Tell Me You Want Me

Chapter 5

For the first time in three years, Austin noticed the soccer field located right next to the football field. Silver metal soccer bleachers, placed back-to-back with the solid wood football grandstands, separated the two fields.

He searched the soccer field for the girl he'd met in the locker room yesterday, and when he found her, he immediately started staring. Watching her fight off one defender after another, sprinting down the field toward the goal, took his breath away. The girl looked tough and fast, something he admired and respected. Why hadn't he ever noticed her before? He knew her name. He had to know her name. What is it?

As he stared across the empty field, searching his brain for the elusive name, another memory accosted him. He'd met Nat on a football field in high school. She'd stood on the sideline, screaming and cheering with everyone else after he'd won the first of three state championships. Maybe the excitement of the unexpected comeback had drawn them together. But it couldn't keep them together.

Walk it off, man. Austin paced beside the stands, testing his strength and riding out the pain until his determination returned. Soccer babe would fall for him—not the other way around.

He waited for her in the gap between the grandstands and the bleachers, whistling at her when she walked by. "Hey baby!"

She looked up and smiled, but when he whistled again, she scowled and kept walking. "Don't expect me to come running like a lovesick puppy."

He hadn't meant to summon her like a dog. He ran after her. "I was just trying to get your attention."

"Have you figured out my name yet?"

Shit. He'd hoped he could avoid that a while longer. "Jenny."

"You already tried that one."

"Damn it."

She choked back a laugh. "If you won't bother to try, then I won't bother with you."

Ouch. She had him there. Austin turned on the charm, knowing he could talk himself out of this. "You have me so hot and bothered, I can't think straight."

This time she did laugh. "Do girls really fall for that?"

Damn it! His flirting skill had never failed him before. "Yeah, they do. It's amazing how far a little bit of truth and a lot of charm will get me."

She stopped and looked at him. "So where's the truth?" Her eyes had softened a bit, and she'd lost the sarcastic tone.

Austin stepped close and slid his hands in her hair, looking straight into those doubting green eyes. He abandoned his smooth words and clever lines, and let her see a flash of honesty. "I am very attracted to you."

She smiled at him, her resistance starting to crumble. "I thought it was the 'I can't think straight' part."

He grinned. "Mm... my girl likes to tease."

"Your girl?" Her mouth fell open.

He laughed as she did her best to look shocked and offended. Girls claimed they didn't like possessive guys, but in his experience they really did, especially when he was the guy. Some of the tension left her body. Maybe that stubborn wall had started to crack.

He chipped away at it. "You like me. Come on, admit it."

"I do not."

"Yes you do. I can tell."

"How?" She trembled.

"You haven't stopped smiling since I said I was attracted to you—"

Her lips formed a hard line.

"—and you're still letting me touch you."

She gasped and stepped back.

He laughed. "Give in, sweetheart. Tell me you want me."

This is all my publisher will allow me to post. Please comment, vote or share. You can find the entire novel on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and iTunes. The rest of my books are on my website: AmeliaJamesRomance.com. Thank you for reading!