Playing for Keeps

Jackson

Lily POV:

"What was that?" Tanya says "I thought you and Josh were hitting it off?"

"We are, I went to the bathroom, I was gonna get a drink bumped into the guy and he offered me a beer, end of story." I don't tell her about how that hunk of a man made me feel so... off.

"I'm glad the guys didn't notice but girl, I don't want misunderstandings you get it right?"

"Yeah." I say rolling my eyes because I am not a child and don't need to be handled.

When we get back to the table Josh looks over and shoots me a smile as he places his hand over my shoulder. I smile at him as I hear him talking to Liam about baseball. They were excited that the Padres had won tonight, which meant they were going to the playoffs. 

After a while Josh is in the middle of going for drinks when he smacks Liam on the arm. "Dude, dude look. It's fucking Jackson Merrill!" Liam's head turns immediately to where Josh is pointing.  "What the fuckkkkk! Shit he is with Scott James" Liam squeaks out. I turn to where Josh pointed to see who they are talking about because if another man has two grown men squeaking like teenage girls, I have to catch a glimpse. I pale as I spot the guy they are staring at, it's the guy I bumped into earlier. Our eyes lock and the butterflies in my stomach begin to go crazy, my heart rate picking up. He is smiling at me as he lifts his beer to a cheer. My eyes wide and I smile back and turn away.

I find Josh and Liam staring at me weird, with Tanya looking worried. "You know him?" Josh asks accusingly. I crease my eyebrows as I look over at him and say "Not really. I bumped into him earlier on accident". 

He looks at me weird before he says "I'm going to go grab drinks" and turns to look at me again with anger crackling in his eyes.  I look over to Liam once Josh is gone and he says "You gotta understand, Jackson is flirting with you, I wouldn't like it if he did that with Tanya" I feel like I am being attacked as Tanya stares at her feet. 

"The thing is 1. Josh and I are not a couple and 2. I didn't do shit for him to assume I was flirting back" I look over at Tanya and say " I'm out, I promised an hour. I'll talk to you later" I grab my coat and turn to leave. I see Josh coming back and the anger turns to confusion when I pass by him. I'm five feet from the door when a hand grabs my shoulder. I feel a tingle and shock of electricity running through my arm, down my arm straight to my core. I turn to see a smirking Jackson looking over at me with what I can only describe as fire in his eyes. "Leaving already?" he asks, his breathing a bit off. Did he feel that too? Does he also feel the electric pull that happens when we are around each other?  

"Yeah, have a long day tomorrow." I reply turning back towards the door. I feel his hand gently touch my shoulder and that barely there touch makes me feel a flood of emotions. I turn again trying to figure out why this man's touch has me feeling so much, my breathing coming in patchy. I look up at him and he is smiling nervously as he lets out a small fuck that is barely audible. "I- I don't think we properly introduced" he says as I feel the crackling of electricity growing between us. 

"uh" I turn to see Tanya and she is looking at me questioning, Josh looking angry again. "I'm going to go to the bar next door, wait 5 minutes and follow me, ok?" I say without thinking. I catch myself and my eyes grow wide "I- I mean if you want" 

His smile wide as he says "See you in 5" winking at me  as he walks back to the table where his friend is looking over at us with a huge smile on his face.