Playing Hard to Get(49)

“You don’t normally like coffee?”

“Oh, I do, but I have one of those Nespresso coffee makers my parents got me for my birthday. I’d rather save money and drink it at home,” she explains.

I can’t help but notice how rigid she is sitting next to me. Nothing like the woman grinding against me only a few minutes ago.

“Are you mostly on your own or do your parents help you?”

“They helped me at first, but now I’m on my own. That’s why I work at the bookstore and do the tutoring thing. My schedule is full, but I manage it pretty well. Plus, I’d be bored if I didn’t stay busy all the time, so I don’t mind,” she explains.

“Yeah, I like to stay busy too.” I glance out at the campus, watching as people walk by on the sidewalk. We’re in a pretty quiet area, but there are still plenty of people milling around. Some of them are looking over at us oddly too. Like they’re not quite sure what the two of us are up to.

“What’s your major?” she asks.

“Business.” I take a sip of my coffee, grimacing at the strength. I sort of hate coffee. “Kept it pretty general just in case.”

She frowns. “Just in case what?”

“In case I get into the NFL.” I grin at her. “It could happen. I come from NFL royalty, according to ESPN.”

“Is that what you want?” She watches me over the edge of her cup as she keeps sipping at her drink.

“Who wouldn’t want it?”

“Maybe you have other ambitions.” She rests her cup on her slender thigh, and I wish I had the right to settle my hand on her leg. Slide my fingers forward, between her thighs. Claim her like I own her.

If she was some girl I just wanted to fuck once, I’d already have my hands all over her. Staking my claim and not giving a damn because I know it’s not going to last beyond the day.

With Joanna, it doesn’t feel like that. I want to take things fast. Slow. Extra fast.

Extremely slow.

I’m all over the place when it comes to this woman. I don’t know where I stand with her, or what she thinks of me. And that kind of sucks.

“I want to play for the NFL,” I say firmly.

“Any team in particular?”

“Any team who will take me.”

“That must be so weird,” she says, her voice drifting as she sips from her cup again.

“You want the truth?”

She nods, her eyes wide.

“It’s scary.” I don’t say that to too many people. I act like I’ve got this shit on lock. Outwardly, I’m confident that life is going to go my way.

But buried deep, I’m nervous. What if no team wants me? What then?

I don’t know what’s going to happen.

Shit.

I change the subject.

“What’s your major?”

“Marketing and public relations.”

“What do you want to do with it after you graduate?”

“I’m not sure yet. My freshman year I wanted to be a teacher, but I changed my mind.”

“Why?”

“Not a lot of pay, though there is plenty of reward. I don’t know. Is that all I want to do with my life? Be a teacher?” She turns to me, her brows lowered in question.

“Some of the most influential people in my life were teachers,” I admit, setting my disgusting coffee on the bench beside me. I’m not going to finish that mess. “You can have a huge influence on someone in their formative years.”

“I guess. I don’t know what I want to do with my life. Work at a bookstore forever? I love books, but not that much.” She pauses. “I sometimes think I want to be a writer, but that’s just me dreaming.”

I’m impressed. “Hey, you never know. You can do anything you set your mind to.”

“Maybe.” She shrugs. “I’ve always loved to read, so it feels natural, to want to write a story. A bunch of stories. I have all sorts of ideas in my head.”

“I can’t even imagine what that’s like, to enjoy reading.”

“It’s a shame you don’t enjoy it,” she says softly.

“I’m so bad at it, I never gave it a shot. Why torture myself,” I admit, turning away from her, so I can stare at the library looming in the near distance. A building full of books I have no intention of ever touching. I wish reading came easy for me, but it just doesn’t.

And it sucks.





NINETEEN





JOANNA





I wonder if Knox Maguire is actually sincere. Is he really into me? Or just desperate for any female companionship? I’m still approaching this entire situation with caution. It wasn’t that long ago I was with Bryan, the lying, cheating boyfriend. I’ve learned from that situation, thank God.

I’m not as trusting as I used to be. I’m also a little jaded, which sucks.

It’s not fun, feeling this way. I miss being carefree and open to anything or anyone. Instead, I’ve got my guard up, especially with Knox.

Still can’t believe we attacked each other in the library. That he had my shirt half off and my bra shoved up to my neck. His mouth on my breasts. My entire body goes warm just remembering what happened, and I glance over at him to find he’s staring at the library, a wistful gleam in his eyes.