Top Shelf (Five for Fighting #4)

by Amber Lynn

  “Princess here was actually worried you’d think that. She is guilty of wanting to see you happy, which is why she went to her first hockey game last night and we’re opening up our relationship so the world knows about it. We’ve only been together for a short time, but I know how much you mean to her, and if she says revealing our relationship could make things easier for you, I’m not going to argue with that.”

  Staring at the man delivering his speech with his sugar-coated tongue was all Jasmine could do. She was supposed to be the one in acting, and she doubted she could’ve delivered those lines as flawlessly.

  “You can’t believe how good it is to hear Jasmine has someone to look after her. She’s always been a wild child.”

  “I think we’re still trying to decide who’s taming who, but it’s been refreshing spending time locked up in my apartment. Are you going to get that?” John turned to face Jasmine, only to see what had to be a dumbfounded look on her face. “Your phone. I know we’ve been avoiding them, but maybe you should see who’s calling.”

  “Yeah, why don’t you run off and take your call while me and Klinger chat some more,” Meemaw suggested.

  Jasmine felt like an idiot for not realizing the phone was ringing. Lifting up her butt, she fished the phone out of her back pocket with her free hand. Giving it a quick glance, it was just her agent, so she declined the call and turned back to the conversation.

  “I have a feeling that if I leave the two of you alone for even a second, I’ll come back to you planning a wedding or something.” The phone started ringing again as she spoke, causing her to roll her eyes as she eyeballed her companions.

  “Someone evidently really wants to talk to you.” John reached over and held Jasmine’s hand up so he could look at the screen.

  “It’s my agent, and she can wait.” Jasmine couldn’t think of anything worth the multiple calls in a row. The chances of filming resuming were slim, so she continued to ignore the ringing.

  John didn’t seem as willing to let the tinkling bells die on their own. He grabbed the phone from Jasmine’s hand and answered it, leaving her shrugging as she cuddled into his side.

  “Jasmine’s phone.”

  Since he hadn’t been kind enough to turn on the speakerphone, Jasmine could only make up the squeaking noises of a response from the other side of the call. As far as she could remember, another person hadn’t ever answered her phone, so it was kind of funny to just sit back and let someone else deal with her issues.

  “She’s sitting right next to me, but didn’t want to answer, and judging by the immediate call back, you were going to do your best to interrupt our afternoon.”

  He was quiet for a second as he listened. Jasmine waited for him to just hang up as she rubbed her head against his shoulder to get comfortable.

  “I’m sorry if I didn’t explain it right, but she doesn’t want to talk. We’re trying to decide what colors the flowers are going to be at the wedding and the battle between purple and gold versus green and red is brewing. Personally, as much as I like the latter colors, it seems a little too Christmassy and a summer wedding really shouldn’t make people think of snow.”

  Jasmine’s jaw fell open and she reached over to try to grab the phone, but John wasn’t giving it up. He held up their attached hands and put his pointer finger up to tell her to hold on. He clearly didn’t understand that feeding her agent stories like that wasn’t the brightest idea.

  “Who else would this be? And what difference does it make if she didn’t tell you about us? Maybe we didn’t want the world to know we were madly in love. Look, unless something is burning down, we are actually busy right now, so, Ally, I’ll let Jasmine know you’re concerned about the rumors we’re dating.”

  As far as Jasmine knew, Alisson didn’t go by Ally. It made her wonder if the name was a request or something John had decided to use to annoy the agent. He hit the round button on the phone to end the call without saying anything else, and it took a second for anyone in the room to decide what to say next.

  “I’m with you on the red and green,” Meemaw said. “I’m sure there’s shades that wouldn’t look too much like a Christmas tree vomited down the aisle, but I’m not sure I like purple and gold any better. Maybe a nice royal blue with cream or pearl.”

  “I hate to tell you guys this, but I don’t see a ring on my finger, so you’re planning an event I haven’t agreed was going to happen.”

  It was her own fault for mentioning the word wedding. She hadn’t thought John would run with it like he had, but she should’ve known better with Meemaw in the room.

  “Clearly it’s just a matter of time. I expected you to blow a gasket when he took your phone, like you did when your cousin Eddie grabbed it from you at his mother’s birthday party a couple months ago. But all you did was snuggle like a puppy who had waited all day for her master to get home. He calms you.”

  Whether that was a good or bad thing was a little unclear, but Jasmine assumed since Meemaw had started out by saying they were going to be engaged in no time that calming was a good thing. John had an effect on her, but calm wasn’t what she’d call it.

  “I like to think of it as I exhaust her so she doesn’t have the energy to argue. Is it okay if I get me a glass of water? I see the refreshments, but I wasn’t sure if you had them set up for a hot date you have coming over after we leave.”

  Jasmine watched as Meemaw’s cheeks turned a rosy shade. “Heaven help any man I find to spend my last days with. Go ahead and help yourself. I wasn’t sure how hungry you’d be, but if the snacks aren’t enough, I can whip up some sandwiches or something.”

  Meemaw moved to help John get his water, but he held out an arm to keep her in place. “Don’t worry about it, Meemaw. We’ve got an early reservation tonight, so light snacking is perfect.”

  The thought of dinner almost made Jasmine’s stomach growl. She agreed with not making Meemaw push to be the preeminent hostess, but she wasn’t going to last much longer without a substantial meal. Hopefully John knew he better back up the reservation claim.

  Chapter Eleven

  “So, you had your chance to ask a question I assume neither one of us thought we’d ever ponder. Is it safe for me to ask one of my own?”

  After spending about two hours with Meemaw, John and Jasmine were back in his car, trying to find somewhere to eat. Neither of them were dressed for a ritzy place, so he was looking for something between fast food and fine dining.

  “If you’re about to propose, you better pull over, because I’m going to punch you.”

  The evil glint in Jasmine’s eyes as she looked sideways towards John told him she was serious. Not that a little punch would’ve caused an issue with his driving. The idea of her getting violent was kind of cute. He’d felt a little something brimming beneath the surface when talk of them getting married hadn’t really ebbed.

  “I wouldn’t think of proposing without a ring, and I’m pretty sure you know I haven’t had time to go shopping.”

  “Don’t push your luck. I let you guys plan out a wedding for two people who’ve only known each other for about forty-eight hours. I know she doesn’t know that little tidbit, but you do, and you should’ve tried a little harder to find another topic to talk about.”

  He neglected to point out she was the one who’d mentioned it’d be best if they seemed to be heading towards marriage. Anyway you looked at it, Meemaw had enjoyed the conversation and it kept her from asking too many questions they didn’t know the answers to. John saw the frailness that worried Jasmine, but there was a fire in the older woman’s eyes that made it hard to believe she was dying.

  “I’ll try to remember that when we go over for her birthday. Can we get back to my question?” The topic he wanted to bring up brought a sweat to his palms as he thought about how Jasmine would respond.

  “I’m pretty sure you say whatever’s on your mind, so I’m not sure what’s stopping you now.”

  They were exiting the residenti
al neighborhood Meemaw lived in, so John accelerated to match a speed limit increase. It was easy with the supped up V-8 under the hood to let the big pedal on the right meet the floorboard.

  “Believe me, I haven’t said most of what’s on my mind, but I do want to know if it’s more than just really, really great sex.”

  Jasmine sighed and brought her legs up so she could wrap her arms around them. It seemed like an odd position for the small seat, but she was tiny enough that she didn’t run into any problems with her feet slipping off the seat.

  “Are you asking if I’m in love with you?”

  Just hearing the word sounded odd to John’s ears. “I don’t think I know what that word really means, so I’m going to say no. All I’m saying is that I enjoy being around you, whether our clothes are on or off. Part of me thinks that’s stupid.”

  He didn’t go in depth about how hard it was for him to admit that, but he hoped she understood. He worked with his closest friends, and not one of them was female. He managed to get along with their wives, but none of them called to just chat with him or revealed their deep secrets. The whole playing as part of a team made it impossible to be a loner, but John liked to think he was just a step away.

  “What’s the other part of you think?” John would’ve preferred she just tell him he was an idiot, but he didn’t mind keeping the conversation flowing.

  “That I’m not going to take it well when you decide to call this quits.”

  Jasmine didn’t say anything at first. In the silence, John focused on their surroundings. If he could find somewhere to eat quickly, he could pretend he hadn’t said the words. He briefly thought about turning on the radio to make sure the conversation met the death it probably deserved after putting himself out there, but he didn’t know Jasmine’s preference in music and the last thing he’d had on was loud wordless music that helped him get ready for a game.

  “Do you like Mexican food?”

  The question pulled John from his thoughts about putting his foot in his mouth, and let him know she wasn’t going to give him a reaction. It was better that way, because he needed a little break from trying to process his emotions.

  “I haven’t met a burrito I didn’t like, and I assume a place called Burrito House specializes in them.”

  The large red and green sign had been hard to miss as they were making their way down the street. They’d passed a burger joint and a Thai place, but John was waiting for Jasmine to decide what she wanted. Some women he knew wouldn’t eat more than a salad, so he’d learned it was best to sit back and let food decisions come from them as long as they didn’t suggest a place that only served wheatgrass.

  “You mean you haven’t eaten there before? I know I haven’t seen you chow down, but Burrito House touts the biggest burritos in town, which seems like the perfect after game or workout meal to me. Plenty of yummy carbs.” Jasmine looked over a little skeptically as she finished her words by licking her lips.

  Obviously she’d experienced the burritos, but they were a little out of the way from the arena and his place. John went ahead and turned on his turn signal and pulled into the full parking lot. Getting a quick meal appeared to be out of the question. The crowd also meant the chances of them eating in piece were slim. John didn’t think most people knew who he was, but people were going to want Jasmine’s attention.

  “Maybe sometime I’ll take you where we hang out after games, although it’s not really the same since Doug usually rushes off to his family. Is it usually this packed?” John managed to find a spot not far from the door after someone else pulled a black sedan out of it.

  Jasmine looked around them, as if she hadn’t noticed there were maybe two spots open. It was between lunch and dinner rushes, so it was illogical for that many people to be waiting in line. As it was, John tried to figure out why there wasn’t a line out the door, even with the large building housing the restaurant.

  “Well crap. It’s the second Friday of the month, isn’t it?” John didn’t think she expected an answer, so he waited for her to continue as he pulled the key out of the ignition. “They have two dollar burritos between two and four, which as you can see brings in quite a crowd.”

  Looking at the clock in the dash, it was just three, so the phenomena was set to go on for another hour. “You still want to go in? I sometimes get recognized and fawned over, but I imagine you have to deal with that sort of thing all the time.”

  “Sweetheart, you can’t tell me you don’t have women fawning over you wherever you go. I saw them at that dang auction. It doesn’t matter if they know you’re a superstar. You’re sex personified stuffed in those tight jeans of yours.” Jasmine squeezed his hand as she spoke.

  It’d taken John a little getting used to driving with one hand. He couldn’t remember which one of them reached out first for the connection, but like everything with Jasmine, it felt comfortable and warm.

  “You almost sound jealous about that.” She hadn’t made a move, so he sat back and tapped his fingers on the back of her hand.

  “Don’t let it go to your head, but I suppose looking back I wasn’t too happy how they handled the goods I planned on purchasing.”

  “You mean you didn’t like when the woman groped my genitals on my way up to the stage?”

  Jasmine’s eyes darted in his direction as a disgruntled look transformed her face. The way her eyes squinted together and her lips pursed was too cute. “Which one of those hussies put her hands on you? I noticed arm grabs, but nothing below the belt.”

  “What exactly would you do with that knowledge? It’s not like you can just track her down, and really, scolding her two days later wouldn’t do a lot of good.”

  With the way she’d acted the night they’d met, an eyelash wouldn’t have been batted if someone had really groped him. When John had told her the white lie, he’d expected Jasmine to call him on it, not instantly believe him.

  “I don’t know what I’d do, but it’s not right for people to go around feeling you up. It shouldn’t matter that they were attempting to spend a few thousand dollars to buy you for a night.”

  John reached over and caressed the side of her face with his free hand. There was still a little irritation playing out in her eyes, but it only made it seem like she was contemplating retaliation.

  “Thankfully no one really did. I was just kidding about the groping, but it was a bit enlightening to see your response.”

  “What?” Jasmine responded, reaching out with her fist for a quick jab to his ribs.

  “You were talking about how you thought women react to me, and I was just trying to feed your theory. I have my fair share of attention from the fairer sex, but I’d say only one or two percent of them are bold enough to approach when I’m with another woman or physically attack when I’m not. Can you say the same for male reactions to you walking in a room?”

  Jasmine’s eyes squinted a little closer together. It was hard to tell whether she was thinking or plotting something against him for not telling the truth.

  “I’ve spent years building a persona that people know better than to confront me when I’m out trying to be a normal person. There are guys who think they’re all that and worth my time, and sometimes I give them the time of day, but I like to be the one running things, so there’s a better chance of getting my attention if you play hard to get.”

  “Obviously I’m out of the running then. You showed up at my house and within twenty minutes or so I was molding you to my sheets.”

  “Only because I asked you to. I’d say not answering your phone, whether it was dead or not, is a pretty good game of hard to get.”

  John shrugged. He sort of understood why they’d spent so much time in bed and not messed around with getting into deep conversations. They ended up being kind of confusing.

  “I guess, but a part of me feels a little bit like a lost puppy, and I’m not exactly sure how that makes me feel.”

  “You’re cute, but not puppy cute. Are we goin
g to go inside or not? I know there’s a lot of people, but they move the line along pretty fast.”

  He glanced out the windows. The car sitting a little lower than those around them made it difficult to get a good look. It was one of the few drawbacks the car had, other than not being able to maneuver in snow.

  “You really want to go in with all these people?” John hadn’t counted the cars, but they probably didn’t all have single passengers, so he figured there were at least a hundred people inside.

  “You said you haven’t had one of their burritos before, so you have to. You like steak, right?” She paused for a second so he could nod his head. “Well, they have this steak burrito with beans and cheese and peppers and bacon bits that is to die for. Seriously. To. Die. For. My mouth is watering just thinking about it. And it’s huge too. Like totally three meals worth, but once you start eating it, you don’t want to save it for later.”

  Jasmine’s excitement about the burrito was contagious. After seeing her only eat strawberries and nibble on the cookies and veggies Meemaw had offered, John was intrigued to find out how the actress handled a hearty plate full of food.

  “I suppose if your mouth is already watering, we better see if they can make you a burrito.”

  “You won’t regret it. We should probably even get a couple extra ones for later based on how we like to burn a lot of calories.”

  John had to smile as she unlatched her seatbelt with her free hand and opened her door, but waited for him to let go of her hand. Hearing that she didn’t have any immediate plans of getting back to her usual life was music to his ears.

  “I’m not going to rule out burning more calories, but maybe we should see if we like each other enough to hang out and watch a movie or something.”

  “Like a porno?” Jasmine asked as she laughed and pulled her hand away so she could get out of the car.

  Before she even shut the door, John was in full lost puppy mode as he rushed to get out of the car and over to her. Since they had spent so much time in his apartment, they hadn’t had any run-ins with photographers trying to snap a picture, which he hoped continued for a while. No one needed to see him running around like a fool.