Page 21 of The Playmaker (The Legends of Fire #1)

AVERY

D on't forget to give Ann props as your boss. Don't look too eager. And don't forget to force a smile if they ask you about Jax…

I saw some message come in from him last night.

I didn't look at it. Unread. I can't afford to mess today up.

When I told Dad about this interview he was so proud, I could hear it in his voice.

And I want more of that. I want to make up for lost time.

I want to forgive and embrace the time we have left.

I'm walking into the marble floored lobby of ESPN's studios in NYC, ready to interview for a job. I stand in awe of the place for a moment. This is it. This is where my career takes off. And I'm ready.

Well, until I see him— him , of all people—walking in wearing a suit that is sinfully attractive on him, flanked by other people in suits.

Jaxon.

He sees me, too, and instead of another scowl, his face lights up. Is he delirious? The last time I saw him he chased me away.

Oh shoot .

He's walking over and all I can do is stand there. He doesn't even hesitate. He pulls me in for a quick hug.

He feels like warmth and safety and…home. Tears spring to my eyes unbidden, emotions still raw with everything that's happened the past twenty-four hours.

"You left me unread, little benchwarmer." His voice, oh God that deep timbre of it, makes my toes curl.

I look up at him and he looks…at peace. He gets called away. I pull my phone out and finally open his message: I'm sorry .

Then another one right after that, sent yesterday: I know it wasn't you.

I gasp in relief and something akin to euphoria, a weight liberating itself from my heart. I clutch the phone to my chest, smiling.

"Ms. Monroe?" a lady in a suit asks me. "This way for your interview."

An hour later, it's over. I'm in. It's not an anchor role but it's a start.

And I'm ready to prove myself. I pause on my way out, watching ESPN's afternoon show on one of the huge monitors in the lobby where Jaxon's face fills the screen.

Ahh, that's why he was here. He's opening up, answering questions about Riley and why he kept her a secret.

But I think I already know why. I think it's part of what I got so wrong about him all this time.

I thought he was living for himself, but really, he was living for her, doing everything he could to keep her safe.

And that realization wraps around me like a warm hug. I know then that it would be the best decision of my life to date a good guy like Jaxon Carter. I hope he's still interested.

My phone buzzes.

Jax: * Meet me here today at 7. *

He sends an address. Nothing in this world could stop me from being there, from being anywhere he is.

I call Pen on my way out the door and nearly go deaf with all the shrieking and excitement as I tell her the good news.

7:00 PM.

I'm not surprised when I pull up to a private ballet school at seven on the dot.

Something in my bones told me he was going to let me into his world, that he wasn't going to take my "no" to dating him for an answer.

Well, that and the fact that Pen punched in the address so fast I barely blinked before she yelled out that it was Riley's ballet school she'd seen all over the gossip channels.

The building is beautiful, all glass and clean lines, with a steady stream of parents and guests filing in for what must be a performance night. My heart flutters with anticipation—not just to see Jax, but to finally meet the person who means so much to him.

He's there, devastatingly sexy and grinning at me. And she's there, sweet and beautiful.

"Avery, this is my sister. Riley, this is Avery, the one I told you about."

She lights up, greeting me with a grin that's so similar to her brother's it makes my heart melt.

"I love your dress," she says with a shy smile.

I melt at that soft look on her face. "And I am sure I'm going to love your performance! I can't wait to see you on stage tonight. I hear you are extremely talented."

I reach out and squeeze her arm. In that moment, I know we are going to be friends for life. Riley's expression is still so innocent. I can see Jax has done a good job of protecting her from a world that can be very jaded .

"I hope you go out for ice cream with us afterwards," Riley says before rushing inside with other girls her age.

"She's lovely," I murmur before I raise an eyebrow at Jax. "Okay. Fess up. You told her about me? What…exactly?"

In reply, he pulls me to him, lips an inch from mine. "Tell me you want this as much as I do."

I'm so happy I could cry. I still have a lot to tell him, about my dad, my own fears about dating an athlete, but in this moment, none of that matters. He matters.

"Yes," I say, and he kisses me heart wrenchingly deep and slow, savoring me as I melt in his arms.

He pulls back just enough for me to ask, "Are you sure this is going to work?"

Damn my doubts, but they are real.

He smiles so softly that my heart flutters.

"Yes. I trust you. And you can trust me."

Arousal floods my body. He's right. I can trust him. And honestly, I do.

He pulls me inside the front doors of the school, ducking us down a side hallway as everyone is filing into the huge auditorium by the entrance. Tonight is a ballet showcase, and I can't wait to see Riley perform.

"Where are we…?"

"I need to show you something first."

I'm breathless as he guides me into a small music room adjacent to one of the practice studios. An acoustic guitar rests against a chair in the corner.

"I didn't know you played," I say, genuinely surprised.

He picks up the guitar with a familiarity that tells me this isn't just a casual hobby.

"There's a lot you don't know about me yet," he says with a hint of vulnerability I've never seen before.

"Music was my escape after my parents died.

Everyone expected me to just be the athlete, but this.

.. this was where I could actually be myself. "

He sits down, adjusting the guitar on his lap. "I wrote something. For you."

My breath catches as his fingers begin to strum the opening chords of an acoustic ballad.

When his voice joins the melody, deep and surprisingly soulful, I'm transfixed.

The song? * , "The Playmaker," weaves our story together—the journalist with questions and the athlete with secrets, two people from different worlds colliding in ways neither expected.

As he sings about press rooms and playbooks, about taking risks and running routes, about falling with nowhere to hide, tears spring to my eyes.

The raw emotion in his voice when he calls me "little benchwarmer" makes my heart skip.

When he reaches the bridge about walls falling and the mask he wears, I understand completely what he's telling me—that I've seen the real him, the man behind the carefully constructed image.

The final notes fade, and for a moment, we're suspended in perfect silence.

"That was..." I whisper, unable to find words adequate enough.

"How I feel about you," he finishes simply. "Everything I couldn't say before."

I cross the room and take his face in my hands, kissing him with everything I have. The guitar slides to the floor as he pulls me into his lap.

"Now there is the small matter of you turning me down the other day…" he murmurs, his voice playful but his eyes intense .

I blush pink.

He kisses my jaw then my lips. "Care to update the record on that?"

My hands tangle in his hair as I pull into him. "Yes. I will date you."

His eyes darken with desire as he lifts me up, guiding us to the adjacent practice room with mirrors and ballet bars. He locks the door behind us, his intentions clear in every movement.

"I think I have a new question for you, my little benchwarmer."

He guides me to one of the thick mats on the floor, his movements reverent.

"Will you be my girlfriend?"

I lay down as he hovers over me, all strength and masculinity.

His eyes tell me everything I need to know. He's all in with me. He wants this. Wants me.

"Yes, Jax. I will."

He groans as he slides his length into me, making me gasp at the fullness of him in me.

He brackets his arms by me, those full lips meeting mine.

Each thrust ignites fireworks in my mind, a delicious awareness that this time we're not just having sex.

This time, every part of him feels like it is making love to me.

The lyrics of his song echo in my mind as our bodies move together—we're in the red zone, hearts on the line. This is so much more than just physical pleasure.

I arch my back as his thrusts go deeper, faster, my legs instinctively opening further.

"That's it, baby, let go. Open up for me."

I cry out, pleasure building in my body.

"Touch yourself, baby. I want to feel you cum on me."

My hand slides down between us, and I surrender. As orgasms fill the room with breathy moans and guttural sounds, I can't believe how lucky I am. A month ago I never would have believed that I would ever have fallen for an athlete.

Or that I would end up as Jaxon Carter's girlfriend.

But sometimes the most unexpected plays turn out to be the game-changers.

* ? Listen to the song at this link https://distrokid.com/hyperfollow/kelseyjfox/the-playmaker