Pass Interference (Fair Catch Series, Book Four)

by Christine Kersey

  “All right. Let’s keep going.”

  She nodded, and they set off at a jog.

  Touched that Jax was willing to chase after her dog, Autumn’s attraction to him deepened. They continued searching, but she couldn’t see Sasha anywhere. All Autumn saw were trees, trees, and more trees. Plus thick bunches of green leaves and wild grass covering the ground. Though beautiful, it made it impossible to go very fast. All they needed was for one of them to fall and get hurt.

  “Where is she?” Autumn couldn’t hide her worry.

  “She’s gotta be around here somewhere.”

  Autumn noticed Jax wasn’t even breathing hard, but her stamina was flagging. “I need to stop for a minute. Catch my breath.”

  “Of course.”

  They stood side by side, Autumn panting and Jax looking around. Once she’d slowed her breathing to a near-normal rate, she cupped her hands around her mouth and shouted Sasha’s name over and over.

  Where was she? If something happened to her sweet dog, Autumn didn’t know what she would do.

  “Sasha!” she called again. “Sasha, come back!”

  The sound of something running through the brush grabbed her attention, and to her enormous relief, Sasha came bounding towards them, her leash trailing behind her, her tongue lolling out as she appeared to have a huge smile on her face.

  “Sasha,” Autumn said as she fell to her knees and wrapped her arms around her wayward dog. “Oh, Sasha. You naughty, naughty girl.” Taking a firm hold of Sasha’s leash, Autumn stroked her back, wiping away the leaves and brush that were stuck to her fur.

  Satisfied that Sasha was unhurt, Autumn stood and faced Jax, a broad smile on her face. “She came back.”

  He laughed. “I see that.”

  Warmth and appreciation for Jax’s willingness to search for her beloved dog washed over her, and on impulse, she threw her arms around him. “Thank you so much.”

  His strong arms went around her waist and she savored the sense of safety and security he brought. That, combined with the pure relief she felt at getting Sasha back brought tears to her eyes.

  “You’re welcome,” he murmured beside her ear.

  Taking a step back, Autumn wiped the moisture from her eyes as she smiled at Jax. “I don’t think I’ll be letting her off her leash anytime soon.”

  Jax laughed. “Good idea. One run on this hike is enough.”

  Still giddy with relief, Autumn chuckled as she looked around. “Especially in this terrain.”

  “Right.”

  Autumn’s gaze swept the area. Surrounded by wilderness, she couldn’t see any clear path to follow. “Uh, do you know which way we need to go to get back on the trail?”

  Jax looked back the way they’d come. “Not really, but we came from that way, so…”

  That didn’t garner a lot of confidence, but Autumn didn’t have a better idea. “Okay.”

  Then, to Autumn’s delight, Jax took her hand in his as they began retracing their steps.

  If she was going to be lost in the woods, at least she was with a man she enjoyed being with. A man whose kisses filled her with a longing she hadn’t even known she’d had. Well, there’d only been two kisses so far, and one had been abruptly interrupted by Sasha running off. Still, as Autumn walked along with her hand enveloped by Jax’s, she couldn’t think of any place she’d rather be.

  Chapter Sixteen

  Jax was thrilled that Sasha had returned. Spending the afternoon searching the woods for a dog hadn’t been part of his plans for this date, but the payoff had been pretty sweet. Autumn was beyond grateful, and now as they walked side by side, fingers entwined, he couldn’t think of a better way for their date to be going. Especially after their little misunderstanding regarding Kelli. He was glad they’d cleared that up, and he was even more glad that Autumn had been willing to let him kiss her.

  That kiss had been so brief with Sasha tearing off the way she had that Jax had every intention of creating another opportunity to show Autumn how attracted he was to her. And attracted to her he was. It wasn’t only her beauty that drew him in. It was also that she wasn’t at all enamored of his celebrity and success, that she knew how to put him in his place, that she was successful in her own right, that she was so sweet and gentle with her dog. So many things about her intrigued him.

  He thought about the first moment he’d seen her, sitting on the floor at the mall with her packages spilled around her. She’d looked so vulnerable, so alone. So stunning with those green eyes and that auburn hair. His attraction to her had been instant.

  “What are you thinking about?” she asked as they stepped around a large bush.

  One side of his mouth quirked up as he looked at her. “That I want a do-over on that kiss.”

  She burst into laughter.

  “What’s so funny about that?”

  Looking at him out of the corner of her eye, she grinned. “What if I don’t want a do-over?”

  Was she serious? “Then I guess I’m out of luck.” He glanced at their interlaced hands. “But if you have no interest in kissing me, why are you holding my hand?”

  Arching an eyebrow, she said, “Who said I have no interest in kissing you?”

  “My mistake.”

  She laughed.

  Jax was enjoying their flirtation, but he had no intention of letting her off that easily. Stopping dead in his tracks, he held onto her hand, forcing her to stop as well.

  Autumn looked at him, a question in her eyes. “What?”

  Autumn’s gaze was captured by his, but when he tried to take the leash from her, she resisted. “What are you doing?”

  His lips tugged upward. “Making sure Sasha stays right where we want her.”

  Trusting him, she let him take the leash. He put the loop around his wrist, then he gripped the leash as well.

  “Now,” he said, taking both of her hands in his as his smile grew. “No one’s going anywhere.”

  Excitement surged through her. “Oh yeah? Why’s that?”

  “Not until I get what I want.” His voice was low and sexy as his eyes bored into hers.

  Autumn’s pulse skyrocketed, and when she spoke, she was nearly breathless. “What is it you want?”

  Keeping her hands in his, he slid his arms behind her back, locking her in place. “I want the kiss that was so rudely interrupted.”

  Not able to hold back her smile, Autumn tilted her head so that her lips aligned with his. He smiled in return, then as his mouth descended toward hers, he released her hands and enfolded her in his embrace, and when his lips met hers, she wound her arms around his neck. Pressing herself against him, she shocked herself with how much she wanted this, how much she wanted him. Though they’d known each other for such a short time, it seemed as if they’d known each other for ages, like they’d been waiting to find each other.

  How could she think that when her husband was cold in the ground? Guilt seared her chest. Unwinding her arms from Jax’s neck, she pulled away, her heart pounding.

  “What’s wrong?” he asked, clearly confused.

  “It’s just…I’m…” How could she explain this without confessing her powerful attraction to him?

  “You’re not ready.” It wasn’t a question.

  Was she? She’d thought she was, but every time the petals of her heart started to open, guilt flooded in. “I don’t know.”

  He was trying to be patient and she was grateful for that.

  She may have said she didn’t know if she was ready, but it was clear to Jax what the answer was. Strangely, he was willing to give her time. With any other woman, he’d move on and fast. But Autumn wasn’t any other woman, so it was a no-brainer that he would bide his time, wait for her to come around.

  What if she didn’t?

  Nope. Not willing to consider that.

  “I’m sorry, Jax.” She lowered her gaze as a blush stained her cheeks.

  “Hey.” His voice was quiet.

  She looked at him and he
could see worry clouding her eyes.

  “It’s okay.” He brushed a finger across her jaw. “I’m not in a hurry.”

  A small smile curved her mouth, then she nodded. A moment later she glanced at Sasha. “Do you want me to take her leash?”

  He wanted to show her he was willing to help. “I’ve got her. Unless…” Jax’s eyebrows rose as a smile lifted his lips. “You don’t think I can handle her?”

  Autumn laughed, the sound light and airy, and Jax knew she was okay.

  “No,” she said with a smile. “I think you can handle her.”

  Beyond relieved that Jax hadn’t rejected her the moment she’d stepped away, Autumn walked beside him as they tried to find the trail. He hadn’t taken her hand, so she took the initiative and twined her fingers with his. His head swiveled in her direction, and when he smiled at her, she smiled back. She wanted him to know that she liked him even if she had broken their kiss.

  How many chances would he give her? No doubt he had women lining up to go out with him. That woman from the night before—Kelli—for example. Who else was waiting in the wings if things with her didn’t work out?

  Slight panic swelled inside her. She had to get it together or she would lose any chance she had with him. But she couldn’t force herself to move faster than she was ready, could she?

  “What are you thinking?” he asked as they paused to let Sasha take care of business.

  Maybe she should be honest about her feelings, tell him what was on her mind, tell him she was having trouble moving on from losing her husband. What’s the worst that would happen? Jax would lose patience with her and move on, that’s what.

  Not willing to go there just yet, she patted his backpack. “You never told me what’s in there.”

  He laughed, then after handing Sasha’s leash to her, he took the pack off his back and unzipped it. Holding it open for her to look inside, he said, “There’s actually nothing interesting in there.”

  Autumn peered inside. A few water bottles, several protein bars, four red apples, a folded blanket, and a small first-aid kit. She straightened to face him. “Yep.” Then she grinned. “Good thing my pack does have something interesting.”

  His eyebrows rose. “Really? I’d like to see.”

  Her smile grew. “When we reach our destination.”

  Sasha trotted back to their side and the three of them continued walking.

  “You’re assuming we’ll eventually reach it,” he said.

  “Do you think we won’t?”

  He scanned the forest ahead. “Not if we don’t find that trail.”

  A sliver of worry tickled the back of Autumn’s mind. Were they well and truly lost? “It’s going to get cold later.”

  “We’ve got a few hours before it gets dark. I’m sure we’ll be back before then.”

  She liked the confidence in his voice, and she tried to convince herself that he could somehow see into the future. “I hope so.”

  He gave her hand a gentle squeeze. “I’ll take care of you, Autumn. Don’t worry.”

  On a gut level, she knew that was true. He wouldn’t let anything happen to her. Comforted, she relaxed. “How far off the trail do you think we went?”

  “About a mile.”

  “A mile?” Alarmed, Autumn looked around them. Nothing but trees and brush and rocks and dirt. No sign of other people or the trail. Getting an idea, she pulled her hand from Jax’s, took her phone out of her pocket and took if off airplane mode. Staring at the screen, she waited to see the icon to show she had service. It didn’t appear.

  Jax watched her. “Service is spotty up here.”

  She left the phone off airplane mode and tucked it in her pocket. “Are you saying that sometimes you get service?”

  “Yeah. When I come up here I don’t always bring my phone, but there was one time when I had it with me and I got a text while I was hiking.”

  That sounded promising. Kind of. Autumn took her phone out again and turned the volume up so that if she received an email or a text she would hear the sound of the notification. Which would mean she had service at that moment.

  Sasha was panting, so Autumn stopped. “I’d better give her some water.”

  “Good idea. We need to make sure and stay hydrated too.”

  With a glance at Jax, Autumn poured some water into Sasha’s bowl, and while she lapped it up, Autumn took a deep swig out of her water bottle.

  Once Sasha was done and they were ready to keep going, Autumn turned to Jax. “If we’re lost, shouldn’t we stay where we are? Isn’t that the rule?”

  He ran his fingers through his hair as he glanced around. Then he faced her. “Technically, yes. But no one knows we’re missing, right? And they won’t until…what? Tomorrow? If we keep going maybe we’ll get a signal on our phones. If we stay here we’ll definitely not have a signal.” He’d taken his out when they’d stopped and made sure it was ready to receive a signal when they were in range of a tower.

  She couldn’t argue with that. “Did you tell anyone where we were going?” She’d only told Haylie that they were going for a hike, but since she’d had no idea where, that’s all she’d told her.

  Releasing a heavy sigh, Jax frowned. “Nope.”

  Pushing down the panic that tried to swim to the surface, Autumn attempted to lighten the mood. “At least you have that first aid kit. In case one of us, you know, gets a splinter or something.”

  Loud laughter burst from Jax’s mouth. “You’re one of a kind, Autumn.”

  Smiling in response, she placed her hands on her hips as her gaze probed all directions. Then she looked at the sky. “It’s getting cloudy.” Which meant it was going to cool down. The high had only been seventy-one, so it wouldn’t take much for it to get chilly.

  “Let’s keep going,” he said. “Maybe we’ll get lucky and find the trail. We might be nearly there and don’t even know it.”

  Trusting him to keep them safe, Autumn agreed, and they set off again.

  Chapter Seventeen

  They were screwed. Jax had no idea where they were and no idea where the stupid trail was. And now the sun was covered by clouds and there was a definite chill in the air. He’d failed Autumn and put her in danger.

  Furious with himself, he tried to put on a positive front. “Maybe we should, you know, call out to people. See if anyone’s around.”

  She was holding Sasha’s leash now, and she turned to him with a smile that said she had complete faith in him. “Good idea.”

  Knowing her faith was misplaced, he forced a smile, then cupped his hands around his mouth before shouting, “Hey! Is anyone there? Can anyone hear me?”

  They stopped to listen, but the only sound was pine needles swaying in the breeze. A breeze that was picking up. Was it going to rain? Jax hadn’t paid attention to the forecast, which he now realized had been a mistake. Besides the picnic blanket, he had nothing to protect them from the weather. Could he build a shelter if he had to?

  Digging deep into his memory, he vaguely remembered watching a reality show about a group of people who were dropped off in the middle of nowhere, all in separate spots, and given cameras to film themselves as they tried to survive. He’d been fascinated by the whole thing and remembered a few of the shelters they’d built. Of course they’d been given some basic supplies. All he had was a pair of tweezers in the first aid kit. Not exactly the right tool to cut down a tree with.

  Holding back a sigh, he called out again, and again there was no response.

  Sasha danced around a bit and Jax wondered if she could help them find civilization.

  “Sasha,” he said as he knelt beside her. “You’re the one who led us out here. Can you lead us back?”

  “Uh,” Autumn said with a slight grimace, “I don’t think she knows what we’re trying to do.”

  Jax straightened and faced Autumn, the weight of his responsibility for her safety settling on his shoulders. How much of a loser would he be if he was the cause of her spending th
e night in the wilderness freezing her butt off?

  Okay, maybe it was more Sasha’s fault for taking off. But she’d only gotten away because he’d been distracting Autumn with a kiss.

  The memory of the few kisses they’d shared made him smile. Despite the fact that Autumn had backed away after the last one.

  “Why are you smiling?”

  His lips tugged upward as his gaze slid to her mouth, then he met her eyes. “Just remembering an enjoyable moment.”

  A sparkle flashed in her eyes, but then she looked away.

  Yeah. She knew what he was talking about. And she liked it too. No question.

  “Come on,” he said as he took her hand. “Let’s keep going.”

  Autumn couldn’t explain the way her emotions kept bouncing between desperation to have Jax kiss her and guilt at enjoying it. Frustrated that she couldn’t just give in to what she wanted, couldn’t just let her guilt go, she nearly sighed. But with her hand held securely in his, she wasn’t even distressed about being lost.

  “This is kind of an adventure,” she said, realizing that despite a niggling worry that they might not find the trail anytime soon, at a certain level she was enjoying herself.

  Jax laughed. “I like your attitude.”

  Warmed by his opinion of her, she smiled. A moment later she felt a drop of rain on her arm. “I think it’s starting to rain.”

  Jax looked skyward, then turned to her with an obviously forced smile. “Still think this is an adventure?”

  Trying to stay positive, she chuckled. “Who’s afraid of a little rain?”

  He grinned. “Someone without a coat.”

  That made her laugh. “Maybe we’ll just get a few sprinkles.”

  “So you’re an optimist.”

  She smiled. “Yeah. I am.”

  They stepped around a huge tree.

  “Good. Because I’m beginning to think we might end up spending the night out here.”

  Her eyebrows rose. “That’s not a very optimistic thing to say.”

  He laughed. “I’m more of a realist.”