Pippa's Fantasy Read Online Free PDF

it’s all good. I’m a big girl and can get home all by myself. I’d rather take a cab,” she said as she finally worked up the courage to look at Rook’s face. “Let’s not make this more than it is. It’s been wonderful, you’re a fantastic lover, but the night is over.”
    She was just holding it together. The confused, hurt look Rook was giving her almost had her throwing her arms around him and begging him for forgiveness. But she knew there would be no hope once the truth was out there. They both had careers to think about. Being together at the Jets was not an option, given the club’s views on this sort of thing.
     
    * * * *
     
    It was a relief to Pippa to not have to exit back out through the club. That walk of shame she could do without. Rook reluctantly led her through another entrance, this door leading to a different street frontage altogether. All the while, he tried to convince her to let him drive her home.
    “At least give me your number. Maybe we can hook up again sometime.”
    As the taxicab pulled in, Rook leaned towards her to catch her mouth, obviously intending a farewell kiss. At the last second, Pippa turned her face so that his lips only landed on her cheek. She threw herself into the cab without a backwards glance, not answering his plea for her phone number. He’ll know how to contact me soon enough, unfortunately for him , she thought sadly as the tears began to flow, now unstoppable, down her cheeks. She mumbled her home address tearfully, so that only the cabbie would hear, and slammed the door closed quickly behind her. The loud noise of the door closing, ending her fantasy night, sounded as loud to Pippa’s ears as the crack of her heart splitting in two.
    The moving car now took Pippa away from the night she had so longed for and the man she had always wanted. Even the frequent, worried glances from the driver were not enough to stem the overflow of her emotions.
    The whole night had been a huge, wonderful mistake, Pippa was now realising. A fantasy no longer, the reality was set in stone.
    No other man could ever take the place of Rook in her heart.
    After assuring the taxi driver that she would be fine, that she was just emotional, Pippa stumbled up the path and into the house she shared with Cassie. Not bothering to turn on any lights, Pippa just rushed straight to her room, threw herself across her bed and cried. Cried until she was worn out, cried until there were no tears left in her. She was unable even to voice any words to let a worried Cassie know what was wrong. Those words eluded her as Pippa’s heart broke into a million sharp splinters.
     
    * * * *
     
    Rook was still shaking his head over the demise of such an amazing night. One minute, he had been planning on taking this complete stranger out on a date, and the next she was running away without so much as a backward glance.
    Sometimes his life felt so out of control. He knew he should be happy—he was playing the game he loved and he owned his own nightclub—but something was still missing in his life. He had this reputation for being some kind of womaniser, had helped build it by being less than selective when it came to bedding a woman, but the truth was he was tired of it.
    That younger Rookie, so excited to be signed by a professional team, had just wanted to play rugby league. The fact that he made a good living from it was a bonus. He had been able to help his hard-working mother start up a business that put her more behind a desk and less behind a mop and bucket. He was forever grateful for that. But the public scrutiny? Well, he hadn’t signed on for that. Hadn’t even thought about it. No, notoriety had come without him choosing it, and with it had come the fans. He had been swept along, believing in his own hype. Taking advantage of it. But it had all started to wear thin quickly.
    Rook really appreciated the traditional footy fans and their love and loyalty for the team he played for. They