Page 20 of Home Field Advantage
“Griffin,” Tucker calls. “Someone’s got a question, and I don’t feel like I’m qualified to answer it.”
Griffin sighs and says something back, but I can’t tell you what it was because I’m lost in Poppy’s trance. I’m still shaking her hand, refusing to let go. Her touch is a blend of fire and ice. Because while it feels warm and comforting, she sends an icy, sharp buzz through the rest of me.
Staring at her, I stand from my stool and tower over her enough that she needs to lift her head to maintain eye contact. She tries to pull her hand back, but I don’t let her, tightening my hold on her. Her cheeks pinken when I step closer and bend down until my lips graze the shell of her ear. With my eyes over her shoulder, I breathe her in, forgetting we’re in a room full of people. A warm, comforting scent hits me. A mix of vanilla and honey forces me to close my eyes and soak it into memory because she’s intoxicating.
“Are we acting like I didn’t meet you at the coffee shop the other day, Poppy?” I whisper.
Her name out of my mouth tastes good.
She nods, but I stay close to her ear, not letting her hand go, sensing her chest rising and falling from our proximity.
“That’s really disappointing.”
She pulls back but doesn’t release her grip. I’d hold her hand all night if she let me. Her eyes widen, and my smile grows. She looks so innocent. But fuck, I can’t get over her beauty.
Her face relaxes and morphs from shocked to somewhat sassy when she smirks at me. “Did you want me to randomly remember a stranger I met in the coffee shop for less than ten minutes?”
Shaking my head in disbelief, I grin, tugging her close. Her body almost collides with mine, and her hand lands on my chest to help find her balance. Again, I seem to forget this is a packed bar in a small town. The worry that people might talk isn’t even on my mind. All I can think about is…
She looks from her hand and back up to me, pulling it away as if she just set her hand down on a hot stove.
“I remember.” I wink. “You’re kind of unforgettable, Poppy.”
She scoffs, taking a step away from me. “You don’t even know me.”
Taking a seat on the stool behind me, I level my eyes with hers again. Unable to break the contact for a second, I reach for my glass and take a long pull. She stares at me, full of uncertainty, and I can tell she doesn’t know what to think about the new guy in town.
I don’t blame her. I shouldn’t be thinking about her this way.
“I’d like to get to know you,” I say, despite what my inner thoughts are screaming.
She averts her gaze, looking around the bar. I don’t know if she’s looking for someone to save her or if she’s meeting someone. That makes me irrationally jealous.
“Are you meeting a boyfriend?” I ask curiously.
She shakes her head.
“No, you’re not meeting a boyfriend? Or no, you don’t have one?”
Please tell me it’s the latter.
She looks down at her hands nervously, not giving me an answer. As much as I’d love her not to have a boyfriend, I must guard myself here. It’s a fine line I’m walking. I shouldn’t be flirting with the beautiful local, who has me saying things I shouldn’t be saying. Who has me thinking things I shouldn’t be thinking. Who has pulled me into her orbit without an ounce of effort.
When she lifts her eyes to meet mine, I know with certainty that despite how much I want to stay away, I’m completely and utterly fucked.
CHAPTER 5
SO IT’S WORKING?
Poppy
Dallas is most definitely flirting with me.
And it makes me feel so out of my element.
Truthfully, I don’t know how to feel about it. This doesn’t happen often for me, and it’s mostly because I don’t get out enough to allow the opportunity to present itself.
Seeing Dallas again feels like an earthquake I never braced myself for, and it’s a weird and new feeling for me. I thought about lying,telling him I have a boyfriend,so he can keep his distance, and I could protect myself from the inevitable. But the way he looks at me with such intensity, it’s hard to deny that I want him to keep looking at me like this.
