Law #2: Don't Play with a Player: A Sweet Office Romance Story (Laws of Love) by Agnes Canestri (web ebook reader .txt) 📕

So I withdraw my hand from her back and say, “By the way, having been a pariah is just one more thing we have in common.”

“In common?” Her brows rise.

“Yes. Did you assume I was a popular guy all my life?”

“Actually, I kind of did,” she admits. “How could I not? Ellie told me Morgan was homecoming queen. Only the coolest guy in school gets to date the hottest girl, no?”

Her reasoning isn’t far off.

Conquering Morgan was a status symbol for me. As her boyfriend, I managed to chase away all the ghosts of my sickly childhood. Because she accepted me, I finally believed that I wasn’t an underdog anymore.

I nod. “Yes, I was a rather well-known guy in high school, mainly in my senior year. But in elementary and middle school, I lived my days as a wretch. I spent weeks, or sometimes even months, at home or in the hospital. I could rarely play outside, due to my severe respiratory condition. As a result, I was weak, pale, and shy. Just imagine, Ellie was my only friend, and even her bestie didn’t like me.”

My glance moves to Laia’s giggling nieces. Sandy shovels sand on her sister’s lap with both palms, while Mila throws the dirt back to the ground with a gurgling laugh.

“How terrible.” Laia sucks in a breath. “I can’t believe I didn’t even consider the ramifications of your disease… Girls may pay attention to perfect lunch boxes and pretty accessories, but I know from Luis that boys measure popularity in speed and strength.”

“Yes, and I lacked both of those back then.”

I blink at Laia. She chews on her lower lip, and my heart squeezes at the sight of her unease. It wasn’t my intention to rub it into her face that she made false assumptions about me. I just wanted her to know me better…and maybe like me better.

“Don’t worry. My story, like yours, has a turning point. For me, it was our move from Washington State to Arizona.”

Laia cocks her head to the side. “What happened? You arrived in Kingman and became the new hottie, like Chelsea in my school?”

I like the teasing edge in her voice but even more the implication of her words.

“I’m flattered that you would describe me as a hottie, but no, it wasn’t an overnight thing. In the beginning, I was still mostly invisible. But I started to do sports, and the more I worked out, the fitter I became. At the end of my freshman year, I joined the athletic team, and that’s when things turned around.”

“How so?”

“That’s where I met Wyatt. He was part of the football team. He convinced his trainer to take me on board. I wasn’t nearly as talented as Wyatt, which is why he’s a pro now and I’m not, but I liked playing in the team and enjoyed the social exposure it gave me.”

“Yeah, girls are dazzled by football players,” Laia chimes in.

“Wasn’t your dullard prom date a sportive too? A basketball captain?”

Laia’s cheeks flush. “Yes. I guess I’m pretty much like all the girls then.”

“No, you’re not.”

Not one bit. 

“Right.” She nods. “I’m probably the only female you know who wants to wait for…” She pauses and waves. “You know what I mean.”

Since she offers the topic on a silver platter, I can’t stop myself from asking the question that’s been on my mind ever since my foolish behavior in the elevator.

“Is it because of religion that you…?”

Laia’s eyes dart to me. “Why are you interested?”

She doesn’t need to know yet that I’d like to become a man with better relationship values because of her, so I shrug. “I asked you to coach my social life into a more meaningful pattern. Understanding your motivation could be my first lesson.”

Laia gives me a smile that’s sweet but shy at the same time. “Okay, then the answer is no. I was raised a Catholic, but I don’t feel that I’m bound by religious rules about chastity. I just…” She sighs. “Ah, you’ll find it silly…”

“No, please. I know I dismissed your principles as naïve in the past, but now I want to hear them. Try me.”

Laia’s eyes flick to her nieces, but when she sees they’re still happily occupied, she rubs her hands together as if the gesture could help her organize her thoughts.

I listen to the swishing sound with a growing expectation. I want to learn what makes her believe in the importance of waiting for true love.

She starts out with something I don’t expect.

“I know our bodies have their instincts. When we see someone attractive, we react to him or her, right?”

Our glances cross, and I give her a lopsided grin. “Till here, you’ve got me on board.”

She blushes at my comment, and I can ascertain just how right her words are because my cells drift into a state of arousal at the sight of her rosy cheeks.

“Today, many think it’s stupid, if not even unhealthy, to resist these urges. On the other hand, I believe if we give in to them too soon, we deprive ourselves of something important.” She tells me this with a tone of somebody who has reflected on the topic a great deal.

“Of what?”

“Physical pleasure can transform into something powerful when it’s shared with the person you love. Then it’s not just an act to derive momentary euphoria, but a true unification between souls.”

To my surprise, her reasoning speaks to me.

Maybe because I’ve already experienced how much more satisfying a brief, casual touch of Laia’s skin can be compared to a night spent in the arms of a woman I don’t care for.

“And what about passion?” I ask because I want to understand how she can manage to dominate her physical needs.

“Passion?”

“Yes, that irrepressible longing that connects the body to the soul. Sometimes it can be a gateway from one to the other.” My chest brews with the very sensation I’m trying to describe.

Laia snorts. “Right. How many of the women you’ve slept with managed to