Dirty South (A Blue Collar Bad Boy Romance) by Celia Loren

Author:Celia Loren [Loren, Celia]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Hearts Collective Publishing
Published: 2016-06-04T18:30:00+00:00

Chapter One

Eight months later

"I can't believe you guys are wearing those," I groan, shaking my head at Andrè as he walks out from the kitchen. They both have on red and black Buccaneers jerseys with Stratton emblazoned in capital letters above his number 41 on their backs. "And I'll tell you when he gets here. You don't have to keep checking."

"I needed a…salt shaker," he replies, sticking his hand out to grab the nearest item as an excuse.

"Yeah, I'm sure the kitchen doesn't have salt," I mutter under my breath. My mom's with Ray now as they head over to the diner with his football star son Jack in tow. She tried to get me excited to meet him, but I'm just not. From everything I've seen and read, he's just some hard-partying jock. I guess I'll have to see him around Ray's mansion every now and then when we move in next week, but thank god he's not actually living there himself.

The front door jingles and I glance up to see my mom and Ray walk in, my mom's arm laced through Ray's. And behind them, the infamous Jack Stratton. My stomach involuntarily tightens and I turn around to hide my face. He's even better-looking in person, with closely-cropped light brown hair, sea blue eyes, and a strong nosed balanced by sensuous lips. And at 6'5'', he's slightly taller than his father, with muscle packed onto every inch.

I hear the entire diner go quiet for a moment. You can't help but notice the younger Stratton's hulking figure, plus he's one of Tampa's heroes, the Buccaneers' star tight end after only two years in the NFL. I take a deep breath and turn around. My mom's looking around for me as they head to Ray's now regular corner booth. People are staring at Jack, but he's either oblivious or used to it, because his expression remains nonplussed.

I hear frantic whispering through the window to the kitchen and can't help but smile at Silvio and Andrè's excitement. "You wanna come over with me?" I ask, sticking my head through.

"No, no, I'm too nervous," Silvio responds in hushed tones.

"He's just a regular guy," I tell them. "Except, you know, bigger." They both shake their heads so I shrug and turn around. The patrons' conversations have resumed around the restaurant, though many sets of eyes are still glancing over at the football player. My mom's watching me expectantly as I walk over. She's sitting next to Ray, his hand resting on her thigh under the table, and Jack's sitting across from them. His thick, jean-covered legs are sticking out onto the tile floor next to the booth, unable to fit under the table.

"Hey, honey," she greets me with a wide smile.

"How's business today?" Ray asks, ever the CEO.

"Not bad," I murmur, feeling my cheeks beginning to burn. I can sense Jack's gaze on me, and I feel reluctant to look at him for some reason. Is it obvious? Am I being awkward?

"I'm Jack," I hear a low voice say next to me.

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