Playing Dirty(12)

I wasn’t nervous until we were almost there, and suddenly, anxiety slipped over me, making me close my eyes and take a deep breath. It’d been a long time since I’d felt like this; working on my show had knocked most of my old nervousness out of me.

“Is this going to be wild?” I asked. “I haven’t been to a rager since college, you know.”

Lizzy playfully slapped me on the arm. “It’s gonna be fun,” she replied. “That’s all. Just a few drinks. We don’t have to stay long. Just find me when you want to leave and we’ll go home together. “

I nodded. “Okay. Thanks.”

Then, taking a deep breath, we entered the club. It was crowded, loud, and warm with the crush of people, and Lizzy spotted the blond soccer player she’d been chatting with earlier before darting off in his direction. I was left standing alone in the foyer, tapping at the ground with the toe of my shoe as I tried to figure out my next move. Lizzy was already making herself at home—when I looked over, she was throwing her head back in laughter as the blond player pulled her onto his broad lap. She tossed back a shot glass filled with vile-looking pink liquid before letting out a screech, and I smiled and shook my head. Lizzy may have been mature for her age, but she was definitely still a college student.

I envied her ability to have fun like that. My own college years hadn’t been exactly filled with partying. I’d been on a scholarship, and I’d been so afraid of losing it that I almost never wanted to sit back and let go. I’d gone to a few parties and watched my friends turn into drunk messes, and that wasn’t exactly the kind of thing that inspired me to let my hair down.

“Glad to see you here, Kate.” A low voice greeted me, and I practically jumped a foot in the air as I heard a masculine chuckling sound. “Sorry. Didn’t mean to scare you.”

I turned and blushed hotly. “It’s fine,” I said. Jay was leaning up against the wall. He’d changed into dark jeans and a clean button-down shirt that clung to his muscular frame, and I felt my mouth go dry as he stepped closer. It suddenly occurred to me that he knew my name, and I wondered how—Lizzy and I hadn’t actually told him our names earlier when he invited us to the party.

I got my answer a split-second later.

“Y’know, I’ve watched your show,” Jay said. He gave me another one of his lazy grins, and my stomach filled with butterflies. “I really liked that segment you did on dealing with loss. That was good. I watched the whole thing.”

My eyes widened. I couldn’t believe it. A world-famous soccer player actually knew who I was? My show did quite well back home, but it wasn’t exactly primetime TV, and it certainly wasn’t something I thought British people would bother watching.

“Really?” I asked.

Jay nodded. “Yep. That segment was dead-on,” he said. “A lot of people here watch your show, actually. They run it in the mornings and late at night.”

Wow. I’d honestly had no idea I was even remotely popular or well-known anywhere else in the world other than the States, and I couldn’t help the smile that was creeping over my lips.

“I wasn’t aware of that, but thank you,” I said, suddenly feeling awkward. Jay was sizing me up carefully, his gaze sliding over every inch of my body. I wasn’t used to being this thoroughly checked-out, and it was making me feel more self-conscious than ever.

“I know what you’re thinking,” Jay said in a teasing tone. “You probably don’t think someone like me would watch your show. Well, we’re not all a bunch of jocks, as you Yanks would say.”

My blush deepened. It was like he’d read my mind; that was exactly what I’d been thinking when he told me that he watched my show, but all the same, it was embarrassing to have been called out on it.

“I’m glad to know you’re not a dumb jock,” I said. My voice sounded hoarse, and I mentally kicked myself. Get it together, Kate.

“Can I get you a drink?” Jay asked, gesturing to my empty hands.

“Sure. Vodka tonic,” I said automatically. ‘Thank you.”

Jay grinned at me and I felt a little flutter in my chest. There was no doubt about it—he was gorgeous. Every inch of him seemed to be made out of tanned muscle, and when his blue eyes stared at me, I felt a kick of arousal in my lower belly.

“I’ll be right back,” Jay said. He touched me on the shoulder, and I felt sparks fly between our bodies. “Don’t go anywhere.”

He sauntered off, and I noticed with a gleam of pride that he ignored the lusty looks from all of the other women in the room. Lizzy was in the corner, wrapped around her player and kissing him so hard that their heads looked like they’d melted together in some sort of freak accident.