She looked into the stands and spotted Kirsten sitting with Alex. When their eyes locked, Kirsten and Alex waved enthusiastically. Jordan nodded back, acknowledging them both, and she frowned as she watched Kirsten lean closer to Alex and whisper in her ear, causing Alex to smile and laugh. Her frown deepened as Alex leaned over to whisper something back.
Jordan felt an unexpected surge of jealousy at the sight. She never got jealous. Of course, she hadn’t been close enough to another woman to spark that emotion. She made a mental note to figure out the anomaly later. Right now she had a game to play.
Jordan shook her opponent’s hand, and the game started with her winning the tip and her team scoring the first basket.
*
Jordan had another great game. She effectively shut down the other team on defense and grabbed her share of points. Jordan’s team won by twelve points. After they shook hands with the women from the other team, she headed back to the bench where Alex was waiting for her.
“Good game, J. Man, I’ve missed seeing you play.”
Jordan grabbed her towel and started wiping the sweat off her body. “Thanks, Al. Say, what was going on with you and Kirsten before the game?”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean, you were flirting with her.”
“What? I was not!” Alex appeared surprised.
“Alex, I’ve seen you flirt with women. You certainly were flirting with her. You were laughing after she said something to you, then you leaned in close to say something back. That’s not flirting?”
“No. Kirsten said something about how intense you looked when you walked out on the court. All I said to her was that you’ve been that way ever since I’ve known you and that I thought you looked cute when you were trying to look tough.”
A blush crept up her neck into her face, and she used the ruse of toweling the sweat off her face until she felt she wouldn’t be so obvious about her misinterpretation.
“We’ve known each other for what? Ten years? You think I’d make a play at a girl you were interested in?”
Jordan shrugged. “No, I guess not. And I’m not interested in her.”
“I’m sorry. What was that?”
Jordan looked at Alex and saw the smile starting to form at her mouth. “No, you would never make a play for a girl I was interested in, if I ever became interested.” Jordan wrapped her arm around Alex’s shoulders, pulled her close, and gave her a kiss on the temple.
Alex squirmed from Jordan and stepped away. “Gross, you’re all sweaty. Get dressed so we can go meet some women.”
“All right, let me go say good-bye to Kirsten.”
“No need. She and Brenda are going to Lucy’s and said they would save us some seats.”
A surge of excitement flooded her at the knowledge that Kirsten was going to meet them at the bar. She was looking forward to spending more time with her, although she wasn’t sure how well they would be able to talk over the loud music that would be playing.
“Okay. Let’s go so I can take a quick shower.” Jordan pulled on her sweats, shouldered her gym bag, and walked with Alex out to her car.
Chapter Twenty
Jordan took the quickest shower on record, wanting to get to the bar. Since she had already picked out her clothes before she’d left for the game, she didn’t have to waste time rummaging through her closet. She was ready to walk out the door after a mere fifteen minutes. Alex, however, was a different story. She had insisted on finishing her beer, and Jordan was quickly becoming irritated.
“C’mon, Alex. Shit, I’ll buy you a beer when we get there. Let’s go.” She felt almost light-headed from thinking about being able to spend some time with Kirsten. Since Kirsten was no longer her patient, there was nothing stopping them from being friends.
“Christ, who lit a fire under your ass?”
“Nobody. I just want to get there to get a table.”
“I already told you Kirsten and Brenda…ah, I get it.” Alex laughed.
Jordan frowned as she locked the door after Alex finally stepped outside. “Get what?”
“You’re anxious to see Kirsten. That’s why you’re rushing me.”
Jordan took off at a fast clip, forcing Alex to jog a few feet in order to catch up. “I’m not anxious. That’s ridiculous.”
“Bullshit. I know how you feel about that girl. We’ve been friends too long for me to not notice. Just don’t ignore me the whole night.”
Jordan slung her arm around Alex’s shoulders. “Like you won’t have some poor, unsuspecting woman in your sights the second we walk through that door. I’m the one who should be worried about being ignored. Besides, we’re just friends, and that’s all we’ll ever be.”
“Ha! I think you’ll be quite occupied. I really like Kirsten. She seems very down-to-earth, and my God, she’s beautiful.”
“I know, right? Why do you think I was in such a state of shock that first time I saw her? Did you see the color of her eyes? I’ve never seen eyes that shade of blue. And the first night I treated her? I don’t know what it was, but I felt an instant connection, like a kindred spirit. The more time I spend with her, the more it seems we’ve always known each other.”
“Be careful. I know you said you’re just friends and that she’s straight, but I get a vibe from her.”
“What are you talking about?”
“Just that she couldn’t keep her eyes off you during the game.”
“How could she? I played like a beast tonight.” Jordan knew she could talk shit, and Alex would know she was just playing around. “Look, Kirsten is cool, and I want us to be friends. I have a feeling she’ll become a great friend. Like you.”
“You’re such a sweetheart.”
“I know.”
“And modest.”
Jordan and Alex were still laughing as they rounded the corner and walked into Lucy’s. Jordan’s eyes were drawn to Kirsten, and she grinned broadly. Kirsten waved them over to the table they’d snagged while Brenda went to the bar. She led Alex over to the table, then walked over to Kirsten as she stood, and they hugged hello. Kirsten’s familiar scent tickled her nose, and her pulse quickened.
“Hi, Kirsten. You look great.”
“You don’t look too shabby yourself, Jordan.”
“Thanks.” Jordan was inordinately pleased by Kirsten’s statement. She spotted Brenda on her way over to the table with a pitcher of beer and hurried to the bar to get four mugs. She paused to give Deb—who was once again behind the bar—a quick kiss hello before returning to the table with the mugs and some extra limes and took her seat across the table from Kirsten.
“Alex Taylor, this is my very good friend, Brenda Lewis,” Kirsten was saying as Jordan sat down. “Brenda, this is Jordan’s friend, Alex.”
They reached across the table and shook hands. “Nice to meet you, Alex.”
“Same here, Brenda. That was a good game you played tonight.”
Brenda chuckled and shook her head. “I’m just in awe of this one here,” she said, pointing to Jordan. “I don’t know how anyone can notice the other players with this one lighting it up.”
Jordan shrugged. “I just get lucky sometimes.”
Alex snaked an arm around her shoulders and pulled her closer. “Oh, Jordan, what did I tell you about being so modest?” Alex looked over to Brenda and Kirsten. “You should have seen her in college. She was just amazing back then. Of course, she’s much older and more decrepit now. She doesn’t have the sense to know when to hang up her high-tops.”
Kirsten and Brenda seemed to find Alex hilarious, but Jordan felt as if her head were on fire because of the embarrassment. She took a few big gulps of her beer and leaned closer to Alex. “You’re in so much trouble later.”
“Promises, promises,” Alex said, grinning.
Jordan headed back to the bar to order another pitcher, but once she returned, she pulled Alex onto the dance floor. The DJ had been playing a good mix of songs, and she had noticed Alex oc
casionally chair dancing. She knew it would only be a matter of time before they made it to the floor, so she decided to have mercy on Alex and make it sooner rather than later.
Kirsten watched them dance, once again astonished at how well they moved together, with familiarity of two lovers. A twinge of jealousy tickled her insides, but she quickly tamped it down. She had to look away, had to force her attention on Brenda, otherwise she would feel like a voyeur again.
Kirsten caught the wry look Brenda gave her. “What?”
Brenda smiled. “You seem very interested in Jordan. Is there something I should know?”
“I’m not sure I know what you mean.”
Brenda raised an eyebrow. “I think you know exactly what I mean. What’s going on between the two of you? I’ve noticed you staring at her and pretty much hanging on every word she says.”
“Can we talk about this later? Please?”
“No problem. We don’t have to talk about it at all if you don’t want to. But if you do, I’m here for you.”
Kirsten nodded. “Thanks.”
She tried to keep the conversation with Brenda going, but she kept getting distracted by Jordan’s dancing. She couldn’t help but notice how well Jordan danced, how fluidly she moved to the beat, and how incredibly sexy she looked while doing it.
“You two are terrific dancers,” Brenda said when they finally returned to the table.
Kirsten was feeling a little uneasy after witnessing Jordan and Alex on the dance floor moving as one with each other. She kept her head down and her eyes averted as Jordan refilled her nearly empty glass and then headed back to the bar. With the distraction of Jordan gone, Kirsten was able to reflect on the emotions that had been stirred up while watching her dance. Even though she found Jordan to be very sexy, especially while dancing, she was still very interested in being friends with her. She wanted to get to know Jordan better, to know what made her happy, what things she liked to do, what made her tick.
Jordan returned, interrupting her train of thought, and refilled the other three glasses before taking her seat.
No time like the present. Kirsten leaned across the table to talk with Jordan. “So, what do you have going on tomorrow?”
“I thought I’d go to the beach and do a little surfing. There’s supposed to be a decent swell tomorrow.”
Kirsten felt a flicker of disappointment. She had hoped that maybe they could get together for lunch or just hang out. “That sounds like fun. It’s supposed to be beautiful weather, too.”
Jordan cocked her head to the side. “Would you like to go with me? I was going to head down around eight in the morning.”
She couldn’t help but smile brightly. “I’d love to. Do you want me to meet you there?”
“I could pick you up if you’d like. I was planning on being there until early afternoon, but if you have other plans, we can drive separately.”
“No plans tomorrow, other than to relax.”
“Well, there’s no better place to do that than at the beach. I’ll pack us some food and drinks.”
She gave Jordan her address and cell phone number. “What time will you pick me up?”
“I’ll be there at seven thirty.” Jordan looked at her watch, then she leaned over to Alex. “I think it’s time to go. It’s getting late.”
Kirsten was jealous that Jordan was leaving with Alex, which also made her feel stupid because they’d arrived together, so why wouldn’t they leave together. Alex had told her at the game that they would walk to the bar from Jordan’s house. It only made sense that they would leave together. She wondered again if Jordan and Alex were a couple, but hadn’t Brenda said Jordan only had one-night stands? Maybe they were friends that took advantage of the benefits. It puzzled her, though, because Jordan and Alex seemed much more intimate with each other, at least on the dance floor. But when they talked, there didn’t appear to be anything romantic. They sounded like buddies.
They stood to leave. When Jordan held open her arms, Kirsten stepped into the hug, wrapped her arms around Jordan’s waist, and held tight.
“I’ll see you in the morning,” Jordan said softly.
The vibration of Jordan’s husky voice next to her ear sent chills throughout her body. She let go and smiled up at her. “Good night, Jordan.”
Chapter Twenty-one
The next morning, Kirsten opened the door to find Jordan was wearing a faded yellow tank top and blue-and-white Hawaiian print board shorts. A bikini strap poked out of the collar of Jordan’s top, and she was barefoot. Her shoulder-length blond hair was tucked under a ball cap.
Kirsten smiled at the discovery of another facet of Jordan. Extraordinary basketball player, compassionate physical therapist, sexy dancer, and now…smoking hot surfer chick. Kirsten was suddenly very warm.
“Hi. Ready to go?”
“Yep. Let me grab my keys and bag.”
“Here, let me get that for you.” Jordan took her bag and walked to her Chevy Traverse. She held open the passenger door for Kirsten, and once she got seated, Jordan asked, “Do you have a surfboard?”
“No, I don’t surf. I’m just going to hang out with you today.”
“Oh, okay. I hope you brought a good book to read, so you’re not too bored while I’m in the water.”
“I brought all the trashy magazines I haven’t had time for lately.”
Jordan laughed and shut Kirsten’s door. As she headed around to the driver’s side, she paused briefly to fiddle with the surfboard strapped to the roof then hopped into the driver’s seat.
Once they arrived at the beach and parked, Jordan pulled the ice chest and her duffel bag out of the back. Kirsten grabbed her own bag and a couple of beach chairs while Jordan unstrapped her surfboard. They had to make several trips but quickly got everything set up. The sky was gray, and a cool breeze floated off the shore. Seagulls flew overhead as they foraged for food.
Jordan spread the blanket out over the soft sand and started to remove her board shorts and shirt. Kirsten snuck some peeks at Jordan as she was undressing and was grateful for her sunglasses, even though the sky was still overcast.
Jordan was all bronze skin and bulging muscles, particularly in her quadriceps and calves. She had legs that went on for days—which wasn’t surprising, given her six-foot frame—and those long legs ran into the most perfect ass that Kirsten had ever seen. She filled out her green bathing suit bottoms quite nicely.
Kirsten had never noticed how gorgeous Jordan’s body was before. When she played basketball, Jordan wore baggy shorts that came down to her knees and did nothing to complement her sculpted legs. Kirsten was sure she had never seen a woman that had as much muscular definition as Jordan did yet still managed to look so feminine.
As Jordan pulled her shirt over her head, her abdominal muscles strained. Jordan’s breasts were a little on the small side but were perfect for her body. Kirsten inhaled sharply and had to consciously close her mouth. Her body started to warm even though the ocean air was cool and damp.
Since when do you check out women? Sure, Jordan is beautiful, but why am I so warm all of a sudden? And why the hell is my stomach fluttering as if there are a million butterflies trying to escape? She looked back over just as Jordan was pulling the zipper up on her wet suit. She didn’t know how it was possible, but Jordan was even more tantalizing standing before her in a wet suit than she’d been in a bikini.
Jordan positioned her surfboard under her right arm and glanced toward the ocean before turning back to her. “There’s plenty of food and drinks in the ice chest. I’ll be back in a bit. Have fun reading your trashy magazines.” Jordan smiled and winked.
“Don’t worry. I have plenty to keep me occupied. Be careful out there.”
With a quick wave, Jordan started jogging toward the ocean’s edge. Kirsten watched her take long strides through the sand into the water and dive onto her surfboard to paddle out. Once she got to her destination, she straddled her board and waited for the next set to
arrive.
There were about five other surfers in the area, all waiting for a wave to ride. A set started to build, and Jordan started paddling. Kirsten watched her pop up on her board and get her footing as the wave started to curl. Jordan rode it until it petered out, then she flopped back on her board to paddle back out and wait for the next one.
Kirsten observed intently from the beach, delighted at seeing Jordan do something she really enjoyed. Every time Jordan caught a wave, a huge smile was plastered on her face, making her look like a kid discovering a thrill for the first time. The pure joy in Jordan’s expression made her smile, too.
She still wasn’t sure what this connection to Jordan was, but she knew better than to question it. What she did question was her growing attraction to her. It had been years since she’d been drawn to another woman, and she wasn’t sure why these feelings were coming to light, like the sun breaking out of the clouds. These new emotions sparked a measure of guilt within her since she was still married, but she couldn’t help what her heart was beginning to tell her.
Kirsten decided to lie face down on the blanket they had spread out and continue to watch Jordan surf. After a while, Jordan emerged from the water and walked back to the blanket with her board tucked under her arm. Jordan placed her board down as Kirsten stood to join her. She stepped behind Jordan, placed her hands on Jordan’s back, and reached for the zipper on the wet suit.
“Here, let me get this for you.” Kirsten was surprised at the sultriness in her voice. She slowly lowered the zipper and let her hand trail down the rest of Jordan’s back. Goose bumps erupted over Jordan’s exposed skin.
Jordan turned around and stared deep into her eyes, reaching into her soul. Jordan cupped her face with both hands and gave her the most gentle, tender kiss she had ever experienced. When Jordan pulled slightly away, Kirsten brought her hand behind Jordan’s neck and pulled her back into her waiting lips. This kiss was more insistent, and when Jordan’s tongue started to trace her lips, she opened her mouth and greedily accepted it.
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