Page 3 of Play On

He furrows his brow, as if he’s never considered that idea before. “Yeah, I guess I am.”

“That’s not a bad thing to be, you know.”

“It’s served me well so far. Except for that night I met you at Wisteria House.”

I stare at him, confused. “What do you mean?”

A gentle summer breeze blows across us, carrying the scent of his cologne towards me. It’s like a combination of a freshly opened bar of exquisite luxury soap and sliced citrus fruit.

It’s utterly captivating.

“I wanted to talk to you at Wisteria House,” Noah says softly. “But I didn’t move fast enough. You were gone before I could think of something to say.”

I stare at him in amazement. “Really?”

“If I admit to something, will you promise not to judge me for it?”

I nod.

“The second you walked into the bar, I noticed you. You’re gorgeous, Violet.”

An excited, tingling feeling sweeps over me.

“I know that’s superficial, and I should never have admitted it to you, but it’s true,” Noah continues. “I couldn’t keep my eyes off you. But I wasn’t sure what to say and I didn’t want you to think I was merely putting a move on you. The moment didn’t feel right. But last night, when you started talking about pick and mix and wanting a man who would enjoy that kind of thing, you completely drew me in. There’s a playfulness about you that I like. I knew the moment was right.”

My pulse is racing now. I decide to confess something to him, too.

“When you told me you liked snakes and milk teeth, it was like I saw you for the first time. I’ve never met a man who didn’t act like I was weird for putting gummy teeth in my mouth or saying pink mice were infinitely better than white.”

“You weren’t meeting quality men,” Noah says, his eyes dancing at me.

“No, I wasn’t. I knew I wanted to get to know you as soon as you said that.”

“That’s when I knew my instincts were right about you. You weren’t impressed that I was a footballer. You cared more that I liked gummy snakes and milk teeth.”

I burst out laughing. “I bet you never thought you’d say that sentence in your lifetime.”

Noah considers it. “To be honest? No.”

We both laugh at that.

“Violet?”

His soft-spoken voice is like a warm caress to me. I don’t get tired of hearing it.

“Yes?”

“I really like that you don’t care that I play football. I know you spent time with me today because of me.”

“Oh God, I’mnota football fan,” I admit breezily. “Nicholas is into that. I’m always annoyed when it’s on.”

The most beautiful smile lights up his face.

“So you don’t have to worry about me chasing after you because you’re a footballer,” I assure him.

“What would make you chase after me?”

Ooh! I have to rise to the challenge of this flirty comment.

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