Finding Love /Jordan Knight FanFic/NKOTB

XVII

Jordan

BILLY'S HOUSE IS on the water, on Davis Islands. It was originally built by a baseball player, but once he retired from playing, he decided to move. Billy, who had just signed a nine-year contract with the Tampa Tarpons, decided to put down some roots.

"Oh, you're here!" Missy squeals as she comes barreling toward us. I knocked on the door, but instead of waiting, we just walked in.

"Hey, Missy." I pull her in for a hug. "Thank you so much for all of this. We really appreciate it." I glance at Caroline and narrow my eyes. She's slipped into the role she knows how to play so well, the socialite role . . . and I hate it. Her back is straight, her shoulders are pulled back, and she's smiling at Missy, but her lips are closed. She's perfected that perfect closed-mouth smile you see on actresses and well-known people. They carry it around like it's their permanent facial expression.

"Are you kidding! It's not every day we have newlyweds on the team." She's beaming from ear to ear and her gaze bounces back and forth between the two of us.

Pulling Caroline tight up against me, I squeeze her hip and she gives me a confused look then looks back at our host. "Missy, I'd like to introduce you to my wife." My voice catches on the last word, and Caroline picks up on it as her eyes shift from Missy to me.

"It's so nice to meet you. Billy and I just adore Jordan, and we are so happy for him." She leans forward and gives Caroline a quick hug even though my arm is still wrapped around her. "Of course, it would have been nice if he'd told us about you before the wedding so we could have celebrated then." She backhands me in the stomach harder than necessary and I let out an unexpected oof.

"Don't blame him." Caroline jumps in and places her hand on my chest. "If you've seen any of the press about where I come from, you'll understand why a little bit."

"Girl, no explanations are necessary here. We're just excited to have you. Come on in, I want to introduce you to everyone."

"Okay." Caroline goes to pull away, but I clamp down on her.

"Missy, give us five minutes. We'll come find you." I nod reassuringly.

She looks at us, smiles brightly, and then heads off into the house.

Pulling Caroline in front of me, I wrap my hands around the sides of her head. "Hey, don't do that." I shake my head and stare down into her face. My thumbs trace underneath the edge of her jaw, pausing to take in the softness of her skin.

"Do what?" she mumbles, my fingers hovering close to her mouth. Her eyebrows slant down.

"Play the part."

"I don't know what you mean." She breaks eye contact with me and looks at something over my shoulder.

"Yes, you do," I say gently, one hand slipping around to the back of her head and tilting it, this time using my thumb to trace her lips just like I did earlier in the week. I swear I could stare at her mouth and her lips indefinitely and never tire of it. The pink gloss she has on smears, and I can't help myself as I bring my thumb to my mouth and suck it off. Her breath hitches as she watches, and my heart rate picks up as silence shortens the distance between us.

I didn't kiss her earlier on my balcony, and for days it's all I've thought about. Don't get me wrong, I sure wanted to, but I wanted to think back on that night after all this is over and just remember dancing with her.

"Caroline." Her eyes dart up from my lips and her hands find my waist. "These people are my team, my friends. You may be new, but you're with me, so you're one of us. No one is going to judge you here."