Page 3 of Touchdowns and Temptations

“Let's forget about the guy and talk about my first day at Corse Sports Management, okay?” I ask my best friend.

“He's coming over,”" she says, completely ignoring my suggestion. My heart skips a beat, and I bite my lip nervously.

“Marina?” I ask. “Can we talk about my job?”

“We're not going to talk about your job when you have the opportunity to have the best sex of your life,” she hisses at me. “Get it?”

“You're crazy!” I roll my eyes and Marina giggles.

“He's coming,” she informs me. “Come on, throw your napkin down.”

“I am not doing that. Pregnancy is making you crazy.”

“Come on!” she urges. “He'll be here any minute.”

My God, this is unbelievable.

“Marina, no!” I protest. “You can forget it.”

“Do it!”

I ignore her and reach for my fork to eat my shrimp when she deliberately kicks me in the shin. I almost scream in pain and drop my fork.

“Tell me, are you nuts?” I look at her angrily and am about to reach for the fork to end this embarrassing situation when someone else grabs it. A hand that wasn’t there before, a man's hand. Our hands touch and I jump back, startled. An electric shock runs through my body and when I look up, I see the most beautiful blue eyes I have ever seen.

I swallow hard as his intense gaze knocks my socks off, and I let go of the fork. Suddenly I straighten up and he does the same. As he stands in front of me, I can't help but form my lips into a silent ‘Wow’.

He has broad shoulders that you want to lean on, perfect muscles, and arms so strong that they make you want to ‘accidentally’ let yourself fall into. My eyes move up to his face, and he grins at me. His lips are thin, and his cheeks are adorned with a blond shadow of a beard, which matches his short hair.

“You dropped this,” he says, handing me the fork. Heat rises in my cheeks in record time, and I can’t catch my breath.

“Thank you,” I reply, feeling ashamed, and I give my best friend a bitter look. I've made a complete fool of myself in front of this Adonis1. “I'm sorry, I'm clumsy.” My apology doesn't make it any better, and when the corners of his mouth lift, I notice that he's amused.

“That's okay,” he says. “But you should probably ask for a new fork.”

“Yes, I'll do that.”

I suck at flirting. I've never been the kind of girl who can get a guy to fall for her with just a few glances. Unlike my best friend, I'm shy and always worried about saying the wrong thing. It's really starting to take its toll now.

“I'm Noah,” he introduces himself and shakes my hand. “And who do I have the pleasure of meeting?”

“Cara,” I whisper. “My name is Cara.”

“Right then, Cara,” he says. “See you around, and don't forget the new fork.”

He winks at me, making my face look like a tomato within seconds, and then heads for the door marked ‘Restroom’.

I slap my forehead with my free hand and look at Marina. “Oh my God,” I mutter. “Well… that was awkward.”

“Yes, it was,” she confirms. “It was like a car crash. I just couldn’t look away. It was awful.”

1 In Greek Mythology, Adonis was the lover of Aphrodite and Persephone. He was considered to be the ideal of male beauty.

2

Noah

I can’t believe that I acted so stupidly when I approached Cara. As soon as she entered the bar, all I could see was her. Her slender legs, the short dress, the shoulder-length black hair, and the friendly smile that took over the room. My god, I was immediately smitten. Alex annoyed me for almost half an hour, trying to convince me to approach her and ask her out for a drink.

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