by Amelia James
He grabbed a fistful of her hair and pulled her head back, kissing her lips, her neck—whatever his mouth could reach—then slid his other hand down her back, grabbed a handful of her ass and pulled her up against him.
His passion and conviction thrilled her to the core. "Wow! I can't believe how much that turned me on." As quickly as it had started, their fight ended... for now.
Austin half-laughed, half-groaned, and turned her back against the wall. He slid both hands under her thighs, picked her up, and wrapped her legs around his waist, pinning her against the wall with his body.
Her knee throbbed, but she ignored it, focusing on the throbbing between her legs. She couldn't tell if the aching pulse came from her body or his. Didn't matter. It felt good either way.
"Tell me you want me." He whispered the words on her skin.
"I want you, Austin."
"Tell me what you want me to do to you." He rocked against her, imitating what he wanted to hear.
"Oh...." She bit her lip and shook her head.
"I know you want to."
She nodded.
"But you just can't say it."
"Not yet."
He kissed her, exploring her mouth with his tongue, teasing her with his lips. "I will hear you say it."
She saw the sparkle in his eyes and turned away. That devil was using her own words against her. Her heart pounded and her knee throbbed. "Ow!"
"That's not what I wanted to hear." He set her down gently, and put the ice pack back on her knee. "Sorry, Janie, I wasn't trying to get you so excited."
"Yes you were."
She pouted and he laughed.
"Damn right."
He kissed her lower lip and her heart started pounding again.
"That cute little pouty lip makes me wanna do things...."
"Ow!"
"Oh, sorry, I didn't mean to hurt you."
"You can make it up to me."
"Mmm... I will." His lips twisted into a grin and his laugh sounded like pure evil, pure sex. "But I can't tonight. I have an exam the day after tomorrow I gotta study for."
She raised her eyebrows and laughed. "Of all the excuses I imagined hearing from you, studying never even made the list."
"Hey, I'm a serious student... sometimes."
"I'll believe it when I see it."
"Yeah, whatever. I need to focus on this exam for the next couple of days, but after that you're fair game."
His gaze swept her body, making her tingle. She gathered her thoughts enough to continue their conversation, but struggled to put a sentence together. "What class is it for?"
It took him a while to answer, and when he did, an embarrassed smile screwed up his face. "Anatomy."
She laughed so hard her ribs hurt. "Anatomy? Aren't you already an expert?"
"You tell me."
Ooo. Jane stopped laughing and grabbed his jersey to pull him close. "Maybe I can help you study." She slid her hands down his chest.
"Believe me, I'd like nothing better." He pulled her wandering hands away from his shorts. "But you are too much of a damn distraction. Stop that."
"No."
"So you want to play dirty, is that it?" He stopped fighting her off and let her have what she wanted, moving close and trapping her hands against his thighs, waiting to see what she would do.
He was looking at her. She couldn't do anything while he was looking at her. She kissed him and, when he closed his eyes, hesitantly slid her hand between his thighs and up—cupping, rubbing.
Oh, he feels so good—hard, hot, and— Damn! My knee is throbbing again. "Ow." Jane pouted. Apparently she couldn't play his game.
"I think I should take you home so you can get some rest."
"That's not what I'm thinking."
"Oh, I know what you're thinking. Troublemaker!" He kissed her softly, slowly. "Come on." He pulled her away from the wall and swatted her ass. "Go change your clothes and meet me out front. I gotta get you off my hands so I can have some peace."
"Good luck with that." She stuck her tongue out at him as she disappeared into the locker room.
***
"Did you get kicked in practice again?" Sara dropped her backpack on the coffee table.
So Sara was speaking to her today. "Yeah. It didn't hurt much at the time, but it started bleeding all over, and that's when I felt it."
"Nice bandage job. Did you go to the clinic?" She sat down on the couch and inspected Jane's propped up leg.
"No, Austin did that."
"Huh."
"He's a pre-med major, sports medicine. After he hurt his knee, he decided he wanted to help other athletes."
"So he can play doctor."
"Yeah, well, he's pretty good at it." Wait, that didn't come out right.
Sara snorted.
"He brought me home and told me to put my leg up for a while."
"He didn't stay to give you some special treatment?"
She leaned back on the overstuffed chair surrounded by pillows, with her knee propped up on the coffee table. That counted. "He got me settled and warmed up some leftovers for me, but he had to go home and study."
"Austin studies? For what?"
Here it comes. "For an Anatomy exam."
Sara's eyebrows quirked.
"Yeah, I know. He should be an expert."
"I'm sure he's tired of hearing that joke."
"Yeah, probably."
Sara stood and picked up her backpack. "Do you need anything?"
Jane looked around. Austin had put everything she might need within reach. She'd claimed that he spoiled her, but with a charming smile, he'd insisted that he wanted to. She could get used to that. "No. I think I'm good."
"Okay. I'm going to my room to study. Yell if you need anything."
"How was your day?" Jane missed talking to her.
"Fine." Sara sat down again. "Good, actually. I got an A on my Psych paper."
"Cool."
Sara sat there for couple of minutes. "Are you going out with Austin again?"
Oh boy. "After his exam is over, but we haven't made any definite plans yet."
"I see."
Neither of them said anything for a while, so Jane picked up the TV remote and started flipping through the channels, not paying attention to anything. Then she put it down and looked at Sara. "I know you're just looking out for me, and I appreciate that."
Sara nodded. "I'm glad you're enjoying yourself."
"I am too. I won't invite him over here again if you don't want me to."
"No, that's okay. Just let me know when, so I don't have to be here."
"Okay."
Silence. Channel flipping.
Sara sighed and picked up her backpack. "Goodnight."
"Goodnight." Jane shifted in her comfortable chair, adjusting the pillows. Was it selfish being happy when Sara obviously wasn't? She shouldn't be having fun with her friend miserable. She picked up the remote.
Oh, why not? She threw the remote on the couch, out of her reach. Is it my fault Sara doesn't like Austin?
Sara had made her choice.
Jane chose to be happy, and she refused to feel guilty about it.
***
Jane spotted him leaving the lab as she was heading toward the library, but decided Austin was much more interesting than any book she needed.
He waved to her, and she fell into step beside him. "How was your exam?"
"Over. That's the best thing I can say about it."
"That bad, huh?"
Austin put his arm around her shoulders and pressed his lips to her hair. "It was tough, but I think I did all right."
"That's good."
"How's your knee?"
"Better. It doesn't hurt much when I walk on it."
"Good." He touched his lips to her ear. "Did it wake you up throbbing?"
She gave him an evil smile. "No, something else did."
He groaned. "Janie, you can't do that to me when we're in public."
"So
rry." She giggled.
"No, you're not."
"Okay, I'm not." She wanted to kiss him but too many people crowded the sidewalk, and they didn't need an audience for what she had in mind. "So what are your plans for tonight?"
"Jack and I are going out for burgers. Wanna come?"
"I don't want to intrude."
"Are you kidding? He's been begging me to have you over."
"Oh." Wow. A guy is begging for my company? Nice. "Okay, if you're sure he won't mind."
"He won't mind, trust me. But no flirting. It's not fair."
"Not fair to him or to you?"
"Yes." He grunted, then grinned and kissed her.
She followed him to his Jeep.
McGinley's Pub specialized in Irish food and beer, but they served beer from all over the world. Jane had once tried to count all the beer signs on the walls, but she'd given up. More signs and logos covered the walls on the second floor, where the pool tables attracted Bayfield students by the dozens.
When they arrived, Jack was already sitting at one of the dark wood tables, chatting up a pretty waitress. Austin said they practically lived there, and the waitresses knew them well. They knew Jack didn't drink, and that Austin did. They also knew that both of them liked to flirt, and they all loved flirting back.
"Hey, Jane, nice to see you." Jack stood up and pulled out a chair.
"Hi, Jack, how are you?"
"Can't complain."
Austin slid his chair next to Jane and ordered a couple of beers and another Coke for Jack. "Ready for the game this weekend?"
"You bet. I've been looking forward to it."
"Me too. Revenge games are always tough."
Jane picked up a menu. "Is this the game against State?"
"Yeah, we beat them in overtime last year." Austin read the entrée list over her shoulder.
"They were not happy," Jack said.
"You scored the winning touchdown." Jane turned to Jack, remembering that game. Sara had gone with her, and even though she didn't like football, she'd kept her eyes on Jack all night.
"That's right."
"I faked a pass and handed it off to Jack," Austin said. "The defense had no idea what was happening."
"No one knew I had the ball. I had an open lane to the end zone."
"We won't be able to pull that off again."
The waitress put their drinks on the table and smiled at Austin. He didn't seem to notice.
"We'll figure something out." Jack winked at the waitress, but she waited for a response from Austin.
"Maybe we should recruit Janie." Austin slid his chair closer, rubbing her thigh under the table.
The waitress grumbled and left.
"You're joking." Jane nearly choked on her beer.
Jack shook his head. "Not at all. Soccer players make great placekickers."
"Ryan's still on the soccer team, isn't he?" Austin asked.
"Yes." Jane's knee was suddenly throbbing. "He's the one who kicked me."
"You practice with the guys' team?" Austin touched her injured knee, and she pulled her leg away.
"Coach says it makes us tougher."
"Ouch," Jack cringed.
"And I thought our coach was mean," Austin said.
"He is," grumbled Jack. "Think your dad will be there?"
Austin's face darkened. "You know what I think."
"Your dad goes to your games?" Jane moved her leg closer to Austin, hoping he would touch her again.
He took the bait, stroking her thigh as if he needed comfort. "He says he'll be at every game."
"We make bets on whether or not he shows up." Jack took a drink of his Coke.
"I always bet no." Austin kept rubbing. "I win more often than he does."
"I'm sorry." Jane rubbed her sore knee against Austin's leg, knowing he hurt more than she did.
He didn't show it. "He always has some excuse, some drama. I stopped counting on him a long time ago. Let's get something to eat. I'm starving." Austin signaled the waitress and she bounced over to their table.
Jane rolled her eyes and looked at Jack, laughing at the spectacle. Did all women bounce around Austin? God, she hoped she didn't start bouncing.
"What can I do for you?" The waitress's gaze moved over the football star, leaving no doubt about what she wanted to do for him.
They ordered burgers and fries, and the waitress left, not bouncing anymore, because it was obvious that all Austin wanted was food and Jane.
Jack finished off his Coke. "So, Jane, how did you get interested in soccer?"
"My dad thought participating in team sports would be good for me, so he encouraged me to play soccer and softball. I was at practice more than home, which was probably better for me than anything else. It drove my mom crazy."
"Your mom hates sports?"
"Her mom hates anything fun." Austin's hand slid up around her waist, sneaking under her sweater to caress bare skin as he leaned in close and nibbled her ear.
Jane gasped and caught his hand. "Now I know she wouldn't like you."
He pulled her onto his lap and kissed her. "As long as you like me, I don't give a damn what your mom thinks."
She giggled and moved back to her chair, but let his hand continue wandering. She glanced at Jack and suddenly remembered their conversation. "My mom thought I should spend all my time studying."
Jack shrugged. "Nothing wrong with that."
"No—all my time studying."
"I see. No, that's not good."
"So I stood up to her, and my dad supported me. I told her she couldn't run my life. She told me I was a stubborn and willful child, but I joined the soccer team anyway."
Jack looked at Austin. "Wow. You could learn a thing or two from her."
He jerked his knee to one side, leaving Austin to kick the table.
"Ow! Damn it!" Austin rubbed his shin.
Jane didn't know what that was all about. "Anyway, at first I played soccer just to defy her, but I got to be pretty good at it, so I played all through high school and college."
"And your mom never approved?"
"No, but I'm used to that. She still forbids me to do anything fun, and sometimes I still feel guilty when I do."
"You have to get over that," said Austin. "I thought you told her she couldn't run your life."
"I did."
"Then why is she?"
"She doesn't anymore."
"She still tells you to spend all your time studying."
"I know, but the last time she called me, I told her I could get good grades and have fun too. And then I went out with you again."
"Good girl."
Jane giggled and cuddled closer to him. "No, that makes me a bad girl."
"I'll make you a bad girl." He kissed her and dragged her onto his lap again.
Jack interrupted. "When are you two gonna figure out you're good for each other?"
Chapter 11
Two sets of puzzled eyes turned on Jack. "Did I say that out loud?"
Austin and Jane laughed and kissed while the waitress brought their food.
She ignored them. Actually, she ignored Jane. "Let me know if you need anything else," she purred to Austin.
"Wow, she doesn't give up." Jane moved back to her seat and picked up the ketchup bottle, beating it harder than she needed to.
"Give up what?" Austin stole one of her fries.
"Flirting with you. You didn't notice?"
"Nope."
"Does this happen every time he goes out?" She asked Jack.
"Pretty much." Jack rescued the helpless ketchup bottle from her. "You'll get used to it."
"No." Austin frowned. "She shouldn't have to get used to it. That's just rude. I'm with Janie. I'm not interested in anyone else."
Jack raised his eyebrows. "Whoa. Seriously?"
He'd said exactly what Jane had been thinking. She decided not to say anything yet.
"I don't do two girls at a time."
"Just that once." Th
is time he didn't move fast enough, and Austin's kick landed square on his shin.
"Yeah, seriously. I'm with Janie now. She's all I want." He leaned over and kissed her and stole another one of her fries.
She wanted to believe him, hoping that he only wanted her, not just for now but for.... The word forever didn't seem to fit, but she would take him as long as he wanted her.
She grabbed his hand. "Don't think I don't see what you're doing."
"Hmm?"
Oh, those must be the innocent blue eyes that charmed his mother and sisters and every other woman he ever met. Not going to work on me. "Stealing my fries." Yeah, they worked. She took his hand away from her plate and put it on her leg. "Keep your hands to yourself."
He laughed. "I couldn't if I wanted to." His hand slid up her thigh while he nibbled on her ear.
Jack suddenly got very interested in his food. "Mmm... good fries."
"Sorry, Janie," Austin whispered. "Tonight I will not keep my hands off you."
"Don't apologize." It would be so easy to fall for him. She should really be more careful, but her brain wasn't listening.
"Are you gonna eat those?" Jack pulled Austin's plate across the table.
"Yes, I am, damn it." Austin grabbed his plate back.
"Maybe we should behave while Jack is here," Jane whispered to Austin.
"Maybe we should make Jack go away."
"I heard that."
"Good." Austin pressed his lips to her ear. "I don't want to behave. Do you?" His hand slid between her thighs.
She shook her head. He tried to kiss her, but she pulled back, glancing at Jack.
"Just ignore me."
"Okay, Janie, I'll be good... for now." Austin leaned close one more time. "But as soon as I have you all to myself...."
He didn't need to finish that sentence. Under the table, his hands told her everything.
"Um—" Jane stood up. "Excuse me for just one minute." She disappeared toward the restrooms.
***
"Scared her off already?" Jack laughed.
"She'll be back. You need to get lost."
"Yeah, I know. Soon as I finish my fries."
"Don't come back till...."
"Till when?"
"I don't know. Just don't come back."
"What am I supposed to do all night?"
"I'm sure Angie will think of something."
"True." Jack reached for Austin's plate again. "Seriously, are you gonna eat those fries?"