Free Bad Boy Brit (A British Bad Boy Romance) by Caitlin Daire, Avery Wilde Page B

change in just one morning. Of course nothing had actually physically changed; the changes were within me. My opinion of Liam, which had been pretty close to rock bottom this time yesterday, had been wildly altered by spending a bit of time with him. The night before had been fun, and the fact that he hadn’t taken advantage of my drunkenness, when he almost certainly could have, was more than I would’ve expected given his reputation.
    But it had really been our conversation during our interview which had flipped me over from not being a fan of his to really liking him. Of course he could’ve made every word of it up—a good sob story to win the hearts of those fans as yet unconvinced by his trademark laddishness. But the story—and his demeanor—was so far from that trademark that I thought otherwise. Besides, I’d watched him as he talked. No one was infallible when it came to sorting lies from truth, although every journalist liked to think they were, but I was as certain as I could be that every word Liam had spoken had been true. He’d meant it all, and it was clear that certain events still haunted him.
    Did all that mean I was hedging towards saying yes?
    Maybe…
    Though I was still a little loathe to admit it to myself, I did like the idea. He was a nice guy deep down, he was handsome as hell, and, of course, he was Liam Croft, which I just couldn’t ignore.
    But I didn’t want to say yes, just like that. I didn’t want to seem too keen; too much like all the other girls he apparently went out with. And of course I couldn’t guarantee that I was even available for dinner—I had a story to write and then I was supposed to be heading back home.
    “Let me think about it,” I finally said.
    “Think about it?”
    Liam was obviously not used to women having to think about whether or not to have dinner with him, but there was no arrogance in his voice this time—just uncertainty with a hint of nervousness, which made him all the more appealing to me.
    “I just have to call my editor,” I said. That much was true, if not the whole story. “I’m supposed to be back at work soon, and now we’ve done the interview there’s no reason for me to stay. As far as he’s concerned, I mean,” I added quickly, not wanting him to think that I had no reason to stay.
    Liam smiled, accepting this as a reasonable outcome. “Okay, fair enough. Let me give you my mobile number.” He scribbled it out on a notepad and passed it over to me. “Call me when you know your plans.”
    “I will,” I said.
    I meant it.
    ***
    “Good night, love?” asked Mikey from the front of the cab. Calling him had seemed easier than looking for another cab in the busy London streets.
    I considered the question, but I didn’t really have to. “Yeah,” I said with a smile. “Really good night.”
    “Same clothes you went out in?” suggested Mikey. “Hey, hey.”
    I blushed a little. “Nothing happened.”
    “Well, that’s a crime. Lovely young lady like you should be getting all the fellas.”
    “I mean…nothing like…” I wondered what I did mean. Something had happened, just not that something. Something better perhaps. Damn, this was all happening so fast. “I met a guy at the football,” I finished.
    Hey, it was partially true.
    Mikey grinned broadly. “That’s how me and the wife met. Shouldn’t have happened really: she was United, I was City. Like Romeo and Juliet. We ended up doing it round the players’ entrance. Bit of a brawl when the families found out. But there you go, love’s funny like that. And I was happy to convert for her. For the sake of the kids, you know. Fifteen years now. I still cheer for City when she’s not around, but the truth is I don’t really miss it.”
    I settled back in the seat. “Tell me about her.”
    Mikey was happy to continue talking and I was happy to continue listening. It was funny—the stories that circled around and wove in and out of a game of football. The game was