got were wide eyes staring back at me. They were as shocked as I was. I didn’t risk glancing at Mark; I really didn’t want to know what his face must have looked like.
Will took my hand the second I was up from the table and lead me through the room toward the dance floor. As the night was still relatively young, there was a blues band playing background music and only a few couples were on the dance floor, all of them twice our age. Will turned and wrapped his arm around my waist, pulling me in until there was no space between us. If I thought I’d felt like a deer in headlights on the red carpet, this was on a totally different level.
I stared directly into his chest as we swayed to the music, afraid to look up at him, or over his shoulder at the watching crowd. I tried to get my head around how I’d gone from minding my own business with friends to being the center of attention dancing with Will in the space of less than sixty seconds.
“Hey, you’re shaking.” His voice was soft. It was a new sound and I liked it.
“Can you blame me? Why did you do that, Will?”
“Do what?”
“You know what. Why did you pull me out here?”
“I thought I was doing you a favor. You know, saving you from more embarrassment.”
I deadpanned him.
“Okay fine, maybe I just wanted to dance with you.”
Well really, what’s a girl supposed to say to that?
“You look beautiful.”
I looked up and met his eyes; it was a mistake. I swallowed. “Thank you.”
He stared at me a beat before speaking again. “Come home with me tonight.” His hand at my waist squeezed and his voice became even softer, like sun-warmed honey. “And this time, I don’t mean just to hang out.”
It took a few seconds to register what he’d said, and then a few more to decide if I should be furious or delighted.
“What did you just say?”
He winked. “You heard me.”
I gaped at me. “Please tell me you didn’t just say what I think you did?”
He leaned down and I felt the stubble along his jaw graze my cheek before he whispered in my ear. “You shouldn’t have worn that dress if you weren’t planning on coming home with me, Bambi.”
Oh my God.
“Will…you can’t, you can’t do this.”
“Do what? Ask you to come home with me?”
“Yes! You definitely can’t do that, and well…all of it actually. I meant what I said at lunch. No more flirty eyes and one-liners. This is my job.”
“But I can’t help it. I don’t want to stop flirting with you. Is that such a bad thing?”
Not sure how to respond to that, I dropped my forehead to his chest in exasperation and we continued swaying in silence. After a few beats, his hand began moving along the bare skin of my back in a soothing up-and-down motion and I realized I could feel his heart beating through his chest. It took quite a bit of willpower on my behalf not to nuzzle into the side of his neck.
How difficult could it be to turn him down? But I was strong—I could do this. While tempting as hell, a one-night stand with Will was not worth my reputation or my job, let alone the potential demise of the Sydney Football Club if I stuffed things up.
Sighing, I looked up at him. “Look, I appreciate your interest in me, really I do. It’s a big confidence booster. Huge . But you’re wasting your time, Will. I’m only here for a year and the last thing I want is to be remembered as the girl on exchange who slept with the quarterback.”
His eyebrows went up in surprise. “You’re seriously worried that’s what people will think? That’s why you’re turning me down?”
I rolled my eyes. “Of course that’s what people will think. Have you ever slept with any of the girls from the office before?”
He considered this for a second before nodding, having the decency to look slightly sheepish. “I might have.”
“Right, and how long did she last at the club after that happened?”
Will frowned. “I don’t know. I don’t think I saw her again after
Will took my hand the second I was up from the table and lead me through the room toward the dance floor. As the night was still relatively young, there was a blues band playing background music and only a few couples were on the dance floor, all of them twice our age. Will turned and wrapped his arm around my waist, pulling me in until there was no space between us. If I thought I’d felt like a deer in headlights on the red carpet, this was on a totally different level.
I stared directly into his chest as we swayed to the music, afraid to look up at him, or over his shoulder at the watching crowd. I tried to get my head around how I’d gone from minding my own business with friends to being the center of attention dancing with Will in the space of less than sixty seconds.
“Hey, you’re shaking.” His voice was soft. It was a new sound and I liked it.
“Can you blame me? Why did you do that, Will?”
“Do what?”
“You know what. Why did you pull me out here?”
“I thought I was doing you a favor. You know, saving you from more embarrassment.”
I deadpanned him.
“Okay fine, maybe I just wanted to dance with you.”
Well really, what’s a girl supposed to say to that?
“You look beautiful.”
I looked up and met his eyes; it was a mistake. I swallowed. “Thank you.”
He stared at me a beat before speaking again. “Come home with me tonight.” His hand at my waist squeezed and his voice became even softer, like sun-warmed honey. “And this time, I don’t mean just to hang out.”
It took a few seconds to register what he’d said, and then a few more to decide if I should be furious or delighted.
“What did you just say?”
He winked. “You heard me.”
I gaped at me. “Please tell me you didn’t just say what I think you did?”
He leaned down and I felt the stubble along his jaw graze my cheek before he whispered in my ear. “You shouldn’t have worn that dress if you weren’t planning on coming home with me, Bambi.”
Oh my God.
“Will…you can’t, you can’t do this.”
“Do what? Ask you to come home with me?”
“Yes! You definitely can’t do that, and well…all of it actually. I meant what I said at lunch. No more flirty eyes and one-liners. This is my job.”
“But I can’t help it. I don’t want to stop flirting with you. Is that such a bad thing?”
Not sure how to respond to that, I dropped my forehead to his chest in exasperation and we continued swaying in silence. After a few beats, his hand began moving along the bare skin of my back in a soothing up-and-down motion and I realized I could feel his heart beating through his chest. It took quite a bit of willpower on my behalf not to nuzzle into the side of his neck.
How difficult could it be to turn him down? But I was strong—I could do this. While tempting as hell, a one-night stand with Will was not worth my reputation or my job, let alone the potential demise of the Sydney Football Club if I stuffed things up.
Sighing, I looked up at him. “Look, I appreciate your interest in me, really I do. It’s a big confidence booster. Huge . But you’re wasting your time, Will. I’m only here for a year and the last thing I want is to be remembered as the girl on exchange who slept with the quarterback.”
His eyebrows went up in surprise. “You’re seriously worried that’s what people will think? That’s why you’re turning me down?”
I rolled my eyes. “Of course that’s what people will think. Have you ever slept with any of the girls from the office before?”
He considered this for a second before nodding, having the decency to look slightly sheepish. “I might have.”
“Right, and how long did she last at the club after that happened?”
Will frowned. “I don’t know. I don’t think I saw her again after
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