Page 9 of Never Say Never
I turn to reach for a second water from my bag, and when I stand back up, I see her eyes roving over the back of my legs and ass.
Damn, did she just check me out?
Maybe not so hard to read after all.
Except when her eyes reconnect with mine, she seems totally unbothered that I might have caught her looking. And I still haven’t figured out what she meant earlier about always getting what I want, or whatever.
Ignoring my confusion, I keep it simple and smile. “I feel the same way about getting started, once we get my contract signed.”
She studies me for a beat before gathering her stuff to make her way out of the gym. “Good luck with that. I’m sure we’ll see each other around.”
A flash of discomfort hits me as I absorb the fact that she’s leaving.
I want more Avery Parker.
I’m honestly not surprised by the thought.
Since the age of fifteen, my football accomplishments have drawn plenty of attention. Including from star-struck girls, and now women.
Except, I prefer to work for it. The harder, the better.
And one thing I feel confident about is that Avery isn’t easy to impress.
Not to mention how fucking gorgeous she is.
“Hey, wait a sec.”
She pauses, her eyes scanning back up to mine, and then I go for it.
“Is there any chance you’d want to get coffee or something like that sometime?”
Not my most articulate hang-out request ever, but whatever. Got the job done.
Surprise marks her face briefly, before it clears back to an even expression.
“Sorry to disappoint you, Rook—but I’m going to have to say no.”
Her words are flippant, but her tone is teasing, not sharp. Not mean.
I take that as a positive. I’m not giving up.
“Well, how about your number? Can I get that at least?”
Now she looks impatient with my persistence.
“Really, I need to go. And not to be blunt or assume too much,” she adds before starting to walk away, “but I never date athletes.”
Huh.
“Never?”
Peeking back over her shoulder as she nears the gym door, she leaves with one last word.
“Never.”
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AVERY
