Bailey swallowed hard, fighting every instinct in her body that was telling her to skip the technique. What if someone was attacked next week and she could have helped them by demonstrating the effective moves for a counter attack? She sighed as she said, “Yes.”
Ethan moved into position directly behind her. “I’m sorry about what happened,” he whispered.
A shiver danced down her spine, but she ignored him. “So if your attacker comes at you from behind like this—” Her breath caught in her throat as Ethan’s muscular arms wrapped around her chest and waist in a hold position.
Oh, this was not good. She was certain he could feel her heart pound against the palm of his big, strong hand placed against her chest. All thought of how to defend against the attack went right out the window. She didn’t want to thrust his arms away from her body and elbow him in the face and stomp on his foot as she had in previous weeks. She just wanted to close her eyes, lean back into him and stay there.
“Bailey, I think it would be crazy for us to...you know...” he continued as her hands gripped his wrists. “I just don’t want you to end up getting hurt....”
That was it. Bending and turning in one rapid motion, she flipped him over her shoulder. Ethan’s body crashed against the mat below. Quickly Bailey moved away, freeing herself. Leaning down to look at his shocked expression, she asked above the chorus of applause from the class, “What were you saying about getting hurt?”
* * *
“OKAY, SO ETHAN and Mark are team captains this week,” Jim said, pointing to him and Mark and gesturing for them to take their respective positions on the football field behind the high school on Friday afternoon. Jim tossed the oblong ball from one hand to the other. “The game is tag football—no tackling, no illegal hits. I want a clean, fair game.”
“Same rules every week, Jim,” Ethan said, taking a quarter from the pocket of his loose-fitting sweatpants. “Call it,” he said to Mark, tossing the coin into the air.
“Heads.”
The coin landed in Ethan’s left hand and he flipped it onto the back of his right one. “Heads it is.”
Mark immediately pointed to Bailey. “I’ve got Bailey. We need to separate you two this week,” he said by way of explanation for picking one of the only two women on the field.
Ethan’s gaze met Bailey’s and she shrugged. He couldn’t blame Mark for the calculated move. He would have done the same thing. Together, he and Bailey were unstoppable. On the field, she anticipated his every move. If he threw her the ball, he could be confident she would catch it, even if it meant diving for it or snatching it out of the air away from another player. He was amazed that, at five nothing, she could hold her own against men twice and three times her size.
He couldn’t help but compare her to Emily, who hated the mere thought of physical sports. She didn’t like to run and hated to work up any kind of sweat, preferring to sit on the sidelines and watch, desperate to leave as soon as the game was over. Not Bailey. She’d often be the one insisting on a second game, her enthusiasm for the sport backed by her competitive nature.
“Okay, my first pick is Jim.” Next to Bailey, Jim was his most compatible team member, having played side by side with Ethan since they were kids. Jim high-fived him.
“I’ll take Derek,” Mark said.
“Noah,” Ethan said. The newest volunteer firefighter may not be the fastest, but what he lacked in speed, he made up for in intimidating size at six foot five and two hundred and fifty pounds. He’d recently moved to Brookhollow from Beach Haven to train at Extreme Athletics with Bailey’s brothers, hoping to pursue a career in MMA. Bailey had introduced him to the group.
“Kyle,” Mark said.
“D.J.” The high school senior often played with them for extra practice. Thanks to Ethan’s coaching, he’d gotten accepted to Penn State University on a football scholarship. Ethan studied the remaining choices—Kayla Dawson and Mike Hayes. He wasn’t sure which would hurt their team more—the young girl who avoided the ball at all costs or the man who didn’t possess an athletic bone in his body but tried his hardest, usually getting in the way with his fumbling. Kayla only faked an interest in playing for Derek’s sake, and Mike desperately wanted to fit in with the jocks at the high school and felt this would be a good way to learn how. Either way, it was Mark’s choice.
Across the field, Mark whispered with his team, then nodded. “Mike, you’re with us.”
Great, Ethan thought. They were stuck with Kayla and no Bailey. Oh, well, they did have a star quarterback on their side. He waved Kayla toward them.
“Okay, bring it in,” he said, wrapping his arms around Jim and Kayla’s shoulders for a huddle to discuss strategy. “Mark is the biggest guy over there, so, Noah, I’m going to need you on him. Don’t let him pass you.”
“I’m on it,” Noah said with a nod.
“Jim, you take Derek, and I’ll cover Bailey.” He stole a quick glance to the other team’s huddle circle. Bailey’s back was to him and his mouth went dry as he took in her tight yoga capris and blue mesh Dallas Cowboys jersey, her long hair tied in a braid hanging down her back beneath the New Jersey Devils baseball cap he’d given her for her birthday. He’d attempted to make amends and move on from their awkward situation by texting her throughout the day, but her responses had been brief or not at all. Clearly, she was still peeved. He wished he could make her see that he was holding back for her sake. The last thing he wanted was to use someone as amazing as Bailey for a rebound fling.
“What about me?” Kayla asked.
“Um...” Where could she do the least amount of damage? “I need you in the offensive zone. If the ball happens to come near you and it’s not too much trouble, maybe just catch it, okay?”
“No promises,” she said.
Wow. “Okay, well, just try to remember which team you’re on this week and don’t throw it to Derek.”
“That was one time,” Kayla said, rolling her eyes as the other team broke up their huddle with a cheer.
The captains flipped the coin for first ball and Ethan’s team won the toss. Getting into position, he counted down and hiked the ball to Jim, who took off toward the offence zone in a hurry.
Mark approached as he passed the ten-yard point zone and tagged him, his team gaining control of the ball.
Ethan shot a glance toward Noah. “What was that?”
“Sorry, man. Unless I can knock him to the ground, I’m not really sure how to stop him from passing me,” Noah said with a shrug.
Back in position, Ethan squared off against Bailey, who was bent and ready to hike the ball behind her to Mark. “Don’t think I’m going to go easy on you,” he said.
“I would be disappointed if you did.” The look in her clear blue eyes told him she meant business, and he remembered how she’d dropped him to the floor the night before.
“And by the way,” she said, “don’t think I didn’t notice you checking me out a few minutes ago. But you can just forget it—that offer the other night was a onetime thing.”
Her words, issued from those perfectly shaped lips, made him lose focus, and as she hiked the ball and dashed toward their end zone, Ethan stumbled backward, off-balance. Mark tossed her the ball and she was able to gain twenty yards before Ethan could tag her. Tossing him the football, she flashed a wide smile. “Looks like someone is off his game today.” Jogging toward Mark, she accepted his high five.
“No mercy on your former teammate. I love it.” Mark shot a look toward Ethan.
Struggling to compose himself, Ethan said, “Yeah, she’s brutal, all right.” Removing his baseball cap, he ran a hand through his disheveled dark hair as he rejoined his team. He had to take control of his emotions. Bailey Sheppard was not an option. At all. Ever. And this game she was playing had to stop. Friends were not supposed to evoke these feelings o
f confusion and frustration he was experiencing this week. And what annoyed him most of all was the fact that he didn’t know what bothered him most—Bailey kissing him or her refusing to do it again.
“What’s with you?” Jim grumbled. “She’s only a hundred pounds and she almost took you off your feet.”
“Just a rough start. Don’t worry—I’ve got this,” Ethan said with determination as they began the next play.
But despite his best efforts, he couldn’t pull it together. He fumbled and dropped the ball, missed easy passes and even accidentally threw the ball to Mike, who of course made the play of his life with an unexpected touchdown.
Jim called a timeout when Mark’s team only needed another two points to win. “Ethan, we’re down by six points. Kayla’s even playing better than you. It’s not in your nature to let them win, so what’s going on?”
Ethan shook his head. He wished he knew. His eyes were glued to Bailey, yet his footing was off and he was unable to block her. “I don’t know—off day I guess.”
“Well, I hate to say it, but I think we’re in trouble.”
You’re telling me.
CHAPTER SIX
EVERY WEEK AFTER their Friday afternoon football game, the players took turns hosting a barbecue at one of their homes. This week it was Jim’s turn, and his girlfriend, Jill, took it as an opportunity for a board-game night.
“Okay, guys, the next game of the night is...drumroll please...” Jill glanced at Jim for the sound effect as she reached behind her seat toward the pile of games.
Ethan sat back in his chair and took a swallow of his beer, desperate to look anywhere, but across the table where Mark had his arm draped over the back of Bailey’s chair. Could he get any closer to her? Bailey didn’t seem to mind, though, and he wasn’t sure which bothered him more. Mark was the town’s biggest player—Bailey couldn’t possibly be enjoying his attention. She’d barely glanced his way all evening and something felt off. Before the fire they’d been so close. He knew she was still upset with him because his inspection reports had had a negative impact on her claim, but he wasn’t dumb enough not to recognize that the main source of her new frigidness had everything to do with the kiss they’d shared. She felt rejected by him. He understood how she could feel that way, but how did he make her understand that he was just trying to protect her from his own confused emotions?
“Taboo!” Jill announced.
“Great, how do we play?” Jim asked, reaching for a handful of veggie straws. He grimaced as he crunched the healthy alternative snack food.
Jill, a personal trainer at the local YMCA, refused to have junk food in the house, even when she played hostess. “We partner up, then we take turns describing a word or phrase on a drawn card to our partners without using the five additional words or phrases on the card. We set the timer and the team gets a point for each word or phrase they guess correctly,” she explained.
“Okay, how should we do teams?” Jill’s sister, Marla, asked, looking around the table.
“Boy-girl?” Jill suggested. “We’re all kind of paired up where we sit.”
“Sounds great to me. Ready to win, Bailey?” Mark asked, grinning from ear to ear as he leaned even closer to her.
Ethan’s eyes narrowed as he watched the record-breaking heartbreaker. Why was he even still here? Ethan checked his watch. Eight o’clock. Normally, Mark would have ducked out by now, having prior commitments—usually a blonde with long legs, but never the same one two nights in a row. The other guys at the fire hall had bought him a calendar for his locker so he could keep track of his sometimes conflicting social calendar. It had been meant as a joke, but Mark actually used it. Ethan had never imagined Bailey’s name would appear on it. But she was looking at Mark with unconcealed interest...less than a week after she’d confessed her feelings for him. Taking a swig of his beer, he looked away. What did he care? Hadn’t he told her he wasn’t an option?
“Okay, you two should start,” Jill said, handing them the cards and positioning the timer in front of her. “I’ll flip the timer once you’re ready.”
“Do you want to guess or give clues?” Bailey asked Mark, tossing her hair from her shoulder.
The amber highlights of the dark, thick strands caught the glow of the dining room light and Ethan just stared. He’d never noticed the shimmering locks before, or how long and graceful her neck was.
“I’ll guess,” Mark answered, rotating his broad shoulders. “Game face on.” He plastered a serious expression on his face.
Oh, come on, it was a board game. Had Mark always annoyed him this much? Rubbing his forehead, Ethan tried not to let the scene in front of him bother him, hating that it did. If he didn’t have feelings for Bailey, why did the memory of her kiss haunt his every thought? They were friends, and friends were not supposed to evoke these insane feelings of jealousy in each other.
“Okay, ready, guys?” Jill asked.
“Let’s do it,” Mark said.
“Go!” Jill flipped the timer.
Bailey turned the first card. “Okay...um...a place I’ve always wanted to visit.”
“New York” was Mark’s guess.
New York? Seriously? She’d been there a dozen times. The answer was Venice. She talked about it all the time and had a calendar hung in the shop. Or at least she used to. She’d been planning a trip for the following year. He wondered if that would still be possible with the garage rebuild? Certainly, it would be a challenge if the insurance claim was denied.
“No.... Overseas.... I had a picture of it hanging on my wall at the shop....” Bailey prompted.
“Paris?”
Bailey shook her head. “Great food....”
“Greece.”
“No...um...”
“Skip it, try another card,” Jill suggested.
“You can do that?” Mark asked.
“Yeah, but hurry. Time is running out.”
Bailey hurried to flip a different card. She cocked her head to the side. “You should know this one. The thing I forgot on the May long-weekend camping trip this year,” she said quickly.
Her pillow.
“Your toothbrush?” Mark guessed.
“Um...no...Ethan loaned me his.” Her voice was soft as she glanced in his direction. Their eyes met and held. In actuality, they’d shared his. An image of the early-summer camping trip forced its way into his mind and he remembered how comfortable it had been to lie there in her tent, listening to the calming sounds of the river and the wind blowing through the trees. Then she’d fallen asleep and her head had slipped from the pillow onto his chest. At the time, his mind had been so preoccupied with thoughts of Emily, he hadn’t noticed the intimacy of the situation or how nice it was to be close to her, but now...
“Ethan loaned you his toothbrush?” Mark glanced between the two.
“No...”
“Time!” Jill yelled, a little too emphatically, startling everyone.
“Honey, it’s just a game,” Jim reminded her, placing a hand on hers.
“Sorry, right, got carried away,” Jill said. “Okay, Ethan and Marla, you’re up.”
Ethan drained the contents of his beer and reached for the cards. “Guessing or giving clues?”
“I’ll guess,” Marla said.
“Okay, ready.” Ethan told Jill. As she flipped the timer, he turned the first card. North Pole. That was an easy one. “Santa Claus.”
“Elves,” Marla guessed.
Ethan shook his head. “Desolate.”
“North Pole!” Marla almost jumped from her chair. The excitement over board games ran in the Vanderwolf family.
“Yeah, good.” He flipped the next card. Red Bull. “Bailey’s favorite drink.”
Marla shot him a quizzical look. “How am I supposed to know t
hat?” She turned to Bailey, “No offense.”
Bailey’s cheeks flushed as she shrugged.
Where had that clue come from? Of course Marla wouldn’t have known. “Sorry, um... You shouldn’t drink it at night....”
“Coffee,” Marla said.
“Time!”
Ethan shrugged. “Well, at least we got one.”
Jim and Jill followed, and by the end of the game, Bailey and Mark had yet to guess even one card right. Ethan and Marla trailed behind the host team by two.
“Another game?” Jill asked, looking hopeful.
Ethan suppressed a laugh, amazed at how much Jill enjoyed board games and how much Jim did not.
“Actually, Jill, I think I’m going to sit this one out,” Jim said, checking his watch. “The football game is on.”
“I’ll join you,” Mark said as he stood.
He was sticking around? Something was up, and Ethan wasn’t sure he liked it.
Jill turned to Ethan and Bailey. “And I bet you two are just dying to take off into the living room, as well,” she said knowingly.
“Would you mind? Dallas is playing,” Bailey jumped up from her chair and disappeared into the kitchen with her wineglass.
“Go,” Jill said, folding her arms in mock annoyance. “You all suck. Next time, there may not be any board games.” The words were meant as a threat.
“You shouldn’t make promises like that. You’ll get Jim’s hopes up,” Ethan teased, kissing the top of his future sister-in-law’s head as he passed her on his way to the kitchen with his empty beer bottle.
He tossed the bottle into the blue recycle bin near the door. At the counter, Bailey was pouring sangria into her glass. Coming to stand behind her, he rested one hand on either side of her. “It was your pillow,” he whispered.
“Don’t you just know everything?” Bailey’s voice trembled slightly as she turned within his arms and stared defiantly into his eyes.
He noticed how her hand shook on her glass. “Not everything,” he said, lowering his gaze, then slowly glancing up to meet her eyes once more. “What I don’t know is why I’m suddenly remembering that night under the stars a whole lot differently.”
What a Girl Wants Page 9
