“You think?”
“Let me buy you a drink.”
I shake my wine glass. “I already have one.”
“It’s almost finished.”
“So is this conversation.”
He smiles and suddenly, I’m interested once again.
“My name is Eli.”
“That’s great, Callaway.”
“Playing hard to get,” he says as he steps in close enough to get my heart racing. He smells good and his shirt looks soft enough to rest my cheek on. Maybe I should cool it on the wine…
“I am hard to get,” I answer with my chin in the air. It’s true. I’m so hard to get that I haven’t gotten with anyone. Ever.
Maybe that’s not because I’m too good for anyone who tries, but because the right guy hasn’t come along yet.
“I think you’ll find,” he says as he slides his hand on my wrist and grips it firmly, “that I don’t give up easily.”
“With a wild shot like yours, I didn’t think you would.”
He grins as he looks down at me like I’m perfect for him. Finally, someone who enjoys my smart ass mouth.
“You’re incredible,” he whispers.
“And you’re taking too much of my time.” I step on my toes and give him a soft kiss on his rough cheek. “I’ll see you at dinner, Callaway.”
He lets me go as I turn around and walk back to my table with my heart strumming in my chest.
Eli…
His name is humming in my head as I feel my cheeks blushing.
Maybe this tournament isn’t so bad after all.
Maybe I don’t mind staying a little bit longer…Chapter FiveEliMy knee is bouncing up and down impatiently as I stare at Carrie’s empty chair. Everyone is sitting in the hall, except for her.
I recognize the three old men she was golfing with, so I know she’s supposed to be sitting right there, but she’s not.
This is killing me. Where the hell is she?
Everyone is sitting at the tables of eight, the band is playing dinner music, and the servers are starting to circle around, about to take orders.
But she’s not here. I haven’t seen her since the cocktail party, which went horribly wrong. All of this is going so wrong.
I had prepared for a day of golfing and trying to impress Mr. Brown and his son, not to meet the girl of my dreams. She came out of nowhere and shook me to my core.
This girl is deep under my skin already. I need to calm down, but I can’t. I can’t get any of this obsessive need under control.
I’ve always been so cool and calm around women. It’s always been so easy. But once I meet the girl I know I have to have, it all goes to shit. I come unravelled. What the hell is that about?
Maybe it’s because this one means something. I know I can’t lose her and it’s putting me on edge.
“Didn’t you, Eli?” Nolan says as I’m staring at her empty chair like a little puppy staring out the window and longing for his master to return.
“What?” I ask in a panic as I turn back around.
“Princeton,” Nolan says, urging me on with his eyes.
I just stare blankly.
He rolls his eyes. “I told Mr. Brown that you went to Princeton.”
“Oh, yeah. I did.”
Nolan elaborates when I don’t. “He was the only one of us Bowen kids to go to college.”
“He’s the smart one?” Mr. Brown says, not looking too enthused. “Oh, great.”
I know I should keep my attention at the table, but I can’t help but look over my shoulder at her empty seat. The waiter for their table is already talking to the woman in the purple dress and scribbling something down on his notepad. Where is she?
I don’t know how I’m going to react if she doesn’t show up tonight. An image of me grabbing the tie of the old man next to her seat and forcing him to give me her address flashes into my head. Let’s hope it doesn’t come to that…
“I’m a Princetonian myself,” Mr. Brown says with a nostalgic smile on his face. “In fact, I have a humorous story about my first time entering Nassau Hall. Listen closely to this, Eli. You’ll love it. I walked in and—”
His smile fades when I stand up and walk away from the table.
Carrie has entered the hall and I’m being drawn to her with an irresistible pull. My heart freezes in my chest, but then it unlocks and starts pounding viciously, vibrating through me as I take in the gorgeous view in front of me.
She’s standing in the entrance of the hall like a goddess in a long tight black dress that has no business being in front of all these men. She belongs in my room where only my lustful eyes can feast on her beauty.
Her blonde hair is pulled back tight and wrapped in a bun. My hands shake with every step as I imagine sinking my fingers into it and pulling it out, letting her wavy blonde hair fall free all around her stunning face.