City of Champions

by Barlow, Chloe T.

  "I hope so. I must say, I'm really impressed by your hard work. You seemed really intent at practice, too. Nothing like what the club physician had put in his notes in your chart."

  "I told you that you're smarter than all those old dudes."

  "Are you trying to flatter me, Wyatt?"

  "Just telling the truth as I see it. You really do have a great eye," he replied as he leaned in more closely to her, examining her face. Water had beaded on her straight nose and her blue eyes were sparkling behind wet lashes. "Two great eyes, actually."

  She laughed and glanced away briefly before turning back to him with a cool look that seemed a bit too practiced.

  "I'm glad to see you’re taking this seriously…staying focused. It will take hard work and dedication from you to come back from this injury, no matter what path you end up taking."

  "You're judged by what you do, not by what you have, Doc," he replied blankly.

  "That's very true, I hadn't expected you to see things that way, though. Oh God, I'm sorry I said that, it's not…"

  "I get it. You mean someone born of the Jim McCoy, one of the greatest quarterbacks ever, couldn't have a real work ethic? Appearances can be deceiving, especially when it comes to the McCoy part of my lineage."

  "Oh, well, I heard rumors, but…"

  "About my dad blowing it all on parties and women and bad investments? Those rumors?"

  "Yes, those. I didn't believe them, though. I mean Jim McCoy was a legend, his face was everywhere."

  "Oh yeah, his face was in too many places, and so was his money. For once, bad rumors turned out to be true. My view of the game may be clinical, Doc, but that's better than being so absorbed in all the trappings of pro-football you let its world suck you under so far you can never come up for air. That's how you screw over everyone in your life. That's the Jim McCoy I knew."

  "But, what about your mom? I thought she was really successful."

  "My dad made her quit all that when they got married. No more modeling money, no more fame, nothing to fall back on."

  "Oh God, how awful."

  "When he blew all his money and didn't even pretend to want to be around anymore, we moved in with my grandparents. When my grandfather died, all our hopes were on my football career. So, yeah, things aren't always as they seem."

  "I'm sorry."

  "Don't be. My family has me. And I'll do whatever it takes to make sure they're taken care of. My sister will be done with school soon. I bought my mom a nice hacienda on Lake Travis by Austin. It’s nothing like the huge place my dad never made the payments on, but she still loves it. My abuela lives there with her. And I got it for her."

  "They all rely on you financially?"

  "Yes, though my baby brother would rather go off and fuck up his own life. Claudia is the youngest, and she can't wait to be independent. Gives me nightmares."

  "Are you a tough big brother?" Jenna asked teasingly.

  "The toughest."

  "I didn't know your dad put you guys through all that."

  "How could you know? One of the negatives of keeping a secret well is no one knows the full real you. You understand?"

  "Yes. I definitely do."

  "Oh, yeah? I gave you the dirt, it's your turn to spill, Doc."

  "Never mind. There's nothing to tell. I'm pretty boring."

  "I don't believe that. You know, I like this side of you. All vulnerable and sweet — like my very own little wet kitten."

  "Don't get used to it," she bristled out petulantly.

  "Oh, and there’s those claws I like even more." He threw his head back and let out a deep chuckle.

  She looked back and forth and her face showed marked discomfort.

  "Um, I better get going, Wyatt, I'll see you at the game tonight."

  He'd pushed too hard, he could tell, so he decided to step back and let all the information he'd given her sink in for a while.

  "Okay, well, I hope you enjoy the game and see how much progress I've made."

  "I hope so, too, Wyatt. But I also want you to give surgery some serious thought. If it goes the way I think it will, you could be back on the field in time for training camp."

  "True, but there are just as many guys that never play again. Or they get cut and no one wants them. I can't risk it."

  "You're still young, Wyatt."

  "Youth is a temporary condition. You should know that, Doc."

  "A lot of QBs don't even hit their prime until thirty. Your dad was amazing well after that. Despite the many faults it sounds like he had, he did give you a remarkable talent. I've always thought you could be much better than him, in fact."

  Wyatt rubbed the back of his neck and stared over her head, suddenly uncomfortable with the glow of happiness that filled his heart at her compliment. After setting his jaw, he met her eyes again.

  "Those notes in my chart? They may have been right about one thing. I don't play out of passion. I know that this game is anything but that — it's a business, not a love."

  "My father would tell you the love is what makes for greatness, and the greatness is what gives you the best security."

  "They don't get much greater than Jim McCoy, Doc. That's not a path that'll keep my family safe for each of their lifetimes."

  "Go ahead and tell yourself that if you have to, Wyatt, but mercenaries rarely win any wars. I'll see you tonight. Good-bye."

  Before he could challenge her statement, she boosted herself out of the pool by her arms swiftly, allowing streams of water to rush down her beautiful body.

  For someone so athletic, she had delicious looking curves and Wyatt had to remind himself that all this attention he was focusing onto her had a very specific purpose. It didn't involve him letting his brain turn off and the rest of his body to take over all of his decision-making. Before he could get himself under control, she had grabbed a towel and was wrapping herself in it quickly as she walked away.

  "Good-bye to you, too, Doc," he shouted after her, before diving back under the water with the hopes that another round of laps would bring him some much needed clarity.

  Wyatt couldn't believe how great he was playing, though he wasn't sure what caused it. He assumed it was from deliberately trying to resolve the issues Jenna raised about his release and shoulder tic, combined with his need to show her he could still play this game without having his body cut open.

  Whatever it was — he couldn't seem to make a mistake.

  Zero sacks, zero interceptions, and he'd thrown for three touchdowns — Wyatt hadn't had that kind of success on the field in over a year. It was as though he could read the minds of every defensive player on the other side of the ball and knew everything they planned to do to him. He'd evaded every tackle and it felt like every move he made was perfect.

  With a warm rush of pride invading his chest, he kneeled in front of the ball to run the last few seconds off the clock. He stood and quickly looked to the sidelines for Jenna, already planning a sarcastic and suggestive comment about his "performance" that would make her blush.

  Yet before he even had his helmet off, he realized she was nowhere in sight. He felt his teeth grind and his temper rising, hot enough to blow the lid off the dome that covered the stadium.

  "Why no smile, Wy? That was an amazing game you played, you must be thrilled." Wyatt heard a nosy voice ask from behind him, as the well-manicured hand it was attached to thrust a microphone into his face. Suddenly his euphoria began to morph into a bubbling cauldron of bile in his stomach.

  Olivia Hayes, the most helpful and cloying sports reporter he knew, was apparently eager for a scoop — obviously confused and intrigued by his hostile demeanor.

  "I'm tired," he grunted out through gritted teeth. He caught Jenna's eye for a moment. She stared seriously at him and Olivia, before she turned quickly. Leaving only a view of her retreating figure as she briskly left the sideline and entered the tunnel to take her out of the stadium.

  Fuck, he thought. He could punch a wall right now
. He thought for sure she'd want to talk about how great he'd done, especially after she'd seemed to care so much about how he was playing. She must've seen the improvements he'd made.

  "You have to be tired, Wy. Do you feel like you put the team on your shoulders out there?"

  Wyatt realized a camera was on him and Olivia wouldn't let him go if he didn't indulge her at least a little bit.

  "No, I think everyone pulled together and did a great job. This is a great team and I strongly believe we will still make the play-offs."

  Olivia continued to bat her eyelashes at him and ask a series of inane questions, before finally ending the interview so he could have some relief and not have to spout out any more tired clichés for her station's coverage. She was with a national sports network but had been assigned to the Roughnecks’ division for over two years. She'd provided him some valuable support since he'd been traded to Pittsburgh. In exchange, he gave her some exclusives, and more attention than most women ever got from him.

  She was pretty hot, and it hadn't been a hardship, until that moment. Suddenly, he couldn't get away from her fast enough. He made sure the recording light was off on her assistant's camera and he was preoccupied with his equipment before he continued speaking to her.

  "I need to get going, Liv. Have a great night."

  "Why? Are you trying to catch up with that pretty surgeon you brought along with you?"

  "What are you talking about, Olivia?"

  "Oh, come on. Don't act stupid, Wy, or at least don't act like I'm stupid," she said, with a high-pitched giggle that he couldn't believe hadn't driven him crazy more before. She flipped her dyed-red hair over her shoulder and asked, "That blonde doctor you selected for your consult. You're into her, aren't you?"

  "How do you know I selected her?"

  "You're not the only Roughneck I get information from, Wy."

  "And I can guess I don't want to know how you do that."

  "Oh, are you finally jealous over me, Wy?" she asked with a practiced pout. Then she touched his arm lightly, using her body to hide her familiarity from the curious eyes around them. He willed himself not to pull away from her. He'd mistakenly let his mutually beneficial professional understanding with Olivia develop into something more physical, but now, he felt almost repulsed by her nearness.

  "Liv, I'm not jealous, but this game playing shit on your part is getting pretty old. You know that when you and I hooked up, it was only physical. That's how it is with everyone I'm with, right? You said you understood that."

  "Are you being just physical with that doctor now, is that it?"

  "No. She can help me a lot. I need to keep her happy."

  "Well, she didn't look too happy when she ran off into that tunnel. Maybe you aren't doing something right. Though, you did most things right with me."

  "Enough, Liv. Look, thanks for the interview, but I really need to get going. And it's probably best if we don't get together anymore. It's a very sensitive part of my career."

  He was ready to throttle her already, and what he was working on with Jenna left no room for another woman at that moment.

  "So, is your doctor going to help you with your sensitive parts?"

  "I don't know what you mean, Liv."

  "Come on, Wy. You know exactly what I'm talking about. I heard she gave you a consult, and I saw you staring at her just now. Are you trying to consult with her on other things? Work your magic?"

  "Olivia, I don't know if you're nosy or jealous, but I'm not in the mood. It's none of your business, and I do really need to get going."

  "I'm the press, everything is my business."

  "Then I definitely don't want to talk about it."

  "Of course, Wy, I'm just trying to be a caring friend."

  "Right, well, I'm going to need your caring to be pretty distant from now on, okay?"

  "Of course," she cooed, and Wyatt wondered why he'd ever spent so much time with this harpy.

  "But my sources say you need surgery and you may not be on the field for the Roughnecks next year."

  "Screw your sources, Liv. I'll be back on the field — without surgery."

  "How?" she asked. "You have some tricks up your sleeve? Because word on the street is you'll need them with what folks are saying about your shoulder."

  "Sensitive as always, Olivia. I won't insult either of our intelligences by saying this conversation is off-the-record. Just know, I have my ways."

  "Could those ways have anything to do with that pretty lady surgeon you won't be straight up with me about?"

  "Don't know what you're talking about, Olivia."

  "I'm not leaving without an answer, Wy."

  Wyatt could barely control his temper. He needed to get rid of her before he really lost it.

  "Back off, Liv. She's going to see things my way one way or another, all right?"

  "Fine, then you better get going. See you next week, Wy," she said, with a slow smile and small wiggly finger wave that Wyatt definitely didn't return. He quickly rushed off the field and found Jenna jotting down notes on a pad in the tunnel. She hadn't completely run off, and that made Wyatt's heart settle down some.

  "Where were you, Doc? I thought you were going to watch the game. You just disappeared."

  "I saw you play. That's what I was here to do."

  "I thought you would stay after to talk to me is all," his voice sounded pathetic even to himself, and Wyatt tried to put on a hard face.

  "You got to talk to Olivia Hayes, so I guess you're okay," she said, in a snarky tone, before shutting her mouth quickly.

  "So you were sticking around for me after the game, after all. You didn't like seeing me talk to her? Are you jealous, Doc?"

  Now this was a woman he liked to think was jealous on his behalf.

  "Of course not, I just wanted to get my notes written and get on the bus with the rest of the staff," she said sternly, clicking closed her pen and stuffing her notes into her purse. He heard her take a breath and when she looked back at him, her face had turned unreadable. She put her hand out for him to shake it, and said, "Well, I have all the information I need. That means this is it for us, Wyatt. Good-bye."

  Like hell, this was it, he thought.

  She had to see how much better he was doing. She couldn't just disappear. How could she be so cold? None of this was going as he'd planned.

  He took her hand and jerked her more closely to him, making her eyes widen a bit.

  "I'll see you later, Doc," he said, with more of a growl than he'd intended, before dropping her hand and walking away from her to the visitor’s locker room.

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  "Wow, I can't believe it's just us in class today," Jenna said to Aubrey as she rolled out her yoga mat, shocked to see there weren't any other attendees in the class with them. She'd been stressed out ever since she'd returned from New Orleans. Every time she tried to analyze Wyatt's case, her thoughts would focus on him, rather than his condition, and it was beyond maddening.

  What Jenna really needed was a peaceful hour of twisting her body into positions she hoped would distract her from her stupid hormonal desire to twist-up sheets with the man, who happened to possess the most important shoulder of her career so far.

  "I don't know, Christmas is only a few weeks away, maybe everyone is doing a downward facing dog into the bargain bin for gifts tonight," Aubrey answered, as she darted her eyes to the door quickly.

  "Are you looking for Tea? I swear, she's been running late so much lately…" Jenna began, but when the door opened Jenna's words caught in her throat at the sight of Wyatt McCoy wearing a pair of basketball shorts and holding a yoga mat still in its packaging in his masculine hands. If he didn't look gorgeous no matter what he did, he would appear completely ridiculous.

  "Will you look at that, isn't that Wyatt McCoy? I wonder what he's doing here?" Aubrey said awkwardly, as she took far too long to roll her mat on the floor.

  "What did you do, Aubrey? You tell me right now because he is almo
st here and I only have about ten seconds to kill you."

  Wyatt grinned and waved to her before walking to the instructor to introduce himself.

  "What makes you think I did something? Don't you believe in coincidences? Now be nice, he's coming over."

  "Hey, Doc. I'm glad to see you made it home from the airport okay. Not that I would know, seeing as you didn't respond to my very worried text checking up on you."

  "Text? Oh my, is there something going on here, Jenna?" Aubrey asked, raising her dark eyebrows intently.

  "Yes," Wyatt answered quickly.

  "No," Jenna said brusquely, at the same time.

  Jenna took a breath and looked at Wyatt as calmly as her roiling emotions would allow her.

  "So you're stalking me now?"

  "It's only stalking if you're unhappy to see me. And I know you're glad I'm here."

  "Oh, so should we add lawyer and mind reader to your list of talents?"

  "Nope, just being honest."

  "Since we are being honest, tell me, why are you here, Wyatt?"

  "You invited me," Wyatt answered.

  "I did not."

  "I'm pretty sure you did," he corrected her. "You're the one who said going to a yoga class would be good for me."

  "I didn't mean my yoga class."

  "Hmm, that's not the way I heard it."

  "Fine, but you do realize this is extremely inappropriate, right? I still have to deliver my opinion to your team."

  "So?"

  "Nice comeback, Wyatt," Aubrey teased. At least she wasn't on his side completely. Aubrey was generally more on the side of what would entertain her most, but that didn't help assuage how unsettling his presence was to Jenna.

  "Fine, then how did you even know I was here?" she asked him.

  Aubrey quickly looked away, but her guilty eyes told the tale.

  "Aubrey! Seriously?"

  "He promised me a photo spread. That's a can't-miss opportunity for me and you know it. Besides," she added on a whisper into Jenna's ear, "it wouldn't hurt you to do your own spread with him."

  "Now that sounds like a great idea," she heard Wyatt say in her other ear.