He angled his head, deepening what was already the most delicious kiss of my life, and I held nothing back as I poured every ounce of my feelings into him. Our tongues danced together, his teeth nipped at my bottom lip, and I absolutely melted into him.
When I could go no longer without air, I pulled back and looked into the purest sapphire eyes I’d ever seen.
They sparkled back at me as he teased, “You just can’t stand to not be in charge, can you?” He kissed the tip of my nose. “I love you too, Georgia. I was going to tell you after showing you the garden, but of course, you beat me to it.”
I shrugged. “Sorry, not sorry.”
He set me on my feet but didn’t lose his hold on me. “You are without a doubt the most interesting woman I’ve ever met. I knew the minute you told me not to drop the ball that night in the bar that I was in love with you.” His chestnut-brown locks shook as he chuckled, the low rumble reverberating deep inside. “People don’t believe in love at first sight, but that’s because they never had the pleasure of falling in love with you. I love your hair,”—he fingered a strand—“I love your confidence, I love your compassion for things like opossums. But what I love the most of all is your stubbornness. Because you refused to give up on me when maybe you should have, and if it weren’t for the fact that you have no problem digging your heels in, I wouldn’t be standing here right now, kissing you breathless and thinking of all the ways I’m going to show you exactly how much I love you when we get home.”
His mouth landed on mine again, and I looped my arms around his neck, anchoring his head in place, and hoped that the kiss I gave him told him that I loved him for all those reasons too.
“You underestimate yourself, Quinn,” I told him softly, our foreheads resting against one another. The swell of love that crashed over me threatened to drown me, and I could think of no better way to go than in the clear waters of Quinn’s pure love. “But I see you. I see who you are and who you have always been. So, I have no problem pushing you to be your best, because your best is incredible and you deserve every good thing that comes your way.”
“I don’t deserve you, but I was smart enough to grab on to you anyway, because you, Hurricane Georgia, are the best thing that’s ever come my way.”
28
Quinn
“Georgia,” I whispered, my lips next to her ear as her hair tickled my nose. “I’ve gotta go.”
She stirred and mumbled something that sounded like a goodbye, and I pressed a soft kiss to her forehead.
Before I could straighten, her arms reached for me, looping around my neck and pulling me against her. “Don’t go,” she murmured, her voice thick with sleep. “Get back in the bed with me. We can do that thing you wanted to try last night.”
I chuckled and tried to push the mental image of Georgia naked out of my head. I had to get to practice, and with Coach being back, being late was not an option. No matter how tempting she was. “I can’t stay. But I will hold you to that offer for later tonight.”
She loosened her grip on my neck, and when I righted myself, she smirked. “That offer’s only good for the next ten minutes.”
She waggled her brows and licked her lips, an attempt to seduce me that almost worked, but I held strong and groaned, “You’re killing me.”
With a quick flick of her wrist, she pulled the comforter off my bed, away from her naked body, and all the blood that was in my head rushed south. Her gaze traveled the length of my body until her eyes landed on my erection straining at the fabric of my boxer briefs. “Looks like maybe you’re reconsidering leaving?”
I grabbed a fistful of the blanket and tossed it over her head. “Your brothers were right. You are the devil.”
She giggled and from beneath the blanket shouted, “You love me!”
I did. So fucking much.
Jesus, it had felt so good telling her that last weekend. It had felt even better spending the last seven days saying it to her whenever I wanted.
“Damn right, I do.” I pulled the blanket back just enough to give her a hard kiss on the mouth.
She shoved at my shoulder. “Ew, you have morning breath!”
I made a point of breathing in her face. “I brushed my teeth twice this morning!”
She groaned. “Fine, it’s me with the morning breath. It’s still gross.”
“I. Don’t. Care.” I punctuated each word with a kiss. “I’ve gotta go. If I’m late, your dad’s going to kill me. Then who would give you that good lovin’ you like so much?”
She squeezed her eyes shut and frowned. “You’re ridiculous.”
“But you love me.” I gave her one final kiss and hustled to the bedroom door. “Hey, you want to go with me this afternoon to look at a few houses?”
She pushed up on an elbow and grinned. “You’re going to buy a house? Does that mean you’re planning to stay?”
I lifted a shoulder and gave her a half smile. “Got this new coach who seems to like me, and the other guys on the team are coming around. Doesn’t look like I’ll get traded anytime soon. Plus, I met this chick and thought maybe I’d see where things went with her too.”
She sat all the way up, clutching the blanket to her chest as her eyes sparkled in the early morning sunlight that filtered through the cracks in the blinds. “I think I know that girl. She’s definitely worth sticking around for. I’d love to go look at houses this afternoon.”
I nodded and winked. “Good, I’ll need a good yard girl.”
She grabbed her pillow and slung it at me. “Ass. Get out of here before I decide not to let you leave.”
I looked her over one last time before just barely ignoring the devil on my shoulder that whispered in my ear to screw my career and get back in bed. “See you this afternoon.”
I passed my sister’s room, surprised to see her door open. I grabbed the handle to pull it shut when I froze. The room was clean, the bed made, and it was completely and utterly empty.
“What the fuck?” I mumbled under my breath as I walked inside and scanned the room. Jamie was neither a morning person nor a neat freak, so anything other than seven water bottles on her nightstand next to her snoring was reason for alarm at seven a.m. on a Friday. “Jamie?” I called, checking he bathroom only to find it blisteringly empty too.
I couldn’t explain it. It was as if my body understood the weight of the situation long before my swirling brain, but my pulse quickened as I hurried to the living room. “Jamie?” I called again, and this time, my voice was jagged. Kind of like the rusty razor blade slicing through my heart. “Jamie!” I boomed so loud there wasn’t a square inch of our small apartment that she wouldn’t have been able to hear me.
And yet, there was no reply.
“What’s going on?” Georgia asked, suddenly appearing at the mouth of the hallway, a crease between her brows.
“Did Jamie mention going anywhere to you?”
“No. She isn’t in her room?”
“Nope. Not the bathroom either.” Panic built in my chest. I didn’t want to worry about her like this. She’d been doing so well. I promised myself over and over again that she deserved the benefit of the doubt.
But after years of watching her fall down the heroin rabbit hole, doubt was sometimes all I had left.
Ignoring the slight shake of my hands, I pulled up my text messages to see if she’d sent me one that I’d missed. Maybe she’d gone out for a walk. Maybe she’d run to the grocery store.
Maybe she was lying on a filthy floor somewhere, vomiting bile.
Fuck.
“Breathe, Quinn. I’m sure she’s just out,” Georgia said, wrapping her arms around my hips.
I shook my head. Out never meant good things for Jamie. I fired off a quick text to my sister and stared at the screen, hoping and praying that the little text bubble would pop up signaling her reply… and the fact that she still had a pulse.
Fuck.
I shoved a hand through my hair. “I’m gonna go look for her.”
Georgia’s arms flexed around my middle. “What can I do to help, Quinn?”
I let out a ragged breath and looked down at her. Even as stressed as I was, six such simple words stopped me in my tracks. God, she was a good woman. Jamie wasn’t her responsibility, but that didn’t matter to Georgia, and I’d be damned if having someone at my back didn’t feel like the gift I’d never even had the balls to hope for. But there she was, barefoot, wearing one of my T-shirts, a messy pile of hair knotted on the top of her head, staring up at me with more love than I’d felt in all my thirty-one years of life blazing in her eyes.
I had to be at practice in thirty minutes. Before that, I had to track down Jamie, and being late could mean yet another strike on my already stained record.
However, first, I was kissing my girl.
It wasn’t nearly as long as I would have liked it to be. But it never would be. Not with Georgia. Truth be told, I wanted to rewind five minutes and be back in bed with her. I wanted to skip practice and take her up on her offer. I wanted to make love to her and forget everything outside that bedroom existed.
But that wasn’t my life, regardless of how much I wished it was.
With one final peck, I murmured, “Call me if she comes home?”
“I will.”
I stepped out of her arms and grabbed my wallet from the counter but froze when I realized something was missing. “Hey, did you move my keys after I got home last night?”
“No.” She swallowed hard, her brain going to the same place as mine, although neither of us was willing to say it out loud. “Come on, I’ll help you look.”
We both lurched into action.
I searched the living room but came up empty handed. “Fuck,” I grumbled, frustration beginning to bubble out of me. “I never lose my keys.”
“Try the bedroom!” Georgia shouted, slamming the kitchen drawers as she searched. “Maybe they’re in your pants pocket from last night?”
I shook my head as I rummaged through the cushions of the couch, leaving the pillows a lopsided mess.
“Oh, shit,” she breathed from the window that overlooked the parking lot.
My head popped up. “What?”
She released the blinds and bit her bottom lip. “Look, I’m sure she’s okay. Maybe we should just take a minute to breathe and not overreact.”
“What are you talking about?”
She shook her head. “She probably just went out to grab breakfast or something. You know she was talking about french toast.”
I blinked at her, a sick feeling of dread pooling in my stomach. I knew exactly what she was saying without actually saying the words, but I wasn’t ready to accept it yet. Maybe if I just asked again, the answer would change.
And maybe if I was lucky, my entire life would change too.
“Georgia, what the hell are you talking about?”
Her nose crinkled, and her whole face got soft. Oh, yes, I was all too familiar with that look.
It was the same way the EMTs looked at me after Jamie overdosed the second time.
It was the way upper management looked at me when they told me I was being traded here.
But God, I hated seeing it on my Georgia’s face most of all.
Pity.
My heart thundered in my ears. I didn’t even want to hear her say the words, so I spoke them for her. “My truck is gone, isn’t it?”
She nodded, and it triggered a surge of adrenaline to flood my system.
In two long strides, I crossed the space and peered through the window. “Son of a bitch.”
“Maybe Jamie had to run an errand?” Georgia worried her lower lip with her thumb and forefinger.
It wasn’t like my sister to ever take my truck without asking first. In all the years that we’d lived together, she’d only done it once. I pulled my phone from my pocket and pulled up her contact, jabbing the call button harder than necessary. It rang and rang without an answer, and when her cheery voice mail answered, insisting that I hang up and send a text instead, I growled into the speaker, “Jamie, you better call me.”
“I don’t have anywhere to go today,” Georgia said, her hand on my forearm. “Take my car to practice.”
Practice wasn’t even on my radar anymore. My phone buzzed with an incoming message, and relief washed through me when I saw that it was from Jamie.
Jamie: Went to get donuts. Be back soon!
I blinked at the screen. Donuts? Fucking donuts? She took my truck without asking when she knew I had practice this morning to get donuts.
My vision flashed red.
“Is that her?” Georgia asked as she tried to read the screen of my phone.
I couldn’t even formulate words, the shock at how inconsiderate my sister had been rendering me speechless, compounded with the quick decline of adrenaline to my system, and it was fair to say I was raging. But in midst of that rage was a tsunami of relief that threatened to take out my knees. In my experience, pissed off was a far easier emotion than terrified, so I went with that.
Me: How fucking far away are you? I’m late for practice!
The text bubble immediately appeared, and I waited impatiently for her response.
Jamie: Ten minutes. Calm down!
I squeezed my eyes shut and counted to ten while forcing myself not to crush my phone in my hand.
“Quinn? What did she say?”
“She’s ten minutes away and to calm down.” I could feel the heat creeping up my neck and willed myself to check my temper.
“Has she done this before? Taken your truck without asking?” Georgia’s voice was soft, and I focused on the even tempo of her words to try to push away the concern that was growing by the second.
Had Jamie done this before?
Yes.
“Last time this happened, she ended up getting arrested in another state,” I said through clenched teeth.
“Hey, look at me.” Georgia’s soothing voice was much closer than it had been, so I willed my lids to part and met her even gaze. “Jamie’s been doing well. I’m sure she really just went for donuts.” She pressed to her toes to kiss me lightly on the cheek. “Try not to go off on her as soon as she walks in the door, okay?”
That was easy for her to say. She hadn’t been in this exact situation before and didn’t know that the outcome probably wasn’t going to be as simple as she wished.
“I need to call your dad and let him know I’m going to be late,” I ground out as I opened my contacts and pulled up Coach’s info.
My stomach churned as I waited for him to answer the phone. In the past, I would have never done this. I would have paced my apartment, frustrated and angry, waiting for my sister to finally show up, and then come up with some lame excuse as to why I didn’t come to practice.
But Coach Reed knew the truth about everything. He wouldn’t judge me and hopefully wouldn’t kick my ass when I finally did get to the practice field.
“Coach,” I said when his gravelly voice rumbled across the line. “My sister took my truck this morning. I’m waiting on her to get back with it. Gonna be late.”
I listened as he huffed and puffed, but ultimately, he thanked me for letting him know and hung up.
Georgia grinned. “Daddy is gonna work you so hard today. I could hear it in his voice.”
I groaned. “Fantastic. Just what I need. To follow my nervous breakdown up with a physical one.”
She let out a giggle that somehow magically soothed the raw edges on my soul. “It’s going to be okay, Quinn. I promise.”
If only it were that easy. Something wasn’t right. I could feel it in my bones. Jamie didn’t eat sweets. And she knew I couldn’t eat them during the season.
However, I was so damn desperate for something to swing my way for once, I was willing to spare five minutes to live in blissful denial.
“Come sit down.” She patted the couch beside her and straightened the pillow that was still tilted from my search. Georgia tucked her bare legs und
er her ass and curled up beside me. We sat in silence for a long while, both of us staring at the door. She scratched my back, and I nervously bounced my knee.
Time passed, seconds feeling like hours. But that damn door never swung open.
Fifteen minutes later, there was still no sign of her. Tired of waiting, I tried calling her again. This time, the phone didn’t even ring but went straight to voice mail.
I didn’t want to be right. I’d have eaten a whole damn dozen of donuts if it meant she was home safe and healthy. The sour of my stomach told me otherwise though.
“Son of a bitch,” I growled, tossing my phone on the cushion beside me. Had Jamie been acting weird the last few days?
I honestly had no idea. I’d spent the past week so wrapped up in Georgia that I’d barely noticed if my sister was acting like her normal self or not.
“Just give her another minute,” Georgia said, resting her hand on my thigh to stop the bounce.
“Something isn’t right,” I rumbled.
I couldn’t explain it as anything more than a feeling in my gut, but I’d been down this road enough times to know that we were headed to a dead end.
Georgia’s warm hand squeezed my knee. “You’ve got to stop. Wherever your mind is going, throw the brakes on and take some deep breaths.” Her emerald eyes scanned my face, and the crease between her brow deepened. “I can see it written all over your face. You think she’s using right now.”
I let my head fall back against the couch and blew out a deep breath. “I do.”
It hurt to even say the words.
“Well, I think you’re wrong. I think she’s just stuck in traffic and she’ll be here soon with a big box of donuts that I’m going to devour.”
The Hardest Play Page 20