Page 46 of Playing for Possession
“Yes.”
“And friends don’t kiss.”
She blushed. “I don’t think friends kiss. There are rules about this kind of thing.”
“Rules. Right. I wonder if there are any loopholes.”
Her gaze froze on my lips. “Always finding a way to bend the rules, aren’t you?”
Amusement flickered in her eyes, but vulnerability too. Something tightened within my chest. Joanie was lowering her guard. I’d always fought with everything I had to never lower my guard, but I had to meet her in the same space. Her sweetness and trust were intoxicating. I couldn’t fuck this up. What a thing it would be to be worthy of the way this woman was looking at me right now.
I shifted the football in my arms. “I’m not trying to bend any rules. I just prefer to make my own rules.”
An amused smile pulled at her lips. “If you made up the rules yourself, would you actually follow them for a change?”
“Yes.”
Her eyelids fluttered as she studied my face. “Really?”
I released her palm and cradled her face gently with my hand. “Yes. For you, I would follow the rules. Just tell me what you want. I’ll do it.”
She swallowed. “You’ve been a good friend to me. I don’t know if I want to give that up, but maybe we could try... an upgrade?”
“An upgrade?”
I put the football I’d been holding at my feet. She tilted her chin, her breath fanned warm against my face, and her eyes closed. Lightly, I let my lips brush hers. I’d let her cross the line and move in for the kiss. It’s not like I had any fucking control over any of this. My heart was already handing over the reins to this woman. When had this happened? When she’d broken through my defenses to poke fun at me? When she’d stood up to Elena about the bikini? Maybe it was earlier than that. Maybe it was all the times I’d watched her gritty determination in the gym. Maybe it was the first time I’d laid eyes on her.
She kissed me, soft and sweet. She didn’t touch me, and I didn’t dare touch her, even though I wanted to. My hands itched to slip under her T-shirt and explore her soft curves, to glide over her hips, to circle her waist and pull her flush against me. I wouldn’t. Any further and I’d be kissing something else—goodbye to my team. I couldn’t do that to Jack. I’d made a promise to be a gentleman. I wasn’t supposed to be kissing this woman, but I couldn’t control myself. Those damn unmanly butterflies fluttered inside me.For fuck’s sake.
The world fell away and left nothing but her soft lips and the thrill rushing through my veins. Her hand wrapped around my waist and she tugged me closer. Blood pounded in my temples, mychest, lower. This was on. What did anything else matter? Nothing came close to this feeling. I drank in her sweetness. Her lips were so warm and inviting. I needed more.
She moaned softly as I kissed her jawline and the soft hollow of her neck. I needed to get her into the bedroom. What fun it would be to explore all the ways I could make her cheeks flush rosy pink. She broke away from me, breathless. Her fingers flew to her lips. She blinked hard as though she couldn’t believe what had just happened.
“We should stop,” she said.
Stop?“Why?”
She rubbed her temple and looked everywhere but at me. “I just... I don’t want to go too fast.”
Right. Take it slow. Whatever this thing was between us, it felt precious, like a kindling of fire. I didn’t want to do or say the wrong thing to dampen the flame. I shouldn’t have been doing this, but fuck it, if this was on, then it wason. Joanie should be the one to set the pace.
I took both of her hands in mine. “I never want you to feel rushed.”
She toed the ground. “It’s... I don’t want to jump into something with both feet.”
I got it. The ex-boyfriend had been a douchebag. Now I had my work cut out to prove that I wasn’t. No problem. I could do that. I pressed my forehead to hers. “Whatever you need from me. We’re just trying out an upgrade. You’re the boss.”
A teasing smile pulled at her lips. “You don’t listen to your boss.”
I kissed the back of her hand. “You’re my exception.”
Chapter 21
Joanie
I applied my lipstick in the mirror in the bathroom. I didn’t want to, because it meant erasing this tingling from Kieran’s lips. He’d kissed me, and I’d kissed him back. Kieran Earnshaw. It was so unexpected. There were so many reasons why this was crazy, but it had felt so right. I smoothed my hands over my emerald silk dress. I’d styled my hair in waves that brushed soft against my shoulder. Would he like what he saw? What would the best footballer in England see in me, anyway? Kieran was a leader, and I was percussion.
You’re the boss.
