Falling for the Backup
Page 22

Now it was the morning of the race, and runners were beginning to approach the starting line. Aynslee saw someone taking pictures and quickly pulled Jordan to her before asking the guy to take one of them. After the photographer shot their photo and told them where it would be posted online, Jordan took Aynslee’s hand and led her to the starting line. She had always loved doing stuff like this, and for Jordan to know that in the short time they’d been together had her heart doing flips. Looking up into his gorgeous face, she smiled as love warmed her heart. It had been only a little over a month, but she was a firm believer in When you know, you know.
And with Jordan, she knew.
Once in place, Aynslee faced Jordan with her game face on. “I bet I can beat you.”
Jordan laughed again, shaking his head before leaning over for a quick kiss. Only a breath away, he said, “In your dreams.”
Then the horn sounded and they were off.
For once, Aynslee was very appreciative of her size. Being small helped her get through the pits and puddles faster than Jordan could, though she quickly learned he liked to play dirty. She loved it. Some girls would have been pissed, but Aynslee had grown up with competitive brothers, and all it did was fuel her fire. She ran full speed ahead, jumping over a puddle that he managed to get stuck in, which put her in the lead. Drenched in mud, she crossed the finish line with a big grin on her face and her arms in the air.
It was a complete blast, and when she turned to see Jordan trudging over the finish line, his eyes glaring and his body covered in mud, she couldn’t hold in her laughter. He walked over to her as she continued to laugh.
“I don’t know what you are laughing at! You look just like me!” he pointed out as he crossed his arms.
“Oh, no, I’m laughing because you are a very sore loser and a cheater!” She smirked as she picked up one of the hot rags that had been provided for the runners to clean up with after the race. She loved the run, but mud in the nose wasn’t working for her. When she glanced up at him, he was still glaring; then, with ninja-like moves, he grabbed her and rubbed his muddy hands all over her face. She tried to get away, but he tackled her to the ground. Their laughter mingled as he lay on top of her. With his mud-splattered body rubbing over hers, Aynslee suddenly felt aroused. If they weren’t in the middle of a park, she would’ve shown him how dirty she could be. Jordan must have felt the same way, because his eyes grew darker as he said, “Right now I feel like I’ve won. Want to go back home so I can claim my prize?”
Aynslee closed her eyes as the laughter took over once again.
God, she loved this man.
Leaning back in the massage chair, Aynslee smiled as Brittany, her nail tech, scrubbed her feet and told her about her daughter’s dance recital.
“She can’t dance a lick. She gets that from Steven’s side of the family, I tell you,” Brittany said with a shake of her head. “Bless her heart, she goes to kick and falls on her ass! I’m laughing so hard, I’m screaming, ‘It’s okay, baby! Mommy loves you!’ ”
Aynslee and Sadie both cracked up.
“See, you can blame it on Steven, but if my baby is a girl and wants to dance, I’m screwed. I have two left feet!” Sadie joked. “Can Jordan dance?”
Aynslee nodded her head. “I think so. I’ll definitely find out tonight.”
They were going to a charity benefit that Jordan’s teammate, Jakob Titov, was hosting to help abused kids. Aynslee was all about helping kids and was excited when Jordan had asked her to come.
“Jordan? Who’s that?” Brittany asked. “I didn’t know you were dating someone.”
“Remember the guy who ran out on me? After I got my nails done last month, I went for a run and bumped into him, and let’s just say we haven’t spent much time apart since then.”
Brittany’s face broke into a knowing grin as she slapped Aynslee’s leg. “So he’s the hockey player, right?”
“Yup, a goalie for the Assassins, and oh, my God, I adore him. Actually, I’m pretty sure I love him.”
Sadie whipped her head around to stare at Aynslee, and Brittany’s mouth dropped open.
“Say what?” Sadie asked.
“Really,” Aynslee stressed. “He is so perfect. He loves video games like me, took me on a mud run, loves to watch the same movies as me, and, get this, he lets me rap to him.”
“No way!” Sadie laughed, since she knew that Dan had hated when Aynslee rapped at all. He’d said it wasn’t ladylike, but Aynslee didn’t care.
“Rapping is a must in a relationship,” Brittany said in a teasing way.
Aynslee giggled. “Right? Jordan is everything I’ve ever wanted.”
She hadn’t been this happy in a long time. Even her mom could feel that there was something different when they’d spoken on the phone last night. When she heard about Jordan, her mom wanted to meet him, but since their future was still up in the air, Aynslee told her mother to wait a little and then she’d bring him home. She only hoped she would be able to.
“Are you talking about Jordan Ryan?”
All three women looked over to see a woman staring at them. The first thing Aynslee noticed was that she was extremely beautiful. Big blue eyes, framed with thick black lashes. Her blond hair was styled in wide curls draped around her shoulders, and she wore designer clothes. Aynslee couldn’t see her shoes, but she was sure they were expensive.