Play Me

by Kelly Elliott

Kendall nodded.

  “The more I thought about us, the more I saw the bigger picture.”

  “And that was?” she asked when I paused.

  “What happens when you’re done getting the team on its feet? When you go back to Atlanta. When you take over your father’s company someday.”

  She swallowed hard and averted her eyes for the briefest of moments before she focused back on me.

  “The idea of walking away from you has never been an option, Kendall. Ever. I’m in love with you; I think I fell in love with you the moment you slipped on my damn mucking boots.”

  Kendall let out a small giggle. Her eyes filled with tears, and she pressed her lips tightly together.

  “I’ll be honest with you because you deserve the truth. I can’t give up my ranch in Tennessee.”

  She gasped. “I would never ask you to,” she said, sounding shocked.

  “Kendall, baby, I know you wouldn’t. But I struggled with how this would work between us. The thought of a long-distance romance was not something I looked forward to, and I wasn’t sure where you stood with the concept of us. If you wanted to keep us a secret, I wasn’t sure how long could I honestly do that.”

  “I don’t want to keep us a secret, Hunter. I love you, and I want everyone to know I love you. It was just... overwhelming, and I hadn’t thought it all out because of everything going on with the team. We will figure this out, though. I’m sure of it.”

  I smiled. “I think I’ve got a solution. Well, I didn’t come up with the solution. Your father did.”

  Kendall looked confused. “My father?”

  I set my glass of wine carefully down and took her hands in mine. “I want you to have the career you have worked so hard for, Kendall, but I also see a future for us. And I pray like hell you see the same one I see.”

  With a sniffle, she nodded. “I do see a future with you.”

  “Mine has a vision of you dressed in a beautiful wedding gown, saying you’ll be my wife for always. Holding our babies while rocking on the front porch at the ranch.”

  A tear slipped free and made a slow path down Kendall’s cheek. I reached up and brushed it away with my thumb. “I also see you being the CEO of your father’s company and kicking ass at it.”

  “Hunter,” Kendall whispered before the tears began to fall freely.

  “Compromise is the key. Or at least a very wise man told me that only about an hour ago.”

  “My father?” she asked.

  “Yes. I called and asked if I could speak with him. I needed to talk to him before I told you I wanted forever with you, Kendall. Because forever is exactly what I want. I’ll do anything you need me to do to make your dreams come true.”

  “Hunter,” she said, wiping her tears away.

  “And if that meant moving to Atlanta, then I would.”

  She shook her head and tried to speak, but I went on.

  “If it meant leaving everything behind to make you happy... Kendall... I would do it because I love you. I love you so much.”

  Before I knew what was happening, Kendall launched herself across the blanket and knocked me back, her lips pressed against mine. She kissed me with such passion, I was instantly lost to her. Nothing else in the world mattered to me more than the woman in my arms. Even though I’d already known that I would give up everything if she asked me to, I knew even in my heart that I could easily walk away from anything if it meant keeping her in my arms.

  When Kendall pulled back and looked at me, she smiled. “I didn’t think it was possible to love you more than I already did, but you just proved me wrong. I have a feeling you’ll be doing that a lot.”

  I wiggled my brows and said, “Tell me what I did so I know for the future.”

  Kendall smiled and looked into my eyes. “Hunter, I love that you said you would give everything up for me, but I know you, and I know how much you love your ranch.”

  “Kendall.”

  “No, it’s my turn to talk.”

  “Okay, but with you lying on me like this, all it makes me want to do is flip you over and make love to you.”

  Her brows lifted. “That sounds tempting.”

  “It does.” I could feel my heart pound in my chest. This was what Kendall did to me. Left me wanting her and not just in a sexual way. I desired to simply be near her. Touch her. Hold her while we talked about everything and anything. “But we need to finish talking.”

  “I agree,” Kendall said, crawling off me and sitting back across the blanket. Our wineglasses had gotten knocked over, but neither of us seemed to care.

  “Hunter, I would never ask you to walk away from your dream any more than you would ask me to walk away from mine. We can have both worlds. Together, we can make it work. I don’t know how exactly, but we can make this work.”

  “I think so, too,” I said with a wink.

  “So, what was this solution my father came up with?” she asked.

  Leaning back on my hands, I stared at her. “It seems your father is looking for a consultant regarding his expansion in the NFL.”

  A confused expression appeared on her face. “His expansion?”

  I nodded. “I guess he’s looking to buy another team and he wants my advice. Then he offered me a possible job.”

  Her mouth dropped open and she shook her head. “He offered you a what?”

  “A job.”

  “No, Hunter, I heard that. What kind of job? Doing what? Where would the job be?”

  Laughing, I pulled her back over to me so that she straddled my lap.

  “Turns out the owner of the Tennessee Spartans is putting the team up for sale, and your dad got wind of it. He wants to consult with me on buying the team, and if he ends up buying it, he wants me to be the general manager.”

  Kendall looked at me, a shocked expression on her face. Her mouth opened and closed a few times, and then the tears came back.

  “Oh my gosh,” she whispered as she buried her face in my neck and cried. She knew as much as I did that her father was doing this for her. Wrapping my arms around her tightly, I held her while she cried, knowing that there wasn’t a damn thing I wouldn’t do for this woman.

  Kendall Wales was my life. My now. My future. My forever.

  “I thought you never wanted to coach again.” I pulled back, wiping away the tears that were still fresh on my cheeks. This seemed surreal, and I wanted it so much. But I had to ask myself... what was the cost to Hunter? I would never want him to sacrifice his life for me.

  Hunter’s black eyes were intense when they met mine. It was how he looked at me when he made love. Butterflies took flight in my stomach. “I don’t want to coach again. I would be hired as a consultant like I’ve done with the Mustangs. Your dad wants me to help get the right staff in place for the team. He said it would allow him time to help you.”

  Dad. It was still hard to believe he was making this all possible. “Did he tell you about it?”

  “No, he wanted you to discuss it with me.”

  I smiled. “Dad said I could have it all and he would teach me all about delegation. He helped me see the lesson I’d learned about the board. They’re a tool to guide me, but they don’t dictate my life. So, I’m going to work on work-life balance for us.”

  “Your dad is a smart man.”

  He really was. And I was proud to be his daughter. By purchasing the Tennessee team, Dad was letting me learn more of the business but stay at the ranch with Hunter at the same time. It would also allow Hunter and me to work together.

  I gently kissed his lips, and his arms wrapped tighter around me. “What did you tell him?”

  “I said I wanted to talk to you first.”

  It still worried me that Hunter felt pressured to make this move. “I don’t want you to feel like you’re putting your life on hold for me.”

  There was no pause in his response. “I won’t be. For the first time in a while, I’ll actually be living it. I think doing the consulting thing is giving me closure to
a sport I will always love. It’s a way for me to be part of it with the woman I love.”

  That made sense. But I was nervous at the same time. “How long will this last? Do you have a time frame before you’ll want to move on to the next phase in life?”

  Hunter cocked his head. “What do you mean?”

  I fidgeted with my fingers as I thought about the last few days. “Well, our fight was about me not being ready for the next phase. And I’m afraid if I don’t understand your expectations, we’ll start fighting again.”

  He put his index finger under my chin to bring my eyes back up to meet his. “Life isn’t a laid-out plan, baby. Are you talking about marriage and children?”

  I nodded. “I don’t want you running out on me because I might not be ready. I mean, we’re dating now. But if things progress and we get married, what happens when you’re ready for kids but I’m not. These last couple of days have been hard. And I just don’t think I could bear it again. I—”

  He cut me off with s swift kiss. “Take a breath.”

  I took a deep breath and then another one for good measure.

  When I exhaled a third time, Hunter vowed, “I will never run out on you again. Never. But we are going to disagree on things. It’s what happens. I promise when it does, I will talk to you and we’ll work things out.”

  I believed and trusted Hunter. “Thank you for loving me.”

  “Always. Thank you for giving me a chance to win your heart, baby.”

  “Will you please take me home and make love to me? I’ve missed your touch, Hunter.”

  “I want nothing more in this world.”

  I laid curled against Hunter’s side, thankful to have him back. “I can feel your wheels spinning, Kendall. What’s on your mind?”

  My mind had been drifting to my encounter with Josh. Trying to figure out if he was connected to the weird budgets. “I’m thinking about what McEvans said regarding the blackmail. Do you think he was in on it with Coach Bailey and the crazy expenses?”

  “No, I don’t.”

  He sounded pretty certain. I raised my head to look at Hunter. “Why not?”

  “His focus was on being a shithead, not money. I don’t see him leaving a trail from a kickback. And that wouldn’t give him the attention that he thrives on. He told me today getting in trouble was like an adrenaline rush.”

  Kickback.

  I shot out of bed and dashed to my laptop bag. “What are you doing?” Hunter called from the bed.

  “I need to check something.”

  I started up the computer and found the areas of the budget that’d had the highest reduction in the report Richard had sent.

  Physical Therapy Equipment

  Medical Miscellaneous

  Medical Supplies

  There were seven more categories. These were categories for which a higher budget would be expected. Misappropriation wouldn’t really be uncovered unless someone dug deep. With the pressure for me to get the company back in the black, I had gotten new bids for every line item.

  I checked the notes Richard had given me. From the ten categories, the bids had gone to three different companies. I used a search engine to get background on those companies. All three had the same parent company—Onyx Industries. That was interesting and a little too coincidental.

  It was such a basic scheme, yet I hadn’t seen it. Kickbacks. Forensically, these cases were hard to prove, and most of the time went on for years without anyone finding them.

  Hunter came over and leaned his tattooed arm on the table. “What did you find?”

  Finally, I had figured it out. This was something that had bothered me, yet I hadn’t been able to find the answer. “When Richard gave me the books, he was able to find a million dollars in the budget where, after we got new vendors and new bids, the costs were just too high. It was across so many categories that it was hard to detect. And it looks like the companies had been set up as shell companies, so it would take someone purposely looking at it to figure it out. I think Coach Bailey was taking kickbacks for using Onyx Industries.”

  “Fuck.”

  “Yeah, it’s not good. At least the team is fine legally.”

  “What are you going to do?”

  My first reaction was to fly to Atlanta on Monday and oversee the process. If Coach Bailey had done what I thought, we would press charges. But I thought for a second, considering my dad’s advice. “I’m going to send the information to my dad and let him guide me on delegating instead of micromanaging.”

  “Score! And the Mustangs win their first game!” the announcer shouted over the loudspeaker.

  I stared down onto the field from our box as cheers erupted around me. My eyes were glued to Hunter. They’d done it. Somehow, they’d pulled this team together. I touched the glass as the players gave each other those manly hugs. I was elated and so proud. I wanted to cheer with everyone, but I also wanted to savor every second of watching Hunter. A hand touched my shoulder. I turned to see my dad standing behind me.

  “We won,” I said with a smile.

  “You and your team have done well. I’m proud of you, Kendall.”

  My father’s approval was the one thing I had always wanted. And as I stood in that box with my father’s hand on my shoulder, I realized I’d always had it. I’d been the one pushing myself to be perfect.

  “And I’m proud of you for not giving up on the books. The legal team thinks you’re likely correct. They’ll be here over the next few days to start gathering evidence to pull together their case. They want to do it quickly and quietly in order to surprise all parties involved.”

  That would be perfect, considering Hunter was leaving for his ranch in the morning with Josh. I’d be able to work closely with my dad while he advised me. I let out a relieved sigh. “Thanks. And thanks for working with me, Dad. It’s going to be hard to not just jump in and take over running the show.”

  Dad nodded. “It will be; it’s going to take practice.”

  “I’m ready for the challenge.”

  “I know you are.”

  One of the sponsors pulled my dad away, and I looked back onto the field. Mac and Hunter had stayed true to their word and hadn’t let McEvans play. It was hard to believe we managed to squeeze out a win of 37-36. The two-point conversion at the end had won the game. It had been a brilliant play from Mac. And if McEvans got his shit together, I had a feeling the team could really be an unstoppable force. I chuckled to myself. Hunter might have a chance at pulling off the championship after all.

  Dad came back to join me, and I said, “I think I need to start interviewing for a new general manager for the team. Doing it sooner rather than later will give me time to train them on my responsibilities before the season’s over.”

  He put his arm around me, and I leaned against his shoulder. Life was working out better than I’d ever imagined. It was hard to keep my emotions in check considering all Dad had done. When I had first seen him that morning at breakfast, I had run into his arms, thanking him. “I think it’s wise to start looking for a replacement.”

  I needed someone competent to run this team. Maybe if Amber wanted to stay in Bowling Green, I could look at creating a hybrid role. She could assist me remotely while still working with the new manager I planned to hire. It would help the new manager since Amber had experience. I focused back on Hunter as I watched the team dump water on him and Mac. I couldn’t help but laugh. This was one of those moments in time I wanted to freeze forever.

  After the game, things had gone into warp speed. I’d hardly seen Hunter. The plan was to meet for dinner at a local restaurant, The Night Cap. It was one of the nicest restaurants in town, a steakhouse pub with a great atmosphere. Hunter and I had enjoyed takeout from there quite often when we had been hiding our relationship. The parking lot was empty when we pulled in, which seemed odd.

  I checked the time. Eight o’clock. Not too terribly late, but definitely past the dinner rush. Since we’d been busy after the game
, entertaining sponsors, it was the earliest we could get together with our parents. Our families were so different, yet alike when it came to the important things, like their views on family. In the owner’s box at the stadium during the game, everyone had gotten along so well.

  At the door, Hunter paused and turned me to him. “You know how much I love you, right?”

  I smiled, knowing I would never tire of hearing Hunter say those words. “I do. And you know I feel the same way about you.” He took in a shaky breath, which seemed odd for Hunter. “What’s wrong?”

  “Nothing. I just needed you to know. It doesn’t feel like we’ve been able to spend much time together lately. And tomorrow morning, I’m going to the ranch.”

  He was right; we hadn’t. I touched his cheek. “We have the rest of our lives, Hunter.”

  “Yes, we do.”

  What I said obviously put him at ease, and he opened the door for me. We walked in to the sight of a big banner that said congratulations! I put my hand to my mouth and backed up. “Oh no, Hunter. We’ve made a mistake.”

  He looked at me like he was going to be sick. “What?”

  Horrified, I whispered, “We’ve got to go. Back up slowly. Then, they won’t know we’re here.”

  He raised his eyebrow. “What are you talking about?”

  I pointed to the banner. “We’ve walked into someone’s party. It says ‘Congratulations.’ We have to go.”

  He laughed out loud. I shot my hands out in panic. “Shh! Don’t be loud! Was there a sign at the door? I didn’t see a sign. I thought we had reservations.”

  I rushed to the door and turned to see if Hunter was with me. Instead, he continued into the room. I loudly whispered, “Hunter, come back here! We need to leave.”

  “I’m thinking we should crash the party.”

  “No, we have to go.”

  There was a cake in the middle of the room. He took his finger and ran it through some of the icing at the base of the cake, and my mouth dropped open.

  I was beyond shocked. “Hunter! That’s someone’s cake.”

  He gave me a wink. “It’s delicious. Do you want some?”