Under the Lights (16 page)

“I haven't started dinner yet,” she said, “but it only takes twenty minutes. I can start it now if you're hungry.”

Chase hesitated, not sure how to ask what the alternative was. He didn't want to sit and watch the news with her first, if that's what she was asking. Then she tucked her finger under the neck of his T-shirt and tugged him closer for a kiss.

Any hunger for food was forgotten in the sharp resurgence of his hunger for her, and he put his hands on her waist to pull her up against his body. He'd missed her, and the kiss at O'Rourke's had only made it worse.

“I'd carry you to your bedroom,” he said against her mouth, “but we practiced this morning, and I barely made it up your stairs. I'd probably drop you.”

She laughed. “I had some fireman's carry training at the
academy and could probably carry
you
, but it's not really sexy, so it might be better if we just walk.”

When she took his hand and led him toward the bedroom, Chase wondered how he'd been lucky enough to get lucky with this woman. “If you hadn't invited me over, I'd probably still be lying on the field at the high school, waiting for somebody to help me up.”

“Is that your way of telling me I'm going to have to do all the work?”

“Judging by how long it took me to get my shirt over my head after my shower, I might need some help getting it back off.” He hooked his arm around her waist and held her still so he could nuzzle the back of her neck. “But I think I'm getting my second wind.”

She moaned, tipping her head forward so her hair slid out of the way, exposing the nape of her neck to his mouth. He kissed that soft spot, inhaling her soap or shampoo or whatever it was that made her smell so good. He loved her scent. The softness of her skin. Her sense of humor. The way she softened under his touch, liking for him to take charge. He couldn't think of a damn thing about Kelly he didn't like.

They helped each other out of their clothes, pausing now and then for kisses that turned him inside out. Her soft chuckle at his grimace when he lifted his arms so she could pull his T-shirt off made him laugh. “It's your fault I was on the football field this morning, you know. I think you should rub me down and make me feel better.”

She ran her hands over his chest and then pushed until he was on his back on her bed. When she straddled him, he forgot all about his aches and pains, and dug his fingers into
her hips. He'd tossed a condom onto the bed while they were getting undressed, and he needed to find it before she went too far.

But Kelly had other ideas and, when she began kneading the muscles in his shoulders and upper arms, he closed his eyes. “That feels so good.”

She massaged her way down one arm until her thumb was pressing circles against his palm. Then her mouth closed over his finger, and his breath caught. His other hand fisted in the sheets when she sucked lightly.

He managed to hold himself in check as she showed the same attention to his other arm, but when her hands ran over his thighs, he buried his hands in her hair and growled her name in warning. It had been too long a wait to be playing games.

Being Kelly, she ignored him. He was barely aware of her hands massaging his sore thigh muscles as she ran her tongue up the length of his erection. All he could do was tighten his fingers in her hair and groan. He knew he should make her stop but when her mouth closed over him, he forgot why. All he knew was the warm, wet suction of her mouth and the soft strands of her hair that escaped his hands, tickling his thighs.

When he couldn't take it anymore and felt the end was imminent, he tugged at her hair. Kelly got a last quick flick of her tongue in before he hauled her up next to him and rolled over her, bracing himself on his elbows.

“Did that help?” she asked, a smile flirting with the corners of her mouth. She lifted her hand and he saw that she'd found the wrapped condom he'd tossed onto the bed.

“We don't need that yet,” he said, trailing his fingers down her stomach. “You've been working pretty hard, too.”

“I'm fine. Let's just—”

She stopped talking when he closed his mouth over her nipple and sucked hard. He kept it up until her back arched off the bed. “Let's just what?”

“I forget.”

Chase laughed, then kissed his way down her stomach. Her shuddering sigh when he slid his hand up her calf was like a physical caress, and he hooked it behind her knee so he could bury his head between her thighs.

He took his time, savoring her and enjoying the way her body jerked when he ran his tongue over her clit. Her fist pounded on his shoulder as she got impatient, but he ignored her. He dipped his tongue into her sweet center, and then slid his finger inside her. She moaned and he swirled his tongue over her clit again as he worked two more fingers in, stretching her, as her breath shortened. Her fingernails raked his shoulders almost painfully when she came, and he nipped at her thigh.

While she caught her breath, Chase put on the condom and rolled her onto her stomach. Then he pulled her backward until her feet were on the floor and she was bent over the bed. He ran his hands over her back and her hips, making her shiver, before reaching between their bodies. There was no doubt she was ready for him, and he slid into her in one quick thrust.

Kelly gasped, her fingers clenching in the sheets, and Chase paused. He took in the moment—her body tight around his and the pounding of his heart and the curve of her back and the strands of blond hair over her flushed cheeks and her hands tangling the sheets—and then gripped her hips as he started to move. He wanted it to last forever,
but it was too much. After her lips wrapped around his cock and her coming against his mouth, he was too close.

His pace quickened and he lifted her right knee to the edge of the mattress so he could thrust deeper and reach under her leg to press the heel of his hand against her mound. He came hard, pounding into her, and he heard her cry out his name as her body shuddered.

As the orgasm passed, he collapsed on top of her, both of them hanging over the side of the bed. It wasn't exactly comfortable, but neither of them seemed to care. He bit down on his lip as he tried to catch his breath, afraid he'd voice heat-of-passion emotions he couldn't take back.

“Now I'm starving,” she muttered against the mattress after a couple of minutes. “When I can move again, I guess it's time to make that supper I promised you.”

“Give me a few more minutes and then I'll help.”

She laughed. “Trust me, I'm not going to need any help.”

“I
've never had a woman cook frozen pizza for me before,” Chase said, picking up one of the slices Kelly had set in front of him on a paper plate. “I feel strangely flattered.”

“Being flattered by frozen pizzas would be a little strange, yes.”

He had to think about that one. “Well, it means you're comfortable with me, right?”

“Or it means I don't give a shit if you know I'm lazy.” She grinned when he frowned at her.

“I'm going to stick with my theory.”

“Hey, at least they're the kind that go in the oven. I almost got the little microwave ones.” She sat down across from him, her hair still messed up from his hands being in it and her cheeks still rosy from the orgasms. “What do women usually cook for you?”

“Casseroles. They usually have ham in them. Or broccoli, which I don't get as a date food because it's the worst at getting stuck in your teeth.” He took a bite of the pizza because he was starving. Once he'd chewed and swallowed it, he swiped at his mouth with a napkin. “Chicken, but not barbeque or fried chicken. Fancy stuff, like chicken cordon bleu and such.”

“Because they're trying to impress you.”

“And you don't care about impressing me?”

“Nope.”

He waited while she ate a bite of her pizza to see if she'd expound on that resounding
nope
at all. Not that his feelings were hurt, but the transition from her naked body under his to her clearly not giving a crap what he thought of her was pretty abrupt.

When he didn't say anything, she shrugged. “Those women are showing you what you could look forward to in the future if you put a ring on it. You're leaving in a few days and, if you ever think about me again, it won't be the food that's on your mind.”

“How could I forget frozen pizza?” he teased.

She was wrong when she said
if
he ever thought of her again. He'd think about her. He thought about her all the time now—what she was doing, how work was going, when he could see her again—and he didn't think a day's drive to New Jersey was going to change that. But wondering if she'd ever think about
him
at all bruised his pride a little.

Of course, if she did think about him it would probably be to wonder what she'd been thinking, sleeping with a guy who'd managed to screw up every aspect of his life before he even hit middle age and barely had a pot to piss in. He
needed to keep reminding himself why this was a fling and not a relationship, or he was going to get in trouble.

“I had a choice,” she continued. “I could make a nice dinner, which would take forever to cook and eat, or we could have frozen pizza and use that extra time in a better way.”

“You made the right choice,” he said. While he'd probably end up prowling around the McDonnells' kitchen in the middle of the night, looking for a snack, he didn't want to spend what time he could sneak with Kelly watching her chop vegetables.

They demolished one and a half pizzas while talking about the upcoming game and the other guys and the parade. When Chase expressed some concern about walking the parade route, Kelly laughed and told him she was sure Jen had a float arranged for them. They wouldn't make the honored guests walk circles around Stewart Mills.

“Have you heard anything from back home?” she asked, tossing her balled-up napkin onto her empty paper plate.

“Like what?” He hadn't really thought much about home in the last couple of days.

She shrugged. “I didn't know if they found your business partner or how things were going with work and stuff.”

The question took a little of the shine off the evening. “They did find Seth, and at first he claimed he didn't take it. But everybody knows that's not true, so now he's claiming it was his money, too, so he was free to take it. There are lawyers involved and possible criminal charges, depending on how it shakes out, so it'll take a while to sort.”

“But you'll be okay?”

“Yeah. Starting over sucks, but at least I won't be starting
over in too big a hole. I'll manage whether I'm able to recoup any money from Seth or not.”

“That's good news, then.”

He tried to read her expression, but she gave him nothing but friendly curiosity. He wasn't sure what he was looking for. Maybe some sign her interest was more than friendly? She could be fishing to see if his life was in better shape than it had been before, which might give him a promotion into relationship material.

But it didn't matter. As he'd said, the hole he'd be digging his way out of wasn't too deep, but it was still a hole. The foundation he'd been basing his life on had been built on sand and collapsed. He had no interest in dragging anybody else into the rubble, especially Kelly.

He reluctantly pushed his chair back from the table. “I should get going. Even though I know it doesn't bother your parents, I hate being out late. It feels rude. Plus, you have to work early.”

“And the big game's tomorrow.” She stood, too, and walked with him to the door. “You have plans beforehand?”

“Nope. We decided if we try to do a pregame practice, we'll be too tired to actually play the game. Napping was mentioned.”

She laughed. “Do you want to grab a late lunch after my shift?”

“I'll definitely need to eat.”

“Good. I'll text you the time and place.”

He kissed her good night, trying not to lose himself in it so completely that he ended up back in her bed. Only the knowledge her shift would start before he was even out of bed in the morning gave him the will to break it off.

“I'll see you tomorrow,” he said, and she smiled.

Chase stepped out onto the street and, because he was paying attention to making sure the outside door locked behind him, almost ran into another pedestrian.

The man, who was probably a little intoxicated, looked from Chase to the door and back. “Kelly McDonnell, huh? Lucky bastard.”

He had vague recognition of the guy's face, but he couldn't come up with a name, which meant they'd probably gone to school together but were in different years or different social circles. It had been happening to him since he'd arrived in town, though most people were quick to fill in the blanks. This guy was too drunk to care that Chase had no clue who he was.

“Tried to hit that last summer,” the guy continued. “Figured I'd get out of a ticket and get laid at the same time. She went all ice princess on me, though. Stuck-up bitch.”

Chase's right hand went so far as to curl into a fist, but he didn't plow it into the asshole's face. As satisfying as it would be, it wasn't worth it. And Kelly being dragged into a Stewart Mills police report about two guys fighting over sexual remarks made about her would be humiliating on both a personal and professional level.

“Guess she just wasn't that into you,” was all he said, and started past him.

“Guess Coach's daughter wanted herself a washed-up football player,” the guy called after him, but Chase didn't take the bait. He just kept on walking.

As always, the lights had been left on for him at the McDonnell house, but he was surprised to hear the television when he went through the front door. Coach and his wife
hadn't gone to bed yet, and walking into the living room felt like walking into a brick wall of tension. Coach looked up from his television show long enough to nod, his jaw tight, but Mrs. McDonnell smiled.

“How was your dinner?”

“It was good,” he said, not knowing if she'd guessed—or even knew for a fact—that his dinner had been with her daughter. It was obvious Coach thought it, so she must, too. Maybe she was just handling it better.

“Have a seat if you want. This show just started, but you haven't missed much. There's a dead body and they have to figure out whodunit.”

“I'll probably go upstairs and settle in.” Which was ridiculous. It was too early for him to go to bed and they all knew it. “The big game's tomorrow.”

“Are you sure?” She set her knitting in her lap, looking concerned. “Are you feeling okay?”

“I've seen them on the field,” Coach said. “Trust me, he needs all the rest he can get.”

The smile took the edge off of the implication he wanted Chase to go away, but he got the message nonetheless. After saying good night, he went upstairs and stretched out on top of Kelly's bed to stare at the ceiling.

Apparently he hadn't done a good enough job of screwing up his life in New Jersey, so he had to continue on in Stewart Mills. People were gossiping about him and Kelly, which was the one thing she specifically hadn't wanted to happen. And Coach McDonnell wasn't happy one of his former players was messing around with his daughter, which was the thing Chase hadn't wanted to happen.

If he fumbled the ball tomorrow as badly as he was fumbling life, the alumni team didn't stand a chance.

—

T
he next morning, Kelly parked her cruiser next to Jen's car in the school parking lot and used her key to let herself in. The teachers and custodial team were in the building a lot during the summer months, but the doors were always locked because the office wasn't always staffed.

It was going to be a long day that started with an early shift and would end with the alumni game—and a late lunch with Chase in between—but she had to nail down a few details for the parade. Since she'd been driving by when she remembered Chase's concerns about walking, she decided to drop in instead of calling.

She made her way back to the guidance office and saw Jen bent over her desk, flipping through a folder. “Hey.”

“Hey! What brings you here?” Her brows furrowed. “Please tell me none of the kids are in trouble.”

“Nope. Nothing like that. They've been great, actually. I think seeing the town turn out the way it has to help them out is making a difference. They've been in better spirits and they're eager to help wherever they can. I just stopped by to say hello because I'm bored.”

“Boring's probably a good thing in your line of work.”

“Makes for long shifts, though.”

“I'm just catching up on some reading. Sit down and tell me how things are going with you and Chase.”

“Not boring.” She sat in the visitor's chair with a sigh. Frozen pizzas had definitely been the right choice, since
they were in bed less than two minutes after she let him in. It would have been a shame to miss out on an extra orgasm or two because she was shredding lettuce for tacos.

“What do you mean by not boring? Is it getting serious?”

“No. Not serious. Just fun. Very fun, actually.” She shrugged. “Of course my mom's worried. I'm not sure she understands sex can have nothing to do with emotion. I've never asked because I do
not
want details, but I think my dad was her first and only.”

“Of course sex can have nothing to do with emotion. It can be for fun or as a stress release. Or maybe it just happens and nobody can figure out why. But definitely no emotion.”

Her friend sounded more agitated with each word, and Gretchen's concerns earlier in the week ran through Kelly's mind. “Oh my God, you had sex with Sam Leavitt, didn't you?”

Jen froze, and then her mouth tightened in a show of stubbornness. “Just because you're taking advantage of attractive men being in town temporarily to have random sex doesn't mean everybody else is.”

“And bitchiness, too.” Kelly grinned and leaned forward. “You're hiding something, Jen Cooper.”

“No, I'm not.”

“You'll feel better if you tell me.”

“There's nothing to tell.”

Kelly tapped her badge. “I've been professionally trained in this. Just confess already.”

“Fine. I had sex with Sam Leavitt.”

“Damn, I'm good at this job.” She leaned back in the chair again. “When?”

“After the street fair. I was driving home and he was walking. I don't think he even knew where he was going. He was just walking along the side of the road.”

“Did he see his mom? At the street fair, I mean.” She thought she'd seen Sheila and had meant to say hi. And saying hi meant making sure she was still sober and was okay out in public. But it had been a busy night, and her time had ended up being split between watching Chase and trying not to die of hypothermia.

“Yeah. I told him to get in the car and we started talking, so I parked out by the dam. You know the spot.”

Kelly knew the spot. Kids had been going parking there for as long as Stewart Mills had cars, but it had never occurred to her to meet Chase there. “So, talking and comfort and touching and . . . you had sex in your car?”

“
On
my car.” Jen dropped her head into her hands. “I had sex with Sam Leavitt on the hood of my car.”

“Wow. That's
really
not boring. So why do you look like you just dropped your ice cream on the floor?”

“Because why would I do that? With him, of all people. On my car.”

Kelly was tempted to laugh, but she realized Jen was honestly upset with herself. “You said yourself sex can be a stress release. Maybe that's all it was. You both needed somebody, and you happened to be alone together.”

“I just don't understand it, Kel. There's literally nothing about that man I should find attractive.”

Should
find attractive. It was a telling word. “Was it bad?”

“That's the worst part.” Jen grimaced. “It was . . . amazing.”

“Okay, I don't care how upset you are. I'm not offering
you condolences for having amazing sex with a hot guy on the hood of your car.”

That actually made Jen laugh. “I guess there are worse things.”

“Having bad sex with a guy on your car would be worse. Have you talked to him since?”

She shook her head. “Honestly, I don't think he's any more attracted to me than I am to him. It was just . . . one of those things, I guess.”