Read Online Playing Hard by Melanie Scott - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Melanie Scott
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unexpected breeze. “I’m working.”
“Can you come later?”
“I work long hours.” Now she was stalling. She knew she was going to. It was simply a question of whether she could maintain a few shreds of dignity and hold off long enough that it wouldn’t look like she’d come running just because he’d crooked his finger. She wasn’t that girl. She wouldn’t be that girl. She wanted, yes, but she wasn’t ready to let him know that yet. Not before she’d decided if he was worth the complications.
“I’m not going anywhere. C’mon, Amelia. We didn’t exactly finish our conversation about second chances yesterday. I’d like to see you. I’d come to you but I’m fairly sure Lucas will put me back in the hospital if I go out before he gives me the okay.”
It sounded good. To finish her day with an hour or so of Oliver’s company. But good, in this case, came with trouble. She’d told Finn that she knew how to handle herself and her love life and that was generally true. But Oliver wasn’t the norm when it came to the guys she dated. He had all the things she liked—and that usually didn’t work out—in a man. Plus he was an athlete. Her mom would have a heart attack. But she wasn’t in high school anymore, or even college. She wasn’t going to get knocked up. No one’s life would be ruined.
Finn might take it badly, that much was true.
And she owed Finn. But she couldn’t keep living her life bound by that loyalty. Or, for that matter, by her mother’s fears.
She liked Oliver. Or what she had seen of him so far.
Very much.
Surely a little flirtation couldn’t hurt anyone?
She wanted to believe that was true. Normally she could spot the ones who were only temporary straight off and she’d learned how to keep her heart out of the equation in those situations. Learned how to have some fun without heartbreak. She wasn’t so sure it would be so easy to keep Oliver at arm’s length. But she was going to try despite all the reasons he might be a bad idea.
Because she wanted to see him again. Flat-out couldn’t resist the opportunity.
“Okay,” she said. “I’ll come tonight. But it will be after nine.”
“It’s okay, Amelia, I have nothing pressing on my schedule in the morning,” he said in a dry tone. “Just some more quality lying around.”
“Tell me your address.” She knew he lived somewhere on the Upper East Side near Finn. Finn had told her that much after the accident.
Oliver gave her the information and she wrote it down in a daze. Oliver Shields’s address. His home. Where she would be in just a few more hours. With him.
She looked down at her clothes and sighed. Once again she was wearing a suit. Sure, it was a very nice suit, and she was also wearing very nice shoes, but it was hardly what she’d call sexy. Though it wasn’t that different from what she’d worn yesterday and Oliver hadn’t seemed to mind then. He’d flirted with her despite being in a hospital bed. Maybe he liked the pseudo-librarian look. She could take out her contacts and put on her glasses and see how that played.
“Amelia?” Oliver said and she realized there had been a gap in the conversation while her mind went off on tangents.
“Sorry,” she said, hoping she sounded less flustered than she felt. Damn the man. Maybe she should rethink this. But she knew she wouldn’t. “I need to get back to work. Is there anything else you need?”
“This day to go a lot faster than I think it’s going to.”
Heat flooded her cheeks. She pressed her hands to them, willing the feeling away. Damn. He was good. Which was a pity because it wasn’t like they could exactly get up to much with his hand, surely? Even if she wanted to. Or rather decided to give in to the fact that she wanted to.
“I can dig you up some old economics research papers on the Web,” she said. “That should put you right to sleep.”
“Don’t do that,” he said.
“Do what?”
“You always joke about your
“Can you come later?”
“I work long hours.” Now she was stalling. She knew she was going to. It was simply a question of whether she could maintain a few shreds of dignity and hold off long enough that it wouldn’t look like she’d come running just because he’d crooked his finger. She wasn’t that girl. She wouldn’t be that girl. She wanted, yes, but she wasn’t ready to let him know that yet. Not before she’d decided if he was worth the complications.
“I’m not going anywhere. C’mon, Amelia. We didn’t exactly finish our conversation about second chances yesterday. I’d like to see you. I’d come to you but I’m fairly sure Lucas will put me back in the hospital if I go out before he gives me the okay.”
It sounded good. To finish her day with an hour or so of Oliver’s company. But good, in this case, came with trouble. She’d told Finn that she knew how to handle herself and her love life and that was generally true. But Oliver wasn’t the norm when it came to the guys she dated. He had all the things she liked—and that usually didn’t work out—in a man. Plus he was an athlete. Her mom would have a heart attack. But she wasn’t in high school anymore, or even college. She wasn’t going to get knocked up. No one’s life would be ruined.
Finn might take it badly, that much was true.
And she owed Finn. But she couldn’t keep living her life bound by that loyalty. Or, for that matter, by her mother’s fears.
She liked Oliver. Or what she had seen of him so far.
Very much.
Surely a little flirtation couldn’t hurt anyone?
She wanted to believe that was true. Normally she could spot the ones who were only temporary straight off and she’d learned how to keep her heart out of the equation in those situations. Learned how to have some fun without heartbreak. She wasn’t so sure it would be so easy to keep Oliver at arm’s length. But she was going to try despite all the reasons he might be a bad idea.
Because she wanted to see him again. Flat-out couldn’t resist the opportunity.
“Okay,” she said. “I’ll come tonight. But it will be after nine.”
“It’s okay, Amelia, I have nothing pressing on my schedule in the morning,” he said in a dry tone. “Just some more quality lying around.”
“Tell me your address.” She knew he lived somewhere on the Upper East Side near Finn. Finn had told her that much after the accident.
Oliver gave her the information and she wrote it down in a daze. Oliver Shields’s address. His home. Where she would be in just a few more hours. With him.
She looked down at her clothes and sighed. Once again she was wearing a suit. Sure, it was a very nice suit, and she was also wearing very nice shoes, but it was hardly what she’d call sexy. Though it wasn’t that different from what she’d worn yesterday and Oliver hadn’t seemed to mind then. He’d flirted with her despite being in a hospital bed. Maybe he liked the pseudo-librarian look. She could take out her contacts and put on her glasses and see how that played.
“Amelia?” Oliver said and she realized there had been a gap in the conversation while her mind went off on tangents.
“Sorry,” she said, hoping she sounded less flustered than she felt. Damn the man. Maybe she should rethink this. But she knew she wouldn’t. “I need to get back to work. Is there anything else you need?”
“This day to go a lot faster than I think it’s going to.”
Heat flooded her cheeks. She pressed her hands to them, willing the feeling away. Damn. He was good. Which was a pity because it wasn’t like they could exactly get up to much with his hand, surely? Even if she wanted to. Or rather decided to give in to the fact that she wanted to.
“I can dig you up some old economics research papers on the Web,” she said. “That should put you right to sleep.”
“Don’t do that,” he said.
“Do what?”
“You always joke about your
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