Chapter 6
SIX
LIAM
There is a hand on the back of my shoulder, and a smile curves up on my lips as I turn my head. It’s Cupcake Girl. Looking over my shoulder, my smile fades instantly.
It’s not her.
It’s not the cute little cupcake girl from earlier. In fact, it’s the team owner’s niece. She’s kind of notorious for making her way around with the players, but not me, and not for lack of trying.
It’s not that she isn’t hot, because she really is a fucking knockout. It’s not that she doesn’t seem nice enough. She smiles and jokes around. I’ve never seen her angry or anything. It’s just that I don’t want the involvement with her.
It seems messy.
And I want to avoid all drama if possible.
It’s just not for me.
She’s not for me.
“Hey,” she purrs.
Taking a step forward, I turn around to face her, my gaze finding hers. Dipping my chin slightly, I give her a small smile, but it’s not enough to be considered an invitation. At least I hope it’s not.
She tilts her head to the side, her lips curving into a grin as she sinks her teeth into her bottom lip. Playfully, she shifts her body from side to side, almost in a rocking motion, before she takes a step toward me, closing the small distance between us.
I need her to go… away.
Far away.
My eyes shift past her. I look around the room, and that’s when I see her. The woman I’ve been looking for. She came. She’s standing against the wall, looking like she’d rather be anywhere else but here.
The woman in front of me starts to speak, but I don’t want to hear anything she’s got to say. I’ve got one focus, and one focus only right now. Ignoring her, I take one step to the side. I know it’s rude, but I don’t care right now.
My legs begin to move as I head straight for Cupcake Girl. I know when she realizes I’m heading her way, because her entire body stiffens. Her cheeks turn bright red. I can see her blush from here, and I fucking love that I make her react that way. I act like I don’t notice it, though.
Walking directly to her, I stand in front of her, so close that I can touch her if I want. I don’t. At least not yet. I want her to need my touch when I do finally feel her skin against my fingertips.
Instead, I lift my hand and place my palm against the wall. Dipping my chin slightly so that I can look directly into her eyes, I smile. I’m close enough to her that it would take little effort to kiss her.
“You made it, Cupcake Girl,” I murmur.
“Ruby,” she breathes.
Humming, I shift my face a little closer to hers, so close that it would take almost zero effort to kiss her. “I know your name, Ruby.”
“I shouldn’t be here,” she mutters breathlessly.
No. She shouldn’t. She should be in my bed, where she belongs. I have a feeling that if I told her that, though, she would freak out and run away. Ruby isn’t someone I can look at and just say the first thing that pops into my head. She needs to be wooed a little.
And while I’m not necessarily overly confident in the wooing department, I’m going to give it my best. Because there is more to Ruby than just her sweet cupcakes, and I’m going to find out everything I can… multiple times.