Page 59 of A Play For The Heart
Thankfully, Jack breaks the tension by doing what he loves most, annoying Maren.
“Hey, Maren baby,” he says, swinging his arm over her shoulder. “Have fun at the game?”
Maren looks him up and down, peers over at the elbow on her shoulder, then carefully peels his arm off her and places it back at his side. I have to bite my lip to hold back my laugh, and a quick glance at Nathalie and Sawyer confirms that they’re feeling the same way.
“Hello, Jack,” she says, robotically. “It was a good game. How have you been?” It looks like she wants to peel her own skin off by asking that question, but it seems like whatever politeness she is going for has won over.
I can see the light dance in Jack's eyes. He’s about to mess with her. We all noticed how polite she was attempting to be, and he’s about to exploit that.
“Oh, I’ve been good. I watched this documentary recently. It was about the flora and fauna of the rainforests in Africa. Have you seen it?” He shoots her a saccharine smile. Not even attempting to act coy.
I watch as a plethora of emotions flicker over Maren’s features. Anger. Annoyance. A bit of embarrassment. I watch the fire blaze in her eyes, and she takes a deep breath before she responds.
“Oh, very interesting,” she says with such a patronizing tone that it even hurts me. “I haven’t seen it. I’ve been busy lately, actually. You know, just doing my part to help combat global climate change. A rather large endeavor.”
Noticing that the exchange is only going to go downhill from here, I step in, ceasing the battle between the two of them. Their exchanges amuse me, but right now I want to go home with Sawyer. Not listen to them debate some obscure species found on some island in the middle of nowhere.
“Come home with me?” I ask quietly, so only Sawyer hears me.
“Okay,” she responds, voice hesitant. “Just let me see if Maren can drive my car back home.”
I wait off to the side while Sawyer talks to Maren and Nathalie. They both glance from her to me then back to her while she talks to them. Sawyer turns towards Nathalie, and Maren takes the opportunity to look at me and wink. Finishing her conversation with the two of them, Sawyer walks back towards me.
“Maren’s taking my car home. Can you drop me off tomorrow so I can get ready for work?”
I nod, grab her hand, and basically drag her towards my car. I leave the rest of them in the dust. I have one thing on my mind, and it's Sawyer. She seems to remember her manners and waves goodbye, giggling as we make our way towards my car. Opening the passenger door for her, she hops in. I make my way to the driver’s side, turn the car on, and head back to my apartment. We sit in amicable silence, and halfway through the drive, she places her hand on my thigh.
It’s a harmless enough act since she’s not moving north, and it’s not inherently sexual, but it sends a shock below the belt. I do my best to not pull the car over right there and kiss the shit out of her. What feels like a lifetime later, but in reality is only five minutes, I pull into the parking garage and put the car into park. I hop out, leaving my bag in the backseat, and open the door for Sawyer.
“You don’t need to keep opening my door,” she laughs as she gets out.
“I’ve always wanted to, and now I can, so I’m going to.”
Her cheeks turn a rosy hue, but she intertwines our fingers as we step into the elevator. As subtly as I can, I reposition my semi-hard-on so that I don’t accidentally show any strangers how attracted I am to Sawyer. Which is a lot.
Sawyer begins to rattle off her thoughts about the game, telling me about how Nathalie had never been and how much I spoiled Maren who will ‘never be able to sit in peasant seats again’. I just stand there, watching her eyes light up as she talks about her friends. Happiness looks beautiful on her. I know she’s had a hard time making real friends, so the fact she has Maren and Nathalie makes me happy.
The elevator dings and we step off, heading to my apartment. The closer we get, the more the air becomes electric between the two of us. There’s something unspoken between us that both excites me and makes me nervous. I open the door, waiting for her to step through, then shut and lock it.
“So…” she trails off, dropping her purse on the kitchen barstool. You could cut the sexual tension between us with a butter knife.
“Do you want some water?” I ask, suddenly panicked and nervous about where the night could lead. This isn’t my first time, but it might as well be given I feel as nervous now as I did then. Sawyer isn’t just anyone. She’s the love of my life. This means something, for both of us.
“Sure.”
I grab a glass of water for her and myself, and we stand there in silence while we both empty our glasses. The moment has grown uncomfortable. Both of us unsure of what to do next. Sawyer moves beside me, putting her glass in the sink, then turns to look at me.
“So…Are you going to kiss me? Or are we going to—”
I cut her off, crashing my lips to hers. The kiss is charged as I walk her back against the counter, lifting her off the ground and dropping her on the granite. Spreading her knees, I settle between her legs and deepen the kiss. She responds, hungrily, and pulls my bottom lip between her teeth. I groan, and she swallows the sound with another long, languid kiss.
Her arms wrap around my shoulder, pulling me in closer so our bodies sit flush together. Her lips leave mine and make their way down my jaw towards my neck. She peppers kisses along my skin, leaving a tingling sensation everywhere her lips touch. I drag her face back up to mine and kiss her with a fury.
Her hands travel down my chest and grab for purchase at the hem of my shirt. She clutches the cotton material, slowly dragging it up my body. I break the kiss, allowing her to pull it up and over my head. She tosses it over her shoulder and begins to pull at her jersey.
“Keep it on,” I say, voice husky and full of desire.
Sawyer looks at me, eyes hooded, then pulls me back in for another kiss. “I want you,” she murmurs against my mouth, kissing me between words. Her hands roam across my chest and back. Smoothing over my shoulders.
