Page 42 of Worth the Try
He raises his eyebrows. “Yes?”
Removing it, I give him a kiss. “Yes.”
He smiles. “Good.” Then he starts to back away. “See you in the morning?”
I laugh. “Sure hope so.”
His smile grows. “Great. Excellent. I’ll—see you tomorrow.”
And then this ridiculously hot man, who is, in all likelihood, a total beast on the rugby pitch, turns and trips over his own two feet.
I stifle a giggle as he stabilizes, watching as he walks away.
Chapter 14
Elodie
IWAKE UP with a huge smile on my face. It’s Friday, and I get to go on a date. With Ansel.
The past week has been a dream, honestly: stolen kisses with Ansel before he leaves for practice, then more kisses when he shows up at my door after putting Rosie to bed. He’s taking it slow, and while part of me is screaming to get my hands on…allof him…I appreciate the slow-burn situation.
Kind of.
But to be super clear, I’d like to do more than kissing. Except, short of actually telling him to strip me naked and have his way with me, I can’t figure out how to make him understand that he can literally do whatever he wants. Well, maybe notwhateverhe wants, but like, alot ofwhatever he wants. Pretty please with whipped cream and a cherry on top.
Also? It’s hard not being Nice Girl Elodie. Kari didn’t just laugh at me when I told her I was working on being not so nice, she flat-out guffawed. Snort-laughed and nearly choked on her iced coffee kind of laugh.
Rude.
Then she had the audacity to tell me to say a cuss word.
And…I couldn’t.
Which made her laugh more.
“You’re the living embodiment of a Disney princess, Elodie,” she’d said. “Just embrace it.”
I stuck my tongue out at her and told her to be nice.
Which made her laugh so hard she started crying.
I wash my face and brush my teeth, then throw on some lounge clothes to head across the backyard to the house. Inside, it smells like bacon and eggs and pancakes, and sure enough, Rosalie is chowing down at the counter.
“Good morning, Elle Belle,” she says, syrup dripping down her chin. The nickname is new, and cute, and she was beyond excited when she came up with it.
Did she reference a certain Disney princess when it occurred to her? Of course. Am I telling Kari about this? Absolutely not.
Ansel has his back to me, and I take a moment to appreciate the absolute specimen that he is. Tight, round butt inside short shorts, a trim waist expanding up to broad shoulders, and deliciously defined muscles that flex beneath the form-fitting sleeveless practice shirt he wears. Goodness, he’s pretty.
Then he turns, and he’s wearing his glasses, and he winks and smiles, and I swear my knees get weak. I grip the island for support.
“Good morning, Elle Belle,” he repeats, and his eyes freakingtwinklewith delight because he knows exactly what he’s done to me.
I am convinced he does it to torture me.
“Good morning,” I answer with ayou’re being incredibly meansmile, then tear my gaze away from Ansel to beam at Rosie. “Did you have a good night?”
She nods. “Daddy got me some puzzles. Can we put one together today?”
