Out Of Bounds (Brit Boys Sports Romance Book 3)

by J. H. Croix

  “Hello Zoe. It wasn’t necessary for you to stop by. From what I hear, we’re all set,” Coach Hoffman said with a slight smile.

  “Yes. I spoke with Sarah Dutton this morning. We sent the files over, and she’ll finish up. Honestly, there’s not much left to do,” I replied. I forced myself to take a slow breath and say what I’d come here to say. “I’m aware it wasn’t necessary for me to stop by, but I wanted to apologize. I shouldn’t have gotten involved with Ethan while I was representing him, and for that I apologize. If you think I need to speak with team management about whether they’d like me to continue with the contract for my representation, please let me know. I…”

  I started to say something else, but Coach Hoffman was shaking his head, so I stopped.

  He leaned back in his chair and narrowed his eyes. He had a thoughtful, measured air about him. “Zoe, I don’t really care about what happened. I only mentioned it to Ethan because I was concerned about how it might affect you if it became known you two were seeing each other. Ethan is perfectly capable of handling the blowback. But you’re a very good attorney, and I know how things can be made to look bad even when they’re not. As far as speaking to management, that’s not necessary. I’ve run by them the change in his attorney, and there’s nothing left to discuss. If you’re worried this changes my opinion of you, it doesn’t.”

  Relief washed through me. I’d steeled myself to deal with whatever reaction I had to face, but this was certainly the best option. “Thank you.” I took a fortifying breath. “I can assure you, I don’t usually let things like this happen.”

  Coach Hoffman’s perceptive gaze held mine before he nodded slowly. “I’m aware of that.” He paused and picked up a small ball off of his desk, which he proceeded to toss lightly between his hands. “You know, it’s probably none of my business, but for what it’s worth, it’s obvious Ethan cares for you. As far as I can see, you’re good for him. In fact, if I were a betting man, I’d say Ethan probably loves you. I doubt he’s figured that out for himself, but there you go.”

  His words hit me hard—a thump to my chest with warmth blooming in my heart immediately afterwards. I couldn’t quite believe what he’d just said. I had no idea what to make of it, and I wanted to jump up and down and squeal. Which, of course, I didn’t do. That would’ve been ridiculous. I stared back at Coach Hoffman and tried to corral my wild thoughts.

  “Um, I… Well, I’m not really sure what to say,” I finally said.

  Coach Hoffman smiled warmly and leaned his elbows on his desk, setting the ball down, only to roll it back and forth under his hand. “I probably surprised you. You know, I caught a few lucky breaks, but the best one was meeting my wife. I was a little younger than Ethan and living high on being a soccer star and traveling all over the world. That kind of life isn’t very grounding. In fact, it’s the opposite. Ethan has good support from his family, so he’s handled it better than some. Before I heard the rumors about you two, I wondered what was up with him. I chalked it up to his brush with the law and trying to lay low. In hindsight, I think it was you. Otherwise, he’d have joked daily about the hardship of staying away from the bars. He hasn’t complained once, and he’s calmer and more focused than usual. Given that he’s one of the best defenders I have, that’s saying something. My point is a good relationship is a good thing. I still miss my wife to this day. So, in sum, I understand you feel the need to apologize for what happened, but there’s an upside to everything.”

  I managed to nod, but the wheels in my brain were stuck on his comment that he thought Ethan loved me. I don’t know what else we said over the next few minutes. My habits of polite conversation were ingrained enough that I got through it. I was saved by someone else knocking at Coach Hoffman’s door. I said goodbye and walked back down the long hallway.

  None of this was supposed to have happened. It terrified me to think about it, but just now I couldn’t stop. I hadn’t ever expected to fall in love. With anyone. Much less with a man like Ethan. He was so much more than his public image. My mind spun back to the first few times I met him. His sly, teasing manner, his cocky attitude, his insouciance so powerful it was as if he did it just to get under my skin. He was still that man, yet I now knew him to be funny and big-hearted. He spoke often of his family, not to make a point, but more in passing.

  After we’d had sex without a condom for the first time—in my office!—he’d informed me later that night over takeout that his oldest sister had threatened him with bodily harm if he wasn’t respectful and didn’t always use a condom. He’d declared he planned to call her about it, and I begged him not to. Just thinking about it now made my cheeks hot and my heart clench as I walked to my office in the chilly drizzle.

  I didn’t know if what I felt for him was love, but it felt an awful lot like what I imagined it would. My own parents were still married. They’d moved to a small town in Oregon after my father retired from his prestigious law practice. He still practiced law, but on a much smaller scale. My mother had been his paralegal for as long as I could remember. They’d met in law school, and she’d finished up her paralegal coursework while she was pregnant with me. I shook my head thinking about them. For years, they’d been on me to relax and stop working so hard. Yet, they’d modeled that kind of life for me. Since they worked together, they’d never had to curtail work to spend time with each other.

  I walked down the hallway to my office, wondering when I’d see Ethan again. He was a tad grumpy about me setting him up with another attorney. As often as we’d been seeing each other, we never planned ahead. I wanted to see him tonight and wondered if he had a game. Without pausing to think, I pulled out my phone and texted him.

  What are you doing tonight?

  Have a game. Please come.

  I was smiling at the phone and then burst out laughing at his next text.

  I meant that in more ways than one. ;)

  The door to my office opened, and Jana poked her head around the door.

  “What the hell are you laughing at?” she asked with a grin.

  I flushed and quickly put my phone away. “Nothing,” I replied as I walked past her into the office.

  She closed the door behind us. “Okay, what’s up?” she asked as she walked by me and leaned her hips on her desk.

  Much as I didn’t want to embarrass myself, if there was anyone who could keep me sensible, it was Jana. My lack of experience with anything resembling a serious relationship wasn’t helping me. While a part of me was on cloud nine after what Coach Hoffman said about Ethan, a big part of me was worried. I hadn’t meant to put my professional reputation in jeopardy, but that was the easy part. I’d already resolved it. If things continued with Ethan and it became public knowledge we were seeing each other, there might be some comments about the fact I had represented him at one point. The part that had no answer was what to do about how I felt about him and what he might want. My phone vibrated in my pocket, and I ignored it. It kept vibrating.

  Jana’s eyes flicked to my jacket pocket and back up. I felt my cheeks get hot again.

  “Someone wants to chat. Maybe you should check on that,” she said with a sly grin.

  Because I knew it was Ethan, and I couldn’t resist, I pulled my phone out and looked down at the screen. One look had heat rolling through me and my channel throbbing.

  Did I make you blush, luv? Excellent. My next goal is to make you wet. Please come to the game tonight. I’ve already asked Olivia and Harper to save a seat for you. Tell me you’ll be there.

  I didn’t even think about saying no.

  I’ll be there.

  I couldn’t bring myself to reply to his other comments. Before I managed to slide my phone back in my pocket, it buzzed in my hand.

  Excellent. Wear that flippy skirt and no panties.

  Butterflies rioted in my belly, and my face got so hot, I needed something to cool me down.

  Since when do you tell me what to wear?

  The more uptight you ge
t, the more I like it.

  Oh. My. God. He was incorrigible.

  Fine. I might or might not wear that skirt. I’ll definitely wear panties, so you can just forget that right now.

  All I got in return was a wink emoticon. I was caught between burning desire and a goofy joy.

  I’d been so absorbed in texting Ethan, I forgot I was standing beside Jana. When I looked up, she wagged her fingers at me. I blushed even harder.

  “Be right back,” I said before hurrying into the small restroom off the reception area.

  I locked the door behind me and splashed cold water on my face and wrists. Sweet hell. Ethan was going to make me crazy. He already had. I could feel the moisture between my thighs. I was so hot and bothered, I contemplated whether I should take care of matters right now. The second that thought entered my mind, I shook my head sharply. I could not masturbate here. I had more control than that. Another splash of cold water on my face, and I held my wrists under the icy water for long enough I started to get cold. That put a damper on the need galloping through me. By the time, I returned to the reception area, Jana was behind her desk typing away.

  I sat down across from her and waited until she looked my way. “Ethan’s driving me crazy, and I don’t know what to do,” I blurted out.

  One thing I loved about Jana was her focus. The second I spoke, she clicked her computer screen off and turned all of her attention to me. “Good crazy or bad crazy?” she asked.

  “I don’t know the difference.”

  She cocked her head to the side and eyed me. “Good crazy is when everything is so good it scares you. But it all feels good and nothing sneaky is going on. Bad crazy is when you’re letting things keep going, but it doesn’t feel good all the time, and the other person is playing games and making you want to pull your hair out. The worst kind is when you think it’s good crazy, but then it turns into bad crazy. I’m very familiar with that one.” She rolled her eyes and shrugged. “Anyway, which kind of crazy is it? I have a pretty good guess.”

  “Good crazy,” I said, wishing I could will the heat away from creeping up my neck. Not for the first time, I wished my skin wasn’t so fair.

  Jana smiled softly. “That’s what I guessed. I like Ethan. My gut tells me he’s not the game playing kind of guy. He’s too straightforward for that. Anyway, what do you mean you don’t know what to do?”

  I threw my hands up. “Just that. What do I do? I didn’t… Ugh.” I sighed and fiddled with the elastic cord on the corner of my hood.

  Jana eyed me for a long minute, her gaze thoughtful. “I’ll admit when I pushed you to dive in with him, I figured you’d finally lose your virginity—and thank fucking God you did—but I thought it would be short-lived. There’s more to Ethan than meets the eye. He’s coasted on his rep as a player, but he’s actually a nice guy. I figured that out quick, but plenty of nice guys don’t want much more than a little fun. He really likes you though.”

  I kept twirling the elastic cord around my finger and snapping it lightly. “So what do I do?”

  Jana sighed and leaned on her elbows, resting her chin in her hand. “Seeing as it’s pretty obvious you like him, why don’t you relax and enjoy it?”

  “Because I don’t know how to do that! It all feels like more than I planned on, and I don’t know what to do. I like to know what’s going to happen,” I said, my words trailing into a mutter.

  Jana grinned. “You are definitely a planner. You can’t plan love, girl.”

  My heart gave a swift kick, almost knocking my breath from me. Between Coach Hoffman throwing the word love out and now Jana, I didn’t know what to think.

  “I’m not so sure we should be talking about love just yet.”

  “No, you’re afraid to talk about love,” she countered.

  When I stared back at her, wishing I could will away the churning in my stomach, she stopped grinning and took a breath.

  “What I’m getting at is you can’t plan emotions. If someone means a lot to you, don’t run from it because you’re afraid of what might go wrong. When I see the way Ethan looks at you, I’m pretty sure you’re not alone.”

  She paused and looked over at me. “Stop it, stop being anxious over something you’re making up. You like Ethan, he likes you. Enjoy it. When do you see him again?” she asked, her tone practical.

  Jana knew me well, and she knew if I got stuck in a mental rut, it wouldn’t be good. Focusing on something concrete nudged me out of the wheels spinning in my mind.

  “I told him I’d go to his game tonight.”

  She grinned. “Perfect. You can be his personal cheerleader.”

  “I don’t think they have cheerleaders,” I muttered, fighting the flush creeping up my cheeks again.

  “Exactly. That’s why it’s important for you to be there. Now go get to work. Mark Smithson called again, and I told him you’d be tied up until forever. You’d better refer him to someone else fast, or I might tell him to go to hell.”

  She effectively took my focus off of Ethan. “Please don’t do that. I already asked Dan Connors if he’d take the case if I referred him. I ran into him at the courthouse yesterday. Dan’s got more clout than me around here, so I’m sure Mark will be happy with that. I’ll call his receptionist today.”

  Jana spun in her chair and clicked her computer screen back on. “How about you do that right away, so I don’t have to listen to his smarmy voice again?”

  “On it!”

  I left her to whatever she was working on and made my way into my office. When I took my phone out of my jacket when I hung it up, I realized I hadn’t noticed Ethan’s last text.

  I don’t know why you insist on wearing panties when they’ll get wet anyway. Save yourself the bother luv.

  All it took was that little tease, and need throbbed between my thighs again. I could feel the damp silk and almost moaned.

  Chapter 21

  Ethan

  I walked off the field beside Alex who was in a piss poor mood because we’d lost. On one shot. It was his first missed block of the season, and I knew he was mentally attacking himself over it. I stayed quiet because I’d known Alex long enough to know he wasn’t a fan of pep talks. I wasn’t any happier than he was, but I could be a tad more circumspect about the whole thing. Way I saw it, we were better off losing at least once before we headed into the playoffs. I’d seen plenty of teams get cocky if they stayed undefeated during the regular season. I caught the bottle of water tossed my way as we walked by the bench and glanced up toward the team box. It was impossible for me to actually see Zoe in there, but I liked knowing she was here. Now that my focus on the pitch was turned off, all I could think about was rushing through a shower to see her.

  I’d taken things a tad too far with my teasing earlier. I’d had a fucking cock stand in the locker room over it. Thank God no one happened to be around to see it.

  Alex got tugged away from me for those bloody after game interviews. I might be part of our team’s starting lineup, but I didn’t mind at all playing a less central role than Alex or Liam. I knew Coach would chide me and remind me every player was part of a bigger puzzle. Yet, I also knew how the media saw it. Right now, they wanted to probe Alex’s goalkeeper mind about the shot that slipped past his fingertips. If you asked me, they should check with the defender who was tripped by an offensive player on the other team, which kept him from blocking the shot. I knew they’d get to that, but Alex would still have to discuss how he felt. Fuck that.

  With my mood not the high of winning, I was more restless than usual to see Zoe. Well, nothing was usual with her. When I wasn’t at practice or playing a game, she was parked in my brain. I hurried through my shower, deflecting every naughty thought that sauntered through. I might have no shame about how much I loved women, but I’d never had to deal with worrying about getting a cock stand in the locker room. It had never even crossed my mind. My mind was on a tear though. Ever since I’d asked Zoe not to wear any panties, it was all I could
think about if I had a spare moment. I hadn’t had a chance to see her before the game, so I had no idea if she’d worn the skirt I’d desperately wanted her to wear. You should know, I’d never asked a woman to wear anything specific for me. In fact, I’d never thought much about what a woman wore. With Zoe, I noticed everything.

  I threw on my clothes snagged my phone to check it on my way to find Zoe. Only to discover a text from her first.

  I saved myself the bother.

  For a beat, I was confused. Saved herself the bother? Of what? Then, I recalled my last text telling her to save herself the bother of wearing panties. Fuck me. That’s all it took, and blood shot straight to my groin. Zoe had me wrapped around her finger, and she had no idea how much power she had over me.

  I was almost running down the hall when I heard my name. I spun back to see Tristan behind me. He caught up to me in seconds.

  “What’s the rush, mate?” he asked.

  I had too much pride to admit I’d been running to find Zoe as fast as I could, so I shrugged.

  “Liam’s rounding us up for dinner. He thinks Alex needs a few beers,” Tristan continued.

  Bloody hell. I couldn’t bow out of that. We often got together after games. Usually, I was an easy yes. But I wanted to see Zoe. Now. And I didn’t want company. I was formulating some kind of excuse when I heard my name and glanced to where I’d been running to see Zoe walking between Olivia and Harper.

  She was wearing that black skirt that swung around her knees with tall black boots. Fuck me. Now I knew she had nothing on underneath that skirt, and all I wanted was to find a place where I could bend her over and sink inside of her. Instead, I was in the stadium hallway and voices were coming our way from the other side as well. I did some fast talk in my mind to get my cock back to half-mast. That was as good as I could get for now.

  Next thing I knew, we were moving as a group toward a diner nearby. Harper had announced Alex liked the place, so that’s where we were going. Zoe walked beside me, and it took every ounce of restraint I had not to slide my hand down over her bottom. If I did that, I didn’t think I could control myself. I made do with holding onto her hand as if my life depended on it.