Powerplay

by Heather B. Moore

  His eyes narrowed. “You giving me a pep talk?”

  She bit back a smile. “And you have some sort of strange idea that any other guy who talks to me, I suddenly want to date.”

  “That would be ridiculous.”

  “Very ridiculous,” she said. “Especially since the only guy around here I’m interested in dating is you.”

  He didn’t move for a moment, but his gray eyes said everything that he wasn’t saying. When he brought both hands up and cradled her face, she thought she’d melt on the spot. His thumbs dragged along her jaw before he leaned down and pressed his mouth against hers. His kiss was so gentle that she barely felt the warmth of his lips.

  She slid both hands up his chest until her fingers spanned his shoulders. That seemed to be all the invitation he needed, because then he kissed her for real.

  Meg curled her fingers around his shirt to hold on as he deepened the kiss, tasting her as if he’d been waiting to kiss her for a long time. His kiss was all-encompassing as he explored her mouth, moving his hands behind her neck and into her hair.

  She gripped his neck, wanting more, needing more.

  He lifted her onto the arcade machine and tugged her legs around his waist. His kisses had set her on fire, and she was pretty sure that not even a dip in an icy river would cool her down.

  She moved her fingers into his hair. It had dried, and she’d enjoy messing it up.

  Jax’s hands wandered down her back, slipping along the silk of her blouse until they anchored over her hips.

  “Meghan,” he whispered against her mouth.

  She could hardly breathe, let alone answer him. “Hmm.”

  “You’re beautiful.” He kissed her jaw, then lower, trailing a path of fire along her neck.

  She couldn’t help tilting her head back and giving in to his touch and the sensations coursing through her.

  “You’re beautiful too, Jax Emerson.”

  He chuckled, then his huge hands splayed across her lower back as he drew her tightly against him. “I don’t think I’ve been called that before.”

  Meg smiled. “Get used to it, because it’s true.”

  Jax breathed in Meg’s vanilla scent as he pressed a kiss against her collarbone. He was pretty sure that life didn’t get better than this. This beautiful woman in his arms, kissing him back and making him feel things he hadn’t thought he’d be able to. Not after all the betrayals in his life.

  “That tickles,” she whispered against his ear.

  “What?”

  “Your beard.”

  So he deliberately slid his chin up her neck. Meg squealed, and he began to laugh.

  “It’s not funny,” she said, pushing against his chest, but that did nothing to deter him.

  He found her earlobe, and she squirmed against him. “Stop,” she said with a laugh. “You’re not playing fair.”

  He lifted his head to gaze into her green eyes, which had darkened to nearly black. “Who says I’m playing at all?”

  She bit her lip, her eyes gleaming with amusement as she moved her hands over his shoulders, then down his chest, tracing him as if she was memorizing him. When she reached his stomach, he drew in a breath.

  She only smiled and leaned forward, then kissed the base of his throat. “I’m not playing either, Jax.”

  He closed his eyes. What was it about this woman that made him want to forget everything in his life but her? She pressed another kiss higher on his throat. Yeah, he could get used to this. Then she brushed her fingers against his beard. “You know, I’ve never kissed a man with a beard before.”

  “Oh, yeah?” he said. “What do you think?”

  “It’s nice,” she whispered. “But maybe because it’s you.”

  Well, he couldn’t let that slide. “Another pep talk?”

  She laughed, and then she slipped her hands behind his neck. “Kiss me, Jax Emerson.”

  He obliged, happily. She was becoming familiar to him now, and it only made him crave her more. Maybe he should find more things that would make her laugh. But when a rendition of the happy birthday song rose from the main level of the house, reality edged its way in.

  Meg had heard it too, because she drew away from him, even though he kept her anchored in place. “Someone could find us at any moment.”

  He rested his forehead against hers. “Let’s get out of here then.”

  “What about your teammates?” Her fingers traced his collar, distracting him further.

  “I’ve done my due diligence, but I’ll send Rocco a text.” Jax did let her go then. He pulled out his cell and sent Rocco a text. Mind if Meg and I take off? Can you find a ride back to the hotel?

  Moments later, Rocco’s reply came. No problem. I’ll probably call a Lyft with all this drinking going on. Treat her right. I kind of like her more than you.

  Okay, so that last sentence was entirely unnecessary.

  “We’re good to go,” Jax said, refocusing on Meg, who was adjusting her hair.

  “Want help?”

  “No,” she said with a laugh. “You’ll just make it worse.”

  “True.” He leaned forward and kissed the underside of her jaw.

  “Don’t start that again,” she teased.

  He groaned and pulled back. Then he grasped her hips and helped her down from the arcade. “I think we can officially say we bested Pac-Man.”

  She swayed toward him, and he pulled her close. “I think you’re right,” she murmured against his neck.

  Cheering sounded downstairs, probably to celebrate a touchdown in the football game. But it reminded Jax that they were far from alone in this house.

  They headed down the stairs, and Jax kept ahold of Meg’s hand. Everyone could draw their own conclusions; it didn’t matter to him. What mattered was that Meg knew he was with her, and only her.

  It took a few minutes to get through the crowd, and Jax wished Lucas a happy birthday again. Without anyone noticing, they slipped out, grabbed their coats, and headed for the truck. Jax opened the passenger door for Meg, then strode around the front of the truck to the driver’s side. A light snow had started, and the clean air felt great. Or maybe he felt great because of what was happening between him and Meg.

  He was pretty sure she liked him for him, and not because he was some pro athlete worth millions. She’d said it in both words and actions. It seemed that the day he got hit by a car was one of the luckiest days of his life. He climbed into the truck and started it, then looked over at Meg, burrowed in her coat on the other side of the bench.

  “Come here,” he said. “You’re too far.”

  She unclipped her seatbelt, then moved to the middle portion of the bench.

  Jax turned up the heat in the truck, then pulled around the circular driveway. After turning onto the main road, he grasped her hand. “You’re cold.”

  “Getting warmer,” she said, leaning her head on his shoulder.

  He kissed the top of her head, then rubbed his thumb slowly over her wrist.

  “Can I ask you something personal, Jax?”

  “Hmm?” He had no problem being an open book with Meg. He felt that comfortable around her.

  “What do you do with your money?” Meg asked, lifting her head and looking at him. “I mean, Lucas obviously lives large, and so do most pro athletes. This truck is an older model, and your house is kind of small and modest.”

  Jax didn’t know if he should laugh or be offended. “Is my money why you’re dating me?”

  Meg placed her hand on his chest, her fingertips brushing the skin above his collar. “That, and you’re an incredibly good kisser,” she teased.

  “You shouldn’t say those things when I’m driving.”

  “Hmm.” Meg pressed her lips against his pulse at the base of his neck.

  “Not safe,” he growled, tugging her hand to his lips.

  They were almost to a stoplight, and Jax slowed to a stop. He turned his head and kissed Meg full on the mouth.

  She kis
sed him back, twining her arms around his neck. “You’re avoiding my question,” she whispered. “And the light’s green.”

  He forced himself to release her and started driving again. She was intoxicating, and he probably needed a cold shower. “If you want to come to my place, I’ll show you where my giant paycheck goes.”

  “Are you trying to trick me into coming over?”

  “Never,” he said, glancing over to see that she was smiling. “But if it works . . .”

  She playfully punched his arm.

  “Hey, I’m driving, woman,” he said. “You’re definitely a hazard.”

  She sighed. “How much farther?”

  “About ten minutes.”

  It was both the slowest and fastest ten-minute drive of his life. When he pulled into the driveway of his house, he could see what Meg saw. A small, modest home. Nothing compared to Lucas’s flashy mansion. But to Jax, this house represented his independence, and possibly his break from his wealthy upbringing.

  Of course, his attempts at independence and living a low-key life might all be tainted now. He’d find out soon enough, in the meeting with Coach Lindon tomorrow.

  After parking, he walked around and opened Meg’s door.

  “You’re such a gentleman,” she quipped, sliding down, right into his arms.

  It was really too cold outside to be dallying and kissing her against the side of the truck, but he did anyway.

  “Jax,” she breathed between kisses. “Do you have a dog?”

  Yeah, so Sheriff was going nuts, barking as usual when he heard the truck.

  “That’s Sheriff,” Jax said, reluctantly drawing away from Meg. “Come on, you can meet the loudest watchdog alive. He can probably smell you too.”

  “Out here?”

  “He doesn’t miss a thing.”

  “Where was he when I brought you home from the hospital?” she asked.

  “One of my teammates picked him up because I was supposed to be in the hospital for a couple of days.”

  Jax led Meg to the front door, and as he unlocked it with his key, he called to Sheriff through the door. “Sit, boy.”

  Sheriff’s barking stopped, followed by a pitiful whine that didn’t fool Jax. He opened the door and flipped on the interior light.

  The Great Dane was still sitting, although his limbs were trembling from holding back his desire to jump all over Jax.

  “Good boy,” Jax said. “You need to behave yourself, you hear? We have a special guest tonight.”

  “Oh my gosh, he’s huge,” Meg said, staring at the gray dog. “How old is he?”

  Jax shut the front door, then turned to the dog and crouched before him. Scratching the dog’s head, Jax said, “He’s three. Wanna say hi?” He looked over at Meg, who was sticking pretty close to the door. “Come on, he’s a teddy bear.”

  When she took a tiny step forward, Jax frowned. “Have you been around dogs much?”

  “Not really. My grandma had a cat for a while,” she said. “And Nashelle has one of those yappy poodles.”

  “Okay.” Jax straightened and reached for Meg’s hand. “He’ll want to smell your hand. It’s sort of his get-to-know-you, and then from there, you won’t have to worry about a thing. He’s well trained, and he can understand basic commands. Don’t let his size intimidate you.”

  Meg gave Jax a nervous smile, but he was gratified when she put her hand out for Sheriff to sniff.

  “He’d be very obliged if you scratched him behind his ears,” Jax said. “You’ll have a friend for life.”

  “Okay,” she said with a laugh. She ran tentative fingers lightly over the dog’s head, then scratched him. “Oh, he does like it.”

  Jax chuckled. “Dogs are easy to please. Food, water, a bit of attention.”

  Sheriff pressed his nose against Meg’s leg and closed his eyes.

  “I think you have a fan already,” Jax said.

  Meg seemed to relax more, and that was a good thing in his opinion.

  “Ready for bed?” he asked the dog.

  Sheriff woofed.

  “He answered you,” Meg said, her tone surprised.

  “Oh, Sheriff loves bedtime,” Jax said, giving Meg a wink. “Come on, boy. Let’s go find your bed.”

  Meg followed as Jax walked to the remodeled kitchen. Facing the street was a large bay window. It was Sheriff’s favorite place inside the house, so that was where Jax had placed the large dog bed.

  Sheriff continued with Jax to the pantry, where Jax flipped on the light and found a treat for the dog. “This is his nightcap,” he told Meg.

  She stood by the kitchen table, watching it all, her gaze taking in the whole of the room. “It’s gorgeous in here,” she said. “Did you do the remodeling?”

  “Nope,” Jax said. “I’m just good at bossing people around.” He decided that Meg looked good in his kitchen. Elegant, willowy, with her dark hair and dark eyes, hair escaping her updo and waving against her graceful neck.

  Now that he knew what it felt like to touch her and kiss her, it was hard to have any distance between them, no matter how temporary.

  Sheriff’s impatience made him gobble his treat right from Jax’s hand. He chuckled. “Easy, boy. Meg might think I starve you.” He patted the dog’s head, then said, “Time for bed.”

  With a drooping head, Sheriff walked into the center of the dog bed.

  “Huh,” Jax said. “He’s pouting. Thinks he’s going to miss out on the new visitor, I guess.”

  Meg ventured closer as Sheriff laid down and rested his chin on his paws. She bent over and scratched the dog again. “What time does he usually go to bed?”

  “Whenever I get home,” Jax said.

  She continued scratching the dog’s head, and Sheriff looked mighty pleased.

  “You’re spoiling him,” Jax said. “Now he’ll expect you to come over every night. Not that I’d mind.”

  Meg smirked up at him, then straightened. “He seems kind of lonely.”

  “It’s all just an act,” Jax said, moving closer to her and enfolding her hand inside his. “You know, to get the pretty woman to pay attention to him.”

  Meg turned toward him then.

  They were only inches apart, and he sensed her quickening breath. Well, it matched his racing pulse.

  “What’s your act, Jax?” she said, her fingers trailing up his arm.

  “With you, I don’t have an act,” he said as goosebumps raced across his skin at her touch. “What you see is what you get.”

  Her mouth curved as her fingers rounded his shoulder, bringing her flush against him. “That’s what I like about you,” she said in a near whisper. “You’re a straight shooter.”

  He assumed her comment had some history to it. Maybe referring to her ex-boyfriend. And yeah, he could totally relate.

  He settled his hands on her hips. Her scent made him want to lean closer and breathe her in. “Have you been checking up on me, ma’am?”

  “Maybe.”

  He leaned down and pressed his mouth at the edge of her jaw. “What did you find?” he murmured.

  Her eyes fluttered shut. “That everything you’ve told me checks out.”

  “That’s good to hear,” he said and kissed her right at the edge of her mouth.

  He felt her smile.

  Sheriff took the opportunity to woof.

  “I think someone’s jealous,” Jax said, then kissed Meg lightly on the mouth. He didn’t really want an audience, not even a dog. “Come on, I’m giving you the tour.”

  Meg walked hand in hand with Jax through his house as he flipped on lights. The exterior of the home was certainly modest compared to the remodeled interior. The place was flat-out gorgeous. Not flashy like Lucas’s home, but that didn’t matter to Meg, and it never would. She hoped Jax hadn’t been offended by her comment; she was just genuinely curious.

  But as beautiful as the rooms were, the best thing about the tour was Jax’s fingers linked with hers. She wasn’t sure her feet had to
uched the ground since that kiss in the arcade room. Okay. So multiple kisses. Jax sure knew what he was doing when he kissed a woman, and thankfully, Meg’s research had told her he wasn’t a player. Hope had budded in her, and she wondered if this thing with Jax might be the start of something real. Something that wasn’t just a fling in his mind or a fluke in hers.

  When he led her to his workout room, she paused in the doorway. Several workout machines were positioned throughout the room, including a treadmill and weight machines. Yet covering the walls were black-and-white photos of scenes from what looked like Africa and wells in various stages of construction.

  “What’s this?” She released Jax’s hand and crossed the room to look at the pictures more closely. Some had Jax in them, and it looked like he was either building the wells or overseeing the work crew.

  She scanned picture after picture, gazing at the wide smiles of the native villagers, along with a few men and women who were obviously American by their attire. She paused before a picture where Jax was standing to the side of a well, holding the hand of a little kid. Other children had crowded around the well, making silly faces for the photograph.

  Meg had to laugh. The enthusiasm and joy coming from the kids was adorable.

  She turned to find Jax leaning against the wall next to the door, hands in his pockets.

  “Is this your charity or something? Building wells in Africa?”

  “Yep.”

  She stared at him for a second, and when he didn’t offer any more information, she continued to scan the pictures on the walls. After she’d completed a full circle, she noticed that the doorframe on the inside of the room was lined with mismatching bricks. Having seen the same type of bricks in the pictures of wells, she knew the bricks meant something. She placed a hand on one of the rough exteriors.

  “Did you bring these back from Africa?”

  Jax joined her at the doorway. “One for each well completed.”

  Meg moved her fingers over a few of the bricks, thinking of the thousands of miles that separated Chicago from the hot, dusty African villages where water was the most precious commodity. Her hand paused over one that was almost black.