Page 47 of The Playmaker
"You left me unread, little benchwarmer." His voice, oh God that deep timbre of it, makes my toes curl.
I look up at him and he looks…at peace. He gets called away. I pull my phone out and finally open his message:I'm sorry.
Then another one right after that, sent yesterday:I know it wasn't you.
I gasp in relief and something akin to euphoria, a weight liberating itself from my heart. I clutch the phone to my chest, smiling.
"Ms. Monroe?" a lady in a suit asks me. "This way for your interview."
An hour later, it's over. I'm in. It's not an anchor role but it's a start. And I'm ready to prove myself. I pause on my way out, watching ESPN's afternoon show on one of the huge monitors in the lobby where Jaxon's face fills the screen. Ahh, that's why he was here. He's opening up, answering questions about Riley and why he kept her a secret. But I think I already know why. I think it's part of what I got so wrong about him all this time. I thought he was living for himself, but really, he was living for her, doing everything he could to keep her safe.
And that realization wraps around me like a warm hug. I know then that it would be the best decision of my life to date a good guy like Jaxon Carter. I hope he's still interested.
My phone buzzes.
Jax:* Meet me here today at 7.*
He sends an address. Nothing in this world could stop me from being there, from being anywhere he is.
I call Pen on my way out the door and nearly go deaf with all the shrieking and excitement as I tell her the good news.
7:00 PM.
I'm not surprised when I pull up to a private ballet school at seven on the dot. Something in my bones told me he was going to let me into his world, that he wasn't going to take my "no" to dating him for an answer. Well, that and the fact that Pen punched in the address so fast I barely blinked before she yelled out that it was Riley's ballet school she'd seen all over the gossip channels.
The building is beautiful, all glass and clean lines, with a steady stream of parents and guests filing in for what must be a performance night. My heart flutters with anticipation—not just to see Jax, but to finally meet the person who means so much to him.
He's there, devastatingly sexy and grinning at me. And she's there, sweet and beautiful.
"Avery, this is my sister. Riley, this is Avery, the one I told you about."
She lights up, greeting me with a grin that's so similar to her brother's it makes my heart melt.
"I love your dress," she says with a shy smile.
I melt at that soft look on her face. "And I am sure I'm going to love your performance! I can't wait to see you on stage tonight. I hear you are extremely talented."
I reach out and squeeze her arm. In that moment, I know we are going to be friends for life. Riley's expression is still so innocent. I can see Jax has done a good job of protecting her from a world that can be very jaded.
"I hope you go out for ice cream with us afterwards," Riley says before rushing inside with other girls her age.
"She's lovely," I murmur before I raise an eyebrow at Jax. "Okay. Fess up. You told her about me? What…exactly?"
In reply, he pulls me to him, lips an inch from mine. "Tell me you want this as much as I do."
I'm so happy I could cry. I still have a lot to tell him, about my dad, my own fears about dating an athlete, but in this moment, none of that matters. He matters.
"Yes," I say, and he kisses me heart wrenchingly deep and slow, savoring me as I melt in his arms.
He pulls back just enough for me to ask, "Are you sure this is going to work?"
Damn my doubts, but they are real.
He smiles so softly that my heart flutters.
"Yes. I trust you. And you can trust me."
Arousal floods my body. He's right. I can trust him. And honestly, I do.
