Lauren sat in Jack’s car and waited while he showered and changed. All the boys and their parents had left, and she wondered if she could sneak in and take a peek. No one needed to know. It would be her dirty little secret. But she refrained herself from behaving like a Peeping Tom.
Ten minutes later Jack ambled out of the change rooms and headed toward his car. She saw a noticeable limp and remembered he had a football injury. He slid into the driver’s seat, smelling of woodsy soap, and she had to stop herself from leaning into him to take a long, drawn-out sniff.
Throwing his bag onto the backseat, he started the car and drove out of the carpark. His dark, damp hair looked rumpled, like he had brushed it with his fingers, and droplets of water, illuminated by the dashboard’s lights, glistened as they clung to his neck. He was the sexiest man she’d ever seen, and he also had a kind heart to go with it.
“Why did you have to turn out to be such a good guy?”
Flicking a quick, startled glance at her, he chuckled. “Should I apologize?”
She smiled. “I thought you were going to be a jerk. I wanted you to be a jerk. It would have made my life a lot easier.”
“I’m not sure if that’s a compliment, but in all fairness, not all guys in my situation are jerks. You never gave them a chance to show you otherwise.”
He was right she thought as she stared out into the darkened streets. She never gave men like him a chance because she’d always been too scared. After what she had gone through with Graham it was easier to avoid any man who could ever put her in that kind of position again. Jack’s big heart and kindness had helped open her eyes.
Jack took his eyes off the road as they stopped at a red light and flicked a heated gaze over her. “I’m happy you’ve never given other men a chance.”
Her heart pounded against her ribs. “Oh?”
“Yeah, because some other guy would have you right now, and I wouldn’t have a chance.” His voice turned deep and husky. “Now I do.”
Bubbles of excitement popped in her chest, but she tried to sound casual as she said,
“What makes you think you have a chance now?”
The light turned green, and his gaze returned to the road but not before she saw his cocky grin. “Because I now know you have fallen for my irresistible personality.” Waving her hand, she scoffed.
“Then it’s my incredible athletic body you can’t live without.”
A laugh escaped her. “Oh, now you’re really full of it. I’m just realizing you’re not as bad as I first thought, so let’s not get too carried away. You’re not that hot,” she teased. She wasn’t going to tell him that he’d hit the nail on the head on both accounts, and hereallywas thathot. His eyes grew round like he was in shock, but his lips twitched into a smile. “I’m not?” She smacked him lightly on the arm, and he winced dramatically.
“Baby.” She laughed.
“Hey, that arm has been throwing footy balls around all night.”
“You were great with those kids. I could see they loved being there,” she said in all seriousness.
“I love training them. They’re a great bunch of boys. They only need someone to believe in them.”
“You’re a good guy, Jack. I’m sorry I judged you.”
“I can still be verybad.” He wiggled his eyebrows, and the dim interior did nothing to hide the devilish gleam in his eyes.
She couldn’t help but smile back. No doubt he would bebadin the best possible way.
Jack drove them through Lauren’s neighborhood, not back to her car like she thought he would. She was suddenly hit with a wave of panic. Her heart began to race, and her hands started to sweat. Should she thank him for helping her turn an ugly afternoon into a lovely one and then let him leave? Or invite him inside? For what? A drink? Dinner? Or… Her thoughts were playing ping-pong in her head. If he had taken her back to her car, she wouldn’t have had to worry about making this decision.
So when he pulled onto her driveway she said, “You should have taken me back to my car.”
“I’ll have someone pick it up for you in the morning.” He turned in his seat to face her.
Holding her bag in her lap and twisting the straps with wobbly fingers, she avoided the question she wanted to ask but didn’t quite yet have the courage to. So instead she asked, “How did you know where I live?”
In a calm, quiet voice, the complete opposite to the jumble of jitteriness she was feeling, he whispered, “I know a lot about you.” His hooded eyes turned dark like a summer storm as they searched her face. Did he know how he was affecting her?
God, he turned her into a nervous wreck with just one heated look. She dug deep to find the courage needed to ask, “Would you like to come upstairs?” When he didn’t answer and looked at her intently she fiddled with her locket, averted her gaze, and continued on a nervous bubble of words. “We could order pizza or Chinese. Are you hungry? I’m starving. Are you hungry?” She mentally slapped her forehead. She’d already asked him that.
“Yes, I’m hungry.” His gaze flicked to her mouth like he wantedheron the menu.
