Page 65 of Scores Of The Heart

Jay Jefferson makes his way over, of course, and tries to smoozle my friends. It’s all in good fun and they don’t seem to mind. Everyone is in great spirits as my eyes scan the room to find Ty.

When they do, I swallow hard. He’s leaning in one of the archways with his arms folded across his chest, his eyes fixated on me. I smile. He does too, in that sexy way he has.

It’s so dark and stirs those nerves again inside me. He has my body tingling just with eye contact alone.

I decide to walk on over there to say hi. Talking to a colleague right now shouldn’t be frowned upon, surely. Everyone else here is. As I approach, he nods towards the players’ lounge right off the common area. This thing developing between us is all so hush-hush, and that sparks something inside me again. Something exciting, dangerous and forbidden.

Does a part of me want to get caught?

“Hey,” he says, taking me by the arm as soon as we’re out of eyeshot from the rest of the people mingling. Amazingly, there’s no one else in here, everyone is out there having a good time with the free alcohol.

“Ty!” I squeal as he pulls me toward him.

He chuckles darkly and my core throbs from the vibration it makes. “What?” He grins, wrapping his big arms around me and lifting me slightly off the ground.

“There are cameras in here.” I try to wriggle free.

“That’s nothing new, babe. There’s cameras everywhere. I’ll tell them it’s a friendly gesture, being hyped about the win.”

“Not just about seeing me, huh?” I laugh as he sets me back down on my feet.

“I’m always hyped about seeing you.”

“Dad wants me to go to that charity game after the Cup is over,” I blurt out. I figure in a few weeks’ time, if things are still going well, this might prompt him to come to Florida.

“Yeah, Ashton was talking about that. I mean, he and Taylor are going as far as I know. I guess there’s no reason I couldn’t come along for the ride, even if I’m not playing in the event.”

“That sounds awesome. Ooh, and I have some news on the contract situation,” I say, hushing my tone even more.

He smiles again and sucks his bottom lip under for a second with his teeth.

“Did you look into it, too?” I ask.

“Sure did. Though, you can probably make more sense of the fine-print jargon I signed than I can.”

“We would need to put it in writing, more or less asking permission from the team officials,” I whisper. “That’s about the size of it. I mean, that’s if we decide to take things further.”

He tilts his head then, his dark eyes never leaving my face. “What do you want, Cindy?”

I swallow, looking up at him. No one has ever asked me that before. I don’t know how to tell him it’s him I want. So I dodge and throw it back at him. “What do you want?”

He doesn’t even seem to hesitate before his lips move. “You,” he says simply. “I can’t stay away from you anymore, Cindy. I want you.”

CHAPTER 14

Tyler

“I want you too, Tyler,” she says. “I really want to see where this could go.”

“It’s getting harder and harder to stay away from you,” I say. It’s possibly the hardest thing I’ve ever done so far with a woman. I’m that pent up about her. It’s ridiculous.

“Even if you know I’m not like most women?” She whispers.

“I told you, I like that.” I don’t care with her. Whether she’s conservative, or holding back, or whatever. I’m willing to get to the bottom of it all.

“You don’t even know the half of it.”

Maybe that’s true, but that conversation I overheard with coach still comes to my mind more often than not. I hope I can broach that subject without making her uncomfortable.

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