Playing Dirty(11)

“Fine, we’ll go meet him,” I said, remembering my earlier guilt for not getting excited about her interests.

“Yay!”

Together, we crossed the room and stood in front of Jay, and Lizzy chirped his name.

“Hello there,” he said. He smiled warmly at Lizzy and me, and I could barely manage to wipe the scowl off my face. “You ladies like the match?”

His accent sent shivers down my spine. It was really sexy, but there was no way I’d ever admit that to Lizzy. I barely wanted to admit it to myself.

“Nice win,” Lizzy said. “You showed those Liverpool arseholes!”

Jay laughed. “We did,” he said, grinning and exposing a mouth full of even, white teeth. In person, he was even more handsome than he had been in the ads. I could see that his blue eyes were flecked with gold, and his tan skin practically glowed, even in the dull lighting of the locker room. As we posed for a picture together, I felt my heart racing in my chest when he casually draped his arm over my shoulders.

“Say, why don’t you two come by our party later?” Jay said. “It’s gonna be real craic!”

I blinked. Aside from not knowing what ‘craic’ meant, it seemed like the worst idea I’d heard yet. “I don’t know,” I said. “I mean, I just got in from the States today. I’m exhausted.” And I don’t really love the idea of watching you preen around for hours in front of your adoring fans while referring to them as ‘pussy’, I thought to myself. What a great way to make me lose my appetite.

“Aw, come on,” Jay said. He winked at me and I felt my stomach do a flip-flop. “You look like you could use a night out. And if you come, I’ll score a goal for you at the next game. I promise.”

I snorted. “You’re going to have a lot of goals to score first,” I said, gesturing to the gaggle of girls that were now swarming another soccer player. “What about all of them?”

Jay shook his head and grinned, and I felt the same butterflies in my stomach. “I didn’t promise any of them a goal,” he said. “Just you. So will you come?” “

“She’ll come,” Lizzy broke in. “Right?”

She looked at me and I felt her green eyes boring intensely into me. From that alone, I knew I was defeated.

“Okay, I’ll come,” I said with a nod. “At least for a few minutes.”

“Good,” Jay replied, before winking at us again.

“As long as you behave and don’t act like an ass,” I added. “That’s my condition.”

Jay slapped one of his giant hands over his heart and gave me a solemn look. “I’ll behave,” he said, holding his serious expression. Then he grinned at me again, and I felt my stomach flutter.

I smiled. I liked that he had a good sense of humor, and it made me wonder if I’d overreacted in my initial assessment of him. Maybe he wasn’t such a bad guy after all. And even if he is, I thought. It’s just one party.

How much harm could that do?





Chapter Four

Kate



“I can’t believe you said yes!” Lizzy’s face was glowing; she practically looked as though she was lit from within. “This is going to be so much fun, I promise.”

“As long as you don’t keep saying ‘arsehole,’” I replied with a giggle. “It makes you sound weird.”

Lizzy shrugged. “When in Rome,” she said, winking at me, and I blushed again. “So, you liked Jay, huh?”

I bit my lip. “He was fine,” I said, trying to keep a nonchalant tone to my voice. “Sexy. But kind of full of himself, right?”

Lizzy rolled her eyes. “I think something would be wrong with him if he wasn’t. He’s famous, right?”

“True,” I said, narrowing my eyes and digging through my suitcase. “What should I wear to this party, anyway?” Before Lizzy could see the black dress, I tucked it behind a pile of other clothes. “Jeans?”

Lizzy shrugged. “I’m wearing pants,” she said. “It’s not formal. They’re just having people over to their football club for drinks.”

I settled on black skinny jeans and a tank top with intricate silver beading on the front. The air had turned chilly since dusk had set in, and I shivered as I rummaged through my suitcase again.

“I can’t find any of my cardigans…got a spare?” I asked.

Lizzy nodded and tossed me one of her jackets, and I gratefully slipped it on, pulling my arms tight over my body as we stepped outside and began the short walk to the public transport which would take us to Manchester United’s FC. As we walked, Lizzy pointed out various shops and cafes that she liked, and I made mental notes to come back and try them all. So far, Manchester was absolutely charming. I’d heard some bad things about it before, but I decided that I liked it. It was definitely more relaxing than a trip to London would have been, and I silently thanked my sister for inviting me and pulling me out of my depressing rut.