Play Dirty (Make the Play #4)

by Amber Garza

  “Thanks,” I whisper.

  He simply shrugs and keeps walking.

  After getting in the car, I settle into the seat, still holding the jacket around me. Inside the car it’s slightly warmer than outside, but I’m still a little chilled. Josh must notice this when he gets in, because immediately after turning on the engine he blasts the heater. Warmth radiates from the vent in front of me.

  “Your mom’s really nice,” I say, as he pulls away from the curb.

  This elicits a smile from him. “She’s the best.”

  “I can tell you two are close.”

  The smile fades. “Yeah, well, all we have is each other.”

  It’s the truest statement he’s ever uttered, and it causes my heart to crack a little. Unsure of what to say, I stare out the window watching the houses as we move past them. I listen to the soft music that plays in the background and whir of the tires on the pavement. All the while I rack my brain for something to say. Something to keep Josh open and vulnerable the way he is in this moment. But then I realize that I have no idea what that is. As much time as I’ve spent with Josh over the past month, I don’t know how to read him. He opens up when he wants to, not when I want him to.

  The blinker ticks, and he turns onto my street. I feel equal parts relief and dread as he nears my house.

  “Thanks for coming tonight.” He pulls up along the curb.

  “No problem.”

  “I know you didn’t have to.” He glances down at his lap. “I mean, there was nothing in it for you, but I know it meant a lot to my mom.” His gaze bounces up to meet mine. “I’ll return the favor.”

  “What?” I cock my head to the side.

  “I’ll come to your house for dinner. Just tell me when.”

  My eyebrows knit together, my heart picking up speed.

  Josh throws me an exasperated look. “Isn’t that what you wanted? You’ve been hounding me about it for weeks.”

  “Um…yeah. No. I mean, that’s great. My parents will be pleased.” Fighting to regain composure, I have no idea why this is getting me so worked up. “Thanks for the ride home. See ya later.” With trembling hands, I open the passenger side door and step outside. “Oh.” Yanking off his jacket, I turn around and thrust it toward him. “Here you go.”

  “It’s okay.” He shakes his head waving the jacket toward me. “You keep it.”

  “But it’s your jacket,” I respond slowly, dumbfounded.

  “And you’re my girlfriend.” He pauses. “At least that’s what people think, so you should have my jacket.”

  “Right.” I bring it into my chest, gripping it tightly. After closing the door, I hurry down the walkway. By the time I reach my front door, my pulse is racing so fast I fear it will run right out of my chest. As I unlock it, I peer over my shoulder. Josh is sitting in his car watching me, waiting for me to go inside. After pressing open the door, I throw him a wave, and then he pulls away from the curb.

  Watching him leave, I cradle the jacket against me. The jacket that smells like him, feels like him, reminds me of him. And I wonder why the simple act causes warmth to spread through my body.

  JOSH

  I rarely do family dinners with my girlfriends. It’s not my style. And I have no idea why I’m doing it now.

  Emmy used to force me to go to her house for dinner sometimes, and it was terrible. Longest nights of my life, filled with nauseating conversation with her parents and dirty looks from her brother.

  As I stand in front of Talia’s house working up the courage to knock on the door, my earlier conversation with Nolan rolls around in my mind. He had caught up to me after practice as I raced toward the parking lot.

  “Where ya racing off to?” He asked, jogging beside me, his equipment rattling around in the bat bag slung over his shoulder. The sky darkened, the streetlamps casting an eerie glow over his face.

  “I have dinner at Talia’s tonight?”

  Abruptly, he stopped walking. “Are you messin’ with me?”

  “Nope,” I responded as I continued walking.

  Catching up to me, he said, “Wow. I didn’t realize you two were so serious.”

  “We’re not.” My stomach tightened. The bottom of my shoes crunched on the asphalt as I walked in the direction of my car. It sat directly under a streetlight, so it was bathed in bright yellow.

  “First she comes to your house for dinner, and now you’re going to hers. Sounds serious to me.”

  He was right. It did sound serious. What was I doing? Blowing out a breath, I stepped up to my car. A part of me wanted to get in it and drive somewhere else. Anywhere else. But I knew I couldn’t do that. Talia had come to my house for dinner, and now I owed her.

  “It’s not,” I finally answered, unlocking my car and throwing my bag in the backseat.

  “If you say so.” Nolan threw me a knowing look.

  “The only reason she came over was because my mom asked her. And I’m only going to her house to get her parents off her back.” It was mostly the truth. But I didn’t tell him that deep down I was nervous. That I was praying her parents would like me. That, more than anything, I hoped she would like me enough to forget this stupid plan. Or better yet, to forget about Hayes.

  The front door swings open yanking me from my internal thoughts. Anna smirks at me from the doorway. “I thought I heard someone out here.”

  “Um…” Man, how long had I been standing in front of the door without knocking? By the look on Anna’s face, I’d say too long. “Yeah. I was just about to knock.”

  “Talia, your boyfriend’s here,” Anna hollers in a sing-song voice still wearing that smirk on her face. She’s enjoying this a little too much. I’m an only child, so I’ve never understood the sibling dynamic. Frankly, it makes me uncomfortable.

  My hands shake at my sides. This is why I don’t do family dinners.

  “Oh.” Talia sidles up beside her sister, eyes widening. “I’m so sorry. I didn’t even hear the door.”

  “I hadn’t knocked yet,” I say, my head bobbing toward Anna, and she smiles.

  Talia frowns. “Yeah. She’s been standing by the window all night.”

  Great. So she was watching me stand out here like an idiot. I pull in a breath.

  Talia shoves her sister out of the way with her hip before reaching out and closing her fingers around my wrist. “Come in.” She tugs me forward, her sweet scent washing over me the closer I get. Her hair is down again tonight, and it shimmers under the bright lighting of the entryway. When her gaze meets mine, she bats her eyes, her eyelashes fluttering. She’s dressed casually in a pair of jeans and a black shirt, but she still looks hot.

  “You must be Josh.”

  I turn at the sound of a man’s voice, and a hand is thrust toward me. It’s not the first time I’ve seen Talia’s dad. He used to come to the games sometimes when she and Palmer were dating. That does little to quell my nerves, though.

  “Nice to meet you, sir,” I stammer, returning his handshake.

  “Mr. Smith is fine.” He flashes me an amused smile, and I relax a little.

  A woman who looks a lot like Talia glides into the room, a full glass of wine in her hand. “Oh. I didn’t realize you were here.” She smiles and moves toward me, extending her free hand. “Nice to meet you, Josh.”

  “You too, Mrs. Smith.” I smile as I shake her hand.

  Now that the introductions are over, I can finally breathe. Mr. and Mrs. Smith head into the kitchen while Talia guides me into the family room. I have no idea where Anna went, but I keep my eyes open. That girl seems a little too interested in me. It’s unnerving.

  “My family’s a little much.” Talia curls up her nose as we plunk down on the couch.

  “It’s fine. You endured a night with my mom, so it’s the least I can do.”

  “Trust me, I didn’t have to endure anything. Your mom’s great.”

  My insides warm at her words. I know my mom comes on a little strong. Even more so since Dad left.
The fact that Talia liked being around her stirs something in my heart. Actually, my heart had been doing a lot of funny things since I first saw Talia with my mom. Watching them bond has caused me to feel close to Talia in a way I’m having a hard time processing. Uncomfortable, I tug on the collar of my shirt and scoot away from Talia.

  “You okay?” She furrows her brows.

  “Fine.” I glance around, spotting Anna watching us from the darkened hallway. My eyes narrow.

  Talia follows my gaze. Groaning, she rolls her eyes. “Don’t pay attention to her. She’s so annoying.”

  But it’s more than that. Anna’s not simply trying to annoy her sister. The grin on her face is the one a person wears when they’re harboring a secret. Leaning in close, I catch a whiff of Talia’s perfume, and my head spins. “Do you think she knows what we’re up to?”

  Talia’s head whips in her sister’s direction, and she bites her lip. “I don’t know. She has been acting strange.” When she looks back at me, paranoia is evident in her eyes. “I really hope she doesn’t ruin this for us.”

  “Don’t worry.” I place my hand over hers. Her skin is so soft it’s like my sheets after they’ve been newly washed. “I’ll talk to her.”

  “What will you say?”

  “I’ll just make it clear how much you mean to me.” I swallow thickly. “How much I’m starting to care about you.”

  Talia’s lips curl upward into a bemused expression. “Wow. And you said that with a straight face and everything. You’re getting so good at this it’s starting to scare me.”

  It’s starting to scare me too.

  “But how will you bring it up?” Talia speaks low, bringing her face close to mine. “You can’t exactly ask her if she thinks we’re faking. Then she’ll know we are.”

  I can’t help it. She’s so close that I have to touch her. Reaching out, I skim my fingers along her jawline. It takes all my willpower not to kiss her. But there’s no way I’d do that right in the middle of her family room when her parents could walk in any minute. In the past I didn’t care what my girlfriend’s parents thought of me. In fact, I was pretty certain Emmy’s didn’t like me that much. So why is it so important to me that Talia’s parents like me? Especially since she’s not my real girlfriend.

  As I stare into her eyes, my gaze taking in her smooth face and full lips, I realize it’s because I want her to be.

  I want Talia to be my girlfriend.

  Not in a fake way. But in a real way.

  “I won’t have to ask her anything.” I drop my hand from her face, afraid to keep touching her. Afraid if I don’t stop now I never will. “By the end of tonight, there will be no doubt in her mind that this relationship is real.”

  “Thanks.” Talia nods, a trusting look filling her face. “You know, you’ve been really cool lately.” I smile, grateful that she’s noticed. “If I didn’t know better, I’d think you were a pretty sweet guy.”

  “Who says I’m not?” I raise one eyebrow.

  “History,” she states, and my face falls.

  “People change, Tals,” I say, before I can stop myself. By the look on her face, I know that using that nickname ruined it all.

  She snorts. “Yep, but they usually don’t.”

  “Dinner’s ready,” Talia’s mom calls from the doorway of the kitchen.

  Talia stands, a look of relief passing over her features. My heart sinks. Somehow I have to make her see that this isn’t an act. That I’m not the terrible guy she thinks I am. As we head toward the dining table, I know how to do that.

  To say that Talia is shocked when I scoot her chair out for her would be an understatement. I’d laugh if I wasn’t working so hard to prove I’m a gentleman. From across the table I catch the subtle nod and smile from her dad. At least someone is impressed with me.

  “So, Josh, how is the spring season going so far?” Mr. Smith asks, once we are all seated. Me next to Talia, Anna across from us, and Talia’s parents flanking the ends.

  The scent of marinara sauce and cheese wafts from my plate. A second ago I couldn’t wait to dig into my lasagna, but now that Mr. Smith brought up baseball, my stomach churns. “Not so great.”

  Talia throws me a look, and I know what she’s worried about. The season has been a sore subject for me lately. But I smile to show her I won’t lose my cool.

  “Talia says you’ve been playing great,” her dad offers, and I’m grateful he threw me a bone. Not just grateful to him, but grateful to Talia too. I gently nudge her in the side.

  “I don’t know about that,” I say. “I haven’t played terrible, but I haven’t done my best either.” I pause. “But the truth is, our team is just struggling without Cal and Chris.” It’s not something I like to admit. In fact, I haven’t admitted it to anyone yet. Not until this very moment. But it’s the truth, and there’s no sense denying it. Besides, it’s not like Talia doesn’t already know. She’s been to our first two games.

  “It’s early in the season. I’m sure you guys will pull it together,” Mr. Smith says.

  “Yeah, they will,” Talia agrees, reaching over and patting me on the back. Our gazes lock and I flash her a genuine smile. When she tosses one back, my heart flips in my chest. Around me I hear Talia’s parents talking and Anna’s fork scraping on her plate, but none of it fully registers. I’m drowning in Talia’s eyes, in her smile, in her gaze, and I never want to come up for air.

  Too bad I have to. When Anna asks Talia to pass the bread, the spell is broken.

  The remainder of dinner flies by in a flurry of food and conversation. It doesn’t feel stilted or forced like it used to at Emmy’s. And eventually Anna stops looking at us with suspicion. By the end of the evening, I’m sure that I’ve won the entire family over. It’s a first for me, and I can hardly believe it.

  “I don’t know who that guy was in there, but he can come back any time,” Talia teases when she walks me out to my car after dinner.

  I hate that she thinks this is an act. However, at her words, doubt takes root. Isn’t it an act? She’s right. I’m not the nice guy or the sweet guy. Can I really pull this off long term?

  “Is that a promise?” I murmur, leaning in to nuzzle her cheek.

  Playfully, she pushes me back. Her gaze flickers to her house.

  “Don’t worry,” I say. “If someone’s watching they’ll probably think it’s weird if we don’t kiss goodnight. That’s what boyfriends and girlfriends do, right?”

  This sways her, and she moves her face closer to mine, angling it just right. My pulse thrashes in my veins. Not because we’ve never kissed before. We’ve kissed plenty of times. However, tonight feels different. Slowly, I draw my hand upward, gently caressing her cheek with my thumb. Then I tilt my head, angling our lips. Our mouths brush, once, twice, nothing more than a whisper, a tickle. Her hands find my waist as our lips meet again. This time I press down more firmly. Our lips connect and disconnect in rapid succession, our tongues melding together. It’s delicate, this push and pull we have going on. At times the kiss is frantic, but other times it’s slow and gentle. One thing is certain. It’s unlike any kiss we’ve had before.

  When we separate, I’m taken aback by her fearful expression. It’s definitely not what I was expecting.

  “Um…” Backing away from me, she scratches the top of her arm. A cold breeze skates over our skin. She shivers, goosebumps rising on her flesh.

  “Where’s my jacket?” I ask.

  “Oh.” She peers over her shoulder. “You want it back?”

  I shake my head. “No. I want you to wear it, especially now if you’re cold.”

  “It’s okay. I should get back inside anyway.” Eyes darkening, she starts to spin around.

  Desperation blooms in my chest. Without thinking, I reach out and grab her arm. “Wait.” Stiffening, she slowly pivots to face me. “Did you mean what you said about coming with me to my dad’s wedding?”

  She freezes. “Um…yeah, I did. Why? Are you thinking of goin
g?”

  Why had I asked her that? It was the first thing that popped into my head, and I wanted to say anything to keep her here with me. But there’s no way I can go to the wedding. “No,” I say quietly.

  “Then why did you ask me that?” She steps closer, and my heart picks up speed. It’s working.

  “I don’t know.” I shake my head. Honestly, I have no idea what I’m doing right now. I’ve never been like this before. Never felt like this before. Oh, man, I’m turning into a bad love song. If I was smart, I’d get the hell out of here now.

  “You must have been considering it if you brought it up.”

  “Maybe.”

  “It could be fun.” She smiles.

  “What part of it would be fun?” I’m dubious.

  “Weddings are fun. They’re like a party.” She shrugs. “There’ll be dancing and music.” Her hips sway slightly as if she’s already there.

  And just like that, I’m sold. The thought of Talia in my arms swaying her hips like that is enough to make me do anything. Besides, it’s the perfect opportunity. Weddings are romantic. She’ll see me in my tux. I’ll be a gentleman like I was tonight. Plus, she’ll want to comfort me because she knows my dad getting married is hard on me. So she’ll be overly sweet and affectionate. It’s the perfect way for her to finally fall for me and forget about Hayes. Added bonus that he won’t even be there.

  “Fine. I’ll go,” I say, causing her head to snap up. “But only if you promise that you’ll go with me.”

  “I already have.”

  I stretch out my hand. “Then it’s a deal.”

  “I thought handshakes were boring.” Talia raises her brows.

  I chuckle. “If you wanted to kiss me again, you could’ve just asked.”

  TALIA

  Things are spinning out of control.

  When Josh and I started this plan I knew a million things could go wrong. But there was one thing I was sure of. I would have bet my life on it. And that was the fact that I would never fall for him. And I still haven’t.