Total pages in book: 121
Estimated words: 115577 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 578(@200wpm)___ 462(@250wpm)___ 385(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 115577 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 578(@200wpm)___ 462(@250wpm)___ 385(@300wpm)
I found her in an instant. I could lie to myself and pretend I hadn’t clocked her the second I stepped foot on the field today, but it would be futile. I was drawn to her like a puppy dog to a tennis ball. No matter how I tried to focus elsewhere, my eyes always seemed to bound back to her.
Presently, she was rubbing the sparkly pompoms in her hands together, her smile wide and bright as she cheered on the girls. When the excitement of the play settled down, she chatted with the male dancer next to her, the two of them giggling before they fell in line with the other dancers doing a synchronized cheer.
It was in the middle of that cheer that her eyes snapped to mine.
I looked away instantly, my neck fucking blazing, but I couldn’t help it.
I looked right back at her.
And she smirked, her eyes keeping mine locked as she twirled and danced.
Fuck, it was unnerving, the way she held my gaze like she owned me. She wasn’t the least bit shy, nor was she hiding the fact that she found me attractive. Then again, I supposed I was doing a pretty shit job of hiding my mutual feelings.
She was stunning, impossible not to watch.
And she watched me right back, like she’d eat me alive if I only gave her the chance.
When the dance ended, Emily waved her pompoms in the air before the dancers spread out — some of them taking a break while others ran off to join the various drills happening around the field.
Emily, however, swayed her hips in a direct line to me.
I cleared my throat, clapping as I brought my focus back to the field. My eyes flicked to where Emily was walking straight toward me, then back to the field, then back to her.
She smiled wider.
Fuck.
By the time she reached me, I had my arms folded over my chest and was yelling out some encouragement to my team’s defense, pretending like I hadn’t noticed her sidling up right next to me.
Of course, she wasn’t going to let me pretend for long.
“Hey, Boss,” she sang, clasping her hands behind her back as she stared out at the field with me. “How was my performance?”
“Stop calling me that. And how would I know? I’m here for football.”
“And yet you were watching me.”
She purred the words, tilting her head to look up at me.
I kept my gaze on the field.
“Oh, let me guess,” she said, turning to face me fully now. “It’s fine for you to check me out from afar, but when I call you on it, I’m… what was it?” She tapped her chin. “Trouble with a capital T?”
I scowled. “I wasn’t checking you out.”
“Sure. And I wasn’t drooling over your arms in this shirt.” She plucked at the hem of one of my sleeves, and just that fraction of a second where her skin slid against mine made my cock twitch in my shorts.
I mumbled a curse word under my breath, subtly adjusting myself before my arms were folded over my chest again.
Emily laughed, the sound so light and sweet I wanted to taste it.
“You shouldn’t say shit like that,” I warned.
“Why? Because it turns you on?”
“Because you and I both signed a contract with very strict rules,” I bit back, snapping my eyes to her. “Or have you forgotten?”
“I do have a pretty shit memory,” she confessed, and then her smile climbed as she tip-toed her fingernails over my forearms and up to boop my nose. “Must be all the Mary J.”
“Shh,” I warned, snatching her hand in mine to remove it from my person as I looked around to make sure no one had heard us.
Emily laughed harder. “God, you are wound tighter than a corset at a Victorian wedding.”
“And you’re playing with fire,” I said. Her eyes fell to where I held her wrist, the skin of which was lined with the delicate ink of a floral tattoo. There was also a tiny line of script on her hand.
I dropped it before I could read what it said.
“Maybe this job doesn’t mean anything to you, but it means everything to me,” I said.
For the first time since I’d met her, her expression hardened, the smile slipping off her face.
“You have no idea what anything means to me. And I was just teasing and having a little fun. You ever heard of that before — fun?” She hung her hands on her hips, then used one hand to tap the air like she was showing me a whiteboard. “See, it’s where you take the stick out of your ass and loosen up a little. You can smile, flirt, hell — even laugh if you’re feeling crazy!”
“I have plenty of fun,” I grumbled. “Just not with you.”
“Mm-hmm. I’m sure you’re a real party starter.”