Kissing the Player - Maggie Dallen Page 0,66

edge.

Or…maybe she was just thinking about her fundraising efforts.

I cleared my throat. “What about it?”

She pointed a finger at me. “I should never have asked you to take part in this.”

I blinked. “What? Why not?”

She shook her head as if saddened by the whole thing and that was when I caught a glimmer of laughter in her eyes. “Because there’s no way I’m going to let another girl kiss you today. I don’t care how much they’re willing to pay.”

The sun came out from behind the clouds. The birds started to sing. The world started to turn on its axis once more…

Okay, none of those things happened literally. But apparently Rose’s sense of drama was rubbing off on me because that was how it felt. I stepped around the booth and pulled her into my arms.

I kissed her like no one was looking.

I kissed her like everyone was looking.

Honestly, I couldn’t care less either way because all that mattered was that she was here, she was in my arms, and she was kissing me back.

“I’ve missed you, Rose,” I whispered when I pulled away.

“I missed you, too.” She looked up at me with such love and affection, the crowds and this fair faded into the distance. All that mattered was her, and me, and the way it felt when we were together.

“You sure I’m not going to be too much drama?” she asked.

“I’m sure.” I glanced around meaningfully. “I’m starting to think maybe I need a bit of drama in my life. It seems I have a knack for it.”

She grinned. “You definitely do.”

“Do you think you can handle me as a distraction?” I asked.

She nodded, her arms slipping around my neck and her fingers toying with my hair. “I’ve been thinking about that,” she said. “Maybe a relationship isn’t a distraction, but a necessity. I mean…how is an actress supposed to know what love feels like if she never experiences it, right?”

I laughed, my heart swelling up in my chest at her use of the L-word. “Right.”

“I can’t avoid feelings and relationships forever,” she said. “And as long as I keep my priorities straight, I won’t let any distractions become a derailment.”

“That sounds very healthy,” I said.

“It does, doesn’t it?” She gave a happy little sigh before placing a light kiss on the corner of my mouth. “I have a lot of baggage to unpack.”

“So do I,” I said.

“But I don’t see why either of us has to deal with it all on our own,” she added.

“Absolutely not.” I said it so firmly that she laughed and I could only grin like an idiot. “You make me happy, Rose Parson,” I said quietly.

“And you make me—”

“No, I don’t think you understand,” I interrupted. I arched my brows. “I’ve got chills.”

She bit her lip to contain a laugh and I loved it. I loved her. “Are they…multiplying?”

I nodded with a rueful shrug. “I might just be losing all control over here.”

She tipped her head back with a laugh. “Join the club. I’m totally out of control over here, Jax. And it’s…” She gave her head a little shake, at a loss for words.

“Terrifying?” I guessed, the laughter fading because…heck yeah. This was the scariest thing that had ever happened to me.

“Yeah. Terrifying,” she said. “And amazing. And beautiful. And confusing and…”

“Perfect,” I finished.

“Yeah,” she said, leaning in to kiss me. “It’s pretty darn perfect.”

Epilogue

Six Months Later…

Rose

“Okay, I’m ready,” I said as I stared out the passenger side window of Jax’s car at the Emerson Performing Arts center.

“Baby, you were born ready,” Jax joked.

I let out a sharp exhale as I tried to get my nerves under control. I might have said ‘okay, I’m ready’ three times already but I had yet to reach my hand for the door handle.

City traffic poured past us where we were illegally parked and I knew I couldn’t procrastinate any longer. It was do or die time.

This was it, the moment I’d been waiting for.

“Sweetheart?” Jax asked gently beside me.

“Yes?” My voice was a touch too high.

“Are you psyching yourself out again?”

I turned to look at him with wide eyes. “How did you know?”

He waved a hand in front of his face. “You’ve got that look…” He looked down to where my hand was clenching his thigh so hard that my knuckles had turned white. “Also, I can’t feel my leg.”

I let go quickly. “Sorry.”

He smiled as he took the hand I’d just removed and brought it to his lips. “You know I would never