Jordan's Justice: A New Adult Sport Romance (Tessa and Jordan Book 2)

by T Christensen

  Was that a serious question? It must be because he wasn’t moving. He clenched his jaw, staring intently down at her. She wrapped her legs around him and tilted her hips.

  “Please, Jordan, move,” she whimpered.

  He started moving at a slow, steady pace. Initially Tessa breathed in and enjoyed the ripples of pleasure that moved through her with each stroke, but it wasn’t long before she needed more to reach the orgasm that was just within her reach.

  “Faster,” she encouraged, digging her fingernails into his shoulders.

  Tessa could hear Jordan’s labored breathing above her, and he continued at the same frustratingly slow pace. “No,” he said hoarsely. “I need to enjoy every moment we have left together.”

  Why he would care about that was her last thought before she used all the brain power she had left to urge him to go faster. After several attempts, Jordan followed the push on his shoulders so she could be on top.

  With their hands connected and resting by his head, Tessa swiveled her hips and found the rhythm that brought her back to her impending release.

  “Fuck! I love it when you take what you need.”

  She whimpered, acknowledging his growled words, but all she cared about was finding completion. Jordan grabbed her sides and thrusted his hips up to meet her downward strokes. She fell apart, riding the waves of orgasm until her body was limp.

  Tessa collapsed onto his chest and enjoyed the cool air floating across her back, Jordan’s fingers lightly stroking up and down, and the lingering kisses wherever he could reach.

  Tessa felt cherished and loved. It was as if they’d made love for the first time since they’d been married. That thought scared her, and she immediately began rebuilding the walls around her.

  After a few minutes, she slid off of Jordan and made her way to the bathroom. Once she was behind the closed door, Tessa shook her head. She needed to understand the emotions flowing through her were one-sided.

  Jordan wanted to stay married to the mother of his daughter. Obviously he felt guilty about his mom and was doing everything he could to make it up to her.

  Ironically, she had prayed for this kind of connection with Jordan when they’d first gotten married. Now it was like the kiss of death. This couldn’t happen again, and he couldn’t know how vulnerable she was right now. He would use it to his advantage.

  Tessa ran some cold water over a washcloth and wiped her body down. She was thankful the lights were still out when she climbed back into bed. As soon as she had settled in, Jordan rolled and pulled her to him.

  “I will always take care of you, Tessa,” he vowed into her ear.

  Tessa’s heart thumped hard against her chest. She would’ve died to hear those words four years ago when she was scared and pregnant with their child. Now all she heard was his guilt, and it hurt.

  She unlocked her muscles so he wouldn’t know how torn up she was. The hardest thing she was ever going to have to do was give him up.

  ___________________

  Chapter 45

  ___________________

  Despite her resolve to put Jordan out of her mind while he was on a road trip, Tessa missed him. Regardless of how many times she lectured herself, he would pop into her thoughts.

  She missed watching him play with Jordis. He was always so patient, and she loved Jordis’s giggles when he would swing her up in his arms. Most of all, she missed his presence. When Jordan was close by, she was content. It was like he filled something in her, and it was gone when he was.

  Jordan was due back today, and she couldn’t keep her excitement tamped down. She’d made his favorite meal and taken extra care with her appearance. Buried deep in the closet, she’d found a maxi dress that wasn’t casual but also not obviously dressy. Her hair was shiny from all the product she’d put in it. She’d styled in into beach-wave curls. To top off her casual look, which had actually taken a lot of time to perfect, she’d put on some light makeup.

  Jordis was at Kiki’s playing with her children. A friendship had quickly formed between her and the basketball wife Jordan had persuaded her to meet. Kiki was as down-to-earth as he’d said, the exact opposite of the women in the basketball suite.

  The doorbell rang, and Tessa took one last look in the mirror before she hurried to answer. It must be Kiki bringing Jordis back early. Their children got along, but Kiki’s daughter was as stubborn as Jordis. Once they disagreed about something, it was like World War III had erupted. She was curious what their latest disagreement was about. It was always amusing to hear the stories when you weren’t the one trying to play referee. She pulled open the door with a smile on her face.

  “You could have called. I would . . .” She didn’t finish the statement when she saw who it was. Tessa white-knuckled the doorknob to stop herself from slamming the door in Christina’s face.

  “Are you going to let me in?” she asked as haughty as ever.

  Tessa tensed as she debated how to answer. She was done holding her tongue, but she didn’t want to say something that would be used against her. The woman standing in front of her was not contrite in the least, and that pissed her off more than anything.

  “Why?” she said in her own condescending tone.

  Christina raised an eyebrow. “I thought it was time the two of us talked woman-to-woman.”

  Tessa didn’t back away from the door as she tried to see into the impenetrable wall of Christina Davis. There were several things she’d like to get off of her chest, but she didn’t trust her. There had to be an ulterior motive for her being there because it was obviously not to apologize.

  “Are we going to stand at the door all day, or are we going to talk like civilized adults?”

  Christina’s snotty comment stirred her to action, and she stepped back and gestured for her to come in. Jordan and Jordis weren’t there, so she didn’t have to worry about either of them overhearing them. Christina was right. It was time to clear the air. She wasn’t going to be in this family much longer so she didn’t need to worry about her words. The only thing she would regret is not saying anything.

  Tessa followed Christina’s clicking high heels down the hall and took a seat across from her in the great room. Ironically, it was where they’d been during the Christmas Eve blowout. This time it would be different. Nothing was stopping her from expressing her true feelings.

  Tessa didn’t speak. She wanted to hear what she had to say, but she didn’t seem in any hurry to start. Christina crossed her ankles, adjusting the skirt at her knees several times and then placing her hands in her lap. Sitting as stiff as a board, she finally peered over at Tessa expectantly. When she remained silent, Christina sighed.

  “Don’t you have anything to say?”

  Tessa widened her eyes as her lips clamped together. She took a deep breath and pretended to be calm. “You came over here, Christina. I think it’s you who should say something to me.”

  Her eyes narrowed, but she did start talking. “Look, Tessa, you’re a perfectly fine girl. But let’s face it, you’re not the caliber of woman for Jordan. Yes, I shouldn’t have forged a document with your signature on it. I fully acknowledge what I did was wrong.”

  That was not exactly an apology, but Tessa kept her mouth shut despite the urge to respond with some serious sarcasm.

  “How I went about splitting you and Jordan up was wrong, but the end result was for the best.”

  Tessa’s body temperature rose, but she still didn’t say anything. It was clear that it didn’t matter what she said or did. She would never be good enough for Jordan. Tessa patiently waited for her to finish, so she could have her say.

  “What I did then paid off. Jordan became rookie of the year, and his contracts were the highest in the league. Now you both can enjoy the fruits of my labor. All’s well that ends well. Why can’t we let bygones be bygones?”

  Tessa was done trying to be the peacemaker and mature adult.

  “I think Jordan would have had this and more, Christina. H
e’s a brilliant programmer and didn’t need basketball to get ahead.”

  Her head reared back, but Tessa wasn’t done.

  “You took advantage of me. You threw your granddaughter and me out. You had to understand how scared I was. You knew nothing about me. You didn’t know I had a loving, supportive family. I could’ve been forced to live on the street.”

  “I think you are exaggerating, Tessa. You were a senior in college. You had the means to take care of yourself.”

  Christina’s response floored her. The anger coursing through was like a living being crawling through her blood and looking for an escape. Tessa stood up and stared down at the person who didn’t seem to feel anything.

  “I was sick my first trimester, and my mom was in so much pain she couldn’t go to work. Not only did she lose her job, she lost her paycheck and health insurance as well. I know this means nothing to you because you’ve lived in a gilded cage your entire life, but at times I worked two jobs while taking care of my mom and my newborn baby. A baby who needed diapers, clothes, and formula.”

  “You could have breastfed.”

  Tessa gasped and pointed to the door. “Get out,” she said with deadly calm. When Christina shook her head like she was an overemotional girl, Tessa lost any sense she had left.

  “Get out and never come back. If you want to see Jordan, he can come to you. You will never see Jordis again.”

  Christina gasped and stood up with her hand to her heart. “You can’t keep my grandchild away from me. Jordan would never allow that.”

  “Tessa, sit down.”

  Jordan’s commanding voice made both women turn swiftly toward him. It was like déjà vu, only instead of Eric it was Jordan.

  His entire body was tense as he looked at her with flinty eyes. Holding his gaze, she shook her head.

  “No.” She was done being railroaded by this family.

  To her shock, he didn’t push it. Instead, he turned to his mom. The cold, calculating expression on his face was the same one that she’d been the recipient of at the SEC fundraiser.

  “If my wife says you’re not welcome here, you’re not welcome here, Mother.”

  Tessa gasped at the same time as Christina, and they both stared wide-eyed at Jordan.

  “I can’t believe she hasn’t said anything before now. I agree with everything she said.”

  As Jordan continued, she became lightheaded. She couldn’t believe what she was hearing.

  “I love her. In college, I told you I was going to marry her. Instead of supporting me, you went behind my back and made sure she was out of my life. Only that wasn’t enough. You manipulated me into hating her. I can’t believe the only way you thought I would be successful was through basketball.”

  Christina put her hands out. “No, I’ve always believed in you.”

  Jordan swiped his hand in a cutting motion. “No, you haven’t. I will never forgive you for putting the woman I love out on the street. Can’t you see how incredible she is?”

  They both turned to look at her, and she sank to the couch and shook her head.

  “Everything was against her. She couldn’t get her dream job because she had to take care of Jordis and her mom. Then after years of struggle, I was nothing but a condescending prick to her when we finally met again.”

  Christina’s face got whiter with each cutting word Jordan spoke. Tessa actually felt sorry for her, but not enough to speak up.

  “And after the truth finally came out, you’re still on your high horse attacking the woman I love. If you really loved me, you would get behind this amazing woman. If what I just saw and heard is even a fraction of the way you’ve treated her, then she is ten times the woman you’ll ever be. Get out of our house.”

  Tears ran down Christina’s face, and she shook as she managed to stand. She gave her son one last pleading look. Jordan shook his head with a clenched, ticking jaw. At long last, Christina Davis was contrite and broken.

  The woman I love echoed in her head. He couldn’t mean it, could he? Was it just something he said to convince his mom what she’d done was wrong? He had to be hurting. Christina was his mom, and he was her only child. It was one thing for her to pour out her feelings, but it must be tearing Jordan apart.

  “I’m sorry, Jordan,” she whispered into the strained silence after Christina had left.

  He snorted and turned to her. “I think that should be my line, Tessa. You have nothing to be sorry for.”

  Tessa made her way to Jordan and put her hands on his chest. “She’s your mom. It had to hurt.”

  Jordan grabbed her hands and held on like she would run away at any second.

  “Don’t.” He sounded tortured. “Don’t feel bad for her. Maybe now she understands the depth of my feelings and will respect you.”

  His words still rattled around in her head. She bit her lip, feeling conflicting emotions. The words resonated deep in her soul, and she so badly wanted them to be true.

  Tessa’s heart was battered, and she was too scared to ask if what he said was true. There was only so much abuse a heart could take before it couldn’t be repaired. She had to remember her plan to protect it at all costs.

  Jordan shook her hands. Tessa flicked her concentration away from his chest to his eyes.

  “What are you thinking so hard about?”

  She shook her head, determined to protect herself. “Nothing.” When she tried to pull away, Jordan tightened his grip and pulled her closer to his chest.

  With one engulfing hand, he trapped her hands between them and reached up to firmly grip her chin with the other. “No. No more hiding for either of us. I love you, and I will fight for you to forgive me and love me again. Because I think you did once, but I’ve made so many mistakes that now all you feel is hurt. I will change that.”

  Each fierce word Jordan uttered made her heart beat faster and faster. There was no one around now. No one that he had to prove a point to. She swallowed down the fear and let the hope rise.

  “Do you mean it?” she whispered and watched him closely for any deception.

  “Yes. I’ve loved you for years.”

  Tessa scoffed internally. Maybe in college, but not when he had confronted her at the fundraiser.

  Jordan still held her face immobile as he said urgently, “I know I’ve been an ass, Tessa. When I saw you at the fundraiser, my body was on autopilot. As soon as I saw you, I walked toward you.”

  Tessa remembered the prickly sensation and the need to look around before she had locked eyes with Jordan. She shivered as she recalled the moment.

  “Yes. We’ve always been drawn to each other. Even when you tried to resist, our chemistry drew us together, but I was so fucking angry at you, Tessa. I couldn’t understand how you could take that check and walk away.”

  Anger radiated off Jordan, but this time Tessa felt and heard his hurt as well. She’d never taken the time to look at what she had done from his point-of-view. Jordan hadn’t had any reason to think his mom had lied.

  She closed her eyes and mourned all the time they’d lost, but she knew they needed to talk about it. Tessa withdrew one of her hands and led Jordan to the couch. When he sat down, she straddled his legs and took his face in her hands.

  Tessa took the time to gather her thoughts and looked deeply into his serious—and for once unguarded—eyes.

  “I was a girl that grew up on the fringes of the inner city and went to school in the slums. My entire life, I’d been taught to keep my head down and avoid conflict, which meant not being in the spotlight.”

  Jordan didn’t take his focus off her, and Tessa smiled. “The night we met, I’d only gone to the party to get Lindy off my back. When I saw you kissing that girl on the counter, I couldn’t look away.”

  Her eyebrows furrowed together, and she looked over his shoulder, lost in memories. “There were plenty of other people making out and doing far more risque things, but you were the one I couldn’t keep my eyes off.”

  She looke
d back at Jordan’s face. “When you looked up, my body tensed, the hairs on my arms stood at attention, and I thought my heart would beat out of my chest. I knew I should look away, and my brain told me to, but I couldn’t.”

  “I remember,” Jordan growled. “I had to have you.”

  Tessa chuckled. “I know,” she said wryly.

  “Everywhere we went, you were the center of attention. It made me uncomfortable, but I was determined to get past my stupid insecurities. When I was at your house for the first time, it was another level of intimidation.”

  “I know,” Jordan acknowledged.

  “Yeah, I wasn’t very good at hiding my feelings. When we went to that fundraiser, I realized that I would never make it in your world. I knew we would only be together until the end of the school year, so I would have done anything to be with you.”

  “Tessa, you should have told me.”

  She leaned down and brushed her mouth against his, letting the spark between them fill her.

  “I know, but I didn’t want to give you a reason to dump the naïve, other-side-of-the-tracks girl before the end of the year.”

  “I was in it with you the entire way,” Jordan said fiercely.

  “I never would have believed it, even if you’d told me back then. Your mom was a part of that sophisticated world. I admired how she was always dressed perfectly for every occasion. She knew how to talk with everyone and did it with ease.”

  “Why would you admire my mom? She treated you disrespectfully, even in front of me. It drove me crazy.”

  “Oh Jordan, I understood why she didn’t want her suave, handsome, confident, and caring son with someone like me.”

  “Fuck that! You were always more appreciative, more empathetic, and more beautiful on the inside and outside than me. I was always proud to have you with me.”

  Tessa laid her hands back on his face. “I know. That’s why I loved you. You were always more confident in me than I was. You never balked at my missteps in your world.”

  She dropped her hands and grasped his. “That’s why I knew your mom was right. You needed to worry about your future. You didn’t need to worry about me. I didn’t want to drag you down.”