To Catch A Player (Second Chance)

by Piper Sullivan

  Finally, the tension in his shoulders and on his face relaxed. “You mean I could have painted a few nails and been done with all this? I feel like I’ve been had.”

  His dry words pulled a laugh from me and I stepped back, nodding for him to enter. “By a bunch of little girls, no less.”

  Jackson arched a brow at me as he walked past me and down the hall. “Smells amazing in here. What’s in the slow cooker?”

  “I wondered how long it would take you to ask that question.” The whole placed smelled like Texas cuisine—tangy barbecue sauce and the sweet smell of spicy beef chili.

  “Well?”

  “Chili with nacho fixins.”

  Jackson turned to me with heat in his eyes. “I guess that kiss left an even bigger impression than I hoped for.”

  I rolled my eyes. “First of all, you wish. Second, this was not about that, which we are not talking about. This is me feeding you because this isn’t your job, it’s charity.”

  “It’s not charity.”

  “Sure, it is,” I told him easily and skirted around his big body to give the sauces a quick stir. “This is part of your Hometown Heroes assignment, and because of that and nothing else, I’m feeding you. After the work is done.”

  “Eager to spend more time with me?”

  I snorted a laugh but I said nothing, because I wasn’t a liar. “We have quite a bit of work to do this evening. Starting with the garlic.” I pointed to the mountain of garlic heads on a cutting board at the island.

  “Garlic, seriously? Not even one little kiss first?”

  I pointed and, to his credit, Jackson tried not to smile. “No kissing at all.”

  He held his hands up, his smile turned playful. “Got it. No kissing until all the work is done.”

  I threw my hands in the air and let out a little growl that apparently amused Jackson because he laughed. “Work. We have work to do.”

  “Okay. Work.” Jackson took his position in front of the garlic and took the offered apron with a grin. “You seriously need all this garlic?”

  “Yes. I’m making a garlic sauce, not wasting food to torture you.” Although that was a good idea and no red-blooded woman who called herself an environmentalist could possibly hold it against me. “Mince, mince.”

  He looked down at the cutting board in confusion. “Where’s the knife?”

  “No knife. That’s why I said ‘mince, mince,’ though I guess technically I should have said ‘press, press,’ because you’ll be using this.” I held up the big silver garlic press. “It’ll make the job easier, but it will still take some time.”

  “Good. You can keep me company while I do all the hard work.”

  Fine. He wanted to chat, we could chat. But if I didn’t steer the conversation, it would stay in the gutter. “How was your day? Catch any bad guys?”

  “You know the job doesn’t work like that, right?”

  I shrugged and stirred, starting a new batch with root beer syrup. “I’m not a detective, so how would I know? I always see cops arresting people on the side of the road, at the big box store off the highway.”

  I heard his chuckles and chose to ignore them. “I didn’t catch any bad guys today, no.”

  “But you are still hunting for Jarrod?”

  “Not me, personally, but I’m helping out a task force dedicated to getting him and his buddies off the street. Why?”

  “Making conversation.”

  “You could ask me about myself. My life.”

  Yeah, I could have—and I would have, if not for our past. “If you wanted me to know, you would have told me.”

  “I guess that’s fair, but you could have asked. If you were interested.”

  I didn’t know if he was fishing or just making a point. “Then I guess that’s where we’re at, then.” We worked in silence for a long time and surprisingly, it wasn’t a tense silence, even though I was more than a little aware of how much room he took up in my spacious kitchen.

  “You know, Reese, I never pegged you for a coward.”

  Jackson

  Reese whirled on her heels until she faced me, her long hair taking another few seconds to stop moving under the energy she’d gathered with her outrage. “Excuse me?”

  I shrugged nonchalantly, trying like hell not to laugh at her expression because I knew it wouldn’t get me anywhere. “You heard me. I never pegged you for a coward.”

  She scoffed. Snorted. Shook her head. Anger vibrated her frame as she glared at me. “Why exactly am I a coward, Jackson?”

  “You run and hide from your emotions. Your feelings. Instead of confronting them like an adult, you run from them. Like a coward.” It was a risk, insulting a woman in her own home within grabbing distance of knifes and hot pots filled with boiling liquids, but it was also the truth.

  “Screw you, Jackson. And, please, save me your armchair psychology analysis.” Angry, or maybe she was frustrated, Reese tossed a towel onto the counter beside her. “You think you have everything all figured out, but you don’t.”

  “Not everything,” I conceded. “No. But this, yeah, I’ve got it figured out.”

  “Has it ever occurred to you that maybe I’m not interested you, Jackson? That, despite the fact that I am clearly attracted to you, maybe I still just don’t want you. Is that concept so unfamiliar to you?”

  It wasn’t unfamiliar, but I couldn’t deny that it was a rarity. It’s why I didn’t mess around with the women in Tulip. They were good girls, the kind you married. The kind who brought you lunch at work and left you with a smile on your face and disheveled hair. “No, but you want me.”

  “Your body, Jackson. I want your body, but I’m perfectly capable of being around you and not jumping your bones.” The arms wrapped around her body said she was uncomfortable with this conversation so, bastard that I was, I pushed her.

  “Dammit!” She turned at the sizzling sound and found a big plume of smoke from the pot and groaned. “I guess we should eat now.”

  Eat so she could get rid of me, more likely. “Great. I’m starved.”

  The table was clear and, in just a few minutes, it was transformed from a bland workspace to a colorful table set for two. “If you need anything else, the fridge is there and the cabinet is over there.”

  Reese was flustered and off her game. It was more fun when she was feisty and mouthy, but this version of her had all of my protective instincts rising to the surface. “Smells incredible.” We busied ourselves in relative silence, making the nachos to our individual preferences. “Thanks for this, Reese.”

  “You’re welcome.”

  The chili was perfect. Thick and creamy sauce, with a lot of spice and big chunks of juicy beef.

  “You really think I’m here for charity?”

  She blinked, surprised, but Reese recovered quickly. “It’s not about what I think Jackson, it’s a fact. You volunteered to pose for the Hometown Heroes calendar, and this is an extension of that charitable offer. What’s the big deal?”

  Good question. What was the big damn deal, and why couldn’t I let it go? “I don’t know. Humor me.”

  She sighed and pushed her bowl away. “You’re bored. You wanted to smile for a few photos, and it turned into this big thing because that’s what Tulip does, and you’re stuck. You live here, so you can’t bow out, and you figured you’d entertain yourself to pass the time.”

  Was she serious? “Is that the kind of man you think I am?”

  “I don’t know what kind of man you are, Jackson, except that you’re the one giving me a headache right now!” She stood up and slammed her napkin down, walking away from the conversation. From me.

  I was instantly on my feet, following her. “There you go again. Running.” My lips curled into a smile when her footsteps practically came to a screeching halt.

  “I am not running from you, Jackson, I am simply removing myself from a volatile situation!”

  “Whatever you need to tell yourself,” I told her as I climbed the st
airs that led to the more personal spaces in her home. “Looks like running and sounds like running.”

  “Yeah, well, maybe you ought to take it personally,” she shouted from a room down the hall with a simple pine door hanging slightly open.

  I laughed at her childish words, stopping in the doorway to lean against the frame. “I would if I thought you meant it.”

  She frowned. “I do.”

  “You don’t.” I took a step forward and she hugged her pillow tighter.

  “Look at me, Reese.”

  With an exasperated sigh, she tilted her head up towards me, eyes weary and wary. “What is it, Jackson?”

  “Stop fighting it so hard.”

  Something flickered in her brown gaze that I couldn’t decipher. It could have been Reese summoning up her courage to take what she wanted, or maybe she was gearing up to tell me where to shove my armchair psychology.

  “You know what, Jackson? You’re right. I should stop fighting it so hard.” She stood, and her words were right. She crooked a finger and summoned me closer. “This feels like fighting distance.”

  My lips curled into an automatic smile. “Can’t have that.”

  We met in the middle of her bedroom, my gaze so focused on her I barely registered the semi-feminine décor in the room. “Absolutely not,” she whispered, and tugged on my belt.

  This was exactly what I wanted. The very thing I’d fantasized about in the shower this morning. And this evening. And yesterday evening. But now that the moment was here and Reese was on board, it didn’t feel right. “Wait,” I told her, taking a step back.

  “Don’t tell me you want to play shy now,” she purred and followed me, plastering her body to mine while her lips and teeth found my earlobe and proceeded to drive me insane.

  I wasn’t shy, dammit. “No, but we don’t have to—”

  “You’re one of those guys, aren’t you?

  I frowned. “What are you talking about? Who are those guys?”

  She shrugged, skin flushed and nipples hard. “One of those guys who only wants you until you give in, then he’s not interested. Well, I have no use for mind fuckers like that, so you can just be on your way.”

  I stood, staring at her, mentally scratching my head as I tried to figure out what in the hell had just happened. “Huh?”

  Reese came up to me again and pushed at my chest. “Go on. Go. It’s a weeknight, but I’m sure there are some girls out there looking to have their heads screwed with.” She pushed me again.

  And again.

  And again.

  “Stop!” I grabbed her wrist and held her hand right against my chest, our gazes locked in a stare so hypnotizing, I wasn’t sure how much time passed while we waited. Hesitated to figure out if we would continue or take a step back.

  Reese’s tongue peeked out and swiped against her bottom lip and then her top one. “I said go!”

  Yeah, she had, but she didn’t mean it. I hadn’t figured out why, but now that I knew what I did, there was no turning back. I took a step forward and put my hands on her shoulders first, then slid them up her graceful neck until her face was cradled in my hands. I lowered my lips and finally, blessedly, our mouths collided.

  Her lips were as soft and plump as I remembered—pliant, too, and when I slipped inside her mouth, Reese tasted of barbecue sauce and chili and chocolate. It was delicious. She was delicious and when she moaned, my dick woke up and joined the party. My hips flexed into her and she moaned again, her fingertips resting at the waistband of my pants. “Jackson,” she groaned softly.

  That was it. Just that one word that said so much and held so much meaning, and I deepened the kiss, held her closer. Tighter. Gripped her hip with one hand and plunged my fingers into the golden depths of her hair, holding Reese exactly how I wanted her. How I needed her. She clung to me and ran her fingers through my hair, touching on a memory that sent fire rushing through my blood.

  Us together. That night. Her fingers played in my hair just as they did now and, like now, my control snapped. I took a step back and looked at Reese, doing her damnedest to turn me off tonight, but little did she know that the ratty off-the-shoulder T-shirt she wore and her striped toenails really did it for me. Normally, I preferred practiced seduction because you knew what to expect, but this—it was intoxicating.

  My hands went to her T-shirt first and then her jeans, making quick work of every single inch of fabric covering her body until it was laid bare to my gaze. “Fuck, Reese.” She was gorgeous. Magnificent.

  I had to have her. Now.

  It wasn’t the most romantic of seduction scenarios, tearing her clothes off and growling like an animal, but that was what she did to me. Turned me into a fucking animal. “You gonna look all night, or what?”

  Sassy. I loved it. “I might,” I told her, and ran one fingertip from the crook of her hip down to her delicate ankles. “Would that be a problem?”

  “For me, yeah. A big one.”

  “Smartass,” I growled and pulled her into my arms, crashing my mouth down on hers as I made my way to the bed. The big fluffy bed right in the middle of the room called to me and when I had Reese laid out, naked and aroused, for my inspection, I took my time. I looked all over and didn’t know where to start, but those pretty pink nipples made my mouth water and I soon had my answer.

  “Yes!” She arched into me and fisted her fingers in my hair, holding me close like she couldn’t stand the thought of me taking my mouth off her. “Oh yes, Jackson!”

  I smiled and moved to the other nipple, licking and sucking it, enjoying the way she squirmed with passion. Enjoying the way that every little thing I did to her produced another sound, another shiver that I banked away. For later.

  “Yes!” Her lips curled into a beautiful grin that was too enticing not to kiss, so I did. “Mmm,” she moaned and wrapped her body around mine, while I devoured her mouth and slid my fingers between her thighs.

  “So fucking wet.”

  “Yes,” she moaned breathlessly and arched into me, giving me more of those sweet hard nipples. She was hot and wet, and so fucking tight I could feel the soft pulses of her orgasm already starting. “Jackson.”

  “Let go, Reese. Take your pleasure and let go.” She fought it for several long minutes but I added another finger and nibbled her nipples, applying a variety of sensations that overwhelmed her already sensitive skin. “Yeah, just like that. Let go.”

  Her fingertips dug into my biceps as she gasped into my mouth, her body frozen in a beautiful unbreakable arch that held my gaze for a long moment. And then she was shaking, crying, convulsing as pleasure swamped her body. Sweat coated her skin and a small smile touched her face as she fell to the bed. “Damn, I needed that.”

  “Not the praise I was hoping for,” I told her honestly, “but since we’re just getting started, I can wait for my rave reviews until the end.” Reese rolled her eyes just as I expected, but her gaze tracked every movement I made, removing my shirt and belt and jeans, my boots and sock. Everything, until I stood naked in front of her, my cock jutting out like a damn lighthouse in the night.

  “Who said anything about reviews?” She laughed and reached for me but I took a step back and Reese pouted. The surly chef actually pouted and fell back on the bed, teasing me with her spread legs and arched back.

  “Tease,” I growled and found my way back to the warmth of her naked curves, pressing my body against hers so I could enjoy our differences. Her soft muscles against my hard ones, her silky skin against the roughness of my hair.

  With my weight pressed against her, Reese wrapped her body around mine and let out a sigh as I sank into her. “Oh… yeah!”

  I couldn’t deny that it was a sound that gave my ego a boost, but I stilled because it felt too good. She was too hot and too tight, and I wasn’t sure there was enough restraint in all of Tulip to hold me back. It was even better than before, I swear.

  “Jackson,” she groaned. “Are you daydreaming? Because I gotta tell ya
—”

  I cut her words off with my mouth, doing to her mouth with my tongue exactly what my cock did to her body. With every thrust of my tongue and my hips, Reese calmed. No, not calmed—she was still a wild and restless spirit, but the pleasure slowed her down and made her movements slow and drugged.

  “So good,” I groaned in her ear, and then I really began to move, like a man on a mission to please his woman until she was a soft, soggy mess in his arms.

  That was just what I set out to do. I made love to Reese slow and sweet until she came with a low, nearly mute cry that stole her breath. Then, I bent her over and smacked that sweet ass, pounding her until the dirtiest things spilled from her mouth and she begged me to make her come again. Hard.

  Then, some time in the middle of the night, she kicked a leg over my hips and rode out her pleasure until a sobbing, shouting orgasm spilled from her lips and she passed out right on top of me.

  Not that I was complaining, I was happy to be the instrument of her pleasure all night long.

  Turns out, it wasn’t night that was the problem.

  Nope, I woke up in the morning with empty arms and a note beside the coffee pot. I left early, so now you don’t have to sneak out.

  That was it—no signature or “hugs & kisses,” nothing. Just classic Reese snark that had grown on me recently.

  Reese

  The morning after the best sex of my life and I was feeling nothing but guilt. Okay, not nothing but guilt, because last night had been more than explosive, more than combustible… it had been nuclear-level hot. Jackson had taken my body to carnal heights I’d thought only existed in romance novels. And he hadn’t just done it once. Nope, he’d done it over and over and over again.

  Well, we’d done it, and that fact was even more surprising. I was a one-and-done kind of girl, maybe two if I was lucky and it’s been a while, but never three or four. Or more.

  Yet despite the fact that my body still hummed with pleasure, still vibrated like he was behind me, gripping me tight as he pounded into me, I felt guilt. Because I left. I’d gotten up, showered, and thrown my hair up in bun, grabbing a pair of jeans and a T-shirt from my closet so I could get dressed downstairs. And I did it all quietly. So I wouldn’t wake him. And I’d done it on purpose.