Page 47 of Full Court Love
My head rests on his chest, his steady heartbeat the soundtrack of my evening. My cheeks are still wet as I lift my head and kiss his cheek. He turns his head to make his mouth meet mine, and once again, I’m reminded how quickly I’m falling.
His soft lips move in rhythm with mine. I taste peppermint on his tongue, feel the heat of his breathing. I pull away for a moment, taking in every feature of his gorgeous face.
“Sometimes I worry you’re too good to be true. Like I’m going to wake up from this dream and the other shoe is going to drop.”
A glimmer of fear flashes across his face so quickly, I almost wonder if I imagined it. His expression is suddenly difficult to read, like he’s masking something below the surface.
What’s he so afraid of?
I sure hope the other shoe isn’t dropping soon.
CHAPTER 20
JORDAN
To say I’m on edge is a gross understatement. All my senses feel like they’re working overtime. I hate that Lucy is seeing this side of me.
We’re at Pierson Automotive shooting a commercial spot and taking pictures. I know I’m ruining every take right now, but I can’t stop. It feels like I’m walking down a path and I’ve come across a sign that readsDanger Up Ahead: Wild animals, falling rocks, a cliff, and a sniper. Just turn around and you won’t die. But certain death awaits if you keep going.
And for whatever reason, I’m still walking. Like a zombie. Except in this case, I’m a zombie with heightened senses. This analogy is getting worse. Basically, I know what I’m doing will eventually lead to astronomical problems for myself and maybe even Lucy.
But I can’t stop.
And she’s standing across from me looking so gorgeous in her jersey, with her makeup all done, her hair blown out, and a shy smile on her face. I should be soaking in this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. I’m taking pictures with my dream girl and then being gifted a new car.
I try to feign happiness as the director of the commercialshouts instructions. Lucy is a natural. It’s like she was born to be front and center–even her humility translates through the camera. I’m the awkward stick figure standing next to her.
The director walks out from behind the camera with a pained look.
“You know, I think we can work with what we have. Why don’t you guys head over to the other backdrop for some pictures?”
His tone is that of a vet deciding to put an animal out of its misery. Maybe they should just cut me out totally and only use Lucy. That would solve most of my issues.
Lucy grabs my hand, then pulls me off to the side behind a very smelly Porta Potty. Her face is concerned. “What’s wrong? You seem really miserable. Did something happen? Did I do something?”
I can’t help but chuckle. The idea that she did anything to cause this is genuinely laughable.
“No, of course you didn’t do anything. I’m just uncomfortable in front of cameras, that’s all.”
Her pointed look tells me she’s not buying a word of it. “Hmm, that’s really interesting. I seem to remember that when you guys were shooting some promos a couple of weeks ago for a hype video, the camera loved you. Everything you did was charismatic and natural and you are super attractive, so this shouldn’t be hard for you.”
I grab her hips and pull her toward me. She looks so good right now, I can’t be blamed for my thoughts.
“Oh, I’m super-hot, am I?”
She flushes but doesn’t back down. Instead, she stands on her tiptoes with her lips inches from mine. I feel the warmth of her breath as she speaks. “I believe I said ‘attractive.’ But yes, you are hot. Are you surprised by that?”
I give a low laugh, and my eyes drop to her lips. She knows she has me as a smile starts to break through.
Her tone is teasing now. “So, how about you put it to good use?”
I can’t control how fast my pulse is racing now.
“I can think of quite a few ways I could put it to good use right now. None of them require a camera.”
Finally, she pulls my head down a couple inches to close the gap between our mouths. If someone had asked me if a Porta Potty-adjacent kiss could be life-giving, I probably would’ve been confused at the question. But as I hold Lucy tight to my body and my lips collide with hers, I couldn’t care less about our location.
That is, until we hear a quiet cough and the director’s assistant is standing awkwardly a few feet from us, trying to tell us where to go. She stares at the ground and squeaks out the words as fast as possible.