Page 20 of Love on the Line

“Well, I mean, it’s not like you could look me up and find out about my life. And besides, you never know what’s true. I wanted to get to know you on my own.” Even though she’d been that close to doing it.

He held her gaze, and said in a quiet tone, “You’re really something.”

She swallowed, and a warm wave washed over her. Somewhere along the way, she’d lost track of her mission to get out of the diner, and it had nothing to do with the dessert. Contrary to what she’d expected, Wyatt wasn’t running for the hills, and neither was she. In fact, the complete opposite.

He sat back. “I played tight end.”

A tight end? Oh God. Right back to the bun images.

He leaned forward. “Are you okay? You’re flushed.”

“Yeah, it’s the tea I think.” She tugged at the neckline of her T-shirt.

Sally came back to the table. “Need some refills?”

“No, but I’d like an ice water please,” Anne said.

* * *

Wyatt bit his tongue to keep from laughing. Anne’s face couldn’t turn any redder. He’d bet the house she had no idea what a tight end was, and it didn’t take a rocket scientist to know why she’d blushed right after he’d mentioned that position. Adorable.

“Go on, how long did you play for the Ravens?” She took another sip of tea.

“Eight years. Same position. Tight end.” He couldn’t help himself.

She choked and held a hand to her chest.

Shit, he wasn’t trying to kill her. “You okay?”

“Mm-hmm.” She took a breath.

Sally brought Anne’s water, and she gulped the drink as Sally refilled Wyatt’s mug. “Need anything else?”

“Just the check. Thanks.” Wyatt said.

Anne set the water down. She seemed to be breathing normally again. “So, did you break any records? Like get the most sacks?”

God, she was so damn cute. “That would have been a nice trick.”

“Why? You’re famous and all, so I figured you must have broken some records.”

“I did.” He grinned. “But no sacks. A tight end plays offense. I was never on the field with the other quarterback.”

“Oh.” She frowned.

Crap, he didn’t want her to feel bad. She was trying so hard. “It’s okay. You told me up front you don’t like sports. I’m not offended.”

Her shoulders softened. “Good. I’m sorry.”

“No need to apologize.”

She nibbled her lower lip, and fire blazed a path to his groin.

“Hey.” He leaned across the table. “You went out of your way to look up facts about my sport. A sport you admittedly don’t even watch. And you told me things I didn’t know. That means a lot.”

Her tentative smile made his heart thump. She seemed to accept that he wasn’t making fun of her. He sat back. “Enough about me. What about you? Do you have family here?”

She nodded. “I have two younger sisters. Sarah is only an hour away, but Maddie lives in New York, and my parents retired to Florida. How about you?”

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