Tessa was relieved when she saw he had finally texted her back, but she wasn’t happy with what she read.
J: I don’t need the money back.
Her blood simmered. Hell no. She was not a charity case. Jordan was going to get paid back today. She headed toward the athletic center where she knew he was at practice.
Then Tessa slowed. She could just give him two tutoring sessions. The problem was, they didn’t have any additional times set up. Her pace picked back up. There wasn’t any guarantee that Jordan would call her again for tutoring, so she would make sure she didn’t owe him anything.
She could stuff the money in his backpack. Then she wouldn’t have to talk with him. Tessa perked up at that thought and then deflated. It would be a great idea if she knew where his bag would be.
As she followed the signs to the basketball court, Tessa didn’t have a concrete plan. All she wanted to do was get in and get out fast. She stopped in the upper tier of seats, looking down at the team practicing before sucking in a breath.
They were scrimmaging in a game of shirts versus skins. She eagerly moved her eyes from one fit body to the next. When she landed on Jordan, she got stuck. He was part of the skins team.
Tessa sank into one of the chairs with her eyes still glued to him. He dribbled the ball like it was extra appendage while using his free hand to direct his team.
There wasn’t an ounce of flab on him, and she would never get tired of looking at the six-pack decorating his abs. She clenched her hands in an attempt to stop the tingling in her fingers. The urge to trace Jordan’s sweaty chest muscles with her finger was overwhelming.
The piercing sound of the coach’s whistle startled Tessa out of her Jordan haze. She sucked in a needed breath and listened to the coach announce a break. The players were walking off the court, so she scrambled to send him a quick text that he would hopefully see.
Sure enough, most of the players strode over to the sideline chairs and grabbed bottles of water and their phones. Tessa watched as Jordan scrolled through his notifications and then lifted his head. His eyes found hers, and she shivered at the ripple running under her skin. Jordan tilted his head and gestured toward an opening that led away from the court.
Tessa put her phone away, grabbing the cash from her bag and heading down to meet him. As she walked, the sounds on the court faded and were replaced with an eerie silence. When she finally spotted Jordan, Tessa ignored her fleeting disappointment. His chest was now covered up with a tank top.
As soon as he started toward her, she realized the shirt was just a tease. The sides were open and gave her tantalizing glimpses of his hard chest underneath.
Tessa shook her head to clear it. She wasn’t here to ogle him. When Jordan reached her, she thrust out her hand. “Here you go.”
He looked at the money and made no attempt to take it. Tessa shook the cash, and Jordan raised his eyes to meet hers.
“Here. It’s for the tow,” she gritted out, frustrated that he wouldn’t take it.
“Keep it,” he said succinctly.
“No,” Tessa said, keeping the money extended.
With his steady gaze on her, Jordan finally said, “You drove all the way out to my house to tutor me. You didn’t get any extra money for that.”
Tessa tried to stay calm. “I didn’t ask for more, and the battery would have conked out regardless of where I was. You’re not paying for the tow.”
When Jordan raised his hand to take the money, Tessa took a relieved breath. Only he didn’t take it. Instead, he grasped the wrist holding the money and took a step toward her. Tessa instinctively backed up. They continued this dance until her back hit the wall. Tessa pretended there weren’t a hundred butterflies running through her and looked up at him.
As soon as their eyes locked, Jordan slid the money from her slack fingers and into the front pocket of her jeans. It felt like he had touched her bare skin, and she couldn’t stop a hiss of air from coming out. Jordan brought his focus to her lips, and Tessa stilled, aware of only him. She watched as inch by inch he lowered his head closer to her. Time froze as his lips settled over hers and slowly explored.
Tessa closed her eyes and absorbed the tingling of her lips. Nothing in her short list of kissing experiences had ever felt this right or this good. Jordan deepened the kiss and started coaxing a response from her. She put her hands around his neck, anchoring his head to hers.
When his tongue teased her bottom lip, Tessa opened. As it reached the inside of her mouth, desire flooded her body. Tessa angled her head and immersed herself in the kiss.
Jordan eliminated the distance between them, molding his hardness to her softness. When Tessa felt his erection on her stomach, she lowered her hand, eager to explore. He captured it before it reached its destination and put it back around his neck.
Jordan dragged his lips from Tessa’s and set his forehead on hers. Her whole body throbbed, and she was desperately trying to suck in air. After a few moments he stepped away, but he sought her gaze and held on.
The subtle clearing of a throat brought a bucket of cold water crashing down. Jordan tensed his body, but he didn’t look away as he addressed the intruder. “Fuck off.”
Tessa knew her face was flushed for more than one reason. Luckily, he couldn’t see her since Jordan blocked his view.
“Sorry, man. Thought you would like the heads up from me and not Coach. He gave the five-minute warning.”
The guy didn’t linger. He turned around and left without waiting for a response. Jordan didn’t move, focused on her. Tessa’s body still felt the effects of his closeness, but her brain had kicked back on. She wasn’t sure where to look.
What had just happened? Did he mean the kiss? Was it meant to be a distraction? Tessa stepped to the side, intending to leave. Jordan stepped closer, and she froze.
“Tessa, look at me,” he demanded, close to her ear.
She didn’t want to, but she had a feeling Jordan wouldn’t let her escape until she did. Tessa gathered her courage and lifted her head. The intensity radiating from him made her lose her focus until he said, “Keep the money.”
Tessa stiffened at the reminder of why she had come here.
“No.” She was relieved it had come out firmly. Tessa reached into her pocket to get the money. Jordan firmly placed his hand on top, trapping hers.
With his jaw ticking, he said, “I have to get back to practice.”
She opened her mouth to insist he take the money, but he kept talking.
“I’ll call you later.”
Tessa kept her mouth shut, but she was making a mental note not to answer his call. There was no way she was going to talk about this kiss or argue about the money. She would find another way to get it to him.
As if he could read her mind, Jordan growled, “Answer the call. You know you can’t escape me. I’ll just see you at our next tutoring session anyway.”
He turned and walked away. As soon as he was out of sight, Tessa sagged against the wall. She was relieved that Jordan wanted more tutoring. Now she didn’t have to keep fighting about the money. But that meant she would have to see him again.
How was she supposed to act? Did she pretend the kiss didn’t happen? With a pang, Tessa decided that was the best idea. Jordan had asked for her help because she wouldn’t throw herself at him. He was obviously frustrated when he had kissed her, probably thinking it was the quickest way to shut her up. To her embarrassment, it had been.
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Chapter 10
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It was a rare night. Both moms, Lindy, and Tessa were at home. No phones or TV were allowed when they were having a family dinner. It was time to catch up and connect.
For once, Tessa was relieved about the no phone rule. Usually she grumbled that they were the only family in America who didn’t allow phones at the table. If Jordan called, she could legitimately say she missed it.
With the phone in her room, it should have been out
of sight, out of mind. Unfortunately, that wasn’t the case. Tessa strained her ears to hear her distinctive ringtone.
“Tessa!”
She looked up from mixing her potatoes and peas together to see everyone staring at her. “Sorry, what?”
Her mom repeated her question. “I asked how your day was.”
“Fine. It was fine.” She forced a smile and returned the question. “How was yours?”
“I’ve already talked about my day in depth, Tessa.” Shit, now she remembered the conversation she had vaguely listened to.
“What’s going on with you?” her mom asked suspiciously.
“Nothing, Mom.” At her disbelieving look, Tessa tried again. “Just a lot going on between handling the car, tutoring, working at the library, and setting up my student teaching.”
“Do you need money for the car, Tessa?”
“No!” Three surprised faces stared back at her vehement reply, and she quickly backtracked. “It was just the battery, Mom. The agreement was if you and Sophia got the car, Lindy and I would maintain it.”
“And you’ve done that. Neither of you has complained or reneged on the deal, Tessa. If this is causing you stress, then I can help. You know I’ll help you, right?”
Tessa summoned a smile. “I know, Mom. Don’t worry, I got this.”
Dinner lasted an hour, and Tessa made sure not to let her mind wander anymore. The moms cleaned up and did the dishes while she and Lindy retreated to their room.
They sat on their beds, each of them wrapped up in a soft, comforting blanket. Facing one another, Lindy asked, “Want to tell me why you snapped at your mom?”
Tessa groaned and closed her eyes. When she opened them, Lindy was looking at her, waiting patiently for her to spill.
“Jordan finally texted me back and said I didn’t need to pay him back for the tow.”
“You’re going to pay him back, aren’t you? We don’t need him to pay for us.” Her voice had the same edge that Tessa knew she’d used with Jordan.
Lindy got it. Tessa wasn’t crazy. “I tried.”
“What do you mean, you tried?”
“After I got his text, I knew he would be at practice, so I headed over to the athletic center.” Tessa paused, not quite sure how to tell Lindy what happened.
“What happened, Tessa?” Lindy’s voice softened.
“I met with Jordan when the team was on a break, but he wouldn’t take the money.”
Her brows creased. “Why not?”
“I asked Jordan that,” she declared, getting fired up again.
Lindy grinned. “You were yelling at him, weren’t you?”
“Well, I tried not to, but he was so frustrating! Who doesn’t take a hundred dollars being handed to them? Then he told me it was his fault because he made me drive all the way out to his house for tutoring. When I tried to tell him how stupid that was, he kissed me!”
Lindy’s eyes bulged out of her head, and she popped up with a squeal before bouncing over to Tessa’s bed. “What? Tell me!”
The memory of the kiss and how strongly she had reacted to it played in her head.
“Oh my god, Tessa, tell me already! I can tell by the dreamy look on your face that you liked it!!”
“It was amazing, but it was scary too.”
“Why scary?”
She gathered all of her conflicting emotions and tried to articulate them. “I think he only kissed me so I would stop arguing with him.”
Then she confessed, “It scared me because it worked. I was so stunned and turned on just from a kiss that I dropped the fight. Remember how the girls in high school would mindlessly follow their men around and not use their own brains? I always thought they were so stupid.”
“They were stupid.”
“I suddenly feel like them,” she admitted shamefully.
“Tessa,” Lindy said carefully, “after the kiss, did you keep the money?”
“I did because I was tired of arguing and decided to find a different way to repay him. Then he said to keep it for tutoring.”
Lindy grinned. “So you have no reason to think he can manipulate you. You got a hot kiss, and you won the argument.”
Tessa hadn’t thought about it like that.
“Tessa, it’s okay to enjoy a kiss! I love that you are finally attracted to someone, and I must say you have great taste! Jordan Davis is one fine-looking man!”
Lindy grinned at her red face and continued more seriously. “Enjoying Jordan’s kiss doesn’t suddenly turn you into someone you’re not.”
“I guess you’re right,” Tessa finally agreed.
“Of course I’m right. Now you can kiss him again guilt free!”
She groaned and threw her pillow at Lindy.
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Chapter 11
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Every time her phone buzzed, Tessa’s stomach fluttered. When it wasn’t Jordan, the fluttering stilled, and she felt oddly empty. After a couple days of the emotional seesaw, she tried to decide if she should text him.
If she texted him, then she could initiate a time to tutor. She could also get over the nerves she had about seeing him again. Tired of waiting on pins and needles, Tessa lifted her phone. And as if Jordan knew he was being summoned, he slid onto the bench beside her.
“So, can you tutor tonight?”
It took Tessa a couple of blinks to believe that Jordan was there and then to comprehend his question. She had dreaded this moment, but now she was relieved. He seemed like he was in a hurry, so there was no time for her to be embarrassed. And one of her two tutoring sessions would be scheduled.
“Yes, but I would like to go to a coffee shop off campus.”
“Perfect!” Jordan declared with over-the-top enthusiasm.
Why was he acting so strange? Jordan’s arm lay on the back of the bench, and he had wrapped his hand around her shoulder. Her attention was diverted from his weird behavior to the rippling warmth where his hand casually rested.
Tessa focused back on the conversation. “What time and where?”
“I have practice from three-thirty to five-thirty. Can I pick you up at six, and we’ll get something to eat along the way?”
“I’ll meet you there.”
“No,” Jordan said unequivocally.
“Yes,” Tessa said with determination. “I’ll meet you there.”
Jordan tightened his jaw, and Tessa braced herself for the confrontation that was coming. She didn’t want to ride in the close confines of Jordan’s truck, eat with him, and then tutor him. She was already fighting the distraction that he’d created just by casually touching his side to hers. Tessa wouldn’t be able to tutor him if she spent the whole night with him.
“Tessa, you told me you shared your car. Are you sure Lindy won’t need it?” Jordan cajoled.
Damn, she hadn’t thought of that. He must have sensed he was gaining ground and pressed on. “As you know, sometimes practice gets delayed, so I don’t know exactly what time you’ll need the car. This way, you can wait in the library for me and not have to worry about when I’m going to show up.”
Tessa didn’t like that she was going to have to give in, but she did, ungraciously. “Fine, but if it’s past seven, I’m going.”
Jordan’s face lit up with a stunning grin, and he sprang up and brushed a kiss across her forehead. “It won’t be. See ya later, Tessa.”
Her head was spinning. What had just happened? Their five-minute conversation had made her leery, excited, frustrated, and now bamboozled. Why did he give her a kiss on the forehead? She could still feel the tingling where his lips had touched. The speculative glances in her direction made Tessa put her whirlwind emotions on the back burner and head to class.
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At 6:07, Tessa was sitting and once again fidgeting at a library table waiting for Jordan. Why had she said she would give him until seven? The waiting game was going to kill her. Tessa didn’t even try to be produc
tive. It would be a useless endeavor. All she could do was wonder how Jordan had talked her into driving with him.
At some point, Tessa had admitted she was crushing on Jordan Davis. What she couldn’t figure out was, why him? Of course he was hot, but there were plenty of guys around that were good-looking. He was the big man on campus. Every girl wanted him, which meant he was out of her stratosphere. Being around him was like being under a microscope. Tessa didn’t like being the center of attention, and she didn’t like being gossiped about. How did any of this add up to her liking him?
Even worse, she felt like the attraction was one-sided. Jordan never seemed uncomfortable or at a loss for words in her presence. It was embarrassing that her brain functioned slower when she was around him.
Even now, just anticipating seeing him, she was acting like a crazy person. She obsessively checked the door and bounced her knee up and down. When her phone buzzed, Tessa snatched it up, relieved there was something to distract her.
J: Leaving the gym. Be with you in 5.
Tessa snatched up her backpack and hustled out the door to wait. Jordan’s truck was recognizable, and she didn’t want to draw more eyes by having him wait. As soon as the gleaming black truck pulled up at the curb, she opened the passenger door.
Tessa carefully put her backpack on the floor between her legs. She didn’t want to scratch any of the shiny surfaces. When she looked over, Jordan had a peculiar look on his face.
“What?” Tessa asked defensively.
“The truck won’t break. You sat your backpack down like it was a bomb, and I’ve never seen anyone buckle a seat belt with as little movement as you just did. Now you’re sitting straight as an arrow like you’re scared to breathe.”
Tessa’s cheeks heated up. Maybe she was overdoing it. She forced herself to relax back into the sumptuous leather. “Better?”
Jordan shook his head and put the truck in gear. A few minutes later, they were off campus and driving into San Jose.
Breaking Tessa: A College Sport Romance Page 7