.”
Angie spotted them as they climbed the first step. Her ponytail bounced as she dashed over. “Mia!” she called. “Hey! I’m so glad you—oh. Wow. I mean…oh.” The girl’s cheeks turned the prettiest shade of pink as she stared at Mia’s date.
Smothering a laugh, Mia quickly made the introductions. “Ang, this is Jackson. Jackson, Angie. As you can see, Angie’s on the cheerleading squad.”
“Nice to meet you, darlin’,” he said easily, extending one large hand.
Angie kept staring.
And staring.
Until Mia finally had to clear her throat to snap the girl out of whatever trance she’d fallen into.
“Oh. Right. Hi. It’s nice to meet you, too,” Angie stammered, leaning over the chain link fence to shake Jackson’s hand.
A flurry of whispers sounded from the vicinity of the squad. Mia looked past Angie’s shoulders and hid a smile when she noticed that all the female cheerleaders were huddled together and sneaking not-so-discreet peeks in Jackson’s direction.
“Um, well, I’ve gotta go warm up.” Angie’s blue eyes remained glued on the tall Texan. “I’ll see you guys later.”
“You’re a hit with the teenage-girl demographic,” Mia informed him once Angie was gone. “Don’t you get tired of being so good-looking?”
He snickered. “Nope. Who am I to complain about my God-given gorgeousness?”
“Is gorgeousness even a word?” she asked as they sat down in a pair of empty seats.
“Sure. The dictionary people created it when they saw me.”
Mia rolled her eyes. “I can’t figure you out. Who are you exactly? The cocky ladies’ man, or the super-polite gentleman?”
“Can’t I be both?” he challenged.
“I guess. But that makes it damn difficult to peg you.”
Jackson laughed so abruptly he spit out the drink he’d just taken a sip of.
She frowned. “What? What did I say?”
He let out another wheezy laugh and wiped his mouth with his sleeve. “Nothin’. It’s just…you want to peg me, eh? You’re into pegging?”
Her confusion deepened, which only made him laugh harder.
“What am I missing here?” she demanded.
Grinning with mischief, he leaned in so that his lips brushed her ear. “In the sex world, pegging is when a woman fucks a man’s ass with a strap-on.”
Her jaw fell open. “Seriously?”
“Mmm-hmmm.”
She felt her cheeks turning bright red, but at the same time, her pussy squeezed almost painfully as she envisioned the wicked scenario he’d just painted.
“Are you into that?” She lowered her voice and searched his amused expression.
Jackson shrugged. “Never had it done to me before, but I’m a big believer in trying anything once. Who knows, maybe I’d love it.”
Oh boy. She wasn’t used to being around men who were so sexually frank. The fact that he was open to being “pegged” told her that this man had no qualms about sex. Try anything once. Jeez. Obviously they were polar opposites when it came to sex, and yet she couldn’t deny she found his open-mindedness incredibly attractive.
The PA system crackled, putting an end to Mia’s dirty thoughts. A moment later, the announcer’s voice reverberated in the outdoor stadium as he introduced the Warriors to the crowd. Each player burst out of the small tunnel and ran through the enormous banner on the field, then waved to the crowd before jogging over to the bench. It was a lot of fanfare for a high school game, but Mia had been to last season’s opener and it had been equally extravagant. Madison High took its football very seriously.
Danny was the fourth player to emerge on the field. As he sprinted toward his coach, his green eyes diligently searched the bleachers. When he spotted Mia, he smiled and waved, but his gaze kept seeking even after he’d acknowledged his sister.
Her spirits plummeted when she realized who he was looking for. Their mother.
Who, as far as Mia could tell, hadn’t shown up tonight.
Shocker.
She watched her brother’s face as he continued to scan the crowd, her heart aching when she glimpsed the disappointment that befell his expression. His shoulders slumped briefly beneath his pads, but then he straightened up and turned to talk to Ken Jones, the head coach.
“You okay?”
Jackson’s voice was gentle, his touch even more so as he rested a hand on her arm.
She pasted on a smile. “I’m good. Just worrying about Danny again.”
“Ah, he’ll be fine, sugar. Check out those offensive linemen,” he said helpfully. “Those kids are monsters. They’ll have your brother’s back.”
I have his back, she almost blurted out, but she swallowed the words at the last second.
It was the truth, though. She was the only one in this world who had Danny’s back. Who loved him unconditionally. Not his coach, not his teammates, certainly not their sorry excuse for a mother. Just her.
And God, it took so much o
ut of her. Knowing that she was solely responsible for Danny, for raising him right, was so daunting it often kept her awake at night. Because what if she screwed him up? What if she made a wrong decision and he ended up in jail? Or the subject of a TV show like Dexter?
She was only twenty-six, damn it, way too young to be taking on this kind of responsibility.
“Game’s about to start.”
Jackson’s voice pulled her out of her thoughts. Now wasn’t the time to be pondering such heavy thoughts, anyway. This was Danny’s big night, and she needed to concentrate on supporting him.
* * *
By the time the game clock counted down to zero, Jackson’s date had cheered herself hoarse. She’d jumped to her feet whenever the offense took the field, yelled out encouragements, whooped each time Danny successfully completed a pass, and he’d run the ball in himself to score the winning touchdown, Mia had bounced up and down like a kid in a toy store.
Her excitement made the entire game even more entertaining, and Jackson stood up at the end of the final quarter with a grin on his face and a light feeling in his chest. This was what dating ought to be. Fun, easy, just a nice evening with a woman who didn’t cry the whole time, or tell him she loved him on the first date, or broke into his house after he explicitly stated he wasn’t interested in seeing her again.
“The kid did good,” Jackson remarked as they descended the bleacher steps. “He’s a natural. Got a great arm.”
“He does, doesn’t he?” Mia’s eyes shone with pride. “Do you think he’s got what it takes to play college ball?”
“Definitely. Only issue I saw was that he takes a few seconds too long to read his offense, but those kind of instincts will come with practice and experience.”
They moved through the crowd, falling in behind a middle-aged couple who walked slower than molasses, but Jackson didn’t mind the leisurely place. It gave him the opportunity to reach for Mia’s hand and interlace their fingers.
She stiffened for a beat before relaxing, then looked up at him with a tentative smile. “I had a lot of fun tonight.”
“Me too,” he said gruffly. “What should we do now?”
“I usually go out for pizza with Danny after his games.”
She actually sounded regretful, so much so that Jackson wanted to give himself a solo high five. He was winning her over. Hot damn.
“Is it a bonding thing or can I tag along?” he hedged.
“Let me see what Danny says. I always wait for him outside the clubhouse.”
Jackson tried not to raise his eyebrows, but dang, football really had changed since his high school days. He’d been a defensive end on his school team, and they’d practiced on a muddy field and played every game on a baseball diamond that doubled as a gridiron. Madison High, in contrast, not only had its own stadium, but the team locker rooms were housed in a structure separate from the school. A “clubhouse”. The boys were clearly living the life of luxury here, lucky bastards.
He and Mia headed for the small building next to the field, where several other people were already waiting. Most of them were older folks, undoubtedly parents of the players, but scattered groups of teenagers also milled around, many of them female. Football groupies.
At least that hadn’t changed, he thought with amusement.
It was ten minutes before Mia’s brother appeared, dark hair damp from the shower and lean body wired with leftover adrenaline from the game.
Jackson instantly noted the resemblance between the siblings. Same hair color, same dark-green eyes, except while Mia was a tiny little thing, her brother stood close to six feet and would probably get even taller, Jackson suspected.
“Did you see that final play?” Danny demanded when he reached his sister. “The Panthers had no clue what was happening!”
“It was awesome,” Mia declared. “You played brilliantly, kiddo.”
“That was an impressive game,” Jackson chimed in, smiling at the younger boy.
Danny shifted his gaze, and suddenly Jackson had a pair of shrewd eyes focused on him.
“You’re Jackson?” the kid said bluntly.
“Yup. Nice to meet you.”
“Yeah.” The teenager made an obvious show of appraising him. “Mia says you’re in the navy.”
“I am.”
“Officer or enlisted?”
“Enlisted. Petty officer second class. And one of the team medics.”
“Cool.” Danny cocked his head. “You’re ridiculously tall.”
Jackson grinned. “So I’ve been told.”
There was a beat of silence, during which Danny continued to study him until Mia finally rolled her eyes and spoke up. “Are you done checking out my date, Daniel?”
Her brother rolled his eyes right back. “Just trying to figure out what he’s doing going out with you.”
She slapped a hand on her heart as if she’d been shot. “Ouch. That hurt so bad. I need to go find somewhere private so I can cry.” Then she laughed. “Anyway, if you’re done insulting me, I wanted to know if we’re doing the pizza thing tonight.”
“Ah…no. I was gonna catch a ride with Angie’s folks and hang out at her place for a bit. Is that cool?”
“Yeah, it’s fine. Can they drive you home?” When her brother nodded, Mia stepped forward and gave him a quick hug. “Okay, have fun. And be home by curfew.”
“Or what? You’ll ground me?”
“No, I’ll just do what I did last time.”
The kid’s face paled at her chipper response. “Fine, I’ll be home by midnight.”
“Good boy.”
Danny glanced at Jackson. “Later, dude. Glad you made it to the game.”
As Mia’s little brother dashed off, Jackson looked over at her in curiosity. “What’d you do the last time he missed his curfew?”
“I cancelled his subscription to Sports Illustrated and threw all his video games in the trash.”
He let out a hearty laugh. “Sheesh, woman. You can’t do shit like that to a teenage boy.”
“I can, and I did.” She raised one eyebrow. “You questioning my parenting methods, sugar?”
“Did he ever miss curfew after that?”
“Never.”
“Then no, I think you’re doin’ a good job.”
That earned him a big smile. “Thanks. Now, do you want to grab a late dinner? I seem to be free.”
“Sure. Except I don’t feel like sitting anywhere. Do you mind if we get takeout and head back to my place?”
She narrowed her eyes. “If I agree to come over, are you going to try to seduce me?”
“Only if you ask me to.”
The answer got him another pleased smile. “Let’s go, then.”
Jackson laced his fingers through hers again. As they walked toward the parking lot, he couldn’t help but reflect on the easy relationship between Mia and her younger brother. It was obvious they adored each other, and their good-natured bickering reminded him of his relationship with his own sister.
An arrow of pain pierced his heart. Lord, he hadn’t seen Evie in almost three years. He’d bailed on the holidays two years in a row, the most recent one because he’d been deployed overseas, the one before because…well, that had been cowardice, plain and simple. He hadn’t been able to stomach the thought of seeing his brother Shane and congratulating him on his nuptials to Tiff.
In his defense, at least he wasn’t completely out of touch. He spoke to his parents once a week and Skyped with Evie often, but Jackson knew it wasn’t the same as seeing them face-to-face. He missed his mom’s warm smiles, his dad’s gruff voice, his sister’s contagious laughter. He even missed his brother, despite everything that had gone down between them.
What he missed most of all was the ranch. The endless acres and lush pastures, the little creek that bisected the Ramsey land, the horses he’d grown up with and the cattle he’d brought into the world every calving season.
But he loved his life here, too. Loved knowing
that he was serving his country and helping to keep it safe, loved the bonds he’d formed with his teammates, the crisp ocean air and the feel of warm sand between his toes. California would never truly be home, but it was dang close to it.
“Somebody’s deep in thought,” came Mia’s teasing voice.
He smiled sheepishly. “Sorry, I spaced out.”
“What were you looking so pensive about?”
“Nothin’ really,” he lied. “Just thinking about the game and how much fun I’m having.”
“What are you in the mood for, food-wise?”
“Whatever you want, sugar.”
He wasn’t surprised when Mia ended up picking Italian. They called ahead to place an order at Tonio’s, then swung by the bistro to pick up their dinner before heading to Jackson’s house in Imperial Beach.
Inside, Mia spent a good five minutes marveling over how tidy his house was while Jackson placed their takeout containers on the wooden coffee table. He ducked into the kitchen to grab plates, silverware and drinks, and when he strode back to the living room he saw that Mia had made herself comfortable by kicking off her shoes and settling on the overstuffed leather sofa.
He smiled at the sight of her. He liked having her in his house. Something about her seemed to brighten up the sparsely decorated room.
As always, the conversation between them flowed smoothly during dinner, and afterward, when he suggested they put on a movie, he was thrilled by her easy agreement.
At least until she started dissing his Blu-Ray collection.
“How many copies of Die Hard does one person need?” she demanded, turning away from the entertainment unit to gape at him.
“What am I supposed to do?” he said defensively. “Not buy a new copy when a special edition is released?”
She ignored him. “And what is your obsession with Tom Hanks? You have every movie he’s ever made. Even the shitty ones, like Road to Perdition.”
Out of Uniform Box Set: Books 4-6 plus 2 Bonus Novellas Page 64
