huh?"
"Damn right." Stubborn, funny, smart, smart-mouthed, beautiful, sexy.... "I like a challenge."
"Going out with her again?"
"Yeah."
"Why does she have you so interested?"
That question lingered in his brain. He couldn't remember the last time a girl had turned him down, and he never refused a girl who wanted him, so why go out with her again? He wanted her. No, something else kept him coming back.
Austin didn't have an answer, so he told Jack what he expected to hear. "Because I haven't slept with her yet."
"Yeah, that sounds about right."
Good. At least someone doesn't think me virtuous. Austin shuddered.
He batted the football out of Jack's hands and threw it in the closet. "I better not hear about this from anyone else."
If that got back to Janie, she would think he had only one thing on his mind, and while it was true at the moment, he couldn't stand the thought of her being hurt by rumors and misunderstanding.
"Hey, I don't tell your secrets and you don't tell mine."
Austin nodded. He dashed out of the house and took off down the street, running out to the quiet, peaceful football field. He realized his mistake as soon as he got there. The last thing he needed was peace and quiet; he needed a distraction so he couldn't hear Jack's question echoing in his head.
Why am I so interested in Jane?
He still couldn't believe he'd said no to sex. She wanted him, but all he wanted to do was hold her. The last time he felt like this, he.... The last time had started out well, but hadn't ended that way.
Natalie was his past. Janie was his future.
What? Now. Janie is now. Focus on the moment .
The way he talked to her—wow—a new experience for him. He and Natalie had talked but never like that. Janie had asked questions; she wasn't shy. Even though he'd told her never to use his full name, she'd asked why anyway. No one ever asked about his name. Once he told someone not to use it, no one ever did. That stubborn woman had asked anyway, but even better than that—she'd listened. Without thinking, he'd confessed his deepest secret, his deepest pain, to a girl he couldn't stop holding.
He'd stopped short of telling her about Natalie. Janie didn't need to know about his heartbreak and humiliation.
Then she'd told him her secret—shared her pain. A woman in tears typically sent him screaming from the room, but her tears hadn't scared him. The depth of her emotion had touched him, and for a moment, he'd envied the connection she had with her father.
His father, on the other hand....
His mother had warned him, and Austin had done his best not to become his father. But his best wasn't good enough. Love was not an option.
Love doesn't have to hurt . Damn it, now Janie's voice stuck in his head. Since when had it gotten this hard to turn off his brain? He smiled. Since the moment she first rolled her beautiful green eyes at me. He closed his eyes and wished—hoped—that Janie had been right.
He took a deep breath and started running around the football field.
***
"Do you want to come to the game with me?" Jane dug through her purse, trying to sound casual, and hoping Sara wouldn't bite her head off.
Her roommate sat cross-legged at the coffee table, scribbling in her notebook. She put down her pen and stretched. "Is it at home?"
"No, it's in Oak Grove, but it's not far. I'm riding with the soccer team."
"Me and a bunch of sports nerds stuck in a car for an hour? No thanks." Sara looked at Jane and winced. "No offense."
"None taken." She zipped her purse and took a hesitant step toward the couch. "I'll miss you."
"When was the last time we went to a game together?"
"It's been a while. We used to have so much fun." Jane grinned and plopped down on the couch. "You loved drooling over the tight ends."
Sara laughed. "No, I like the ball runner guy. What's he called?"
"The running back."
"Right, the running back." Sara stuck the tip of her pen in her mouth and her eyes turned dreamy.
"You can lust over
"Damn right." Stubborn, funny, smart, smart-mouthed, beautiful, sexy.... "I like a challenge."
"Going out with her again?"
"Yeah."
"Why does she have you so interested?"
That question lingered in his brain. He couldn't remember the last time a girl had turned him down, and he never refused a girl who wanted him, so why go out with her again? He wanted her. No, something else kept him coming back.
Austin didn't have an answer, so he told Jack what he expected to hear. "Because I haven't slept with her yet."
"Yeah, that sounds about right."
Good. At least someone doesn't think me virtuous. Austin shuddered.
He batted the football out of Jack's hands and threw it in the closet. "I better not hear about this from anyone else."
If that got back to Janie, she would think he had only one thing on his mind, and while it was true at the moment, he couldn't stand the thought of her being hurt by rumors and misunderstanding.
"Hey, I don't tell your secrets and you don't tell mine."
Austin nodded. He dashed out of the house and took off down the street, running out to the quiet, peaceful football field. He realized his mistake as soon as he got there. The last thing he needed was peace and quiet; he needed a distraction so he couldn't hear Jack's question echoing in his head.
Why am I so interested in Jane?
He still couldn't believe he'd said no to sex. She wanted him, but all he wanted to do was hold her. The last time he felt like this, he.... The last time had started out well, but hadn't ended that way.
Natalie was his past. Janie was his future.
What? Now. Janie is now. Focus on the moment .
The way he talked to her—wow—a new experience for him. He and Natalie had talked but never like that. Janie had asked questions; she wasn't shy. Even though he'd told her never to use his full name, she'd asked why anyway. No one ever asked about his name. Once he told someone not to use it, no one ever did. That stubborn woman had asked anyway, but even better than that—she'd listened. Without thinking, he'd confessed his deepest secret, his deepest pain, to a girl he couldn't stop holding.
He'd stopped short of telling her about Natalie. Janie didn't need to know about his heartbreak and humiliation.
Then she'd told him her secret—shared her pain. A woman in tears typically sent him screaming from the room, but her tears hadn't scared him. The depth of her emotion had touched him, and for a moment, he'd envied the connection she had with her father.
His father, on the other hand....
His mother had warned him, and Austin had done his best not to become his father. But his best wasn't good enough. Love was not an option.
Love doesn't have to hurt . Damn it, now Janie's voice stuck in his head. Since when had it gotten this hard to turn off his brain? He smiled. Since the moment she first rolled her beautiful green eyes at me. He closed his eyes and wished—hoped—that Janie had been right.
He took a deep breath and started running around the football field.
***
"Do you want to come to the game with me?" Jane dug through her purse, trying to sound casual, and hoping Sara wouldn't bite her head off.
Her roommate sat cross-legged at the coffee table, scribbling in her notebook. She put down her pen and stretched. "Is it at home?"
"No, it's in Oak Grove, but it's not far. I'm riding with the soccer team."
"Me and a bunch of sports nerds stuck in a car for an hour? No thanks." Sara looked at Jane and winced. "No offense."
"None taken." She zipped her purse and took a hesitant step toward the couch. "I'll miss you."
"When was the last time we went to a game together?"
"It's been a while. We used to have so much fun." Jane grinned and plopped down on the couch. "You loved drooling over the tight ends."
Sara laughed. "No, I like the ball runner guy. What's he called?"
"The running back."
"Right, the running back." Sara stuck the tip of her pen in her mouth and her eyes turned dreamy.
"You can lust over
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