Page 77 of Break Point

“Taryn’s right, you know,” Jaden says, sitting down on the ground in the center of the court. I sit next to her, placing my hand within inches of hers. I give her a sideways look.

“About what?”

“If we get caught out here, the athletic director is going to lose his mind,” she says.

I lean back on my palms and look up at the sky. I can’t see the stars through the beams of the lights. They’re probably buried under the coastal sheen of cloud cover anyhow.

“Nah. I’m a football player, remember? Hero worship.” I throw her words back at her, and she takes them in jest, chuckling before sliding back on her own palms. Her hand brushes against mine, and the feeling is what I imagine it must be like to be struck by lightning.

“Besides, the story practically writes itself,” I say. I hold up one hand and sweep it in front of me. “Cordon’s greatest athlete of all time takes to the court under the stars one more time in search of her swing.”

The raspy laugh that caught my heart the first time I heard it fills our tiny, special space.

“I don’t think that would be the headline,” she argues.

“Oh yeah?” I squint one eye as I glance at her. “What did I get wrong?”

Her lips twist in thought.

“Well, for starters, I’m not sure you could call me the greatest Cordon athlete of all time. There’s a hall of fame football player from here. Plus, Kathrine Maltese.” Her head falls to her shoulder in a nonverbal “I told you so” type of way.

“Ah, yes. The great Kathrine Maltese. Okay, let me edit that.” I lift my hand and repeat my gesture. “Cordon’s most beautiful athlete of all time takes to the court under the stars one more time in search of her swing.”

Jaden rolls her eyes, as predicted, and I lean into her shoulder enough to push her slightly off balance.

“I’m not that either,” she says.

I shake my head.

“No, you are. I’m the authority on the subject, remember? I get to tell you all the ways you’re beautiful. And most beautiful is one of them.”

My gaze lingers on hers, and I’m rewarded by the slight crinkle that forms at the corners of her eyes as her smile spreads.

“Why do you like me?” She studies me with an intense look in her eyes, and I realize that I can’t lie to her under such scrutiny.

“I don’t like you,” I say. Her eyes flinch.

“I love you,” I follow up.

This time, her stare is fixed wide, and if I didn’t see her nostrils move with the sharp intake of air, I might worry that she was frozen. Her upper lip begins to arc, and she leans into me, her focus narrowing on my mouth. I close my eyes and welcome the soft brush of her lips against mine, the tease of her tongue against my lower lip followed by the subtle suck of my lip between hers.

She lets go, but her mouth remains close enough to tickle mine with her words.

“I love you too,” she hums, sending a million vibrations across my lips all at once. My grin is instant.

I shift my weight, then move a hand behind her head and hold her to me as I kiss her deeper. She’s coming back, not just to me, but to herself. I feel it in her touch. I can hear it in the timbre of her voice. She’s getting stronger. She’s finding her power. She was only lost. Now, she’s on her way back home. Back to me.

“If you turn the lights off, can we still sit here for a while? Just like this?”

I smile in response and scurry to my feet.

“We can downright camp out for the night if that’s what you need to do,” I say.

She giggles and shakes her head.

“I don’t think I want that. I could use some actual sleep.”

“Right.” I nod before holding up a finger and dashing to the control room just below the center court stands. It takes me a few tries to figure out the right breaker, but I flip the lights off finally, then lock up the room before jogging back to her.