Blind Date (A Why Choose Romance)

“It’s not a chance. It’s a certainty. Any football player who thinks they’re going to be playing the game for the rest of their lives is a huge goddamn idiot. The game takes its toll on your body, so you better get paid when you can and think about what you’re doing next.”

“Sounds sensible.”

“Hey, don’t look so surprised. I am sensible.”

“What are you doing next? Pinning all your hopes on movies?”

“Nah.” I shook my head, knowing that movie success was doubtful. “Hell if I know. Just keeping options open. I really want to figure it out if I’m doing it alone, doing it with my brothers, or, well... with a more permanent love in my life.” I winked at her. Could she be the one?

“You barely know me, and you’re telling me all this?”

“Hey, you asked.” And I couldn’t shake the feeling that she should be around in my life. If not as a lover, then as a friend. And potentially Ethan’s girl.

“So, are you sticking around today and waiting for Ethan to get back?”

“No, I have work.” She bit her lip, looked down at the food on her plate, and pushed half a grilled tomato to the middle.

I couldn’t help wondering if Ethan hadn’t been the perfect gent. He’d left her sexually frustrated, was my guess. Much as I’d like to think all of that reaction in the hallway was down to the vision of me naked, I suspected whatever went on between her and Ethan might’ve had something to do with it. And then, what dude rushes out in the morning without feeding a girl first? It would have been a life-or-death family issue to drag me away from her. I’d have to have words with the guy on his morning-after etiquette.

“Something wrong?” I asked.

She shook her head. “Nothing apart from we probably shouldn’t have done that.” She glanced toward the hallway, and I knew exactly what she referred to. “Ethan wants to see me again, but I guess he won’t want to now. Jeez, I don’t know what I was thinking.”

“What happened between us shouldn’t change a thing. If Ethan wants to see you again, he will. And if he doesn’t, then he’s fucking crazy. But I’d like to see you again.”

“Easy for you to say that now while I’m cutting into your tomatoes, but what if I did the dirty with one of your friends? Would you still want to see me tomorrow?”

Good question? Who were my true friends? Ethan, The twins? If she got with them, she’d probably get with both of them at once. How did I feel about it? Honestly? The idea was fucking hot. It shouldn’t be, but it was.

“You don’t have got a ring on your finger. I don’t own you. Ethan doesn’t own you. You are your own woman. It wouldn’t make any difference to me who you entertained when you weren’t with me. But to make it perfectly clear, I will not be sleeping with any woman so long as I think I might have a chance of seeing you again. No supermodels and no kitchen wenches. So, before you go, I want to exchange numbers and fix up a date, if you’re willing?”

Kayla’s eyes suddenly went wide. “That’s... that’s not what I expected.”

“That’s me. Unpredictable.” I picked up my phone from the tabletop where I’d left it earlier, set up a new contact, and then asked her again. “Your number, please.”

She reeled off a number as she stood up. I had the feeling she might not repeat it, but I got it down in one take.

“I gotta go. Sorry, my uh... ferret... is on... um... fire?”

And before I could say another thing, she raced from the room. Of course, I followed as far as Ethan’s bedroom door, where I stopped outside the door and waited. She wasn’t about to climb out of one of his windows; I was sure of that, so whether she had things to collect or just went to use the bathroom, I could wait. And while I did so, I pinged her a message asking for a date so she’d have my number if she wanted it.

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

TYLER REED

Spoiling second breakfast.

Ethan arrived not twenty minutes after Kalya had left and found me still sitting at the kitchen table enjoying coffee and wasting my life away on social media.

“Did you see Kayla?” he asked.

“No, hello? Good morning, Ty. Sorry to keep you awake with sex noises last night. Whatever happened to good manners?”

He grinned. “Yeah, all of that. And did you see her?”

“Yeah, had her for breakfast.” I flashed a confident grin to accompany my innuendo. “Kayla’s gone now, dude.”

He raised an eyebrow. “When did she leave?”

“Not all that long ago. You’ve not long missed her; she rushed out saying something about her ferret was on fire.”