The Playboy's Princess (9 page)

The boy turned around to look at Drew with a curious expression. Drew jogged over to him and held out his hand.

“I’m Drew. I didn’t get your name.”

“Alex,” he said softly, looking at the ground and not accepting the outstretched hand.

Drew pulled his hand back and ducked his head, trying to catch the boy’s eye.

“You played great today, Alex. I think you might be the best player on the team,” Drew told him honestly.

Alex looked up skeptically. “Mario plays better than me, and so does Ben.”

Drew shook his head. “The others have their technical skills down really well, but you have a natural talent they don’t have. The way you move with the ball is very fluid, and that’s something that can’t be taught. As for the practical skills, well, I’d be happy to give you some private training sessions if you’d like.”

Alex beamed at Drew as a huge grin spread over his face. “Really?” he asked, sounding as if he couldn’t believe the offer.

A part of Drew couldn’t believe he’d offered, either. It wasn’t like him to do something for someone other than himself. He didn’t think he was a selfish person per se, but at the same time, he didn’t really go out of his way to help other people.

“How about after the group practice tomorrow?” he suggested.

Alex nodded, and his whole face lit up. “Thanks, coach!”

“No problem. I’ll see you tomorrow. And call me Drew,” he said as he clapped Alex on the shoulder and turned back to see Jade smiling at them. He walked over to her and sat down in the hard plastic seat on her right.

“Hey, you,” he said with a smile.

“Hey,” she chuckled.

Drew was shocked by how happy he was to see her. It had been a completely unexpected surprise, but it felt nice to be around her.

“Shall we get going?” she asked.

“Lead the way,” he said, holding his hand out to allow her to go first.

They walked down the road and turned the corner. The streets were loud and busy; there were people everywhere. It was a nice atmosphere. Not like the street his parents lived on, where he felt like if he stepped on the wrong piece of grass someone would call the police. Jade led them to a Spanish-inspired complex of villas that looked like they were caked in dirt. She let them inside, and he looked around the room.

Her apartment was small, unless there was a huge area down the hallway that he couldn’t see, but he doubted it. The paint on the walls was peeling, and the furniture was old and ratty. In fact, where he sat on the couch, it felt like it was missing a spring.

Jade stood nervously in the doorway, and Drew wondered if she was embarrassed about where she lived. It honestly didn’t bother him at all. “Are you okay?” she asked.

“Just tired,” he said.

“Oh!” she exclaimed, running out of the room and down the hallway. She reappeared a moment later and handed him a stack of papers. “I signed your contract,” she explained before sitting down in the faded armchair with ripped material on the backrest.

“Thanks. Were you happy with all the conditions?” He flipped through the pages. Her elegant signature was at the bottom of each one.

“Yes, it’s all very generous,” she said, nodding. “I would get you a drink, but I’m sorry, I don’t really have anything to offer you.” Her cheeks turned a light pink.

“Just water would be great. I’m exhausted from the game.”

Her blush got even darker as she looked him up and down and then went into the kitchen. Drew wondered what that was about. He must have been a horrible sight. He could still feel the dampness of his shirt, and he knew his face was probably flushed.

He started to feel embarrassed, wondering if he should go home, but then he realized if they were going to be living together eventually, she would see him much worse than this. The thought of his hair first thing in the morning made him chuckle. She was in for a treat.

Jade came back holding a glass of water that had little condensation beads on the outside of the glass. He took it from her gratefully and swallowed the whole glass in a few large gulps.

“So, I told my parents about us,” he said.

“Oh? How’d they take it?”

“Well, my mother wants to meet you, but I told her to give me some time to get to know you better first.”

That reminded him that he wanted to ask her some questions about her life. “Speaking of which, shall we play a round of twenty questions? I thought it might be a nice way to break the ice. You know…to get to know each other?”

“Sure,” she said with a casual shrug. She went and sat on the faded chair again, curling her legs up underneath her. “You go first.”

Drew thought for a moment. “So, you’re a character actor at Disneyland. Can I see you in your costume?”

“You don’t find it weird?”

Drew shook his head. “My dad’s an actor. I grew up on movie sets. Trust me; I’ve seen way weirder costumes.”

“Well, I’m not allowed to take the costumes out of the Park. But if you come one day to go on the rides, stop by the princess photo house, and I’ll come see you when I have a break.”

“Do you wear a mermaid tail and seashells?”

“No. I wear a gown.”

“Could you wear a tail and seashells at home? Just for me?”

She choked. “Um…well, I thought we weren’t going to be intimate like that.”

Drew smacked himself in the side of the head. “Sorry. That was stupid.”

He couldn’t believe he’d said that. He’d already acknowledged he was attracted to her, but after his dream the night before, he’d promised himself that he’d keep it professional. Here he was asking her to dress up for him? He needed to change the subject.

“You said when we first met that you’d moved from Florida.”

“Yeah, a couple of years ago for college.”

“What did you study?”

“Marine biology at Fullerton. I grew up in Sarasota. I was at the beach all the time and had a summer job at an aquarium while I was in high school. I love the ocean.”

“So, why do you work at a theme park if you’re a marine biologist?” He sat forward with his elbows resting on his knees.

She chewed her lip, and her eyes fell to the floor. “I never finished. I wasn’t expecting LA to be so expensive, and I couldn’t support myself. I started working at the Park over the summer to save up for the following semester, but I just never went back. I’m another college drop-out statistic.”

Drew frowned. “That sucks.” A thought occurred to him, and his face brightened. He might be able to help her make her life better. “After we’re married, you’ll have enough money to finish your degree.”

Jade smiled, her eyes lighting up, and she leaned back in her chair. “I’d thought about that.”

They smiled at each other, and Drew felt reassured they were doing the right thing. He’d been curious why Jade would be willing to marry a man she didn’t know. Sure, money was a strong motivator, but the potential for the life she wanted made a lot more sense.

The room had become dark as the sun set, and Jade reached over to turn on a lamp.

“I’d better get going,” he said, standing up.

“It’s okay. You don’t have to leave.”

“Are you sure?”

“I’m sure. I haven’t asked you any questions yet.”

“Okay, hit me.” Drew relaxed back into the sofa and crossed his legs.

“How is your mom is going to feel about you dating someone who’s dead broke? Won’t she think I’m just after your money?”

“Don’t worry. My mother may be a snob, but she’s also a romantic. If she believes we’re in love, she won’t say anything about where you work.”

Jade looked slightly appeased and gave Drew a shy smile.

“Any more questions?”

“What were you doing this afternoon with those kids?” she asked.

“Oh! Well, I’ve decided to do some charity work, and I love playing basketball, so coaching seemed like a fun way to give something back to the community.”

“And what where you talking about with that boy after the game?”

“Hang on. You already asked your question,” Drew said, narrowing his eyes at her playfully, reminding her of their twenty questions game and causing her to blush again. “But I’ll let you off…just this once. That’s Alex. He’s got a lot of natural talent, so I offered him some private lessons to help develop his skills. I think he could really be a great player.”

She smiled. “That’s nice of you.”

Drew wouldn’t have been surprised if there was some red rising up his neck. He wasn’t sure what it was about Jade, but all his emotions were heightened around her. Instead of just feeling happy, he felt content. It was strange; no one had ever done that for him before.

Suddenly Jade jumped out of her chair. “What’s the time?” she asked hurriedly.

“Um, almost seven,” he said, looking at his watch.

“Oh, shoot! I’m supposed to be at my friend’s house at seven thirty.” She sighed as she ran off down the hallway. He could hear drawers and closet doors opening and closing.

“Oh, okay. Well, I guess I should go,” he called out.

She didn’t respond, but after a few minutes, she reappeared in a pair of casual jeans and an off-the-shoulder sweatshirt that was slightly too big for her. Her hair was out and cascading down her back in loose curls. She’d removed the makeup she’d worn to work, and her skin was glowing. She looked beautiful and sexy all at the same time. Drew suddenly hoped that the friend she was going to visit wasn’t a guy. But he’d told her it was okay for them to see other people. He suddenly felt very confused.

He wanted to leave her thinking about him just as he knew he’d be thinking about her, so he walked over and put one hand on her waist, the other cupping her neck as he looked into her eyes.

“Jade, will you go on a date with me tomorrow night?” he asked in a soft, gravelly voice.

She opened her mouth, but no words came out. He smiled and leaned in, dragging his nose up her jaw. The fingers resting on her waist were rubbing small circles, and he slipped them under the hem of her shirt so he was touching her bare skin. He had a brief flashback to doing something similar in his dream the night before, but he pushed that thought aside.

“Umm…” She tried to speak, but couldn’t seem to get anything out.

“I’d really love to continue learning all your secrets,” he whispered in her ear. He could feel her rapid pulse as he caressed her neck, and he breathed out, intentionally blowing air over the soft skin of her throat.

He took a tiny step closer to her so his chest was pressed flush against her, the heat of her body radiating all around him.

“That would be nice,” she whispered back.

He moved the hand from her waist up to the small of her back and pulled her into a tight hug.

“I’ll call you in the morning to make the arrangements. Have fun tonight.” He chuckled as he pulled away from her.

She gulped loudly and nodded. He noticed her eyes were slightly glazed over, and he felt a smug feeling come over him; if she
was
going to meet a guy, he knew that he would still be on her mind…not that it mattered to him.

He released her and walked quickly to the door. His hand rested on the doorknob, but before he let himself out, he turned back to her.

“Oh, and Jade? You might want to work on the stunned deer look before tomorrow night. Our first official date will be a test to see if we can pull this off, and we wouldn’t want people to think that you’re afraid of me or something.” He winked and gave her a broad smile.

“I…I will,” she said with a nod.

“See you tomorrow,” he reminded her as he walked out the door.

Quickly, he walked down the stairs and found himself back on the street. All the way home he thought about Jade’s obvious reactions to him. She always seemed so nervous around him, and anytime he tested the physical boundaries, she clammed up. That could be a problem.

He knew being touched by someone you didn’t know was slightly uncomfortable, but she’d agreed to be a part of this situation, so she’d just have to man up and get over her nerves. Drew decided that on their date the following night he would dial up the physical touching to try to desensitize her as quickly as possible.

Bring on the first official date
, he thought to himself as he walked back to the school to get his car.

Chapter Six

The Importance of Night Butt

“O
H
, S
HIT
!” J
ADE
S
WORE
as her phone started to ring. She rummaged through her handbag and dropped her keys. Bending down, she grabbed them off her welcome mat and held the phone to her ear with her shoulder as she shoved the key in the lock and swung the heavy door open.

“Are you home yet?” Clare asked impatiently, forgoing a greeting.

“I’m just walking through the door now,” Jade said as she tossed her keys and handbag onto the kitchen counter and walked over to the couch.