Playing Dirty(58)

Three hours later, Jay pulled up in front of Lizzy’s flat, and rushing down the stairs, I couldn’t wipe the smile from my face. I was excited to see him—I was always excited to see him—but this time meant something special.

“You look gorgeous,” he said as I slid into the front seat of the Mercedes. “Who are you waiting for?”

His bad mood from earlier had all but evaporated, and he was wearing a teasing smile on his face. Leaning across the seat, I plastered my body against his and gave him a passionate kiss. “Just this guy I know,” I said. “This handsome footballer stud I happen to date sometimes…”

Jay grinned and we took off. He drove at an easy pace, meandering through the streets of Manchester and heading out of the city at a rate that made my anxious heart stay calm.

“How was practice?” I swiveled in the seat and looked at him. “I missed you.” Crap, Kate, you sound like a Stage Five Clinger. Do not say you missed him, do not say that!

“I missed you, too,” Jay replied, and he looked over at me and grinned before taking my hand in his. A deep blush rose over my cheeks and I had to look out the window and pretend like I didn’t want to jump for joy.

About an hour later, Jay was parking the car. I was amazed at the way the park looked, even on a grey, cloudy day like this; the sky was gigantic and swirling, above a vast stretch of plain and hills. It was incredible, like something from the movies. I couldn’t believe it was real, and I couldn’t believe that I was here, that we were here.

“This is amazing,” I said as I stretched my legs and wandered off, away from the car. “Do you come here often? I’d probably live here if I was in Manchester year round.”

Jay laughed, catching up with me and keeping pace, and I appreciated that he didn’t make me run to keep up with him. In the past, when I’d dated very tall men, I’d always had to trot to keep up with them, and I wasn’t even short. But Jay was respectful. He was a gentleman.

He was basically everything that I thought a famous footballer could never be.

“That’s an image,” Jay said with a smirk. “I imagine the bobbies would show up and pull you off pretty quickly. Britain cares about protecting her parks.”

I shook my head, still smiling. “Don’t be ridiculous,” I said with a grin. “I’d build a little cabin, and you could come to stay. It would be so cute that they wouldn’t even want us to go. Our picture would be in the papers.”

Jay laughed drily. “My picture is already in the papers enough as it is,” he said with a smirk. “And yours is, too.”

I rolled my eyes. “Nothing by Hannah,” I clarified. “Only flattering pictures and things that didn’t make us look like asshats.”

Jay chuckled. “Did you seriously just say ‘asshats’?”

I nodded, blushing. “I picked it up from Lizzy,” I said.

The moment turned serious between us as we walked. The breathtaking landscape was overwhelming my senses and making me feel like I was in some distant, magical land, and I felt about as far away from New York as I ever had in my life. I didn’t want it to end.

“Speaking of your sister, I’ll make sure she doesn’t drink too much if she comes to any more club events,” Jay said.

“Thanks,” I replied, putting my hand on his arm and drawing him close to me. “I appreciate that.”

The words ‘I love you’ were on the tip of my tongue, but still I couldn’t say them yet, and Jay and I strolled on, blissfully disconnected from the real world. Every time he looked at me, I wanted to tell him how I really felt, but something was holding me back.

“Let’s go home,” Jay said, looking at me hungrily. His voice was thick with lust. “I’m not ready to let you leave yet.”



***



Back at Jay’s flat, our clothes came off in a frenzy of lust and desire. He picked me up and carried me into the bedroom, where he pleased my body for hours on end. I was still so surprised by the sex with him; I had no idea that I could feel like this so often, that it could be so amazing. I didn’t even think I’d ever feel as connected to another human being as I felt to Jay. I felt like I could tell him everything, like he was my best friend, like he was the only best friend I’d ever had. And I loved pleasuring him, too. Seeing the look of sheer release on his face was enough to make me glow.

It was a perfect night, and I wished that it never had to end.

In the morning, I woke up at the same time as Jay. Sleepily, he pulled me towards him, and we cuddled for a few moments, tangling up in each other’s limbs and nuzzling each other’s faces. Then he slipped out of bed and into the bathroom. I heard the spray of the hot shower just as I was trying to relax enough to fall back asleep. Just a few more minutes, I thought in my groggy brain. Just a few more.