Page 29 of The Player I Can’t Pick

“But I like them.”

He stops beside the passenger door and turns toward me. “You do?”

“Yes. They’re a lot, but in a good way.”

His smile is slow and happy. “They liked you too.”

I put my hands at his waist. “They barely know me.”

“They don’t have to know you long to see what I see.”

I look away before he can see how much his words affect me. He opens the door, but I don’t climb inside. “Your house is in Whiskey Run, right?”

His eyebrows lift. “Yeah.”

I tug on his shirt, pulling him toward me. My heart is pounding so hard that I’m sure he can hear it. I hope this is the right decision. “Take me home with you.”

He goes completely still. “What?”

I look up at him. “I want to see your house.”

His eyes darken, and he takes a step closer. “Nicole, you need to be sure.”

I slide my hands up his chest and wrap them around his neck. “I’m sure.”

His hands close around my waist. “You know if I take you home, I’m not going to want to let you leave.”

I rise onto my toes and press my lips to his. “Then take me home, Guy.”

CHAPTER 11

GUY

I practically pick her up and put her in my truck. I’m only ten minutes from Ozzy’s house, and even though Nicole and I hold hands the whole way there, neither of us says much. The silence isn’t awkward, but it does feel like there is a charge of electricity between us.

I’m half hard when I pull into my driveway, and by the time I walk around the truck to help her out, I’m taking deep breaths and trying to get myself under control. “This is it,” I tell her.

She looks around the outside of my house, but my eyes stay glued to her. I’ve never cared what people thought about me or my house, but with her it’s different. I want her to love it here. More than that, I want her to be able to picture herself here with me. I walk with her to the front door, and by the time we get inside, I’m trembling like this is my first time or something. I show her through every room downstairs but don’t take her upstairs because I don’t want to just assume that we’re having sex. I’m happy just having her in my space. “Can I get you a drink?”

Her eyes widen and her mouth opens, but she quickly closes it. She blinks and shakes her head.

I gesture toward the couch. “Do you want to sit down?”

She sits on the edge of the couch cushion, and she looks nervous, so I take the chair across from her. I tell myself she’s young and that she’s my teammate’s daughter. I tell myself that taking her upstairs will complicate everything. None of it changes the fact that I can’t stay away from her. Unable to sit this far away, I move to the coffee table and sit directly in front of her so her legs are between mine. She leans toward me, and I let my hands slide slowly up her outer thighs. She sighs, and my whole body goes rigid. I already know we would be good together. “What are you doing here, Nicole?”

Her eyes widen, and she pulls back slightly. “I thought… I mean, I thought we…”

When she starts to stand up, I tighten my hands around her legs, holding her in place. “That’s not what I mean. I’m asking what you want.”

She searches my face before whispering, “You.” The word goes straight through me, and I swear my dick goes stiff.

I want to tell her that if we do this, I won’t be able to hide it from the world forever. I know she isn’t ready to hear that, though. She wants this as much as I do, but I can’t imagine touching her and not thinking of her as mine afterward. “We can wait,” I tell her.

She shakes her head. “No.”

“Nicole.”

“I don’t want to wait.”