Page 44 of The Player

“For what?”

“For not retaliating with another girl to try and make me jealous.”

He went quiet, then he said, “I thought about it.”

“Really?”

“No.”

I smiled, my heart skipping a beat as I lay there.

“I didn’t want anyone else,” he went on. “If I didn’t have your attention, I didn’t want anyone else’s.”

I felt my heart grow a little warmer, beat a little faster as I closed my eyes, letting his words wash over me.

“Captivity really agrees with you, doesn’t it?” I said. “I don’t think I’ve ever heard you say such lovely things before.”

He moved closer to me and whispered in my ear, “Don’t tell anyone, will you? I wouldn’t want to lose my bad boy reputation.”

I grinned.

“Your secret’s safe with me.”

He put his arm around my waist and pulled me closer, my back to his front—the way we’d laid together every night since we’d been brought here.

“Will?” I asked, twisting my head to speak to him. “Did you do something to Eric’s car that night?”

“No. I swear on my life.”

“Only, when he got a flat tyre on the way home and we had to stop, you turned up pretty soon after. It looked very suspicious.”

“Aren’t you glad I was there though? That guy had no idea how to change a tyre.”

“So you were following us?” I knew the answer, but I still liked asking the question.

“I was making sure you got home safe.”

“You could’ve text,” I said, the smile on my face growing wider as I thought about the look he’d had on his face that night when he pulled up behind us.

He was livid, his brow tightly knitted together and his jaw clenched shut as he stalked out of his car and over to where we stood, watching Eric faff about with his car jack. Will had pushed him out of the way and taken over, changing the tyre faster than it took Eric to smoke his cigarette. I had to admit, watching Will work, his arms flexing and muscles shining in the streetlights, had done things to me. He’d looked so sexy. Even Eric was drooling by the time he’d finished.

“I don’t trust phones,” Will announced. “I wanted to see you got home safely with my own eyes.”

“Jesus, Will. You watched me all night, thinking I was getting it on with another guy, and then you followed us home. Now I feel even more shitty about the way I acted.”

“You danced with him,” he replied calmly. “But you never kissed him, your eyes were always on me. You got into his car, but when I showed up, you looked at me in a way you never looked at him. I knew there was still hope.”

“You need to stop. You’re making me feel things here,” I whispered.

“I won’t stop. I can’t. I told you you’d fall for the Stokes charm eventually.”

“I don’t think I have much choice.”

“Exactly. You don’t stand a chance.”

ChapterNineteen

WILL