Page 76 of Playing to Win
“Whoa.” The humiliation that guy must’ve felt. I can’t even imagine.
“Yeah, whoa.” Gwen nods, her gaze shifting to the team. “I know they’re all attractive and confident. I get the allure, I really do. I find them intimidating so that’s why I avoid them, but you? You fit right in with those guys.”
“Is that a compliment?” I’m half joking, but sometimes it’s hard to tell with Gwen.
“It is. You’re used to those types of guys, thanks to your family. I can see why you’re drawn to Ace. He’s also incredibly charming.”
My skin warms as I study him. Charming in the best way. The twinkling eyes and the easy smiles and the growly words in my ear…
“But untouchable to us. If anyone in the athletic department found out you were dating a football player? You’d lose your job, no question,” Gwen says.
I don’t want to lose my job. I love it. I like Ace a lot, but in this very moment, I think I like my job more. It will help my future, guaranteed.
Messing around with Ace? There are no guarantees in that. He might forget all about me next week. Hell, it could happen tomorrow. He already knows I can’t see him, thanks to the work agreement I have with the athletic department.
I can’t risk it.
“But you have to avoid him like the plague,” Gwen finishes, making me laugh.
My laughter dies quick when I see the way he’s watching me. His blue eyes are heated and I can tell he’s looking at me like he can see right through my clothing, remembering the way I look naked with vivid detail.
I return his stare, thinking the same exact thing and I realize…
This is going to be really difficult, avoiding Ace Townsend. Worse?
I don’t want to avoid him.
Not even a little bit.
* * *
“I’ve made a decision,”I announce when I walk into the apartment and see Natalie lounging on the couch, a pillow in her lap and her laptop sitting on top of it.
She glances up from her screen for a moment, her fingers still moving across the keyboard. “What’s your decision?”
“I’m going on a man ban.”
Her fingers stop typing and she’s staring hard at me, her head tilted to the side. “Excuse me?”
I shut the door behind me and lock it, leaning against it with a sigh. “A man ban.”
“An Ace Townsend ban?” she corrects.
“That too,” I agree, pushing away from the door, dropping my backpack on the floor before I flop onto the couch next to her. “I can’t see him anymore.”
“Says who?”
“The entire athletic department at Colorado University.” I go on to explain the story Gwen told me earlier, Natalie nodding again and again the deeper I get into it.
“I remember hearing about this,” she finally says, interrupting me. “My sister went here when it happened. She knew that girl. Her name is Annette and she’s positively unhinged.”
I’m frowning. “What do you mean?”
“She was already one of those crazy types, you know what I mean? Oh, I hate saying that. I don’t want to slot her in the ‘she was the typical psycho girlfriend’ category, but she kind of was.” Nat winces. “He’d been trying to break it off with her for a while and he realized quickly she wasn’t getting it. So he…hooked up with another girl on purpose to send the message loud and clear that he was done with her.”
“That’s horrible.” I can’t fathom the idea of a guy doing that to me. I imagine walking in on Ace hooking up with another girl. Naked with another girl.
I’d probably want to rip his balls off.
