Page 3 of Playing It Forward

I roll my eyes. “I bet you tell all the women that.”

“Only if it’s true.”

Whatever. I scoot around him. “Now, if you’ll excuse me.”

“But you haven’t let me ask my question yet.”

Ugh. He is not letting this go. “What’s your question?”

He grins and those blue eyes sparkle. I glance away. A woman could get lost in those eyes and forget her own name.

“Do you want to go out with me, Terri?”

“Sorry. No can do.” I scurry away before I forget all about Hudson’s warnings. Before I say screw it and say yes. It’s not often a handsome football player asks a small town girl out after all.

Unfortunately, Nolan follows me. Considering he’s an athlete and I believe working out is a form of torture, he easily keeps pace with me. I quicken my steps but he sticks with me. Probably because he’s well over six feet tall and I’m barely five-feet-five. Okay, fine. Five-feet-four inches and a half.

“Why not?”

“What do you mean, why not?” I wheeze out.

“Why don’t you want to go out with me?”

My lungs burn, and my legs protest at the pace I’m setting. I give up. I can’t outrun him. Maybe I should reconsider my stance on working out. Would it kill me to go to the gym once in a while? The gym at the resort is excellent. And, as an employee, I get free access.

I reach the bar and stop. I place my hands on it as I catch my breath.

“I don’t have to explain myself,” I finally say when I can speak without wheezing. Hudson would throw me to the pirates if I told one of the precious football players about his rules.

Nolan’s brow wrinkles as he stares at me. “This has never happened to me before.”

He’s adorably confused. I giggle but slap my hand over my mouth to hide the sound. It’s not nice to make fun of someone.

“Terri,” Ava calls, “can you help me carry these glasses inside?”

Thank you, I mouth to her before tucking my clipboard under my arm and accepting the tray she hands me.

I beam up at Nolan. “Duty calls.”

I scurry away. This time he doesn’t follow me. My stomach drops. I want him to follow me.

No, I don’t. Nolan is one sexy specimen of manhood. But I’m only allowed to appreciate him from afar.

I’m not risking my job at the resort for a summer fling with a football player. And, let’s face it, a summer fling would be all it is. The Steel City Seals team will be gone at the end of the summer as soon as training camp is over.

I have no desire to be the notch on one of the player’s belts.

Chapter 2

Nolan – a quarterback dangerously close to making bad decisions

Nolan

I stare after Terri with my mouth gaping open. She shot me down faster than I can throw a football, and considering I’m one of the NFL’s best quarterbacks, I can throw a football pretty fucking fast.

“You owe me twenty bucks!” Tanner shouts from across the bar.

I glare at him. He’s one of the fastest wide receivers in the NFL. And my teammate on the Steel City Seals. If he weren’t, I’d probably throw him in the ocean for being an ass.