Page 21 of Playing for Keeps
He leaned in, drawn by the sweet smell of her skin as he whispered, “I said I wouldn’t kiss you again unless you asked.” He should get an award for his restraint.
Her arms tightened around his neck. “Will you please kiss me?” she begged.
Absolutely. He was a goner—lost to the woman who’d just claimed him heart and soul. “As you wish.”
His lips met hers softly—softer than he’d ever done anything in his life. Time slowed as he took the time to drink her in. She was golden sunshine chasing away the dark clouds, and he let the force of her consume him.
There was no going back now. Even if she walked away, he would never be the same. Whether it was real or not, he felt like someone had made room for him, for the first time in his life. And he wasn’t sure what to do with it.
The rain pelting the tin roof came harder, covering them in a waterfall that couldn’t reach their shelter. Everything was happening so fast, but he didn’t have the will to pump the brakes.
Justin
Present Day
“McKinnon, are you listening?”
Justin blinked away the memory as Nick barked the question. “Yeah. I heard you.”
“So you’ll still need to be available for the interview. Bleacher Report already has the pictures, and I’ve sent over the questions. They’re pretty standard. Did you open the email?” Nick asked.
“Yeah….”
Justin stopped scrolling on the laptop in front of him when a photo of Alicia Carver crossed his feed. She’d moved to Redemption Ridgeand married Caroline’s brother, Jordan, a few years ago, and the brilliant idea hit Justin like a slap in the face. “Do you have any connections to Alicia Carver’s team?”
Nick chuckled. “She insists on being called by her married name now, but I do know someone on her team. What are you thinking?”
“She lives in town. If I could get her to help us—I mean, me.”
“You’re talking about that Operation Christmas Romance thing you’re planning? I thought we were keeping that off public news.”
“We are, I just can’t seem to get Caroline to talk to me. I thought maybe we could get Alicia to help us. Can you get her number?”
“Not legally, but I can send you her number with a pretty please.”
If he could somehow talk to Caroline’s sister-in-law, could Alicia possibly help him reach Caroline?
“I’ll get right on it,” Nick said. “Please read your emails. I marked three of them as important, and I need to know your answers when I call tomorrow.”
“Sure.” Justin stretched his arms over his head. Sitting in front of a computer was his least favorite thing to do, but it was the one thing that carried over from his previous career. He rarely checked his social media pages, but every once in a while, Nick requested he look around and make a few comments.
“I’ll call you back as soon as I reach Alicia’s team,” Nick promised.
Justin ended the call and pushed away from the desk in his home office. Getting through to Caroline was proving more difficult than he’d expected. Earning her forgiveness was his main goal, and he wasn’t giving up. Not now or ever.
7
CAROLINE
“Here’s your double shot of burnin’ love, Mr. Schilling.” Caroline handed the hot drink to the elderly man whose wife was digging into a wedding cake cupcake.
Mr. Schilling leaned over the counter to whisper, “There’s no need to yell, dear.”
Caroline covered her smile with a hand. “Sorry,” she said quietly. “I think it’s the sweetest that Mrs. Schilling wanted to come here on your anniversary.”
Mr. Schilling’s cheek lifted in a one-sided grin as he eyed his wife. The lines that spread out around the outer edges of his eyes deepened. “She’s not too fond of stuff. She’d rather go for a walk together on our special day. I should have known where we were headed.”
Caroline held up a finger. “One second. I have something for the two of you.”
