Chapter 12
twelve
Tessa
“Ihad no idea this was so intense,” I say to Hazel who is trying to hold back a laugh.
“Oh, girl, this isn’t normal. This is the guys trying to make Killian look like a dumbass in front of you.”
“Are you serious?” I ask.
Penelope answers, “Yup. This is a little much, even for them.”
“They’re equal opportunity idiots,” Violet adds. “Bullying is their love language. It’s almost a rite of passage to look stupid in front of the girl you’re dating.”
I shift quickly. “Oh, we’re not dating.”
Hazel sighs. “Doesn’t matter. You’re here and they are going to take advantage of that.”
I laugh softly. “Okay then.”
We sit and watch, and I’m completely lost. You throw the Frisbee to someone, but once you catch it, you can’t move your one foot, and then if you drop it, then it’s over. I don’t know, I guess when they play another team, it’s different.
“Trust me, it doesn’t get better,” Ainsley says. “I’ve been to enough tournaments, and I promise, you just drink wine and hope no one gets hurt.”
I go to grab a glass and hear a chorus of winces. “Oh, that’s going to hurt,” Ainsley says before yelling to Lachlan, “Are you okay, honey?”
He stands, wiping off the grass from his shirt. “Never better, babe.”
“He says that now, until he can’t move later and he’s icing his knee,” she grumbles and the other girls laugh.
As much as I know they said this is all for me, or to make Killian look stupid, so far, I’m not seeing that.
He’s caught pretty much everything, scored twice, or at least I’m assuming he did because the girls were cheering, and looks like he’s completely fine, while Miles is starting to pant a little.
“So, Tessa, how is it staying on the ranch?” Hazel asks.
“It’s been fine. So much better than the antique store.”
Hazel shudders. “I can’t believe you were going to stay there. I swear, Mrs. Thornberry is so sweet, but no one should pay for that place.”
“Or the shitshack I stayed in and almost caught on fire,” Ainsley adds in. “You know, maybe that’s what you should open, Penelope.”
“What?” she asks.
“Some kind of lodging for Ember Falls. There are no hotels, no apartments or houses that are in decent shape. You could make a killing,” Ainsley says before turning to me.
“When I came down to write my article on Lachlan, I ended up in what they called a cabin. The pictures were great, looked fine. It was not. After I caught the generator on fire, kind of, Lachlan moved me out and into his house.”
“After the roach crawled into my cup of water, that was it for me,” I say, with the ick running through my body. “I was so grossed out.”
I still am. I swear, I can see it and I just…can’t.
“I would be too,” Hazel agrees. “Oof, Penny, it’s your man this time.”
Penelope shifts up onto her knees. “Miles, can you get up?”
He lifts one hand, still on the ground. “Just need a minute, love.”
“All right.” She sits back down and pops a grape in her mouth. “Men.”
I chuckle.
Their practice continues and so does the girl talk.
I didn’t realize how much I’ve missed this.
I had my friends in college, but after we graduated, we all went our own way.
In grad school, I really didn’t have anyone, and then I went to New York where I just have my roommate.
She and I don’t get to hang out like this since she’s so busy with work and when she’s home, I’m usually at work.
Our schedules allow us to get along so well, but I do miss hanging out and shooting the shit with a friend.
“Oh, thank God,” Ainsley says with a deep sigh. “They’re done and we didn’t need to call for medical help.”
Everyone gets up and starts to pack up. “Tessa, if you’re still here next week, I hope you’ll come hang out with us,” Penelope says.
“I’d like that, thank-you.”
I don’t say that I really hope I won’t be here, that by then, I’ll have figured out what’s going on with Killian’s company and a way to save it. If not, I’m pretty sure Brynlee is going to either fire me or keep me as a junior publicist forever.
The guys approach, and I really take a look at Killian. His dark brown hair is pushed back and he reaches for the hem of his shirt, pulling it up and wiping his brow.
God, I forgot how perfect his body is.
That small glimpse, the little peek at his body has mine overheating, and it’s really not that hot out.
He laughs at something Miles says and then looks to me.
The connection is so intense, so powerful, I forget where I am.
It’s like tunnel vision where the only thing in the world that exists is him.
Someone bumps my arm. “Tessa?”
“Huh?” I say, taking my gaze away from Killian.
Everett chuckles. “I asked if you were impressed?”
I’m pretty sure he’s asking about the practice and not the insanely sexy man I’m mentally undressing.
I smile. “Absolutely. Your skills were not exaggerated at all. This game is absolutely a testament to all of your athletic abilities.”
He grins. “I like this one.” Then he looks to Hazel. “She’s nice and appeals to our masculine ego.”
“Right, she’s not sarcastic at all. Besides, your ego is big enough. All right, I need to get home, start knocking down some walls.” Her smile widens as she turns to Everett. “I’ll see you tomorrow—bring your tools.”
Killian walks over, pulling his bag over his shoulder. “What’s tomorrow?”
“You and I have to help Hazel,” Everett says.
“What?”
“Yes, tomorrow, on my one damn day off, we have to go over to Hazel’s. She needs help on a project and I told her you’d be able to help.”
I want to laugh so much, but I manage to hold it in. Not only was Everett coerced into doing this thanks to Violet, but now he’s doing the same thing to Killian.
“I can’t,” he says quickly.
“Why not?”
“I have a ranch.”
Everett doesn’t seem to care about that. “So? I have a veterinarian clinic. Good for you. Our friend is expecting us.”
Violet huffs. “Oh, for the love of God, Everett.”
“I know, Killian is being selfish when there’s a friend in need.” Everett’s voice is filled with disappointment.
Killian turns to me. “Don’t we have some work to do? With the ideas?”
I’m sure, as his publicist, it’s my job to get him out of sticky situations and I should throw him a line, but this has been one of the best days I’ve had in a while, and I love these people. “No, I’m heading out of town for the day tomorrow.”
Everett claps him on the shoulder. “I’ll pick you up at eight in the morning.”
“Goodnight, Killian. Goodnight, Tessa,” Violet says, pulling her fiancé with her. “Come on, you freaking troublemaker.”
And with that, it’s just Killian and I.
“So,” I say, kicking the ground. “That was something.”
“Did you find a new love for Ultimate Frisbee?” he asks.
I laugh softly. “I did. I didn’t realize this was even a thing.”
His green eyes shimmer with amusement. “Oh, it’s really remarkable. It’s growing a real fan base too.”
“I bet. The women must come in droves to see your insurmountable skills.”
“It’s not as easy as it looks.”
I’m sure that’s true, but then again, it’s Frisbee. I mean, sure, the guys were doing all kinds of weird moves, if you can call them that, but it’s not all that difficult.
“If you say so,” I tease back.
He puts his bag down and digs in for the disc. “Come on. We’ll do a quick tutorial.”
“I’m good. I’m not dressed to play.”
Killian’s eyes roam my body from top to bottom. “I promise, you won’t ruin anything.”
Just my resolve.
I let out a long sigh. “Promise?”
He crosses his heart and lifts two fingers. “Scout’s honor.”
“I’m pretty sure that’s not the sign.”
“Probably not. Trust me?” he asks with his hand outstretched.
It’s not him I don’t trust, it’s me. I’m weak around him.
However, I’m unable to stop myself from reaching out and taking his hand. He leads me onto the field, handing me the disc.
“Okay, you got me here, now what?” I ask.
“Take the disc in your dominant hand, and I want you to flick it to me.”
Sounds easy enough. I step forward the way he did, as I was pretending I wasn’t watching, and flick my wrist. It flies right to him.
“Like that?” I ask as he catches it effortlessly.
“Exactly like that. Ready to catch?”
I nod. He tosses it right to me, and I should’ve caught it, but as it hits my hand it bounces before I can grab it and it flops to the ground.
“Well shit.”
Killian chuckles. “Try to catch it with two hands to start.”
Right, not that I saw him do that once, but then again I’ve only ever done this on a beach with my brother on the one family vacation we went on.
I throw it back to him and again, the ass catches it with one hand and he had to jump because it was definitely not a good throw.
“Sorry!” I say quickly.
“You’re fine. You’ve done this one time, you’re already better than Lachlan.”
I laugh. “He didn’t look that bad, I mean, I don’t know what good looks like, but…”
“Trust me, he’s our weakest link.”
“I’ll take your word for it.”
“Ready?”
Right. I have to catch it. “Hit me.”
He tosses it right to me again and I do my best to use both hands and clamp it, but I miss.
“Okay, maybe this isn’t so easy,” I note.
I grab it off the ground and focus, thinking maybe it’s like softball and I just need to keep my eye on the target, and what a target it is…
I shake my head, dislodging those stupid thoughts, and throw the disc again.
Only this time, it makes a hard right and rolls for a good twenty feet.
Killian jogs after it, and I take a moment to admire his ass.
He heads back but doesn’t stop where he was, coming right to me instead. “It’s in the wrist.” He moves behind me, his front to my back. “May I?”
Not trusting my voice and what might come out of it, I just nod.
His hand runs down my arm before his fingers lightly grip my wrist. I watch as he lifts my arm up and his other arm wraps around my front, handing me the Frisbee.
I somehow force my limbs to work and hold it.
“Now, when you pull it toward your chest,” he murmurs, his voice rumbling against my ear, “I want you to think of your wrist like a bow. You have to hold it, let the tension build.”
The tension is definitely building. However, I’m not feeling it in my wrist.
“Okay,” I manage to get the one word out.
“Do you feel like it might snap?”
“Yes.”
“Good.” The heat of his breath slides down my neck, and I shiver. “Focus on the release. If you want it to go to the right, you release it when your wrist is almost slack. Left, you release before the middle. Where do you want it to go?”
Who the hell knew that learning Frisbee would be my breaking point. I definitely didn’t see this coming.
“Straight,” I tell him.
“Then when your wrist hits this point, I want you to let it go,” he instructs and moves my wrist to where he wants it. “Turn your hips.” I move to be further against him. “Good. Plant your left foot and take the step with your right. Use that power and let it go.”
I close my eyes and absorb the feel of him against me, remembering the night we spent together, the kiss, the way he made me come alive under his body. I would very much like to do that right here, in the middle of this field, and I wouldn’t care if anyone saw us.
“Tessa,” his soft, seductive voice is low in my ear. “Are you paying attention?”
My eyes fly open. “I am.”
He chuckles, probably knowing I am not, in fact, paying attention to this, but to him. “All right, let’s let it go.”
His hand stays on my wrist as I mimic the action he showed me, focusing on tightness in my wrist and remembering where he told me to release.
I step forward and Killian comes with me, then I flick my wrist and watch as the Frisbee goes right where I wanted.
“I did it!” I yell and then turn around, jumping into his arms. “I did it.”
“You did,” he chuckles, holding me against him.
I grin and then, no longer caring about my rules, the reality of our situation, or the fact that I’m going to lose my job when his ranch goes under because I failed, I plant my lips on his and kiss him.