Keeping Score

by Sara Rider

  Alex glanced up and silently mouthed the words “Go to sleep.”

  “Can’t,” she mouthed back.

  “Try.” He punctuated his silent admonishment with a stern look.

  She responded as maturely as she knew how: sticking out her tongue.

  He raised his eyebrows a fraction, just enough to suggest he was unimpressed. A week ago, she might have believed his gesture, but she’d succeeded in peeling back some of his layers. Underneath the serious demeanor, he had a sense of humor as wicked as hers.

  She puffed her cheeks, tugged her ears, and did her best monkey face. The muscles along his jaw twitched but his expression remained impassive. She needed to step up her game. She puckered her lips and blew him a kiss. He arched a single eyebrow.

  Now she was getting somewhere.

  She ran the tip of her tongue against her cherry-gloss-slicked lips and winked suggestively. He sighed and shook his head, but a smile was definitely tugging at the corners of his mouth.

  If she was going to make him laugh, she needed to go for broke. She closed her palm into a fist and placed it in front of her mouth, then poked her tongue into her cheek, and waggled her eyebrows.

  She dropped her hand and grinned, awaiting his reaction.

  He leaned forward and glanced both ways down the aisle. Then, with a mischievous smile, he spread two fingers into a V in front of his lips and proceeded to simulate the act with impressive gusto. She gasped at his unexpected lewdness. Peals of laughter ripped from her chest.

  The next thing she knew, a pillow smacked into her face.

  “Don’t wake the gremlins,” Lainey, the pillow-wielding attacker, muttered with a sleep-heavy groan.

  There was no time to retaliate. Oncoming headlights flashed in her eyes a split second before the bus veered sharply to the right. Jaime grabbed the armrests to keep herself from smashing into the seat in front of her as the bus slid onto the rocky shoulder before jerking to a halt.

  Alex stood up immediately, scanning the bus with his probing, take-charge gaze, while Jaime and everyone else on the bus waited for their adrenaline to come down a notch. “Everyone all right?”

  The driver emerged from behind the steering wheel, looking ashen but unharmed. “Must have been a drunk driver. He came clear across the line. Did what I could to avoid a collision, but I don’t know if the engine survived.”

  With everyone intact, the mood on the bus quickly changed from relieved to annoyed about the inevitable delay. Groans filled the air as her teammates shuffled off the bus to stretch their weary legs. Jaime hung behind to fish out her favorite hoodie and cell phone from her bag, letting Lainey step over her with her freakishly long legs. Jaime liked to give her fans a behind-the-scenes look at the oh-so-glamorous life of professional women’s soccer. A cheesy photo of the broken-down bus brushing up against a cornfield was too good an opportunity to resist.

  By the time she managed to locate her phone in her overstuffed backpack, the bus had emptied out. Or so she thought. She dashed down the aisle to join the others outside, but stopped short when someone tugged her ponytail.

  Alex. She could tell by the raw, masculine scent tickling her nose.

  He wrapped her long locks around his fist and stepped toward her until her back was flush against his chest. It was an unbelievably possessive gesture, and it sent waves of heat crashing to her core.

  “Don’t make promises you don’t intend to keep, querida,” he whispered into her ear.

  Her nipples instantly hardened. Their teammates were right outside, with only tinted overlay on the windows between them. It wasn’t like Alex to be so flirtatious, so dangerous, and it turned her on.

  The sound of her heavy breath echoed in the narrow aisle. He pressed his knee into the back of her thigh, trapping her between the rows of seats. A shiver of anticipation rolled down her spine.

  He let go of her hair and prodded her forward with a pat on the butt like she was a little kid. “Come on, we better not keep everyone waiting.” He didn’t even wait for her shock to wear off. Instead, he slipped past her and headed for the door.

  Her jaw dropped. “You’re messing with me?”

  “Yep.” He turned back and gave her a wink.

  She shook her head with a sigh. Somewhere deep down, she knew she deserved to have the tables turned on her.

  ALEX WELCOMED THE RUSH of humid summer night air that hit him as he stepped off the bus. He needed to feel something against his skin other than the memory of Jaime’s body. Somehow, he’d gotten sucked into her vortex again. Even though he knew she was just playing around, the image of Jaime simulating a blow job had him reeling. The way her full lips parted and her breath hitched when he touched her was hot enough to bring him to his knees. The chemistry between them was dangerously combustible. If he didn’t keep his distance, things were going to explode in his face.

  He headed to the rear of the bus where the engine was located. As one of the few men in the group, his natural instinct was to see if he could put his moderate knowledge of mechanics to work. It didn’t surprise him when Lainey, an ace when it came to anything that required hand tools, had beaten him to the punch. The Falcons’ captain was already shoulders-deep in the smoking pit with a flashlight in hand.

  “I can fix a flat, but even I can’t get that muffler back on this bad boy by myself. We’re going to need to figure out an alternate plan,” Lainey said matter-of-factly, wiping her hands on her jeans.

  “I’ve already radioed in. The company will send a replacement bus, but it won’t come until tomorrow morning,” the driver said.

  “Don’t worry. I’m on it,” Jaime answered. She already had her phone by her ear, and was explaining their predicament to someone at the other end of the line. After a few minutes of intense negotiation, she ended the call with a victorious smile. “The closest hotel with space for all of us is going to send out two courtesy vans right away.”

  Her teammates cheered, but Jaime waved off their enthusiasm.

  “It’s going to be at least an hour and a half before they round up a couple of drivers to come get us.”

  Alex managed to pass the time fairly painlessly by catching up on some of the lingering elements of his to-do list. A new set of stretches for Lynn, whose shoulder was acting up. Teaching Tara how to properly tape her own ankle. Massaging another cramp in Alyssa’s left calf.

  Eventually, two white passenger vans rolled to a stop behind the bus. Gina headed to the first van and tucked her head in to speak with the driver. She emerged a moment later with a grimace. “We’ve got a problem. There’s not enough room for everyone and our gear. Someone’s going to have to stay behind until they can do a second run.”

  The bus driver held his hands up defensively. “I would stay, but I’m legally required to a six-hour sleep break every twelve hours, which means we’d have to stop in the morning anyway, and we’ll be even more delayed getting to Chicago.”

  Alex sighed, shoulders heavy with the inevitability of the situation. “I’ll stay with the gear.”

  “Are you sure about that?” Gina asked.

  “Yeah. The players need some rest if we’re going to beat Chicago. And so do you and Victor. It makes sense for it to be me.”

  Gina nodded, seemingly grateful for the quick resolution.

  Alex watched the frenzy of players rummaging through their bags for the essentials with a mixture of frustration and relief. Camping out on the uncomfortable bus wasn’t going to be the highlight of this trip, but getting a little physical distance between himself and Jaime before he did something stupid was a good thing.

  He watched the red taillights of the vans disappear down the flat stretch of highway before climbing into the bus to settle in for the long night. He took a random seat near the front and closed his eyes.

  The sound of the bus door creaking open had him jumping to his feet a
split second later.

  “Room for one more in here?” Jaime climbed up the steep steps of the bus and flashed a wary smile.

  “What are you doing?’

  “There were twenty of us, and only ten seats per van. Gina forgot to factor in that both vans have drivers. That means two, not one, of us needed to stay behind.”

  He rubbed the back of his neck, suddenly feeling all the stiffness that had been building up from the last four hours spent cooped up on this bus. “There’s no way Victor would’ve let one of his players stay back.”

  “I told each van I was going in the other. Nobody will notice until they get to the hotel, and by then they’ll all be too tired to care.”

  “This whole night is a disaster. You should be getting some sleep right now.”

  “Oh, come on. It’s not so bad. I finally got to contribute to the stereotype of Asians being smarter than everyone else at math. My dad is going to be so proud. Plus, I read there was going to be a meteor shower tonight. What better place to watch it than in the absolute middle of nowhere?” She climbed up onto one of the seats near the front and dug around in the overhead storage cubby. She pulled out a ratty-looking wool blanket. “You can stay in here if you want, but I’m going to make the most of this situation.”

  He was too tired to know whether it was her logic or just a generalized sense of self-defeat that had him standing up and following her. Either way, he was outside a moment later, trying to adjust his eyes to the utter darkness of the prairie night while Jaime flattened out the blanket over a patch of dry dirt in the thin stretch of land between the cornfield and the highway shoulder.

  She sat down and patted the blanket next to her. “Have a seat. I don’t bite.”

  Yeah, but I might. Still, he sat down next to her with his knees up against his chest, careful to keep as much space between them as possible.

  She lay back and rested her head in her hands. In true Jaime fashion, she couldn’t stay still. She squirmed and arched her back like she couldn’t get comfortable.

  He shook his head. He was about to do something stupid again.

  12

  JAIME DIDN’T UNDERSTAND HOW a part of the country so unbelievably flat could feel like the Himalayas beneath her back. She kept adjusting, believing there had to be at least one comfortable way to arrange her body and still get a view of the wide-open sky. Maybe she just needed to throw on a thicker sweater. The early August night air wasn’t too chilly, but her thin hoodie and yoga pants didn’t create much of a barrier against the cool ground.

  She heard Alex sigh. He lay down next to her and stretched his arm out above her head. “Lie back. I can tell you’re uncomfortable.”

  “It’s okay. I’m fine.” She really wasn’t, but she didn’t want to make him uncomfortable, either. He’d been pretty clear about wanting to keep some space between them, and she’d already complicated that plan by staying behind tonight.

  “You’re not fine. You’re wriggling around like a worm having a seizure, and frankly, it’s kind of annoying. That means until you get comfortable, I won’t be comfortable. So come here.”

  He was using his serious voice. The deep, grumbling one he invoked whenever he was trying to mask his amusement. Too bad for him she was onto his tricks. “If you insist.”

  She lifted her head and felt instant relief as she sank onto his bicep. His muscles were too thick for optimal cushioning, but it was infinitely better than having a rock the size of an ancient Egyptian pyramid beneath her back. His arm cradled her neck, and the heat radiating from his body wrapped around her like a blanket. She forced herself not to think about the intimacy of the moment. They were friends, perfectly capable of hanging out under the stars together without making things awkward.

  She looked up at the vast black sky, washed with an endless coat of brilliant stars. It was so beautiful, her heart ached. She’d grown up a die-hard city girl and never got to experience the night sky without the inescapable urban-light pollution. The moon was blindingly silver, hanging low in the horizon. There was no sign of a meteor shower yet, though. The reports said there was a strong chance the new moon would mask most of the effects, but if there was any hope of catching sight of it, it had to be out here in the middle of nowhere.

  She inhaled deeply through her nose, but instead of fresh Midwest air, she was hit with Alex’s deep, spicy, masculine scent. She rolled casually toward him to get another whiff.

  “Did you just sniff my armpit?”

  “No,” she said quickly, cheeks burning.

  His chest rumbled with laughter. “You were totally sniffing me.”

  “Okay, fine. I like your cologne, that’s all. It’s a nice change from the eau de sweaty coach bus.”

  “First, I can’t decide if that’s creepy or a compliment. Second, I’m not wearing cologne.”

  Thank god it was almost pitch-black out because her cheeks had to be a shade of red bordering on mortified. “Ugh. It’s so unfair that you get to smell like that naturally while the rest of us have to shell out our hard-earned cash for all these fancy creams and perfumes.”

  He bent his arm so that his hand rested on her lower back and tucked her in to his side, then gave her hair a sniff. “Yeah, but it’s worth it.”

  Her blood rushed straight to her core. How was she supposed to ignore their chemistry when he said things like that? “Gird your loins, girl,” she muttered under her breath with her eyes squeezed shut.

  “What did you just say?”

  “Nothing!” she squeaked, and rolled over to put a little space between them. “I was, uh, just trying to remember what that constellation was called.”

  “That one?” He pointed to a bright cluster of stars directly in her line of sight. “That’s the Big Dipper. And if you follow the line of those two stars at the end, you can find the North Star.”

  “How do you know that?”

  “My parents took us camping a lot when we moved to Washington. If there was a place to knock a tent peg into the ground, we were there. They said it’d be a good way to immerse us in the American culture. Personally, I think they found it easier to handle four teenage boys when we were allowed to run free in nature.”

  “Did it work?”

  “Nah, it just gave us more ways to almost kill ourselves.”

  When he didn’t elaborate, she poked him in the ribs. “Such as?”

  “Cliff jumping. Mountain biking. Wrestling next to the fire pit.”

  “Oh dear. You must have driven your poor parents crazy.”

  “Mostly my mom. Dad was just as nuts. There was one time when I was about thirteen where he woke me up in the middle of the night and told me I was going to learn how to be a man. After we snuck out of the tent, he led me on this strange walkabout to an old deer skeleton that he’d spotted earlier that day. We moved all the bones back to the campsite and laid them out in front of my mom’s tent. The first thing she saw when she woke for the day was a pile of deer bones wearing her sunglasses, hat, and favorite shirt.”

  “That’s hilarious.” She could picture a rosy-cheeked Alex skulking around in the dark, pulling pranks. How was it he became such a serious, uptight man?

  “How about you? Did you ever get out of the city much?”

  She shook her head. “My family was always preoccupied with other things when I was a kid.”

  “What about when you were a teenager? You never went with your friends?”

  “My parents forbade it. They were afraid I’d get eaten by a raccoon or something.” That, and the fact that she didn’t really have any friends as a teenager. No one wanted to hang out with the walking tragedy, in case it was contagious.

  She felt him roll toward her and set his piercing gaze on her. “Want to talk about it?”

  “Nope.” How did he always manage to pull her secrets out of her like loose sweater threads that wouldn
’t stop unraveling?

  “Are you ever going to open up to me?” He didn’t even try to mask the irritation in his voice.

  “I just shared my tragic lack of peeing outdoors or getting to experience poison ivy firsthand. That was practically a Catholic-level confession.”

  “I don’t understand you, Jaime. You’ll strand yourself out in the middle of nowhere when I know you’d rather be in one of those vans on your way to a warm, comfortable bed all because you didn’t want me to be alone out here, but you can’t even open up about a single detail of your life.”

  “Like you’re an open book?”

  “There’s a difference. I may not open up a lot, but that’s because I don’t have a reason to. Not because I don’t know how.”

  Her shoulders tensed, causing her back to arch like a startled cat. She opened her mouth to respond, but before she could, he rolled onto his elbow and pointed upward.

  “Look!”

  A flicker of light streaked through the sky. Then another. And another, until a hail of brilliant lights exploded in the sky, careening in all directions, more brilliant and awesome than any man-made fireworks display. Jaime fell back into Alex’s arm and let herself become mesmerized by the show. It looked like Christmas tinsel tossed into the sky and hit with a Taser blast.

  She wasn’t sure how long the shower lasted, but by the time the last flicker of light burned out into the atmosphere, the early-morning hours finally caught up with her. Her eyelids were heavy with sleepiness. She and Alex had fallen into a comfortable silence as they watched Mother Nature unleash her beauty. It was a strange kind of quiet for her. Intimate. The kind of thing that usually made her skin itch, but for some inexplicable reason she felt oddly okay with it next to Alex.