Forever Blake (Once Upon a Player Book 3) by Elena Matthews (free books to read .TXT) 📗

gaze slides to hers, and I see she’s biting back a smile.

“Good to know,” she says to Jason before looking back at me. “Let me grab my stuff from the back. I’ll be right out.”

She turns to leave, but Jason whispers something in her ear. She laughs loudly a second later before heading in the direction of the staff-only door.

“What did you say to her?” I ask.

He just wags his brows, his eyes dancing with amusement. “Nothing,” he says before turning his back to me to stock the fridge with bottles of beer.

Less than a minute later, she returns with a purse slung over her shoulder and her wavy honey-blonde hair now falling down her back. It takes me a moment to remember how to breathe with how fucking stunning she looks.

“Okay, I’ll let you buy me a drink.”

Then, she takes my breath away with the spectacular smile she throws my way.

I’ve only known this girl a few hours, and already, she’s got me twisted up inside.

Once Jason gets us each a drink—me another scotch and her an old-fashioned—I guide her toward a booth in the back of the bar, where it’s a little quieter. Instead of taking the seat in front of me—like I’d expect her to, considering how hard to get she’s seemed all night—she surprises me by taking the seat beside me.

As she settles her drink on the table, I say, “I have two questions to ask you.”

She nods. “Okay, shoot.”

“Question one: what did Jason whisper in your ear?”

She snorts, fighting back a laugh. “Oh, just that he was going to let me finish early anyway, so your blackmail was pointless.”

I raise a brow, pursing my lips with humor.

She continues, “I liked how far you were willing to go for me to have a drink with you. I’ve not met that many men who are that determined to sacrifice their favorite bar.”

Raising my glass to my lips, I take a sip of my scotch before I speak, “Well, it’s not every day I meet a woman like you.”

“You barely even know me,” she points out.

“I know enough that I haven’t been able to keep my eyes off you all night. You’re snarky and funny, which I really like about you. Also, the vibe between us is definitely palpable.”

“You’re very full of yourself.”

“And that’s why you like me so much,” I say, giving her a boyish grin.

She rolls her eyes. “That’s still debatable, but like I said earlier, you’re pretty to look at. So, you can say, I like you a little.”

The way her eyes flirtatiously pierce into mine is almost like she’s looking directly into my soul. It’s a little uncomfortable, to say the least, but not enough to make me run. There’s enough intrigue in my feelings that I want to figure out what this is. Figure out why this mystery girl has such a pull on me.

“You had another question?” she asks, bringing me out of my thoughts.

“Yeah. Question two: what is your name?”

She smiles softly. “I was wondering when you were going to ask me. It’s Ever. It’s short for Everly.”

“I love that. Everly,” I say just to test it out on my tongue, and, well, let’s just say, my tongue definitely likes it…and I know that’s not the only thing my tongue would love…

“I definitely have a soft spot for it, but I prefer Ever.”

“Well, it’s nice to finally know your name, Ever.”

“So, what were you and your friends celebrating tonight?”

“Oh, they’re not my friends,” I tell her straight.

“No?” she asks with a tilt of her neck.

I shake my head. “They were all my siblings and their significant others.”

“You’re kidding?”

“Nope. I have a big family.”

“So, who exactly was with you tonight?” she asks, clearly interested.

“There was Nate and Logan, who are twins. Nate was with his wife, Logan with his girlfriend. Then, there was Jace, who’s my older brother. Then, my older sister, Kaelyn, was here with her boyfriend.”

“Wow, that’s a lot of family.”

“Do you have any brothers or sisters?”

“Nope. Just me. I have a sort of stepsister, but she’s eight, so I don’t have a lot in common with her.”

“Not a kid person, huh?”

“At this point in my life, no. You?”

“Hell no. I mean, I have friends who have kids, and they’re great. I found out tonight that Nate and his wife are expecting. That was mainly what we were celebrating tonight,” I add, and she nods with a cute smile. “I can’t wait to be an uncle, but I just don’t really see kids in my future. Is it bad, not wanting that?”

She immediately shakes her head. “No, of course not. Children aren’t for everybody, you know?”

Realizing how serious we’ve taken our conversation, I chuckle and lift up the half-full glass of scotch. “I think I should probably stop drinking; I’ve taken things over to the serious side. This wasn’t what I had in mind as a conversation starter.”

She picks up her own drink and takes a sip. “What did you have in mind?”

“Honestly? I just wanted to get you alone, so I could have my wicked way with you.” I throw her a grin to tell her I’m kidding…well, partly kidding.

She throws her head back with a laugh. “So, I was right earlier when I called bullshit on you not trying to hit on me?”

“No, I really just wanted to say hello,” I tell her honestly. When she cocks a brow, I explain further, “I know; it was a surprise to me, too. I know Jason let the cat out of the bag that I’ve been with a lot of women…but what Jason doesn’t know is that when I set my eyes on you, it wasn’t just about hitting on you. I wanted to know everything about the woman who had literally stopped me in my tracks.”

“You know, I’m probably an idiot for saying this, but I actually believe you.”

“You are definitely not an idiot.”

She defiantly shakes her head. “Oh, I am. Trust me when I say, all women turn