chuckle reverberated down the line. “I won’t pretend I’m not happy to hear that.” There was silence then, followed by a loud sigh at the other end of the line. “Jesus, I feel like the world’s biggest fucking idiot right now.”
I stayed quiet. It was awkward as hell, but I literally didn’t know how to remove us from the conversational black hole we seemed to have fallen into.
“Look, you go back to sleep and try to forget I ever called. I’m gonna go find the balls I seem to have lost. I’d rather not play like a pussy this weekend.”
I laughed then, enjoying the thought of Will squirming at the other end of the line.
“Good night, Will.”
“Night Em.”
I should have been annoyed at him for hassling me during my date, for calling wanting information he had no right to know. But I wasn’t. I couldn’t be. Instead I fell asleep with a giddy grin on my face. A man who only wanted into your pants didn’t call you like a fool with some stupid excuse just so he could be sure you went home alone.
CHAPTER TEN
I was off to Texas. Dallas to be specific, a place where they lived, breathed and consumed football every waking minute. Home of the Dallas Knights.
Carrie, James and I flew in late Sunday morning, the day before the team was scheduled to play a pre-season exhibition match. I was excited. Texas seemed like such a faraway place, in both distance and familiarity. While I knew that my ideals of Texas were probably akin to most people’s knowledge of Australia—that we kept kangaroos as pets and wrestled crocodiles for fun—I was still hopeful that I’d leave the airport and walk onto a John Wayne movie set.
What I got was something quite different. Dallas was a modern city with high rises and bustling traffic. Nothing compared to New York but still, where were the cowboys?
“So we’ll meet in the lobby in fifteen?” I stood outside my door, which by coincidence was right in between James and Carrie’s.
“Actually, I can feel a headache creeping on, do you mind if we make it an hour?” Carrie held one hand to her forehead, massaging her temple.
“Of course, do you want some pain killers? I’ve got some if you need them.” I leaned down to open my bag but she waved me off.
“No, it’s not too bad. I think a quick nap should fix it. I’ll see you soon.” She gave James and me a small smile before ducking into her room.
I looked at James. “Guess I’ll see you in an hour, unless you feel like getting out for a bit?”
James shrugged. “I’ve actually got a few emails I need to respond to, so I’d better pass.”
“No problem, I’ll see you soon.”
Game day would be busy, so I decided to pop down and do a little exploring of my own. I slipped on a sun dress—the oppressive heat was definitely not a Texan myth—and grabbing my purse, made for the door.
As I stepped out, the distinct sound of Carrie’s laugh made my head snap up.
I only saw them for a split second, but that was all the time I needed to piece things together. James had Carrie pushed up against the door frame, his hands roaming her sides while his mouth devoured her neck. They had been oblivious to me standing there, wrapped up in their own little bubble of intimacy.
I stood frozen to the spot for a few seconds after Carrie’s door closed, my mouth hanging open as I absorbed what I’d seen. I made my way to the lifts wracking my brain for any signs that should have clued me in but came up blank.
What the actual hell?
An hour later, I’d walked around a few city streets, still no closer to spotting a cowboy, and was back in the hotel lobby waiting for the two love birds to emerge.
James arrived first, plonking himself onto the couch opposite me.
I grinned. “Hey there, you manage to clear out your inbox?”
His eyes shot up to my face before his features relaxed. “Yeah, um totally cleared out, glad I did it.”
“I’m sure you are.” I nodded slowly, before catching Carrie approach out of
I stayed quiet. It was awkward as hell, but I literally didn’t know how to remove us from the conversational black hole we seemed to have fallen into.
“Look, you go back to sleep and try to forget I ever called. I’m gonna go find the balls I seem to have lost. I’d rather not play like a pussy this weekend.”
I laughed then, enjoying the thought of Will squirming at the other end of the line.
“Good night, Will.”
“Night Em.”
I should have been annoyed at him for hassling me during my date, for calling wanting information he had no right to know. But I wasn’t. I couldn’t be. Instead I fell asleep with a giddy grin on my face. A man who only wanted into your pants didn’t call you like a fool with some stupid excuse just so he could be sure you went home alone.
CHAPTER TEN
I was off to Texas. Dallas to be specific, a place where they lived, breathed and consumed football every waking minute. Home of the Dallas Knights.
Carrie, James and I flew in late Sunday morning, the day before the team was scheduled to play a pre-season exhibition match. I was excited. Texas seemed like such a faraway place, in both distance and familiarity. While I knew that my ideals of Texas were probably akin to most people’s knowledge of Australia—that we kept kangaroos as pets and wrestled crocodiles for fun—I was still hopeful that I’d leave the airport and walk onto a John Wayne movie set.
What I got was something quite different. Dallas was a modern city with high rises and bustling traffic. Nothing compared to New York but still, where were the cowboys?
“So we’ll meet in the lobby in fifteen?” I stood outside my door, which by coincidence was right in between James and Carrie’s.
“Actually, I can feel a headache creeping on, do you mind if we make it an hour?” Carrie held one hand to her forehead, massaging her temple.
“Of course, do you want some pain killers? I’ve got some if you need them.” I leaned down to open my bag but she waved me off.
“No, it’s not too bad. I think a quick nap should fix it. I’ll see you soon.” She gave James and me a small smile before ducking into her room.
I looked at James. “Guess I’ll see you in an hour, unless you feel like getting out for a bit?”
James shrugged. “I’ve actually got a few emails I need to respond to, so I’d better pass.”
“No problem, I’ll see you soon.”
Game day would be busy, so I decided to pop down and do a little exploring of my own. I slipped on a sun dress—the oppressive heat was definitely not a Texan myth—and grabbing my purse, made for the door.
As I stepped out, the distinct sound of Carrie’s laugh made my head snap up.
I only saw them for a split second, but that was all the time I needed to piece things together. James had Carrie pushed up against the door frame, his hands roaming her sides while his mouth devoured her neck. They had been oblivious to me standing there, wrapped up in their own little bubble of intimacy.
I stood frozen to the spot for a few seconds after Carrie’s door closed, my mouth hanging open as I absorbed what I’d seen. I made my way to the lifts wracking my brain for any signs that should have clued me in but came up blank.
What the actual hell?
An hour later, I’d walked around a few city streets, still no closer to spotting a cowboy, and was back in the hotel lobby waiting for the two love birds to emerge.
James arrived first, plonking himself onto the couch opposite me.
I grinned. “Hey there, you manage to clear out your inbox?”
His eyes shot up to my face before his features relaxed. “Yeah, um totally cleared out, glad I did it.”
“I’m sure you are.” I nodded slowly, before catching Carrie approach out of
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