Page 18 of The Player I Can’t Pick

“Always.”

She sighs loudly and then starts to ramble. “I’m scared you’re going to break my heart. I’m scared we’ll decide this is a bad idea and you and my dad and the rest of the team will have a problem with each other. I’m scared that I moved to Jasper to build a life, and when we end things, I’m going to want to leave. But I can’t because I don’t want to leave my dad. He’s all I have left in this world.”

“Nicole,” I start, but she doesn’t let me finish.

“I’m scared that, yeah, you want me now, but your world isn’t going to approve of me. Eventually, you’ll see it too and decide I’m not what you really want. And that’s fine, but⁠—”

“Nicole. Stop. Breathe.”

She inhales slowly, and I soften my voice. “Listen to me. Really listen. I’m not sure what this is either, but I know I’ve never felt this way about a woman before.”

She starts to argue, but I stop her. “Listen. When I wake up in the morning, you’re the first person I think about. When I’m on the field, I wish you were there watching me. When the game ends, I wish I had you to run to. And when I lie down at night, I wish you were beside me.”

I suck in a breath. “I know this is fast, but I’m willing to slow down and go at whatever speed you need. If that means we start as friends, I’m fine with it. You want a no-touching rule, you’ve got it.”

Her voice rises. “You’re telling me that if I said no more touching and no more kissing, you’d be okay with that?”

I adjust myself in the seat. Just talking about touching her has me half hard. “Yeah. Whatever you want, Nicole. I just want to be with you.”

She’s quiet for a second, and when she speaks again, her voice is thick with emotion. “What time are you picking me up tomorrow?”

“Ten.”

“I’ll be ready.”

“And?” I ask.

“And what?” she asks, even though she knows exactly what I want.

“Can I hold your hand and kiss you?”

She lets out a low sound. “You know I can’t say no to you.”

“You can,” I insist. “You absolutely can. Whatever you want from me, you can have.”

She pauses. “Fine. Yes, kissing is okay, but I really don’t want my dad finding out about this.”

The fact that she wants to hide us makes me crazy, but I’ll agree to anything if it means I get to have her. “Fine. It stays between us.”

I’m not sure how I’m going to manage it, but I’ll make sure her dad doesn’t find out we’re dating. At least for now.

“Can I ask you something, Guy?”

“Anything.”

“Are you wearing my hair tie around your wrist?”

I answer without hesitation. “Yes. You’re my good luck charm.”

She sighs softly. “I can’t believe you kept it.”

“It was all I had of yours. I needed to keep it with me.” It’s the truth. I haven’t been able to stop thinking about her, and having even a small piece of her with me has given me some calm.

She sighs again. “Are you almost home?”

“I am. You better rest up.”

“Oh, what are we doing tomorrow?”