She didn’t think her dad would go so far as to fire him. Truth was, she didn’t know what he’d do. At the very least, Garrett’s reputation could be tarnished.
His distracting fingers grazed the edge of her breast, almost depleting her reserve of self-control. “Wait.” She locked her hand around his wrist. “We have to stop.”
Awareness dawned in his eyes. He drew an unsteady breath as he rested his forehead against hers. “Oh, fuck. Jessa. I’m sorry. I don’t know what … fuck.” He rolled off her and fell to the floor.
She was relieved to see he was as lost as she was. She turned, propped her head in her hand, and gazed down at him. God, he was gorgeous. His hair was cut shorter than she’d seen before, but was still long enough to appear mussed from her fingers. His lips were drawn tight, the muscles in his cheeks working overtime. The impressive bulge in his jeans made her mouth water. She forced her gaze away, dangerously close to forgetting why she’d stopped.
She soothed a finger over his forehead. “You’re going to break your teeth.”
He kept his eyes closed. “Gimme a minute and I’ll head out.”
“No rush.”
His eyes snapped open. Pure, animal lust burned in a sea of blue. “You sure about that? Because right now all I can think of is how good your mouth tastes and how hot your * felt rubbing against me. I want nothing more than to fuck the shit out of you right now, Jessa.” He grimaced. “Still think I should hang around?”
Yes, please! She groaned and rolled to her back, his brutal words making her quiver at the possibility. “Do you have to be so crude about it?” So primal.
He pushed to his feet. “I’m not being crude. I’m being honest.” He shoved his hands through his hair, lacing them together behind his neck. “I could give you flowery words, all pretty and delicate. Hell, you deserve that.” He pinned her with a stare. “But I’m not feeling all that delicate right now. My gut is burning with the need to bend you over that table and …” His voice turned guttural. “Time to go.”
Jessa sat up with the intent to follow, but he stopped her with a look. “Keep your seat, I can see myself out.”
She sat back and brought her knees to her chest. “Garrett?” Don’t go. She didn’t know what else to say. “Thanks for the pizza.”
He chuckled as he opened the door, waving a hand to let her know he’d heard her. “You betcha.”
*
He was in trouble. Garrett stared at the ceiling and grit his teeth against the lust that ravaged his body. His little stunt in Jessa’s room had changed everything. Started a firestorm in his system that only one thing would extinguish. The one thing he couldn’t let happen.
Christ, what the fuck was he thinking?
He grabbed another ball from the bag at his feet. He was going to get himself traded. Then what? He could play for another team, but his reputation would be ruined. He’d be known as that guy for the rest of his career. Shit like that didn’t just blow over.
He scrawled his name across the ball before tossing it into the basket beside him. His hand was cramped and he’d barely made a dent in the bag. At the rate he was going, he’d be up all night.
In more ways than one.
He’d gone over and over it in his head. He hadn’t intended to take advantage of Jessa. He’d wanted to make peace with her, start over fresh. Kissing her had been an impulse, but one he couldn’t have stopped if he’d tried. Her lips, curled into that gentle smile as she teased him, were far too much temptation for a mortal man such as himself.
Once he’d tasted her, the only thing on his mind was more. More heat, more skin, more Jessa.
What was it about her that made him forget everything else?
He’d spent years honing his instinct. Hell, it’s what made him the ballplayer he was today. He could see the play in his head before the bat hit the ball. He didn’t question it. He rolled with it, did whatever it took to get the job done.
His father’s voice echoed in his head. Work hard. Take care of your own. Trust your gut.