Page 64 of Chess Not Checkers
I hate how afraid she looks. I know Bash cares for her, and that’s why he made the rule, but she likely sees it as another way to let him down after all he’s done for her.
“I think if we tell him in the right way, he won’t be. I’ll ask to have dinner with him and MJ, and you can show up, then we’ll tell him together.”
Jasmine gives me a wry smile. “You want MJ there because you think she’ll be on our side.”
I laugh. “I doubt she knows about the rule. She’d probably put a stop to it.”
“A loud one,” Jasmine agrees.
I’d consider telling MJ first, but that wouldn’t help us now. It would look like we went behind Coach’s back, which would only make things worse.
“Okay,” she sighs. “I can get behind this plan. Though…all of our roommates are going to know. Mine encouraged me to come here.”
“I’ll have to thank them,” I say with a grin.
“They also threatened you in a variety of creative ways if this didn’t go well, so…”
“I’ll thank themandstay on their good side.”
She chuckles. “I think they’ll keep our secret. And Owen doesn’t seem like the gossip type.”
“Definitely not. He’s a human vault. As long as no one else finds out, it’ll be fine.”
“Two weeks isn’t so bad,” she says with a little nod. “We can do it.”
“It’ll kill me not to tell everyone I see tomorrow, but yeah, we can.”
She giggles. “That’s a lot of people.”
“Trust me, once the secret is out, I’m telling everyone you’re mine.”
“Yours, huh?” She pokes my leg with her toes. “I don’t remember agreeing to that.”
“That kiss felt pretty binding.”
She smirks. “I don’t know. I might need some more convincing.”
“That can be arranged.”
I grin and move so I’m hovering over her. She reaches up and toys with the hair at the nape of my neck. Her eyes have darkened from a pale meadow-green to a dark forest beneath my shadow. I lower myself down and press a kiss to the corner of her mouth, then her jaw. She hums.
“Convinced yet?” I brush my lips over hers.
“Not quite.” There’s a teasing glint in her eyes that stokes a fire deep within me.
I trail feather soft kisses from her jaw to the delicate skin below her ear. Her breathing turns ragged. I hover right above that sensitive spot, my breath warming her skin.
“Tell me you’re mine,” I whisper into her ear.
“You’re mine,” she says, ever the rebel.
I chuckle. “That was never in question, beautiful.”
Her hands grip me tighter. “I’m yours,” she breathes out.
Those two words undo me. I bury my face in the curve of her neck, lavishing her with all the affection she deserves. She arches into me and I pull back, ready to stop before we go too far. This is, of course, the moment that Owen chooses to return.
I hear the door open and I scramble off of Jasmine, getting to my feet. Her face flushes bright red. She sits up straight as a board.
