Jake suppressed a laugh as Isaac sauntered away.
I arched a brow, making it harder for him to hide his amusement.
“He’s harmless.”
“Oh, I know. Can’t say I blame him for trying,” I said softly. “I can’t wait to…dancewith you again too.”
The slight blush on his cheeks confirmed my earlier suspicions that Jakehadgone there with Isaac, and I wasn’t sure how I felt about that. I was under no illusions that Jake had a different past than I did when it came to how many sexual partners we’d been with, but for some reason… I didn’t like the thought of them together.
“Tell me about when you lived in San Diego,” Jake prompted, trying to get us on safer topics. “What are some of your favorite memories?”
Through the course of the meal, I began to realize what was so different about the man sitting across from me. It wasn’t only our shared interests that kept the conversation flowing smoothly, but the simple fact that Jakelistenedwhen I spoke.He heard the things I didn’t say just as easily as the things I did, asking questions and being engaged. I had become so accustomed to being misheard or going unnoticed that it should have made me feel vulnerable to be the sole focus of someone’s attention like that. But it didn’t. Not with Jake anyway. He was quickly becoming someone I could call afriend. Luckily for me, friends with amazing benefits, but still a true friend.
“I’m surprised you’re not watching sports on the TVs. That’s part of why I chose this place,” he commented.
“Because you thought, since I played one sport, I liked them all?” I asked with an amused chuckle. “Soccer is the only sport I actually keep up with.”
His blue eyes lit up as he snagged a fry from my plate and popped it into his mouth, grinning while he chewed. Blood went straight to my dick when he darted his tongue out to catch the ketchup from his lip. Damn, the man was sexy. I could barely resist the urge to kiss him.
“Do you play?” I asked, trying to focus on something other than his lips.
“What? Sports? No, not really. I mean, I play with friends sometimes, but I’ve never been on a team or anything. I don’t remember the last time I played soccer though. Aside from yesterday, I mean.”
I laughed. “Yeah, I don’t know what that was, but it wasn’t playing.”
“Hey, I got some moves in!” he said as he kicked me under the table. I caught his foot with mine and trapped him between my ankles. “Anyway, Mr. I’ve Got Skills, that’s why we’re here, right? So you can show me your moves?”
“Oh, I’ve definitely got more moves for you,” I said with a wink.
Jake’s grin grew animalistic. “I’m counting on it.”
Once we paid for our meal, we stopped by my rental car so I could grab a ball from the back seat before we crossed the street to the park. I looked around for something we could use as a goal as I tied my hair back, spotting two bushes about six feet apart just a little to our right. I pointed to them.
“We’ll use those as a goal,” I said.
Jake shrugged. “Okay.”
I taught him the basics of how to dribble the ball between his feet without tripping over it, and guided him through the correct way to make a pass, using the inside of his foot when he kicked. Just as he had been an attentive listener during our meal, Jake was an attentive learner, taking my suggestions to heart and trying to improve with each step. Over the course of the next hour, I noticed a remarkable difference in the way he handled the ball. There was still a lot of room for improvement, but he was putting in a good effort and not letting his mistakes get to him as he had during the game. He was having fun this time.
Jake’s competitive side began to show the more we played, and soon we began battling it out to make a goal. He even tried to hold me off with one hand so he could kick the ball from between my feet. Ilovedhis enthusiasm, and it only speared me on, making me want to show him what I couldreallydo.
“Fuck, you’re really good at this, Rey,” he grunted as I stole the ball from him again.
His joy was kindling a fire that I’d been trying my hardest to put out the last few weeks. All the mixed emotions about what I was losing by being cut from the team threatened to resurface the longer we played. Specifically, the soul-deep joy soccer gave me. Part of it was just being with Jake and teaching him the moves, I knew that. But being here with him and playing yesterday during the fundraiser, made me miss the fierce competition of being on the field with my team.
It crushed me that I’d never have that again.
Thankfully, there were a few other things distracting me from going down that depressing path. Every so often Jake would press his body against mine, rubbing deliciously against my groin. Sure, I’d rubbed against thousands of men during my career, but Jake was different. He actually meant something to me. Every sensual caress he unintentionally delivered made me I want to give up the game altogether and tackle him to the ground just so I could kiss him senseless.
I skillfully kept the ball away from him for a few long seconds before I saw an opening between his legs and took it, successfully scoring a goal.
Jake threw his hands up. “Damnit! How’d you do that!”
I shrugged. “Lotsof practice.”
He gave me a look of awe, one I’d seen many times on fans before, and it made me squirm just a little.
“Seriously. You’re good,” he repeated. “You said you were on a team, right? Was that why you were in Mexico?”
