Page 31 of Unforgettable Player

I stare at his hand on the armrest. How easy would it be to touch it? My fingers twitch in an effort to get closer. To stroke the exposed sliver of pale wrist.

I’m admiring a vein in his forearm, not realizing I’m practically drooling until I look up and find him watching me.

The second our eyes meet, he lets out a little gasp and looks away. I swallow and rearrange myself, my pants getting uncomfortably tight. When I move my leg, it brushes against Eli’s. He doesn’t move. So, I don’t move. I keep my knee pressed against his. Adding pressure so subtly only he’d be able to tell.

When I allow myself another glance at his face, he’s biting his lip and definitely not focusing on the screen.

Scout comes back. The spell is broken. Eli moves his leg so our knees aren’t touching anymore and I feel the loss all through the rest of the movie.

9

ELLIOT

“You need to show off a little skin.”

I glance at my reflection in Scout’s full-length mirror again and frown. I’m wearing my favorite navy and off-white, striped, long-sleeve jersey and loose-fitting jeans. It isn’t insanely hot out today and even if it were, I wouldn’t wear shorts and a t-shirt on a date unless we were going to the beach.

“Skin? Shall I put your Daisy Dukes on and a crop top?”

She snorts. “He’d die on the spot. You’d look amazing.”

I laugh and shake my head, checking my reflection again and smoothing down a rogue strand of hair. Something deep down tells me this date is a bad idea, but after that weird moment with Connor at the movies, I had to do something to remind myself that Connor Ryan is off limits.

“Seriously, you look hot—smoking hot.”

She gets up off the bed and starts messing with my hair until I swat her hand away.

“Okay, okay. You’re done.” She steps back with a proud smile. “My baby,” she says, putting on a silly voice. “All grown up and about to bang Cute Bookstore Guy.”

My face gets hot and I turn away. “I am not going to …” I lower my voice. “Bang him.”

When I turn around, she’s giving me that skeptical raised eyebrow.

“Not tonight, anyway.”

She cackles.

I prepare myself to bump into Connor when we come downstairs, but he’s nowhere to be seen.

Naomi steps out of the kitchen when she hears us, smiling and wrapping a light cardigan around herself.

“Eli, you look very handsome.”

“He looks hot, Mom. Don’t downplay it.”

Naomi laughs while I try to calm the inferno building behind my cheeks.

I shoot one last guilty look at the living room before I leave, but it’s empty. Connor must be out.

It’s only when we’re halfway to the movies and Scout turns to ask me if I’m nervous that I realize I hadn’t even been thinking about Gabe. I’d been wondering where Connor is. If he's gone and hooked up with some girl—or guy—because I’m going on a date.

“Huh?”

“I said, are you nervous?”

“Oh … sure. A little.”

“Don’t be. He’d be an idiot not to like you.”