Page 47 of Once Upon A Player
“Hey.” I take her hand again.I should’ve punched HD’s lights out when I had the chance.“Stop that. It was nothing to do with you that they were a pair of fucking dipshits.”
“Iamover Geoff. But that memory still burns when I think about it. I mean, who else knew about them before that night? I don’t even know how long they’d been seeing each other behind my back.”
“You’re well shot of them.”
She bites her lip, like she’s debating whether or not to say anything more. Fuck, what more can there be? I don’t blame her for being put offplayersafter what HD did to her.
“Monica’s dad is Bobby Greenwood. The manager of Geoff’s team,” she adds unnecessarily. “When she was little, she was even their team’s mascot.”
“Nice.” I can’t keep the derision from my voice, not that Violet seems to mind.
“Iknow. Although to be fair, she did look adorable in the photos. Anyway.” She takes a deep breath. “All the girls at school envied us, because we got to hang out with footballers at events and things. That’s how I met Geoff.”
I grunt, sounding more like Harry than the silver-tonguedplayerI’m famous for being.
“We got serious pretty quickly. Well, I did, and I thought he felt the same way. But you know what? It wasn’t until afterward, when I was trying to piece things together, that I realized Monica was jealous as hell right from that very first night. She wanted him, and she wasn’t going to let a small thing like friendship get in her way.”
“Who needs enemies.” It comes out like a growl.
“Exactly.” At least Violet doesn’t sound as though she cares anymore. “For a few weeks before that party, Geoff had been complaining that he wasn’t getting as much game time as he wanted. Andthen,” she pauses dramatically. “He starts dating Monica and boom. He’s their star player.”
Yeah, not so much. He’s a good midfielder, but if he had issues, he should’ve worked them out like a man or put in for a transfer. Not sleep with the fucking boss’s daughter.
Violet takes my hand, and I squeeze her fingers. “That’s why I wouldn’t go out with you the first day we met. Because I couldn’t see past your reputation or career.”
“And now you can?” I’m oddly touched by her confession. It’s not many people who give a rat’s arse what’s behind the mask of my rep or career.
“Yes.” Her smile is strangely shy, and I have the mad need to pull her into my arms and never let her go. “You’re…kind.”
I let out a shocked laugh. Of anything I imagined she might’ve said,kindwasn’t in the top hundred.
Hot. Sexy.I’ve been called all that and more but, fuck, that’s the whole point, isn’t it?
Violet isn’t like any other girl I’ve been with. She’s not talking about the shit the world sees.
She’s talking aboutme.
I could really fall for this girl.And that scares me more than anything.
Chapter Fifteen
Violet
What’s the matter with me?
Lucas has been so nice and understanding about everything, and then I go and spoil it by telling him he’skind.
What dork says that to the hottest guy in the world? It’s obvious he’s speechless, and considering this is Lucas Carter, who has a quip for every occasion, that’s really saying something.
He clears his throat, and I steel myself for a put down. Except Lucas doesn’t do put downs because he’skind, so he’ll make a joke out of it, which is fine. I’ll pretend I was kidding and hope my stupid red face doesn’t give me away.
“Thanks.” There’s a rough note in his voice. Is that all he’s going to say?
If he wasn’t gripping my hand so tightly, I’d pull free, but I’m not about to make an issue out of it and make a bigger idiot of myself than I already have. I lick my lips and flounder desperately for something funny or witty to say.
Or anything that even vaguely resembles speech, if it comes to that, but my brain’s gone AWOL.
“That’s, uh,” he pauses, and I hold my breath in the vain hope that might make me invisible. Lucasneverhesitates. Like, ever. And I’ve seen way too many interviews of him over the years to be mistaken about this. “That’s the best thing anyone’s ever said to me.”
