Page 8 of Tempting the Player
I try to focus and relax.
Think of something normal to talk about, Kate.
“White, no sugar, please. I can’t believe you live this close to me and I’ve never seen you, it’s a five-minute walk from my house, around the corner from school.”
“Yeah . . . I know where you live. I've seen you go in and out of your house when I'm driving past. It’s funny we’ve never bumped into each other.”
He’s quiet for a minute, I can hear the girls playing upstairs. He clears his throat. Is he nervous? “I’ve wanted to get you alone for weeks now.”
He must see my eyes go wide at his comment. He shakes his head and chuckles. “Let me rephrase that so I don’t scare you to death. I've wanted to talk to you for weeks now.”
Why do I feel like a spider caught in its web? “Oh . . . why’s that?” I ask as confidently as I can.
“I want to take you out... on a date - preferably one that doesn’t involve two four-year-olds. Just me and you.”
Oh, fuck!I shake my head. “No thanks.”
“Wow... brutal - are you sure you don’t need to think about that?”
I give him a half-smile. “No, I don’t.”
“Why won’t you, Kate?”
I love hearing him say my name. “I just don’t want to.”
He pushes himself off the counter and strides towards me. When he reaches me, he places his hands on my hips, his touch making my nerve endings come alive. I retreat, bumping into the island behind me. I have nowhere to go.
He leans in to whisper in my ear, “Maybe I'm going to have to change your mind about that?” he eyes me intensely. Why is he so gorgeous? How much willpower am I supposed to have so that I can say no to him? My eyes fall to his mouth, to his perfect lips, then my eyes go back to his, and I notice they seem to have gone four shades darker. He leans forward and brushes his lips against mine gently and whispers, “What about now?”
I shake my head because I seem to have lost the power of speech, but I don’t pull away - in fact, I lean into him, wanting more, totally forgetting that I'm not supposed to want it and, more importantly, forgetting that my daughter is upstairs. He leans in to kiss me again, and his tongue trails gently along my bottom lip.
“Open for me, honey.” He whispers against my mouth. A groan escapes me, and I sag into him, opening my mouth, letting his tongue have access. He kisses me, and my hands slide around his neck into his gorgeous, soft hair - hair that I’ve been wanting to touch since I saw him again. He tastes amazing, his tongue meets mine and electricity shoots through me, he gives a little groan. I feel a twinge between my legs and kiss him back urgently. It’s still there, the chemistry, the electricity that was there ten years ago, and it comes rushing back to me through every inch of my body.
We break off, both of us breathing heavily, and I suddenly remember where I am, who I’m with, and that my girl is upstairs. Shit!
I push him away and shake my head. “Are you crazy? The girls are upstairs.”
He grins at me. “I can hear them, they’re still in Lucia’s room, don’t worry.”
“There’s no way I’m going out with you, I’m sorry - I’ll be friends with you because our girls want to be friends - but that’s it.”
He frowns. “Why?”
“I’m not the same girl that I was ten years ago, I’ve gotten a bit more class. If you’re expecting a convenient fuck, you’d better look elsewhere.”
“That’s what you think I want? That’s not what I want… not with you. I was a dick to you ten years ago, I'm not the same guy I was.” His tone is serious now.
“Sorry, Nathan, the answer is no - let’s leave it at that.”
He shakes his head. “Ok... for now - I don’t understand, but ok - you might change your mind once you get to know me.” He kisses me on the cheek before turning around to make the coffee.
I have fun once that intense moment is over. It’s nice to have male company, but not just any male - it’s nice to have his company. He’s funny and flirty - but not in your face flirty. He seems like a good father, a natural. I never thought I’d see Nathan so grown up - it’s nice - more than nice. If I let myself, I could like him. But no one changes that much, do they?
I'm out of practice with men, talking and socialising with them. I work for a local food company part-time, in the office. Most of my co-workers are women, so chatting to a guy, a hot one at that, was enjoyable. I’m not silly enough to have secondthoughts - I don’t want to be an easy lay - I want more for myself than that now, and I owe it to Jess. Whatever he says, a leopard doesn’t change its spots. Women look at us at McDonald's and the cinema - everywhere we go, they check him out and are obvious about it. He was out with a woman and two kids, so to everyone, I suppose it would appear that we were a family, but that didn’t deter the woman. It was an impulse they couldn’t help - Nathan most definitely falls into their hotness radar. It’s the height and the broad shoulders that do it, and that soft, wavy hair - it truly will be the death of me, because I can’t help but want to run my fingers through it again. He's sexy, and he radiates that. I keep reliving that kiss in my head throughout the film. It was hot. It’s been a long time since I’ve been kissed that way by anyone, and he was good at it!
After the film, on the way home, I try not to watch him drive because really... how manly is driving when it’s a big hot guy doing it? Bloody hormones. We say our goodnights, and then it’s Jess and me.
“Lucia is my best friend in the entire world,” Jess says when I’m tucking her in.
