Page 31 of Dangerous Play

He studied my face and pushed his hands in his pockets. “Everything okay?”

“Yes, of course. I really appreciate you got them for me… let me know how much I owe you…” I trailed off.

“Blossom, it’s a gift.”

“Thank you.”

“Leave them here.” Max motioned. “We can pick it up after our date.”

“What is the plan?”

“Surprise, but I hope you will love it… I’m actually excited for it.”

Arching a brow at him, I left the stuff on the bed and followed him outside. Our hands interwind automatically as we stepped on the corridor and made our way downstairs. “Now I’m intrigued. A date that you actually look forward do? Suspicious… are we going to play soccer or watch soccer?”

Max laughed, throwing his head back. “My goal today is to prove it to you I’m more than just my soccer.”

“Good luck. You literally told me you don’t have a hobby.”

“I’ve been thinking about that,” he said as we crossed the driveway toward his Range Rover. “I think running is a hobby, and look at the bright side, we both share a hobby. We must be a match made in heaven.”

I couldn’t help but smile, not when he was talking such non-sense in such a sweet way. He stopped by the passenger side and opened the door for me, helping me up the step to his car.Carefully, I climbed in, and Max waited until I settled in before closing the door.

It was strange, having the door opened for me, when there was no one to witness his move. But then I remembered that he told me his mother taught him to be respectful with women and this was him being his usual self. This wasn’t him trying to impress me.

After buckling in, he handed me his phone. “You can pick the music, but I swear to God if you put on Taylor Swift, you are banned for life. Don’t gamble away my blind trust.”

“That’s a tough job.” I opened his Spotify and my eyes caught his neatly organized playlists. Running, Gym, Pre-Game, Post-Game, Travel, Party and Other. “Wow, you’re a playlist guy.”

“Why is everyone surprised? Everyone uses my phone for music and I have to have them split in categories. Most people dump them in the favorites. Like how am I supposed to find my music in one long list?”

“Makes sense… but… do you ever shuffle your playlist?” I teased him.

Max threw me a dark glance. “All the time actually. Otherwise, I would know the order. I like to live on the edge.”

“Very dangerous.” I laughed and settled on his Travel playlist. Surprisingly, I was met with an array of upbeat R&B and Pop music. “How long is the drive?”

“One hour if we don’t hit traffic,” he said, lifting his left leg to causally rest on the door pocket as he drove. “And no… still not telling you where we are going.”

“You’re unbelievable.”

“Yep.” Max popped the ‘p’. “This is our time to get to know each other. So, tell me, did you research me as you promised you would?”

He teased me about the message I sent him wanting to know more about his soccer past.

“You didn’t change too much,” I replied, thinking of his cute round face and curly hair. “What happened with your curls?”

“Outgrew them.”

I pulled my legs under me, making myself comfortable for the journey. “You looked cuter with them, more innocent, but based on what you told me about yourself you are still quite innocent and sweet,” I teased.

“I prefer the term nice or gentleman.”

“You are like a golden retriever.”

“I’m not blonde.” He laughed. “Please don’t tell me you’re a romance reader and you know all these terms.”

“Nope, I prefer movies. I guess, you would qualify more for a cinnamon roll hero.”

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