Page 34 of Meet Me in the Penalty Box

She stared at me for a moment, her eyes shining brightly at me. “How can you be so sure and so confident in me? It almost feels like it’s a dream and it’s literally only one shoot. It’s not like I’m changing my career with this one job.”

I drained the rest of my drink and set it down on the bar. “Because I believe in you, Harper. The sky is the fucking limit and there’s nothing stopping you from achieving your dreams. I’ve seen how good your photography is. We just need to get it seen by the rest of the world.”

“Who are you, Nico Cirone?” she breathed, her voice husky as she raked her teeth over her plump bottom lip.

I winked as I held my hand out to her. “Come with me and I’ll show you.”

“What about Ava?” she said as her eyes quickly searched mine with a touch of panic in them.

“Tell her whatever the fuck you need to, but you’re leaving here with me.” I paused as I pulled out my phone. “And we’re leaving now.”

She nodded and directed her attention to her friend as I sent Wes a text and told him that I was going to head out. He gave me a thumbs-up and nothing more, so I knew he was probably preoccupied or else he would have been digging for more details.

I took a few steps away, turning my back to the bar as I locked my screen and put my phone back into my pocket. As I pulled my keys from the same pocket, I felt a smaller hand slide into my other one. Turning my head, I glanced over and saw Harper standing beside me. Her chin was lifted as she looked up at me with a ghost of a smile playing on her lips.

“Are you ready to go?” I asked her over the crowd.

She nodded and smiled as she shifted her weight impatiently on her feet.

“My place or yours?”

“Mine is closer.”

I smirked. She had the same thoughts as I did and I wasn’t sure how much longer I’d be able to control myself around her.

“Your place it is.”

CHAPTERTHIRTEEN

HARPER

Ionly had two drinks while I was at the bar and it felt like I was floating. It wasn’t because of the alcohol. It was solely because of the man sitting in the driver’s seat next to me with his hand wrapped around mine.

Nico Cirone was completely intoxicating. He was like a drug I couldn’t get enough of. The more I was around him, the more I found myself missing him when I wasn’t with him. He was like heroin in my veins. I wanted more of him, constantly chasing the high he gave me.

He muddled my thoughts and made my heart skip multiple beats. He probably wasn’t good for my health and I had a feeling he definitely wasn’t good for my heart. There was something different about him, yet I found myself questioning it all. When I first met him, he struck me as the playboy type with one thing on his mind.

The more time I spent with him, the more I realized that wasn’t him at all.

There was so much more to Nico than he showed the world, and I wanted to peel back all of his layers. I wanted to know the real man behind the professional athlete persona. I wanted him to bury his secrets inside me.

His hand was warm against mine and he absentmindedly stroked my skin with the pad of his thumb. When we got to his car, I gave him my address and he put it into his GPS so I didn’t have to bother him with directions. It wasn’t a far drive and it was literally only a few turns. The music was soft in the background, but all I could hear was the pounding of my heart.

As Nico pulled his car into the parking garage for my building, I couldn’t help but feel a touch of anxiety. There was something about knowing that he was going to be in my space that had me feeling a little unprepared. It was one thing being at his place. If I went there or spent the night there, I was able to leave whenever I wanted to. Having him here was completely different. I couldn’t run away from him and my feelings while he was in my own apartment.

He found an empty parking spot and parked his car in it before killing the engine. My hand was still in his and I fiddled with the strap of my purse on my lap.

“Harper.” He spoke softly and his voice filled the empty space in the car. “Look at me.”

I slowly turned my head to look at him. His eyes were filled with a touch of concern and he angled his head to the side.

“I don’t have to come in if you don’t want me to.”

I stared back at him for a breath. “I want you to. It’s just a little different for me, bringing someone back to my place instead of just going to yours.”

Nico nodded in understanding, but he didn’t let go of my hand. “We can sit out here for a little if you want.”

“And do what?” I practically whispered the words as I turned in my seat to face him. It was dark in the car and the lights inside the garage seeped through the windows, making it just bright enough that I could make out his facial expression and features.

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