by Ali Parker
"Good, and if she's one of 'those' girls, then kick her to the curb, but if she ain't, hold on tightly, son. Your world will change so fast it'll make your head spin."
Jake waved him away and leaned back, closing his eyes as he imagined a world where he and Kari lived in that small, white house by the bay.
Was it possible?
Only one way to know...
Chapter 20
The drive inland was beautiful, and she listened to her favorite playlist the whole way there. She was proud that Jake had only crossed her thoughts a million times and yet it was almost refreshing to have a new hurt to cover the old one. Frank wasn't part of her meanderings, but Jake remained ever present. The night at the hotel alone had been a treat as well. She'd curled up with a good love story and fallen asleep with a seed of hope for her own romantic life. It was void and painful, but whatever was down must come up.
She woke up late and hurried to get herself together, slipping into a pair of jeans and a Bar Harbor Boys Basketball T-shirt that Martha had given her to wear. She pulled on her lanyard that read "press" and rushed to the car, driving like a bat out of hell and praying that she wouldn't get lost.
Kari pulled into the large high school parking lot, the stadium much bigger than she'd expected. She grabbed her camera and got out, making sure her license and a few dollars were in her back pocket. She'd get something to eat after the game and then find solace back in the quietness offered by her hotel room until the next round of games that afternoon.
She walked quickly to the opening of the gym, a couple of high school girls taking tickets and charging a fee. Kari pulled her money from her pocket and paid for the weekend, walking in and taking a seat in the stands. The boys were aggressive, shouldering one another and getting fouls called left and right. She looked for the Bar Harbor team, but couldn't seem to place them.
She hopped off the side of the bleachers during halftime on one of the courts and walked toward a gathering of people, the large tournament bracket on the wall in front of them. Waiting her turn, she moved to the front and looked up, her eyes scanning the teams until she found them. They were scheduled to play in thirty minutes on court D, which was at the end of the gym. She moved through the crowds of people, keeping her camera in front of her and tucked to her chest until she made it to the right court.
The other team was running drills and the Bar Harbor boys were all huddled around their coach. She needed to run to the restroom before moving over to take some pictures. She looked up at the clock and hustled down a small hallway to the women's room, the stalls full and the other women taking forever. Finally after her turn, she walked back into the hallway and slammed full force into a large male, the school not turning on more than one overhead light to keep the teens from messing around where they weren't welcomed.
"Oh, I'm so sorry," she mumbled, familiarity rolling over her.
"Kari?" Jake reached for her, pulling her to the front of the hall. The look on his face melted her heart and yet she steeled herself. He'd already stabbed her once. She wasn't playing the fool.
"Coach Isaac. What are you doing here? Supporting the team?"
"I'm their coach. What are you doing here?"
She held up her camera, her heart dropping to her stomach. Of course he was their coach.
"Taking pictures of your guys."
"Kari..."
She held up her hand to stop him. "Nothing to say. Honestly. My mistake the other..."
He interrupted her. "Kari, I wanted to tell you..."
She moved away, slipping out from in front of him. "Clock’s ticking. We need to get out there. Nothing to say between us. We're all good. You're the coach and I'm the photographer. You’re the landlord and I'm the tenant."
He reached out and grabbed her wrist, pulling her toward him. She lost her footing and stumbled into him, surprised by how strong he was. He pressed her against the wall, every hard plane of his chest and thighs denting the softness of hers. Touching his nose to hers, he looked at her with enough intensity to burn her from the inside out.
"Hush. I didn't mean to hurt you the other day. I have more demons in my past than Lucifer himself."
She started to respond and he nipped at her, shocking her again. Who was this man?
"Let me finish." He closed his eyes and exhaled, one of his strong hands locked on her hip, the other coming up to get lost in the loose ponytail of her hair. "I have wanted to know you since the moment we met in the grocery store. I have wanted to share myself with you and tell you everything. I've wanted to pull you close and feel how perfectly you would fit against me, but there is nothing I've wanted more than this."
He moved forward, a groan leaving him as he leaned down and captured her lips, his so soft and yet demanding. She wasn't sure what to do, her arms wrapping around his waist as she pressed back into the kiss, her heart bursting into a million pieces.
He moved back, breathless, his eyes filled with hunger. "Forgive me for the other day. Let's try this again."
She didn't say a word as he leaned down and kissed her again, pulling her up and devouring her mouth with his lips, teeth, and tongue. He kissed her softly once more.
"Come on. Let's go do this and then we'll talk about everything over lunch."
She could do nothing more than whisper, "Okay."
Kari released him as he jogged out in front of her, her mouth tingling from his assault, her legs week and her body craving him with violence. Had that just happened? Had he just shown up out of nowhere and kissed her like the world was ending? She was going to just let things go and rebuild hope because he kissed her? Because she wanted him to again?
"Shit," she growled, her breathing off-kilter, her emotions all over the place.
She reached out and touched the wall beside her, her mind begging her for one thing and yet her heart shuddering at the thought of even trying. She had to go. She reached in her bag for her keys and walked quickly through the crowds. Maine wasn't going to be good for her. She needed to go home to New York. There she could heal properly. There she could be left alone and not foster hope for love, only to watch it die again and again.
There she wouldn't run into Jake Isaac ever again.
Chapter 21
Kari walked out of the gym, the sound of the crowd almost deafening behind her. Reaching up, she brushed her fingers across her lips and let a shaky breath go. Jake's kiss had tainted her resolve. How weak was she? Emotions spinning out of control left her confused and feeling dizzy. She needed to go, and yet, what if he was the one? She languidly walked to her car, her head tilted toward the ground, heart beating so fast it hurt.
His rejection earlier that week hadn't been harsh or really a true rejection, but more of a hesitation. Rather than getting in the car she turned and leaned against the door, looking up at the early morning sky and trying to determine her next steps.
Stay, take the picture, and end up with him wrapped around her for the evening?
Go and hopefully save herself from her next great heartache?
"But what if it isn't a heartache in the making?"
Closing her eyes, she dropped her head back and let the serenity of the moment move around her. The passion in his eyes, the depth of his transparency, if even only for that moment, sparked hope deep inside of her. She wanted to try, needed to know for sure. She moved away from the car and pulled her phone from her purse, deleting Frank's number and his face from her phone. She would take a few pictures of the kids as Martha had sent her to do, and then she'd see what happened next.
Sleeping with Jake wasn't something that would solve anything. They needed to start out on the road to friendship first, but damn if her body didn't ache with the need to be coveted, to be pressed against the hard body of the handsome coach across the gym. She found her way to their side of the court, Jake looking over at her as his expression softened. A smile touched his mouth and she smiled back, the kids huddled around him and paying attention as if their success depended si
mply on him.
She pulled her camera from her bag and took a couple of shots, Jake's attention fully on the boys again. A few of them looked over at her and smiled as her camera clicked. She chuckled as the more adventurous personalities rose up in the group, standing from the huddle and posing for her. Jake reached over and tugged at their shirts to remind them to get their heads in the game. Kari just shook her head, moving around the group until she had a few really good shots. She turned to walk back to the stands as Jake's voice stopped her.
"Kari."
Turning back, he nodded, the motion telling her to come closer. She walked toward him, her heart palpating wildly. The soft lines of his smile were on display, his lips turning up to crease them further as she stopped a few feet in front of him. A friendship would be really good. Nothing else - yet. She needed to build trust with him no matter how damning that denial might be.
You lost Frank because you put sex aside. She flinched and concern brushed across Jake's face as he finished the few steps between them, his hand coming to touch her arms.
"You okay?"
She nodded. "Yeah, just thinking too much I guess."
"Well stop. Have fun watching the guys tear up everyone around them. It's always highly intense and just a good time." He turned a little and pointed to an extra chair on the end of the lineup. "Take a seat over there and stay with us. You can take pictures from over here and hang out with us."
She smiled and moved from his hold as the referees yelled for the coaches to make their way with the team captains to the center of the court. Jake walked away, looking over his shoulder as Kari looked over hers.
Friends... Maybe.
*
She left the gym and his heart dropped. He had messed up too much with his dumb ass rejection of her the day before. He cursed under his breath, trying to keep focused on the boys and what they were up against, but he knew if she didn't return in a few minutes, he was going after her. Something shifted inside of him and he needed to try with her. He was willing to feel the heartbreak of it not working, but for the first time in far too long, he had someone on his mind besides Bethany. Many women had tried over the last three years, but none had even come close to succeeding.
He ran his fingers through his hair and watched the door like a hawk, the clock moving faster and faster. He finally moved toward the boys and lifted his hands, his gaze narrowing as he tried to rein in focus.
"Get over here, guys. Let's talk for a minute."
The boys jogged over, their captain smirking as Jake nodded at him.
"What's up, Parker?"
Parker's eyes moved from Jake back to the door as he grinned. "Nothing, coach, just checking out the goods."
Jake turned to see what he was referring to as Kari moved back through the door and started to make her way over to them. His stomached flipped as he sighed with sweet relief. Looking back to Parker, he shook his head 'no'.
They all laughed as Jake moved to huddle them together, reminding them of the champions they were no matter what. He walked through their best three plays and talked about pulling their weight on the court as a team. No lone wolves would be labeled MVP of the day. The most responsive team member would. He tried to keep the boys focused as Kari moved around them taking pictures, a few of his younger players more concerned with how they looked for the picture.
He spoke with her for a minute, the haunting look on her beautiful face giving him pause. He needed to spend time getting to know her, talking with her, understanding what was happening in that colorful mind of hers. What did she like? Where did she want to go? How was she raised?
His mom would love her to death. He laughed at himself as they walked out to the middle of the floor, one of his players elbowing him.
"What's up, coach?"
Jake shook his head and cleared his throat. "Nothing, man. Just thinking about a girl."
"Ohhhh... coach is in love." The player started to tease him as they reached the center.
Jake's eyebrow lifted as he looked at the boy, the world almost seeming a little brighter at the opening of possibilities.
"Hush. I don't know what I am right now, but I do know that we need to be laser focused or we're going home without that big trophy you guys would love to have."
The players nodded, all the humor and light emotions dissipating as they reached the center. Jake forced himself to stay in the moment, his commitment to the boys his first responsibility. If he had his way, he and Kari would have a long time to get to know one another and this moment wouldn't feel so fleeting, as if everything rested on him reassuring her of what they could be.
The referee finished and he turned to walk back, his eyes moving to her. She was bent over, messing with the lens of her camera, her legs tangled with one another, her long dark hair pulled back as small pieces danced around her face from the efforts of the air vent. His chest tightened as the memory of her pressed between him and that wall surfaced, his body responding to her soft curves, the hungry demand found in her kiss. He balled his fist, moving one toward his mouth as he bit the edge of his finger and tried to swallow down his need.
How long had it been since he'd been with a woman?
Two years at least. He'd slept with anything that walked and looked half good the whole year after Bethany, the hope of burning her from his memory failing him. He hated himself during that time, his heart shuddering at the thought of using a woman for anything. His mother and father would keel over if they had any clue of how dark those days had been. He done so much that was far from the core of his upbringing. He swallowed hard, dropping his hand from his face as Kari looked up and smiled.
It was time to try again. Would she be willing to go slow? The passion in the hall left him breathless and demanding so much more, and yet he knew that sex would only complicate things further. He smiled back and moved to pick up his clipboard before the whistles went off and the game started.
Kari watched, taking pictures here and there as the game dragged on for most of the morning. Martha and Cliff had been right - the boys’ team was top notch. They moved around the court like they owned it, Kari finding herself yelling and cheering right alongside the fans for them. The desire to learn how to shoot or play a little herself kept washing over her as she got more and more excited. The win was only a few points from being theirs and the last few minutes of the game were highly intense, a large blond kid hitting a three-pointer just before the final clock sounded.
The crowd went wild and the joy on Jake's face caused her to laugh. Her heart filled at the sight of the boys jumping all over him and him jumping right alongside them. She grabbed her camera, pulling it up and taking a few shots of the first win of the morning.
The team played a total of three games before noon, two of them back-to-back. The lunch bell rang and all games stopped for a two hour break, Kari putting her camera up and standing. She'd planned to grab a sandwich and head back to the hotel. Jake was most likely required to stay at the gym or would be having lunch with his boys and she'd decided sometime during the day that she wouldn't be asking him to do anything with her. If he wanted a friendship or something more, then he would be the one to start it.
She stood and waved at him as she turned to push her way through the crowd. A hand on the back of her arm caused her to stop and she looked around, Jake shaking his head.
"Did you see that madness?"
She laughed and turned to face him. "I did. You're a great coach."
"Nah... the boys are just super talented. They work their butts off all year long for this event."
She looked around at the crowds as people pushed alongside them. "I'm going to grab a sandwich and head back to the hotel for a little while. I'll be back in a bit."
"Let me tell the boys where I'm going and I'll go with you. There's a great little deli about a mile from here. Just meet me outside." His fingers rubbed along her arm, her eyes locked on him as to not draw attention to the intimacy of it.
"Okay,"
she whispered, turning and walking out into the parking lot. The sun sat high in the sky, and yet winter held the heat at bay. She wrapped her arms around herself and shivered, moving to stand against the outer wall of the gym as she waited. No going back to the hotel now that Jake was coming with her.
The passion in the hall made it quite clear to her that if they put themselves in the right situation - hell, any situation - they would be naked and sweaty before she could blink twice. The door opened to her left and he walked out, a smile on his face.
"Hey, over here," she called out to him, moving to walk beside him. "What're you grinning for?"
He put an arm around her shoulders, pulling her closer to his side as he looked down. "You. I'm glad you stayed."
She nodded, wanting to wrap an arm around his waist, but he was already being more physically aggressive than she imagined he would. No use in throwing fuel on the flame.
"I almost left." She looked away from him as they walked toward his truck.
"I know. You should have."
He opened her door and she got in, waiting until he was in to ask what he meant.
"I should?"
He nodded and started the truck, pulling out and taking a pair of sunglasses from the console, slipping them onto his face. She didn't think he could get any better looking, and he'd just proved that wrong.
"Yep. I think you and I are going to be trouble for each other."
"How so?"
He glanced her way for a moment as they sat in a line of cars to get out of the parking lot. "Well, I've been in shitty relationships my whole adult life, so I'm hoping that whatever is happening between us can start out as a friendship."
She nodded, his words almost her own and yet they stabbed at her heart for some odd reason.
"How is that trouble for us? Being friends is a great idea. It might lead somewhere and might not. I don't understand."