For the Win (Playing for Keeps Book 1) (12 page)

“Are you sure?” I bit my lip.

He grinned. “You bite your lip when you’re nervous.”

“Is that a bad thing?”

“Nope. A good thing. A really good thing.” He stared into my eyes as if trying to read something inside of them. “I never noticed things like that about a girl before, but with you I notice things. I love learning new things about you. I want to know everything about you, London, and I want you to know about me.” His fingers threaded through mine. “Usually when a girl tries to pry into my personal life I shut down. I’m not going to do that with you.” Lifting our hands, he ran his lips across my knuckles. “I’ll always be open with you about everything. I promise.”

“I bet you say that to all the girls.” I was only half teasing. This whole thing was surreal to me. In all my years of high school, no boy had been attracted to me. Now suddenly Cooper Montgomery was kissing me and making me promises. It seemed too good to be true.

“Trust me, I don’t. I’ve never said these things to any other girl.”

“Why me?”

“You’re different from any girl I’ve ever met.”

I snorted, having heard that before.

“Hey, I meant that in a good way,” he clarified. “You make me feel things. Things I’ve never felt before.”

“You too.” If he was going to bear his soul to me, I might as well do the same.

He reached out with his free hand and brushed a stray hair from my face. “When I was ten my parents left for a trip to Hawaii for their anniversary. I was going to stay with my grandparents for the week that they were gone. But there was a problem with the plane, some malfunction with one of the wings.”

My stomach tightened as he spoke. I stroked his palm with my thumb, a silent encouragement.

“The plane crashed, and they didn’t survive.” Sadness flickered in his eyes. “I’ve lived with my grandparents ever since.”

“I’m so sorry,” I spoke softly. “I know how hard it is to lose someone you love.”

“I know. It’s one of the reasons I feel so connected to you.”

Cooper

I didn’t regret telling her about my parents. In fact, I felt lighter since I’d shared it with her. Even though I normally avoided the subject at all costs, I meant what I said to London. I wanted her to know me. It was the first time in my life I desired to open up to anyone, let alone a girl. And I loved that she didn’t offer me platitudes. Instead, she responded with empathy and sincere sorrow for my loss. It confirmed my decision to share with her. She understood me like I knew she would.

“Are you feeling any better?” I asked her.

“A little.”

“Hungry?”

She shook her head.

I was freaking starving. How could she not be hungry? If I didn’t like her so damn much I would hightail it out of here right now and head straight for the nearest fast food place. As if in reply to my thoughts, my stomach growled.

London giggled, staring at my tummy. “I can make you something to eat.”

“I’m supposed to be taking care of you, not the other way around.”

“It’s no big deal.” London sat up.

I gently pushed her back down. “No way. You’re supposed to be resting.”

She rolled her eyes, but a hint of a smile played on her lips. “Well, if you won’t let me make you something, then go ahead and get something yourself. I won’t have you starving to death on my couch.”

“Is it my death that worries you or the idea of it happening on your couch?” I teased.

“Both,” she joked back, but I caught a glimpse of something disturbing in her eyes. A glimmer of pain and regret.

“Okay. Point me in the right direction.”

“Depends on what you feel like. There’s sandwich stuff in the fridge, and chips and fruit on the counter.”

“All right. That’ll work.” I headed into the kitchen and grabbed a handful of chips. It wouldn’t fill me up, but at least it would tide me over for a bit. Chips in hand, I returned to London, plunking down onto the couch next to her legs. It wasn’t the most comfortable place to sit since half my ass was hanging off the side, but I liked being close to her. It was like when I was a little boy and I used to sit next to my mom. I’d snuggled up so close I’d practically be in her lap. She used to tease me by pointing to the remainder of the couch, stating that there was tons of room. But what she didn’t realize was that I was precisely where I wanted to be. I took a bite of one of the greasy potato chips, and it snapped in between my teeth. “You sure you don’t want anything?” The gentleman in me hated eating in front of her like this. My grandma would never put up with this kind of behavior.

“I’m fine. I actually feel better knowing that you won’t be starving to death anytime soon.”

“I give you my solemn promise that I won’t. And if I do, I promise to move away from the couch.”

She giggled, but a yawn escaped on the tail end of it. “God, I don’t know why I’m so tired.”

“There is a bug going around school,” I reminded her.

Smiling, she said, “Yeah, I know all about it. You know that the only reason I interviewed you for the paper was because Annabelle Garcia had the flu.”

“Really?” I raised an eyebrow, unsure of how Annabelle having the flu would cause London to interview me. Also, who the hell was Annabelle?

“She was supposed to do your article, but since she was gone John made me do it.”

“
Made
you do it, huh?” I threw another chip into my mouth.

“If Annabelle hadn’t been sick, you might be sitting in her living room right now.”

“I highly doubt that.”

She shrugged. “You never know.”

But she was wrong. I did know. Whoever Annabelle was, she wouldn’t have had this effect on me. I was sure of that. As I popped another chip into my mouth, my gaze rested on the picture hanging above the couch. It stirred a sense of déjà vu, and I realized that Grandma had hung a similar one in the guest bathroom. She bought it because she said it reminded her of her trip to London.

London. Huh.

“So what’s the deal with your name?” I asked.

“You don’t like it?”

“I love it. I just wondered what the significance of it was.”

Pink spots rose on her cheeks. “Um…my parents took a trip there exactly nine months before I was born.”

“Ah.” I nudged her. “Looks like you and I are taking a trip to London.”

She giggled, then sobered up, flinching out of nowhere. Glancing down, she reached into her pocket. “Text,” she explained, yanking out her cell phone. She looked at the screen and then typed something with her thumbs. “That was Dad. He’s on his way back. So, you only have to babysit me for a few more minutes and then you’re off the hook.” Smiling, she shoved the phone back into her pocket.

“Are you kidding? This is the best gig I’ve had in a long time. I wish I didn’t have pitching lessons tomorrow so I could come back here and do more of this.” I leaned forward, pressing my lips to hers. Her arms came around my neck, drawing me forward. My hands fumbled in her hair and slid down to her neck as my tongue teased her lips open. If I thought our first two kisses were mind-blowing, this one was even better. Before London was a little tentative, allowing me to lead. But this time she was bolder, sliding her tongue over mine and kissing me with fervor. Her hands skimmed over my neck, her fingers raking over my hair. When we separated, I blew out a breath. “Is that kiss your way of persuading me to cancel my lesson tomorrow?”

She giggled, leaning her head back down against the cushions. “Nah. It doesn’t matter anyway. I’m going to be swamped with homework. I have a science project due on Monday, and I haven’t even started it.”

Surprised, I cocked an eyebrow. “I never would’ve pegged you as a procrastinator.”

“I’m not, but someone has kept me preoccupied this week.”

I finished off the last chip, and rubbed my palms together in an effort to wipe away the grease. “I wouldn’t be too hard on that someone. You are pretty damn irresistible.”

“Irresistible. Yeah, right.” She snorted, running a hand over her head. “Trust me, plenty of guys have resisted me.”

“Hey.” I placed my hand over hers. “Don’t do that. I don’t give out compliments lightly, so if I give you one, I mean it.”

Her face grew serious, and she nodded.

“I have something for you.” I stood up. “I’ll be right back.” Turning around, I hurried out the front door. After retrieving what I needed from the trunk of my car, I headed back inside. Then I held the hat out to London. When her smile faded, I realized what she must be thinking. “Okay, before you say anything, this was not the hat Calista was wearing. I’ve never let anyone wear this hat.”

“What makes it so special?” She asked, sitting up and adjusting the pillow behind her back.

“It was my first Tigers’ hat. The one they gave me when I made the JV team Freshman year. And I want you to wear it to my game on Monday.”

A pensive look crossed her face. “How many girls have worn one of your hats to your games?”

Her question cut to my heart.
Damn Calista
. I never should’ve let her wear my hat. If I hadn’t, then London would be first. And she should be first. “Only Calista, and that was a mistake.”

“Why’d you let her have it then?”

“I didn’t offer it to her. She sorta took it off my head and put it on. I should’ve taken it back, but I didn’t have the heart to, I guess.”

London stared at me a minute as if trying to figure out if she should trust me. I held my breath, waiting for her to respond. “Okay,” she finally said. “I’ll wear it.”

When her fingers closed around the bill, I exhaled with relief. I couldn’t wait to see her wearing it at my game on Monday.

It was the best game I played all season. My pitches were moving, and I was throwing gas. My team was all on their game too, and we won by six runs. It was especially satisfying because we were playing a team that we’d lost to in prior years.

If I had any question about my feelings for London, I didn’t now. Seeing her in the stands wearing my hat made my day. Hell, it made my whole year. And I knew she was the reason I played so well. Knowing she was sitting in the bleachers cheering me on gave me the boost I needed. Normally when girls came to my games I found it kind of annoying. Sure, I liked the attention, but they always seemed to want something from me too. When I played baseball I gave all I had to the game, so I had nothing to give anyone else, let alone some chick I’d messed around with. If anything, their presence messed with my mind, and I had to work that much harder to focus. With London it was different. Having her here made it easier to concentrate on the game. Her presence was a silent encouragement. It was affirmation. Never before had I cared what a girl thought about me, and it was crazy how much I valued London’s opinion.

Honestly, everything was crazy about my feelings for London. They had taken me by surprise from the very first moment. This whole thing was insane – the way it sprung up out of nowhere and took over. The intensity behind my feelings for her were something I’d never experienced. I knew I should have been scared, but I wasn’t.

“Hey, man.” Nate slapped me on the back as we made our way over to the coach for our postgame huddle. “Great game.”

“You too. That diving catch you made in the third inning was killer.”

“Yeah, my arm is pretty scraped up, but it was worth it.” Nate rubbed his forearm, and I saw the redness resembling a rug burn.

I chuckled, my gaze lifting to the bleachers. It looked like Grandma and Grandpa had already taken off, but London still sat in the same spot. She was bent over a device that looked like a tablet. It only took one second for me to realize it was probably her Kindle. My lips involuntarily twitched at the edges. That girl and her books. I’d never dated a bookworm before, and damn if I didn’t find it sexy.

“You really like this one, huh?” Nate observed, his gaze following mine.

I nodded. “Yeah, I really do.”

“Huh.”

My eyes snapped to his. “What?”

“Nothing. I just never thought I’d see the day where Cooper Montgomery was whipped over some girl.”

“I’m not whipped,” I said.

“You should probably inform your face then. You look like a goddamn puppy dog around her. It’s like she’s yanking you around on a leash, man.” He guffawed.

I narrowed my eyes. “You better watch it,” I warned him, half joking, yet half serious.

He threw up his hands. “Hey, I’m just calling it like I see it.”

“Did I ask for your opinion?”

Brandon jogged past. “Hey, great game, man.”

“Thanks,” I said. “You too.”

“I’m only looking out for you,” Nate lowered his voice as we neared Coach and the rest of the team. “Things are moving pretty fast with you and newspaper chick, and I don’t want to see you get hurt.”

“Don’t worry about me, bro.” I peered over my shoulder, my gaze finding London. “I know what I’m doing.”

After the postgame huddle, I hurried over to London. She powered off her Kindle and slid it into her purse when I approached.

“Please tell me you weren’t reading during the game.” I climbed up several bleachers to meet her.

She smiled. “Nope. Surprisingly enough, I actually enjoyed watching the game.”

“Watching the game or watching me?” I teased as I sat down next to her.

“Both,” she responded coyly. “You were incredible out there.”

“Thanks.” I’d heard that from a lot of girls, but for some reason when the words came from her mouth it made my heart soar.

Several of my teammates were leaving the dugout, bags slung over their shoulders. A couple of them glanced over curiously, but I didn’t care. I didn’t care what anyone thought about London and me. Leaning forward, I ducked under the bill of the hat she was wearing and captured her lips in mine. “I love seeing you in my hat.”

She smiled, catching her bottom lip in her teeth.

“You want to know why my hats mean so much to me?” I asked her.

She nodded.

I took my hat off and flipped it around. Then I pointed to the number on the back. “You asked me once if there was a significance to this number, and I sorta lied to you.”

“Sort of, huh?” She cocked an eyebrow, her caramel colored eyes sparkling under the sunlight.

“Well, not sort of. I did lie to you.” I took a deep breath. No one but my grandparents knew this, but it was important for London to know. “My dad was a great baseball player. He almost made it into the major leagues, but then he was injured. He’s the reason I want to make it so bad; to make him proud, I guess. Even though I know that sounds silly since he’s not here.” I shook my head, feeling like an idiot. London’s hand found my leg. Her fingers caressed my skin through my pants, and I had to fight to keep my thoughts on the conversation at hand. “His number was eleven.”

“That’s so sweet.” London smiled. “And for what it’s worth, I think your dad is already proud of you.”

Yeah, she was a keeper.