Page 22 of Payback
We stand up in unison, and my eyes drift down her body in a long, appreciative perusal. “You look really fucking good.”
She takes a step back and runs her hands along her hips nervously. “Thanks.” Her eyes seem to begrudgingly take in my body next. “So do you.”
I chuckle because the woman before me is a hell of a lot different than the one who propositioned me for a one-night stand two years ago. This version of Allie seems guarded in a way that she wasn’t on the dance floor a minute ago. She almost seems guilty for some odd reason. But guilty about what? Leaving me in the hotel room without a word? Returning and not telling me? Or maybe she doesn’t want to see me?Ag, this woman still intrigues me.
“So, what are you doing back in London?” I ask, propping myself on the opposite wall and sliding my hands into my pockets.
She tucks a strand of her curly golden hair behind her ear. “My boss was transferred here to do PR for a soccer team in London. I decided to transfer with him last minute.”
“Which club?” I ask, my curiosity piqued.
She gets an adorable guilty look in her eyes again. “Bethnal Green.”
My jaw drops. “You’re doing PR for my team?”
She bites her lip and nods. “My uncle’s team, yes. But it’s not a nepotism thing or anything. I got the job myself. Vaughn had no idea until I moved here.”
I narrow my eyes speculatively. “Interesting…And you didn’t think this news warranted a phone call?”
She runs her hands through her hair. “Well, as I said, it was sort of a last minute move…and…we didn’t exactly exchange numbers.” Her cheeks turn redder as I imagine her thoughts have flickered to a knee-trembling memory that involves the two of us naked.
I drop my chin and eye her, trying to determine if she’s embarrassed about our night together or if she’s just not that into me. “I think you know how to get a hold of me.”
She looks down and fumbles with her phone for a minute. “I didn’t know if you’d remember me.”
“Remember you!” I reply with a laugh. “How could I forget the woman who so ruthlessly stole my virtue?”
The cheesy line elicits a small smile from her, which feels like a major victory. “More like stole your time. I was such a mess back then. You were so kind to me.”
“You were a fun mess,” I correct. “And you were actually pretty great, all things considered.”
She grins and chews her lip thoughtfully before pinning me with a serious look. “While researching the team, I noticed in some of the papers there was talk of a transfer for you last year.”
My face falls at her shift in conversation. I grip the back of my neck and regretfully reply, “Yeah, I twisted my ankle pretty bad, and I was sure Vaughn was thinking about selling me to a lower team when a transfer window opened up since Tanner and I still hadn’t found our rhythm.”
“Yet here you are,” she says, eyeing me like I’m a cat with nine lives.
“Yeah…It’s all thanks to Camden’s wife, Indie, though,” I state. “She worked miracles on me during my rehab. She’s unlike any team doctor I’ve come across, and whatever she did worked because I’m good as new.”
Allie nods thoughtfully. “Indie is pretty brilliant. I actually just moved in with her and Camden until I find my own place.”
“Oh, that’s nice,” I reply, but a woman diverts both of our attention as her heels clack down the marble hallway. Allie backs up against the opposite wall to allow the woman passage to the ladies bathroom. Once she clears through, I add, “Living with Camden and Indie must be interesting. Whenever he stops by the training facility, he practically assaults his wife with public displays of affection.”
“They are pretty into each other. And Indie is newly pregnant, so I think it might be even worse now,” she says with a laugh and then her face pales. She covers her mouth in horror and mumbles against her palms, “Oh shit, I don’t know if she’s telling the team she’s pregnant yet.”
“No worries,” I reply and wave my hand. “Her secret is safe with me.”
Allie looks relieved. “Jeez, I’ve only been here a couple of weeks and I’m already giving away family secrets.”
“A couple of weeks?” I ask, pinning her with an expectant look. “So if you’re all settled in, maybe I can get your number and we can go out sometime.”
Her eyes widen at my suggestion. “Um, I’m not sure that’s a good idea.”
“Why not?”
She gets a cagey look in her eyes as she appears to be searching her brain for an excuse. “Because…my PR firm handles your team. I think they’d frown on me canoodling with clients.”
A pleased smile spreads across my face because her response didn’t include anything about a boyfriend. Pushing myself off the wall, I move so I’m standing right in front of her and can get a good look at the freckle below her eye that I find utterly captivating. My voice is low when I reply, “But it’s not like you’re our direct representative. I’ve only ever met that Niall Capelle guy who evidently has a thing for pastel ties.”
