Page 31 of Offside Play (Love The Game #1)

Jude

“ H ow have I been house hunting for three weeks, and I’m only just getting to see these places?” I’d viewed what felt like hundreds of properties, none of them right, until Rory suggested I should widen my net outside of a five-mile radius.

“Maybe because you wouldn’t consider anywhere outside of Cheltenham or Gloucester?” Cody suggested.

“Says the person who lives less than a mile away from the Bobcats arena.” As soon as the words were out, I wanted to take them back. I didn’t want to remind Cody of the life he’d inevitably be going back to. It hurt too much.

At times, I could trick myself into thinking he was staying.

He’d agreed to coach Cheltenham Storm’s summer youth sessions, and every day, he’d come home tired but euphoric.

I’d cook for him if I’d had an easy day, otherwise, we’d order takeaway, curled up on the sofa watching TV while we talked about anything and everything.

At this point, he knew me better than anyone else, and I couldn’t even imagine having this level of intimacy with another person.

The fact that he was leaving was always at the back of my mind, though.

“This one’s nice,” I said, banishing the unwanted thought before it could take hold again. “I like the Cotswold stone.”

We both studied the image of the honey-coloured stone cottage flanked by rolling green hills and ancient drystone walls. It was fucking gorgeous.

Cody shook his head. “Too remote. You said you wanted to be within walking distance of a supermarket, and you’d need to drive to get anywhere from this one.”

“Yeah, good point. I need to be able to walk somewhere. I don’t want to always have to rely on my car.”

“Okay. Which one do you want to look at next? The house in Bourton on the Water? Chipping Norton? Upper Slaughter? What the fuck— Upper Slaughter ?”

“That would be a cool address, you have to admit.” Ignoring his unconvinced hum, I shrugged.

“I don’t mind. You pick.” Any of them worked for me.

They were all located in the Cotswolds. Rory had strongly hinted that owning a house in one of England’s most desirable areas was the kind of investment that made sense for someone in my position, aka a footballer with an unpredictable career.

Many were lucky, but some only lasted a few years.

Injuries, contracts, deteriorating form…

The future was impossible to gauge. It made sense to invest, and I knew Cody had done that when he’d chosen his own apartment in Calgary.

“It’s your house, Jude. You should pick.”

I shook my head, not wanting to get into the fact that I couldn’t stop imagining him in every property we viewed. That I wanted his input. His honest opinion of the first house I’d ever own. “It’s not like we’re committing to anything. It’s just narrowing down the options.”

Scrolling through the listings, he paused, glancing over at me, and then scrolled back up again. “What about this one? The Painswick house? Ross lives in Painswick, and he always talks about how much he loves the area.”

“Okay.” My mind was immediately made up. “Let’s do it.” I pulled up my maps app. “Only sixteen minutes’ drive from Barnwood Park, so it’ll be an easy commute to work, and look. It’s only twenty-three minutes away from Cheltenham Storm’s arena.”

“Yeah.” He rubbed his hand across his jaw, a faraway expression in his eyes.

Stay. Please .

I wished I could speak those words aloud.

When we pulled up in front of the Painswick house after bumping down a farm track that wound its way through green pastures, I discovered the meaning of love at first sight.

It was a stunning Cotswold stone house surrounded by trees and fields, completely private and hidden from the world, but close enough that I could walk to the shops if I wanted to.

It was perfect.

Climbing out of my Range Rover, I found the estate agent, Sue, waiting in the driveway. Luckily, she’d just finished up another viewing nearby and had been able to accommodate my last-minute request to look around.

“Hi. I’m here for the viewing. Thanks for meeting me at the last minute.”

She gave me a polite, professional smile. “It’s no problem at all, Mr.—” Pausing, she glanced down at her phone. “—Nielson.”

It was clear that she had no idea who I was, and I was glad because it meant Cody could come and look around the house with me.

“I have a friend with me. Would it be okay if he looked around with us? I trust his opinion more than my own.” And I really wanted to see him inside what I already knew was my dream house.

She blinked and then laughed, throwing her hands out. “Of course not. The more, the merrier, I say.”

I crooked my finger in Cody’s direction, both Sue and I watching avidly as he unfolded his large body from the SUV and stalked towards us, all sexy, lethal grace. He caught me blatantly eyeing him up and shot me a heated look that somehow seemed to promise retribution later.

Fuck me, doing a house viewing with a hard-on had never been on my radar.

Luckily for me and my wayward dick, Sue was completely oblivious.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you both. Now, let me show you around this gorgeous property.

” Stepping up to the front door, she sorted through numerous keys before she slid the right one into the lock.

“It ticks all the boxes for the area—period features with modern conveniences, close to the village, but still far enough away to give you a sense of privacy. It’s a stunning home. ”

She wasn’t wrong. The house was even better than it looked in the photos—all exposed beams, a huge fireplace with a wood-burning stove, flagstone floors, and a kitchen that looked out over the garden.

Upstairs, the main bedroom was bright and airy with large windows that flooded the space with light.

When I saw Cody enter the room and lean back against the wall, I forgot how to breathe.

I wanted this, more than anything. And I couldn’t have it.

“You like it?” he murmured, his gaze sliding to mine.

“It—it’s great,” I managed.

“Isn’t it? The garden’s the real selling point, though,” Sue interjected, completely oblivious to my crisis. She led us back downstairs and out through the French doors into the back garden. With every step I took, I fell more and more in love, and more and more into despair.

Sweeping her hand out, she pointed out the features.

“There’s your patio area. The rest of the garden’s mostly laid to lawn, all very low-maintenance, and down at the bottom, you’ll find an old apple orchard.

And as you can see, we’re surrounded by trees on all sides, so you’ll have the utmost privacy.

” With a smile, she indicated towards the garden furniture to our left.

“Take a look around, and I’ll meet you back here when you’re ready.

These heels aren’t suitable for walking on grass. ”

I glanced over at Cody. “Ready to explore?”

He nodded, brushing the back of his hand against mine, out of sight of the estate agent. As we headed across the huge stone patio, I could instantly see us entertaining our friends here. Sunday BBQs. Afternoons lazing on sun loungers, listening to the birds. Quiet evenings with just the two of us.

“It’s perfect,” I said aloud, aching with everything that I wanted.

The corners of his mouth curved downwards. Fuck. Why was this so hard? “Yeah, it is. Want to check out the rest of it?”

We made our way across the lawn, all lush green grass, big enough for a kickaround with my entire team if I wanted to. Beyond that, the apple orchard was ancient and gnarled and wild. Magical.

Coming to a stop next to one of the trees, Cody rubbed his thumb over the bark. “I can see you living here, Jude.”

You. Not us . I swallowed hard.

“Yeah.”

We headed back to the estate agent in silence, both of us lost in our own thoughts.

“Beautiful, isn’t it?” Sue said, completely oblivious to the brimming tension between us.

“The asking price is fair for the area. The sellers have recently moved out—they’re retiring in Spain, I believe, and there’s no onward chain.

They’ve informed us they’re looking for a quick sale, so I’d say you’re in a strong position to negotiate. ”

“Put an offer in,” I said, but what should’ve been a happy occasion was tainted by the fact that Cody was clearly ready to move on.