“That was one hell of a game, son.” My dad slapped my back as he pulled me in for a quick manly hug. “That double play you pulled was sick.”
I played shortstop for the Eagles on a full scholarship. Hell, I’ve played baseball since I was old enough to hold a mitt. I loved the game; it was still the one thing I had that kept me grounded. The thrill of the game was like nothing else I’d ever felt.
“You got plans now?” my mother asked as she moved in to offer me a hug of her own. “Because I was thinking we should go celebrate.”
“Celebrate” to her meant a feast with a shit ton of people. Nothing was ever simple when it came to Kori Jackson. My mother was, and I knew always would be, a little over the top, especially when it came to her children.
“I think the guys were all talking about going out for pizza.” I looked back over my shoulder, hoping they’d be game to back me up when my mother made a happy little shrieking noise that made me jerk in surprise. I spun back around to face her and immediately looked around for whatever it was that made her react like that.
That was the moment I saw it—that ecstatic look in her eyes that assured me I most likely wouldn’t agree with whatever was rolling around in her mind.
“We’ll meet you all there then.” She spun around on her heels and hurried away before I had the chance to react and began dialing her phone before lifting it to her ear. The sound of dad’s laughter had me looking at him next, and I was still confused as to what had just taken place.
Did I mention I sometimes felt that my mother gave me whiplash?
“You know your mom’s gonna be following you around until she isn’t able to get around anymore, right?”
The idea of that made me widen my eyes, which only triggered further laughter from Reed. The guy absolutely loved to torment and to watch others be tormented. He also loved how my mother hovered over Grace and me; the more embarrassed we were, the better it was for him.
“Looks like we’re all going out for pizza,” dad said with a slap on my shoulder. “You better go inform your friends and prepare them for the family.”
“The family?”
“Yep,” he added with a nod. “You know she’s set forth the phone tree, and by the time you reach the pizza joint every member of our crazy ass clan is gonna already be there waiting.” He walked away with a little extra hop in his step, and I found myself trying to come up with a way to repay him simply for his obvious gloating.
As I walked back to my friends, I noticed AJ standing off talking to Dane and Collin. She was smiling, and when she threw her head back in laughter, I stopped for a moment and just watched. I wouldn’t pretend I hadn’t noticed her over the years, but seeing her now, all relaxed and enjoying herself, it was like I was seeing her for the first time. She was gorgeous, and something about the way she held herself assured me that she seriously had no clue just how appealing she was.
When she peered in my direction and our gazes locked, she paused for a moment and gave me her shy smile. It was in that moment I felt that crazy twinge of hope in my chest, that racing heart, that excitement, that rush of adrenaline when being presented with something new. I hadn’t felt it in so long, it was slightly shocking that it had reappeared with only a simple glance.
“Dude, your mouth is hanging open.” I ignored Terrance and his need to point out what was already obvious to me. “You thinking you might give the girl a chance?”
“I asked her out already and she declined.” I was still a little puzzled by that one. I thought she was interested, but I guess I’d been wrong.
“Think about this.” I looked away from AJ, finally breaking our connection and concentrated on my best friend the philosopher. “I’ve watched her watch you from afar for a long time now. She’s been to all the same parties, all our games, yet it took you until now to notice her. She’s not a dumb girl, Rhett. She knows you’ve been hung up on Harley since she left.”
Normally my reaction to any mention of Harley would have had me feeling a deep, empty ache inside, a longing to see her or even hear her voice. Yet recently that ache had grown a little less intense, leaving only a sense of something that once was, yet no longer existed.
“Can you do me a favor?”
“Sure,” he said without hesitation.
“Can we not discuss Harley anymore?” He stared back at me, and I could see the surprise in his eyes. “You were right. She is the past, and it’s time for me to move on.”
He remained quiet, yet I couldn’t miss the slow smile as it crept over his lips. With a simple nod of his head, I felt better about what I was about to do. “Get the guys rounded up. Apparently Mr. And Ms. Jackson are taking us all out for pizza.” My own happiness grew—my father was about to supply a whole lot of hungry guys pizza, on his dime. There’s payback for loving my misery. “I’m gonna go over and give this asking AJ out thing another shot.”
“Don’t let her say no,” he hollered out from behind, and I chuckled. Smooth, man. Real smooth. But the thing was, I didn’t intend to let her shoot me down again.
As I stepped up next to Collin’s side, he immediately turned to me and started talking about the play I made. I stared straight ahead, completely focused on AJ, who was also watching me. I found myself enjoying the way her cheeks reddened from my undivided attention on her.
I knew I was taking a chance of being shot down again, only this time in front of my teammates.
“You hungry?” I asked AJ. I looked at her alone but noticed the guys were eager to answer my question themselves. “You shot down my offer to feed you a few days ago, but I’m not gonna let you tell me no this time.” I grinned when I saw her eyes widen in what I would describe as surprise just before she arched her brow in an attempt to hide her interest. “I understand why you said no, I do. But I need you to know that I plan on trying every single day from this one forward until you agree. That could get slightly annoying.” She looked down, and I saw her shoulders shake with laughter. “It’s just pizza, AJ, but there are a few conditions.”
She looked up at me once again, and I saw the corner of her mouth tip up in a smile. “And what would those conditions be?”
“One, you let me pay for your pizza.” She crossed her arms over her chest, and I tried not to focus on the attention it brought to her tits. “Two, you sit next to me.” I noticed her smile growing wider. “Three, you agree to see a movie with me Saturday night.”
“I do really like pizza.” I could immediately sense she was teasing me, but I let it go. I was enjoying this little game. It was the first time in a long time I felt this relaxed around any girl. “Sitting next to you won’t be so bad. I mean, you are nice to look at.” The blush on her cheeks reddened once more. “A movie may be fun, but I get to pick what we watch, and you buy me a blue-raspberry slushie and a pack of cherry licorice.”
“Are you gonna make me watch some girly flick?”
“Definitely.” She uncrossed her arms and took a step toward me.
“Why you gotta torture a guy?”
She moved around me and began walking toward the parking lot. “Call it payback for all the times I’ve tried to gain your attention and you ignored me. I plan on driving you crazy as payback for making me wait so long.”
“Making you wait for what?”
“For you.” She kept walking, and I allowed my gaze to fall lower as I focused on the way her hips swayed and her ass moved in those tight jean shorts she wore. I was well aware of the fact that she was giving them a little extra shake with each step. It would seem little AJ had some fire inside her. Her confidence and attitude intrigued me. She wasn’t afraid to challenge me, and up until then, I never knew something like that could be so appealing.
***
“Who’s the girl?” Chloe asked from my side, and I leaned a little closer so AJ didn’t hear our conversation. Chloe was yet another one of my cousins who was strictly earned because our parents were all best friends. Her father, Ben, was one of Reed’s best friends, so in a way she was almost like a little sister who could be a little nosy. She was a little over a year younger than me but went to beauty school and stayed sheltered when it came to the outside world.
“Her name is AJ.”
“She’s cute.” She nudged my shoulder, and I avoided eye contact, knowing she was watching and waiting for me to tell her more. Only there wasn’t really anything more to say, yet. “Just saying.” She bumped my leg with her own, and for a split second, our gazes connected. She shrugged as she reached out for another slice of pizza. “And she seems interested, considering I’ve caught her watching you multiple times over the last hour when you weren’t looking her way.”
There was that crazy heavy shift in my chest all over again when I looked to my left to see AJ once again lost in conversation with some of the guys. Seeing how carefree she was with them gave me this crazy possessive feeling that raced through me when Wyatt, the catcher, winked at her just before shoveling another slice of pizza into his mouth.
I shook it off quickly, knowing that I had no right to feel that way. Instead, I focused on the chaos around me, trying to ignore the nagging inside me.
With my team, and my family, plus a mixture of others that were invited, we took up half of Marlow’s Pizza and we were loud. Conversations flying back and forth, guys laughing and girls giggling. It was hard to have a conversation without having to practically shout at the person across the table to get them to hear what you were saying.
Instead of attempting to join in, I took it as my opportunity to get a little closer to AJ.
I leaned in near her ear and she turned toward me on instinct, and suddenly we found our lips were only an inch or two apart. I waited for her to pull back, and I’ll admit in my mind I was hoping she didn’t, only we both remained perfectly still.
“Hi,” she whispered as her gaze dropped to my lips. Again, that spark of interest hit me, and I placed my arm over the back of her chair. Leaning back just slightly, I grinned, careful not to place too much space between us. “Hi to you too.”
She tucked her chin toward her chest, and I could visibly see her chest rise and fall as she took in a deep breath. I won’t lie and say that her obvious reaction to my closeness did nothing for my ego, because it did. It was exciting to know she was affected by me.
“So, this movie we’re gonna see,” I wait until she looks up at me once more before I continue, “you think maybe we can extend it and hang out afterward too?”
“You’re pretty confident, aren’t you? I mean, who’s to say that the movie portion will go over snag free?” She tilted her head to the side in the sweetest way and stared up at me with her eyebrow cocked questioningly. “I may be halfway through the movie and have to fake a headache or something just to get out of the rest of it. You might annoy me beyond words. Me committing to hanging out now would only further the guilt I’d feel when I duck out early.”
“Nah,” I said, wrinkling up my nose. “I predict halfway through you’ll be snuggled up to my side, my arm around your shoulders, and we’ll have shared at least one kiss.”
I could visibly see her throat bob as she swallowed. “You, Rhett, are…” she paused, and I assumed she was trying to come up with some way to shoot me down again. Yet instead she surprised the fuck out of me. “…are probably right. At least about the snuggled-up part. We’ll have to see about the rest.”
Her confidence, that hidden strong side of this sweet, innocent girl excited me. I realized at that moment that being with AJ might have been exactly what I’d needed all along. She was different, fun, and I’d denied myself that kind of interaction with any female for too long.
There I was, in the presence of AJ for less than two hours, and I’d felt lighter than I had in longer than I could pinpoint.