Playing the Player

by Lisa Brown Roberts

  “I give up,” she said, still laughing. “Here’s the deal, guys. Don’t break anything, or cause any scenes, and we’ll call it good, okay? Then we’ll go find ice cream and pianos on the mall.”

  “Yay!” Gilly and Max cheered and we headed up the steps and onto the covered porch. The kids made a beeline for a bench swing, while Trina and I sat on a stone balustrade.

  I smiled down at Trina. “Way to relax and go with the flow, BB.”

  “I’m learning from the best, Edmunds.” Her eyes stayed on mine, and if we’d been anywhere else, I would’ve kissed her.

  But instead, a lady dressed like an old-fashioned schoolteacher threw open the door, killing the moment.

  “Welcome to the Molly Brown House!”

  Chapter Thirty-Four

  Trina

  Friday, June 21

  “At least they didn’t call the cops,” Slade joked, as the door slammed shut behind us.

  Gilly clung to my leg, sobbing. “I’m s-sorry, Trina.” She looked up at Slade, wearing the most pathetic expression I’d ever seen. “I didn’t…hic…mean to break the glasses…hic… We were just pretending…sob…to…to…hit the iceberg.”

  “And we were scared of that bear rug,” Max said, a single tear rolling down his cheek. “I saw its mouth move.”

  I fumed, biting back all my anger and embarrassment. I glanced at Slade, who gave me a pleading look as he squeezed the kids’ shoulders, trying to reassure them. He was such a sucker for tears.

  “That was antique crystal, Gilly! From Europe.” I glared at her, and then closed my eyes, hearing the crash and seeing the horrified looks of everyone in the museum when Gilly chased Max through the dining room, under the velvet ropes, and into the table. Thank goodness only two glasses had actually broken. The docent had been furious, but she’d said their insurance would cover the damages. Mostly she’d just wanted us to leave.

  Max tugged on my shorts, and my eyes flew open. “What?” My voice was sharp, and he took a step back from me, stumbling over his untied shoes. “I..um…just thought…” He held his arm up. “Maybe we all need some magic.”

  His big sad eyes ripped a hole in my righteous anger. I took in all three of them, so pathetic and remorseful, even Slade. I knew the kids felt terrible. The way the tour guide had freaked out would probably haunt their nightmares for weeks. Mine, too.

  “This situation calls for drastic measures,” Slade announced. His face broke into one of those glorious smiles that made my stomach drop to my knees. I darted a glance at Gilly and saw that she was equally enchanted.

  “What?” My voice cracked. I hoped he had an amazing idea that wasn’t dangerous or illegal.

  “Baseball,” he said, and we all gaped at him.

  He grabbed the kids’ hands and turned to run down on the porch steps. “Come on, BB,” he called over his shoulder.

  The heat from the blazing Colorado sun beat down on me as I followed Slade and the kids down Pennsylvania Street, jogging to catch up.

  “Where are we going?” I asked, a little out of breath.

  He slowed his pace and smiled down at me. “Coors Field. There’s this game, involving bats and balls… Maybe you’ve heard of it?”

  “How do you know there’s a game today? And what about tickets?”

  He grinned at me. “Details, Trina. Nothing to worry about.”

  My mind swirled. How much were tickets? What if the game was sold out? What if the kids hated it? What if we sat next to drunken fans who screamed obscenities the whole time?

  “This is not on the schedule,” I muttered. Slade’s low laughter sent chills up my arms.

  “You ever see Ferris Bueller’s Day Off?” he asked as we walked down Colfax, heading toward downtown and the Sixteenth Street Mall. I held Gilly’s hand while Slade held onto Max.

  I rolled my eyes. “Of course.” I tapped the side of my head. “Room up here for some pop culture experiences.”

  His sexy grin made my knees literally wobble. Another cliché come to life, much to my horror.

  “Touché.” He laughed. “Anyway, that’s what I’m going for. We need an epic save.”

  “The museum was a stupid idea.” I bit my lip and glanced at him. “Why’d you go along with me when I suggested it?”

  His eyes were fixed on my mouth. He blinked a few times then shrugged. “Uh, I…well…” His voice trailed away.

  “Whatever.” I walked faster, annoyed that he obviously hadn’t been listening to me the other night.

  The Sixteenth Street Mall bustled with office workers running errands and gathering outside for lunch dates. Grungy teenagers zoomed by us on skateboards, and homeless men leaned against buildings, grateful for the shade.

  The shuttle whooshed to a stop in front of us, and we stepped on. The kids crammed onto a bench seat while Slade and I stood in the aisle. I reached up for a wrist strap, annoyed they were almost of reach.

  Slade’s hand looped easily through his wrist strap. He smiled down at me. “Why don’t you just hold onto me? You won’t have to reach as high.”

  The shuttle lurched away from our stop, and I fell against Slade. He settled his free hand on my shoulder, anchoring me in place. I was pretty sure my skin was melting under his touch—possibly evaporating altogether.

  I was grateful to hold my tote bag in both hands, since I didn’t know what else to do with them. I took a deep breath, which was a mistake because I inhaled Slade’s piney, sunshine smell.

  “You okay?” His voice was soft and right next to my ear, since he’d leaned over, his face close to mine.

  Unable to look at him, I just nodded and stared at my toes. The polish was already chipping again. WTH? Why did I even bother trying for cute toenails?

  He straightened, but his arm stayed wrapped around me, his grip warm and firm on my shoulders.

  What was going on? I squeezed my eyes shut and remembered what I’d told Desi about not turning into obsesso-girl, analyzing his every move. I was full of crap. I’d never been so obsessed in my life.

  “We’ll get off at the end of the line, then walk to the stadium,” he said.

  I nodded, focusing my attention on the passing view of shop fronts and meandering tourists. The shuttle stopped, and everyone rushed for the doors. Slade held Max’s hand and I held Gilly’s.

  “I love baseball!” Gilly exclaimed, swinging my arm as we strolled behind the guys.

  “Really?” I looked down at her red hair glowing in the sunlight. She reminded me of an escaped elf from the North Pole.

  She nodded vigorously. “Know why? Cuz when my daddy watches baseball we have pizza. And he swears at the TV.” She shot me a mischievous glance, then yelled at the top of her lungs. “Blake Street Bombers my ass! Rockies suck!”

  “Gilly!” I was torn between shock and hysterical laughter.

  Slade jerked to a stop in front of us and turned, laughing so hard I hoped he didn’t choke. Max stared at Gilly, his lips twitching, finally breaking into a grin.

  “Bomb my ass!” Max yelled.

  People stared, and a few of them glared at Slade and me. Like we had any control over these two?

  “It’s Bombers, not bomb,” Slade told Max, still laughing. “And you guys need to rein it in, or Trina and I are going to end up in nanny jail.”

  That shut them up. Gilly turned a horrified face to Slade. “Jail? You can’t go to jail!” Max’s face started to crumple.

  “Way to go, Edmunds,” I muttered, shooting him a pretend glare, but my mouth twitched with a smile. I knelt down and put my arms out for the kids, who rushed toward me for a hug. “Nobody’s going to jail. Not nanny jail, not even Molly Brown house jail. We’re going to have an epic afternoon.”

  Gilly wiped a tear from her cheek. “Epic? What’s that?”

  I tugged at her hair. “You’re about to find out.” I smiled up at Slade, who towered over us, arms crossed over his broad chest, looking every bit the sun god.

  Chapter Thirty-Five

&n
bsp; Slade

  June 21, Friday

  Epic. Completely, unbelievably epic. Once we ditched the museum and got to the baseball field, it felt like we wandered onto a movie set. Everything was perfect: the weather, our seats, the fans…everything. The kids had a great time and only spilled one soda. The Rockies even beat the Dodgers.

  But the best part was Trina. I hadn’t been sure what to think when she’d clammed up on the mall shuttle. But once we got to Coors Field she acted like a kid in a candy shop, turning into the fun Trina who’d won the Putt-Putt contest. I bought her one of those stupid foam fingers, and she spent half the time waving it around or hitting me on the head—when she wasn’t heckling the Dodgers’ pitchers or dancing with Gilly to all the walk-up songs.

  Halfway through the game, we switched seats so we were next to each other, with the kids next to me, instead of us flanking them. I’d been to lots of games, but I’d never been so distracted. Especially when she jumped up and shimmied to the music.

  When the game went into extra innings, I texted the moms to tell them where we were and that we’d be home late. Trina leaned in close to me, her thigh connecting with mine. I shoved my phone in my pocket and took a deep breath.

  “Making plans for tonight?” she teased, still leaning into me.

  I had all sorts of plans that she didn’t know about. Yet.

  “Nope. Just texting the moms to tell them we’ll be back late.”

  She jerked away from me, eyes going wide and mouth dropping open. “Oh my God!” She glanced at her watch. She was the only person I knew who wore one. “I totally lost track of time.”

  I put my hand on her knee. “Don’t sweat it. They said it’s fine.” I squeezed her knee. Why was I torturing myself like this?

  She glanced at my hand, then back at my face. I couldn’t tell if she was blushing or sunburned. I released her knee, grabbing my soda from the cup holder attached to the seat. Not for the first time, I wondered how long it would be until I finally kissed her.

  As I forced myself to focus on the game, I heard the “Oh Yeah” song from Ferris Bueller playing in my head.

  Bow. Bow. Beauuuuutiful. Chicka chicka. Chicka chicka.

  Chapter Thirty-Six

  Trina

  Friday, June 21

  After the game, we wandered down the Sixteenth Street Mall and Slade shocked me by sitting down at one of the pianos. I watched in amazement as he played and sang “Pretty Women” from Sweeney Todd—the swoony part, not the stabby part. He had an amazing voice, totally blowing me away.

  By the time he finished singing we were surrounded by a cheering crowd. But since he’d been staring at me the whole time he sang, I hardly noticed anyone else, until a few people shouted for an encore. He’d grinned, then shifted into a rousing edition of “Hakuna Matata” from The Lion King, with Gilly and Max singing the chorus at the top of their lungs.

  I was pretty sure we’d entered a parallel universe, because this Slade? I didn’t know him at all.

  But I wanted to.

  Slade drove me home after we dropped off the exhausted, happy kids. We’d all sworn a vow of secrecy regarding the museum incident, sealing the deal with drops of lavender oil.

  Slade parked in an empty parking spot and turned to look at me. My breath caught at the intensity in his eyes.

  “What are you doing tonight?” His voice was soft and low.

  “I, uh, don’t have any plans.”

  “Would you like to do something? Just you and me?” I watched his Adam’s apple slide up and down as he swallowed.

  My breath stuttered, but I held his gaze, mesmerized by his smoky cat eyes.

  “What do you have in mind?” Like anything he suggested would be a deal breaker.

  He rubbed a hand on the back of his neck, and I imagined what it would be like to wrap my own hands around his neck, to pull his face down to mine and claim his mouth with my own.

  “Your choice.” He shrugged, and smirked. “As long as it doesn’t involve Titanic tea parties or show tunes.”

  I grinned at him. “But I loved the show tunes. How did you even know that song? Seriously, Slade. Why aren’t you doing theater at school? The drama club needs you.”

  He reached out to put a finger on my lips. “Years of forced theater attendance with my parents. But you’re sworn to secrecy, remember?”

  All I could do was nod. He dropped his finger and my mouth burned. He met my gaze again, his eyes darkening from gold to a deep bronze. I hoped the paramedics would be able to revive me after I fully succumbed to the Slade spell.

  The pounding beat of a Zedd song reverberated from his car speakers. Electricity zigged and zagged between us, and I dared myself to make the first move.

  But before I could, he did.

  His hand reached out to brush my skin, his fingers slowly tracing the contour of my face, from my brow bone to my jaw, down my neck to my collarbone, leaving a trail of fire in their wake. I could hardly believe my heart was still in my chest, it battered my rib cage so wildly.

  He shifted in his seat, angling his body toward mine. He unbuckled his seat belt and reached across me to unbuckle mine, trapping me in his arms.

  “Trina,” he whispered, his voice hoarse. Then his lips covered mine, and I stopped thinking.

  My eyes drifted closed as his arms tightened around me, pulling me into him.

  I giggled softly against his lips and he paused the kiss, moving his mouth away from mine just enough to speak.

  “What’s funny?” he whispered, a hint of anxiety tingeing his voice.

  “Nothing,” I whispered back, wrapping my hands around his neck, just like I’d imagined a hundred times. I tugged the shoelace from his hair and ran my hands through the glorious, soft waves. I heard his breath catch. “You just make me…so happy.” This time I captured his mouth, reveling in the way he pulled me closer and groaned with pleasure.

  I pushed away the niggling flickers of doubt. Of wondering if I was just one more girl in his long string of conquests. Just for tonight, I wouldn’t think about that. I’d let myself go…and just be.

  He teased my mouth open with his tongue, and my body seemed to know what to do, which surprised me, but I chose not to analyze, instead letting all my thoughts drift away.

  A long time later we pulled apart, our breathing ragged and shallow. I wondered if my eyes mirrored the desire I saw in his. He took a long breath and closed his eyes, then his words came out in rush. “I’ve wanted to do that for a really long time.”

  “You have?”

  He opened his eyes, giving me a lazy, satisfied smile. “Yeah. But we have a problem.”

  “A problem?” I tried to keep my voice even, though I was still trembling from the kiss. Maybe I was a horrible kisser. I didn’t have much practice. Unlike him.

  “That was much, much better than I’d even imagined,” he said, his voice so low it sounded like a growl.

  Relief shot through me. Relief, and something else. He must have seen it in my eyes because he swallowed and ran a hand through his hair. “So, the problem is, I can’t say good-bye. Not after that. I can’t just drive away and not see you until we’re on nanny duty again.”

  This was my cue to say something flirty and seductive. Something to ratchet up the tension and tease him until he had no choice but to kiss me again. But I’d never played this game before. I hadn’t read the rulebook, so I made up my own. No games. No flirting. Just me.

  “I was planning on going to a movie tonight. You could come with me.” I bit my lip nervously, waiting for his answer.

  He stared at my lips, so I bit down harder, wondering why it was taking him forever to just say yes. Or no.

  He squeezed his eyes shut then opened them and gave me a bone-melting smile. “Sure. Whatever you want to do. Who else is going?”

  I shrugged. “Just me.”

  He frowned. “You go to movies by yourself?”

  I nodded, embarrassed. I did a lot of things by myself, especially on
nights when Mom was working and Desi was busy with Trey.

  “Okay.” He nodded. “So, maybe I can just come up to your place now? We can hang out for a while, then go to the movie.” His lips curved into a seductive smile.

  I knew what he was hoping for if we hung out in my apartment. Not that I objected to more kissing. But I wasn’t sure what I’d do if he wanted more than that. Plus my mom was asleep in her bedroom, recovering from her night shift.

  “Um, my mom’s home,” I said. “Sleeping. She worked a night shift. I don’t want to wake her.”

  “Oh.” His face fell.

  “Maybe we could…go somewhere else?”

  His expression brightened. “My parents are out tonight. We can go there. Jump in the pool…” His voice trailed away. “Sorry. We don’t have to swim if you don’t want to.”

  Half-naked in a pool together? Just the two of us, without the perky housewives and skinny guy like before? I swallowed and stared at my lap. Was I afraid to be alone with him? Not afraid, exactly, but…overwhelmed at the possibilities.

  I pictured Desi’s knowing smile and heard her tell me to get the hell out of my apartment. Saw Mom tucking away Brian’s candles until next year’s anniversary. Heard Slade’s clear, strong voice singing to me on the mall.

  I took a breath. “Let’s do it. I mean, you can swim. I can make sure your shallow end complies with all state and local regulations.”

  He laughed and put a hand on my thigh, rubbing his thumb in circles on my skin. “You sure?” His voice was low and husky.

  I nodded, half-expecting my skin to smoke from the fire he was stirring up inside me. “I’ll just grab my swimsuit. Be right back.” I leaped out of the car.

  Inside my apartment, I glanced in the mirror, wondering if I looked different now that I’d been kissed so hard I thought I might burst. I still looked like me, but like a high def version of me, with brighter colors and sharper contrasts. Or maybe it wasn’t me who’d changed, but the way I saw things.