Page 47 of Playing for Possession
My veins still sang from his kisses, but I’d felt him holding back. He made me feel safe, and I believed him when he said he wouldn’t rush me. If we were doing this slow, then I could do it. There had to be so much about Kieran I didn’t know, and I wanted to know all of it. I wanted to peel back those gruff, prickly layers and know everything. He’d looked after me on this trip. And that kiss! It had been like an out-of-body experience. I’d been floating above myself somewhere, wondering why on earth Kieran Earnshaw had his lips pressed to mine.
Now dinner. Was this a date? Our first date? Would he kiss me again after this dinner? What if he wanted more?Calm down. It was one kiss. One sensational kiss.I’d always thought it was a cliché when people said their knees went weak with a kiss, but Kieran’s persuasive mouth had made my whole body weak. I’d barely been able to stand.
I went downstairs to the living area, but it was strangely silent. Kieran lay on the couch with his eyes closed. His chest moved up and down in a slow, even rhythm. He looked young and peaceful asleep, like the eighteen-year-old I’d crushed on all those years ago.
I gave him a gentle nudge. “Kieran.”
His eyes fluttered, but he didn’t stir. He was probably exhausted. Playing with those kids in the heat all day must have worn him out. Maybe it was better to leave him and let him sleep. He’d told me before that he could sleep under any conditions. It was disappointing. I’d wanted us to go out, but I didn’t have it in me to rouse him when he looked so serene. I grabbed a throw from an armchair and covered him. My stomach groaned with hunger.
I went to the kitchen and peered into the pathetically empty fridge. The cupboards weren’t much better. That’s the thing about athletes. We ate a lot. A sandwich wouldn’t cut it. The idea hit me. This was an opportunity to tick something off my list. I’d wanted to go out to a restaurant alone. Better to do it in Menorca, where I wouldn’t be recognized.
A shiny resolve went through me. This could be a “seize the day” moment. I’d leave Sleeping Beauty a note. He could join me if he woke up, although from the look of him, he’d be out for hours. I’d take a taxi to Cala Galdana, bring Kieran food, and when I came back, maybe we could pick up from where we left off.
Chapter 22
Kieran
Jack lined up the shot. He muttered curses under his breath and moved the ball a fraction. He wore a furious expression as he kicked the ball hard enough to take someone’s head off.
“Come on, mate. It’s time to go. They’re locking up.”
He ignored me, stormed to retrieve the ball, and threw it back down at his feet.
“What’s the matter?”
He grunted and took a shot at the net again with vicious force. It did nothing to shift his angry expression.
I grabbed his elbow before he could set off. “Seriously. What’s wrong?” It was always the guys in the locker room. They must have been giving him shit again. “What have they done now?”
A spurt of anger went through me. You had to roll with locker-room pranks and banter, but this lot took it too far. “They pick on you because you’ve got something they’ll never have.”
He snorted. “Oh yeah? What’s that?”
“Talent. Guts. Integrity. You can’t buy any of that stuff. Fuck them. One day you’ll be playing for England.”
He returned, dropped the ball at his feet, and toed the ground with his battered trainers. “No, Kieran. One day you’ll be playing for England. I’ll never make the cut.”
He fired the ball at the net again. I grabbed him and twisted him to face me. I’d never seen him look so defeated. “Both of us. Don’t let the noise get inside your head, you hear me? One day you’re going to be a legend, mate. The crowds will chant your name.”
Rain fell. The hammer on the pitch filled my ears. Jack gave a heavy sigh. This was too much. I couldn’t take seeing him this beaten down. It was getting harder and harder to shift him out of these dark moods. “That’s it. I’m getting you out of here. I’ll get you in with me.”
His head shot up. “What? Calverdale? How?”
I’d had a call from my old manager at Madrid. They wanted me back. I’d use it to bargain with Rob. He wouldn’t want to let me go. I’d tell him I wanted my brother on the team or I’d leave. It was a shitty move, but things had become desperate. I’d get Jack out of Yorford if it was the last thing I did.
I threw an arm around Jack’s shoulder. “Don’t worry, mate. I’ll sort it. Family always comes first.”
I woke, disorientated and foggy. My eyes flew to the clock. It was almost 10 p.m. What the fuck? It had been 7 p.m. when we came in from playing with Daniel. I stretched my back and sat up. The sweet pineapple tang of Joanie’s lip balm still tingled on my lips. Where was she? Why couldn’t I have dreamed about that kiss?
Joanie had been soft and gentle but at the same time eager and intense. But I wasn’t supposed to be kissing her, and I wasn’t doing either of us any favors by kissing her. It couldn’t go anywhere.Damn it. Why the fuck had I let this happen?
“Joanie?”
No reply. I searched downstairs, and upstairs. Joanie’s bedroom door was slightly ajar. I peered through the crack in the door.
“Joanie?” I said softly.
A tall lamp in the corner spilled a soft glow over a neatly made bed. Makeup, books, and lotions scattered the dressing table. I felt like a creeper going into her room, but my skin prickled with a strange anxiety. It was late. She should have been in here. The sweet scent of perfume wrapped around me as I stepped inside.
