Team Player 2: A Sports Anthology

by Paige, Rochelle

Daisy made a wry face. “You’re going to have to be more specific.”

  I nodded my head over the crowd of about fifty guests. “That short, blond-headed weasel with the red tie?”

  “I see him.”

  “That’s Brad Finn. Ranked number four in the world in tennis and number one in being an arsehole.”

  She stood on tiptoe to get a better look. “Why?”

  “Lots of reasons,” I said. “Primarily his tendency to remind me that my father was Samoan.”

  Daisy frowned. “Why would that even matter?”

  “It shouldn’t,” I said. “But then, that sort of thing seems to matter to racist dickheads like him.”

  Her bronze eyes darkened. “Ignore him. If he’s that unevolved this late in the game, then ignore him.”

  “Too late.”

  Brad had caught sight of me and waved, a huge, fake smile plastered over his weasel-y face.

  “Kai!” he called, and the crowd of photogs turned to follow him and document this moment between rivals.

  Brad’s outstretched hand reached for me, his eyes darting to Daisy for a split second.

  “Good to see you, man. This is quite the party.”

  Conscious of the press snapping photos and listening, I endured his handshake. Then with a rough yank, I pulled Brad in for a ‘brotherly’ hug.

  “A party you weren’t invited to,” I said through my own fake, toothy smile

  He pounded me on the back. “I had to see for myself who your Groupie-of-the-Day is. She’s a pretty little piece of ass.”

  He pulled back with a hearty laugh before I could reply—or punch him in the throat. My blood felt like it’d turned to gasoline and he was the match.

  He turned to Daisy. “You must be…?”

  “Daisy Watson,” she said icily, and I had to physically keep myself from shoving him away from her.

  Brad held her hand too long and his eyes lingered on her cleavage.

  “Pleasure to meet you, Daisy,” he said. “When you’re tired of looking at this guy’s ugly mug, feel free to give me a call.” He laughingly jerked a thumb at me, his gaze raking her up and down.

  “Hey, Kai! Brad! Let’s get a picture.”

  The other photographers chimed in and Brad, his smile plastered on like the mask that it was, peeled his gaze away from Daisy. We stood side by side for the photogs, smiling as flashes went off and digital cameras clicked.

  “I should take you out back and kick your arse,” I said through my teeth.

  “Ah, there’s the island savage in you,” Brad said, and my jaw clenched so hard I thought my teeth would shatter. “Careful, Kai. The ATP is watching and you’re already in time-out. One more infraction, and they’ll just hand me the Australian Open trophy right now.”

  The photo op ended, and Jason appeared at my side to hustle us away from Brad before I did something he’d regret.

  “Well?” I demanded.

  “No one invited him,” Jason said. “He caught wind it was happening and showed up on his own. He knew the ATP would love the publicity and likely he’s hoping to provoke you into an incident so they’ll kick you out before the Open even starts.”

  “It’s not going to work,” Daisy said, gripping my arm. “Right?”

  I nodded and decided it was best to not tell either one how Brad’s plan had almost worked.

  “I need a drink,” Jason said. “How about you two?”

  “Cabernet, please,” Daisy said.

  “Beer,” I muttered. “Any kind.”

  Jason left and Daisy pulled me aside.

  “You okay?”

  “Yeah, I’m okay.”

  “Did he say something…?”

  I hesitated. There was no way I was going to repeat what he’d said about her. The stuff about being a ‘savage islander’ was bad enough.

  “I don’t give a shit about his racist slurs, except that it’s like he’s kicking dirt in my dad’s face, and Dad isn’t around to defend himself. Not that he would have.”

  Daisy’s hand tightened in mine. “Tell me about him.”

  “Right here? Now?”

  “It’s never the wrong time or place.”

  I was about to protest and instead heard myself say, “Dad had dignity, you know? He was quiet and noble. When other tennis parents were paying to have their kids in the most expensive camps and hiring the most expensive coaches, Dad was my coach. We had second-hand equipment and rackets donated from a charity. And every time I beat one of the rich kids in a match, Dad was the one to remind me to be a good sport. To not take my talent for granted but to not let pride get in the way of what’s important.”

  “He sounds like a wonderful man,” Daisy said.

  I glanced down at her, pain gripping my heart for my dad and for her. For how beautiful she looked in the dim lighting and how I could feel so lucky and miss him so much at the same time.

  “It’s a crazy life, isn’t it?” I said. “Good and bad. Ugly memories and beautiful things, all existing at the same time.”

  She smiled and nodded. “I think that sums it up just about perfectly.”

  * * *

  The night flowed on and I was pulled away from Jason and Daisy to answer questions about the upcoming Open.

  “Are you ready, Kai?”

  “Yes.”

  “Rumor has it you’ve been using alternative medicine for your elbow? Care to comment?”

  “No.”

  “Who is your date tonight?”

  “A woman.”

  “Is it serious?”

  “Don’t know.”

  “What can we expect at the Open? More of your trademark antics?”

  “Sure.”

  Soon, the press was thoroughly fed up with my boring, one-word answers and went back to find Brad who loved talking to them almost as much as he loved looking in a mirror.

  I wandered the room, a half-empty beer bottle in my hand, in search of Daisy. I found Jason first, huddled in a group with some other agents and suits.

  “Hey, Kai, we were just talking about you,” Jason said. “This is Herb Walker from Nike and he’d like to—”

  “Yeah, hi, you seen Daisy?”

  Jason’s smile froze. “Not in the last few minutes,” he said tightly. He leaned into me. “Did I mention Herb is a rep for Nike?”

  I flashed the men a short smile, my eyes scanning the crowd. “Yeah, good to meet you,” I muttered absently and then wandered away.

  I made a circuit of the room. No Daisy. No Brad, either. An ugly feeling coiled in my gut.

  And then I found Brad in the hallway off the main room, his back to me, intent on whoever he was talking to. It looked like he had a woman in the corner, against the wall. One hand above her head, the other holding a beer.

  Daisy. He has Daisy up against the wall…

  I moved to the side to get a better angle. She was staring up at him, wide-eyed and unmoving. Listening raptly to whatever he was saying. Tilting her chin up. To be kissed?

  My blood turned to ice to see them together, but so what? They were just talking. Except that he was practically pressed against her and she didn’t move. She didn’t shove him away or kick him in the balls or curse him out.

  Surprised? An acid voice said in my head. This is what giving a shit will get you.

  I turned on my heel and strode away, toward the nearest exit. The country club was suddenly airless and hot, and I could hardly breathe.

  I shoved a door open that led to a patio overlooking the ocean. A few seconds later, I heard footsteps behind me.

  “Kai,” Daisy called from behind me. “Kai.” She caught up to me outside and grabbed my arm, pulling me to stop as I started for the stairs that led down to the beach. “Kai, wait…”

  I pulled out of her grip. “I can’t do this. I thought I could, but I can’t. I’m not that guy.”

  She stopped, staring, breathing hard. Her pulse jumped in the hollow of her throat. “What are you talking about?”

  “Yo
u. Him. I’m not the guy that gets fucking jealous, and I don’t want to be.”

  She stared at me for a second, incredulous, and the pain that flooded her bronze eyes told me I’d made a huge mistake.

  “Of course, you don’t,” she spat, her breath tremulous. “You don’t want to feel anything. You don’t want to feel anything for me so that when you think you see me with another guy, you can tell yourself it’s not a big deal. I get it. You were hurt once—yes, badly—so now you want to go for the rest of your life without feeling anything at all, right?”

  I rubbed my chin, frustration and the old anger polluting my thoughts. “You can do what you want,” I said. “But you had to pick him? Brad fucking Finn?”

  “God, you are such a jackass,” Daisy said. She held up her hands that were trembling as if it were fifty below and I realized her face was pale with fear. “Do you see this? I can’t stop shaking. He cornered me in that hallway, and it reminded me of the break-in. I freaked out and froze up, just like I did then. You honestly think I want something with him when I—? Where are you going?”

  Rage had flooded me, burning up the ice, and I started past her, back inside to beat Finn’s arse. Daisy pulled me back, then braced herself against me with both hands on my chest to barricade me.

  “No,” she said. “You are not going in there to beat him up. That’s exactly what he wants. To provoke you into an incident in front of all the press and get you banned before the Open.”

  “So what?” I stared down at her. “He cornered you!”

  “Oh, now you care?” she said, and tears suddenly filled her eyes. “Or is it just plain old ego? You don’t want me, but he can’t have me either.”

  “Daisy…”

  She stared at me a moment more, waiting for me to say the right thing, then shook her head.

  “Forget it. Do whatever you want. Get yourself kicked out of tennis if it makes you feel better. Do anything that will make you feel better, Kai. If that’s even possible.”

  You, I wanted to say but couldn’t. I feel better when I’m with you.

  “This was a mistake,” she said. “You and me… That night at the pool. A huge mistake. You’re addicted to being miserable, Kai. And I’m not going to let you bring me down with you.”

  She pushed past me and I stood alone on the patio.

  “God, I’m an arsehole,” I muttered and hurried to follow her.

  She took a winding path down to the beach and walked along the shore. For a second, I just watched the shape of her in her flowing dress against the moonlight that spilled over the black water like a silvery puddle.

  She’s so fucking beautiful. Don’t lose her. Don’t let her slip away…

  Then I ran.

  Chapter Eleven

  Daisy

  I hurried across the thick, warm sand as fast as I could, though it pulled at my shoes and my dress dragged. The ocean smelled clean and cold, helping to calm my jangled nerves after the incident with Brad, him cornering me on my way to the restroom. It’d happened so fast, and my body felt teleported back to the night of the break-in, my mind hijacked and paralyzed until somehow Brad was pressed against me.

  I shivered in the warm air and kept going, not knowing where. Just away to some place that wasn’t dark and closed in. Kai caught up with me quickly.

  “Daisy…”

  “Don’t, Kai…”

  “No, I have to. You were right,” he said, moving to stand in front of me. “I’ve been miserable for years. I just… I miss him, okay? I miss him, and I’m so fucking angry that he’s gone. That he left how he did. It’s colored everything I’ve touched since and turned it to shit.”

  The wind blew my curls across my face. His hand came up like he wanted to push them aside but dropped again.

  “When I saw you in there with Finn… I wasn’t upset because it was my rival. I was upset because it was you. With another man. And I don’t want you to be with another man.” He swallowed. “I want you to be with me.”

  I stared back, wanting to hold on to the warm water feeling that washed over me at those words. “I don’t know what that means, Kai,” I said. “I don’t think you know what that means. To be with someone. You have to give yourself. And you have to be willing for it to go all wrong but give anyway.”

  “I have to let them score on me.”

  My brows came together. “What?”

  “My best games,” he said, moving close, holding me loosely around the waist, “are the ones when I score all the points. And that’s how it is in my life too. I don’t let anyone get a dig on me. No one exposes a weakness. No one hits me where it hurts because I don’t let them. I’m the one who walks away. Always. It’s survival. Protection.”

  I nodded, my hands sliding up my arms, feeling the gravitational pull of his body, drawing me in. “Life doesn’t work that way.”

  “I know. Sometimes it kicks your ass. Hard.”

  I tilted my head up. “And that makes the wins even sweeter.”

  His hands slipped up to hold my face. “You’re the best thing that’s ever happened to me, Daisy. And I don’t want to mess it up or hurt you.”

  “I don’t either,” I said. “I don’t know what I can give, honestly. Obviously, the break-in still has a hold on me.”

  He put his arms around me and held me close, and I melted into his embrace that was protective and safe instead of smothering.

  “I’m sorry Brad made you feel all that shit again,” Kai murmured into my hair. “And whatever you need in order to feel…better. Less scared. I’ll do it.”

  I closed my eyes. “I can’t sleep without a light, never mind with a man in my bed.” I shook my head. “God, it’s so embarrassing.”

  “The hell it is,” Kai said. “It’s what happened, and if you need time, you should have it. We don’t have to figure it out now.” He took a step back, slipped out of his jacket and laid it in the sand. “Come on.”

  “What are you doing?”

  “We’re going to spend the night together. Another first. Nothing illegal is going to happen, mind you. This is a public beach after all,” he said to make me laugh. “Everyone and everything else can fuck right off while we sleep under the stars.”

  I had to laugh. “So poetic.”

  He grinned. “I’m a man of many talents.”

  “But…right here?” I asked, watching him smooth out his jacket.

  “Yep.” He stretched out on his back on the jacket, one arm pillowing his head. He patted one side. “Plenty of room.”

  My heart swelled at the sight of him, beautiful and sharp, but his eyes soft now as they looked up at me. I gathered my dress and laid down beside him, resting my head on his chest. His arm went around me at once, and we stared up at the sky that was a canopy of black velvet and starlight. The ocean swelled, crashed, and retreated over and over.

  Kai craned his chin down to look at me. “Pretty perfect, right?”

  I nodded. “Perfect.”

  He smiled and leaned to kiss me softly, his mouth gentle, his tongue sliding over mine lightly, then retreating. He kissed my upper lip, then my lower. He kissed my chin, my nose and nosering, then my forehead before settling his head back against the sand. Another first, I thought, because few people had ever seen Kai Solomon like this.

  This is who he really is.

  “Thank you, Kai.” I settled back against his chest. “It’s just what I needed.”

  Chapter Twelve

  Kai

  Two days later, I crammed the last of my gear in a suitcase in my bedroom in the main house. Daisy was likely doing the same, waiting to hear back from the airline about how to bring Keanu to Melbourne.

  Because Daisy is coming with me. She’s going to be in my box, watching and rooting for me.

  The old pain and anger seemed distant, and holy shit, for the first time I had a chance at winning a Major without all the bullshit getting in the way.

  Jason popped his head in. “You ready?”

  “As
I’ll ever be.”

  My agent studied me, a smile on his lips. “You do look ready. More than ready. Like you’re going to kick some ass, but in a mature, tennis-professional kind of way.”

  I laughed. “What does that mean?”

  “I don’t want to jinx whatever spell Daisy has put on you, but I have a good feeling about this. Like all that God-given talent of yours is going to take you to the finals with nothing getting in the way.”

  “Could be,” I said. “But don’t get ahead of yourself. If I feel like hitting a ’tweener or underhand serve, I’m going to do it.”

  “I expect nothing less.”

  Jason patted the doorjamb and left. Daisy appeared a moment later, looking beautiful in a flowered dress. But her fingers tangled nervously in front of her, and she captured her lower lip in her teeth.

  “You look amazing,” she said. She moved to me, sunk her fingers into my hair. “You look so ready for this.”

  “You sound just like Jason. Only sexier.”

  I leaned in to kiss her but she moved back.

  “Kai…I can’t go.”

  I stiffened. “What do you mean? If it’s the cost, don’t worry about it. I got you covered.”

  “No, it’s not that. Keanu can’t come with me. Australia requires a bunch of paperwork to fly with him. One hundred and eighty days’ notice for the rabies bloodwork to clear.”

  I stared. “So…what does that mean? You’re not coming with me? You’re not coming to the match?”

  She bit her lip. “I want to, Kai. Of course, I do but…”

  “But what? You can’t bring your dog, so you won’t go?”

  She flinched at the bite in my words and stepped back. All of the good feelings and lightness fled, replaced by the venom that came so easily when even the smallest threat of being hurt nipped at my subconscious.

  “It’s not that simple,” she said. “I need him.”

  “I need you. What, am I not enough for you? You’re not safe with me?”

  “It’s not a decision I can make. PTSD doesn’t work like that—”

  “Who cares?” I snapped, feeling like a man possessed; watching from a distance as some arsehole said these horrible things to the woman he cared about.