Page 46 of Once Upon A Player
Violet grips her fingers together on her lap. “About last night.”
Crap. I thought we’d moved beyond last night. Do we really have to do this?
“What about it?” Even I can hear the wariness in my voice, and she bites her lip, which makes me feel like a prize prat. If she wants to talk about it, I’ll suffer in silence.
“It’s just…I’m sorry things got messed up at the end.”
“It wasn’t your fault.” What happened to suffering in silence? Except there’s no way I’m letting Violet think she’s in any way responsible for the way her ex gate-crashed our date. It’s an effort, but I force myself not to spit out his name. “Geoff has a problem with boundaries.”
I’m usually good when it comes to diplomacy, but Geoff has me so twisted up, I’m not sure how my remark sounded. Violet doesn’t look ruffled, so I guess I hit the mark.
“Ha. You could say that.” Her smile slides off her face. “It’s just, you know. Things that were said.”
Things that were said? I wrack my brain, but all I remember is the way Geoff couldn’t tear his lecherous gaze from Violet’s cleavage.
“Forget it. He’s not worth it.”And again with the diplomacy.
“What? Oh. No.” Violet wriggles on the chair and fiddles with the hem of the T-shirt before once again grasping her hands together as though that’s the only way she can keep them still. “I meant Monica.”
Monica? Violet’s so worked up about last night because of some random chick?
Although maybe not so random. They knew each other, too.
I force her ex from my head and try to remember what Monica said that’s obviously upset Violet. Something about her teenage crush and posters.
Right. I don’t think a chuffed grin would go down at all well right now. I make a gruff noise in the back of my throat and hope it comes across as supportive.
She shudders and hunches her shoulders, which isn’t the reaction I wanted at all. “It’s so embarrassing. I was only fifteen. I didn’t take the cleaning job so I could stalk you or anything. It was because my mum wasn’t well.”
“Hey.” I curl my hand over hers and give her a squeeze. “I know you’re not a stalker. You could hardly stand to look at me the first time we met.”
“I just don’t want you thinking it was all a ruse or something. I was here for a completely genuine reason.”
“Violet.” I give her hands a little shake. “If you keep on, you’re going to seriously wound my ego.”
She gives a small laugh.Mission accomplished. “I don’t think your ego’s in any danger from me.”
I’m not so sure.Am I still talking about my ego?
“Good. Because I’ll have you know it’s a very fragile thing.”
She gazes at me, all gorgeous green eyes, beautiful red hair, and irresistible freckles I want to kiss. I want her so much, it’s insane. And it sure seems like she’s over her ex.
I release her hands and trail my fingers up her arm. She lets out a breathy sigh, and I lean toward her, ready to take our next, lingering kiss straight to the bedroom.
“She used to be my best friend.”
Happy thoughts of spending the next couple of hours in bed with Violet shrivel. Shame I can’t say the same for my erection. I sigh and stroke her soft cheek. No wonder she was so torn up about the breakup. A double betrayal. “That sucks.”
“It was quite…” She hesitates, before shooting me a glance from beneath her lashes, which punches all my protective buttons. What the hell?Didn’t even know I had any.“Traumatic.”
“I can imagine.” Although nothing like that has ever happened to me, my brother was gutted over the whole Clare thing.
“We’d gone to this big party at one of Geoff’s friend’s house, and most of his team were there. I had no idea anything was going on between him and Monica until I walked in on them, snogging like the world was ending.”
“What a shithead.” Who in their right mind would cheat on a girl as sweet as Violet? “He never deserved you.”
She gives a wan smile. “Thanks. The thing is, they weren’t even trying to hide. Nearly everyone I knew was there. It was like they were all laughing at me for being such a clueless doormat.”
