by Lexi Ward
“Just one,” she said, smiling as sweetly as she could, “you have to quietly sit on the porch for a few minutes while I call you a cab.”
“But I already got a—” He motioned behind him to the empty street. “Hey, where’d he go? I gave him money so that he would stay put. Dumb driver.”
“I will call you another cab. Just sit down on the porch, Eric.”
He faced her again, his eyes gleaming as he staggered toward her. “What—what do I get if I obey? Hmmm?” He leaned toward her.
“You don’t get killed by Coach. Now, sit down or I’m going to call the police.”
“That’s harsh, baby,” Eric said, but he did as told and lowered himself to his knees, and then his rear. He sat crisscrossed like a child. “Is this good enough for you?”
“Yup. Now stay there.” She closed the door and locked it—just in case—before hurrying over to the landline.
Cab called and money in her hands, she sat by Eric on the porch as they waited for his ride. He leaned toward her repeatedly and told her some line about her eyes or her lips, and she in return would push him back.
When the taxi finally arrived, Tanya handed him the money. “Get home and sleep this off. Dad needs you to be better than this.”
“Whatever you say, sweetheart,” he said, winking at her.
Rolling her eyes yet again, she went back and inside and locked the door. With any luck, she wouldn’t have to deal with Eric Reed again.
CHAPTER TWO
From the sidelines, Tanya watched Eric Reed and the others practice. She rested her chin in both hands while blinking at the sights before her. Gray clouds made the field look bleary but bright, painful to the eyes until they adjusted to the lights’ reflections.
Her father yelled out insults that supposedly motivated the players, and the players grunted and did as they were told. It was all very boring. But with no degree and no job, her father had the final say on what she did nowadays, and today, he had wanted her to get out of the house.
“I’m tired of your self-pity,” he had said, huffing and shaking his head. “This is your own damn fault. You have to fix it already. Be an adult.”
“I’ve changed my major four times, wasted all that money, and I’m still uncertain of what I want to do with my life. What do you suggest I do? Waste more of your money?”
“At least get out of this house once in a while.”
“And do what?”
“You could watch practice. That might motivate some fight into you.”
It wasn’t. If anything, Tanya found herself pitying the athletes that ran, jumped, tackled—did everything that was commanded of them like circus monkeys. God help her if her father ever knew what she truly thought of his favorite sport.
She rubbed her watering eyes and suppressed a yawn. She had studied some art, anatomies, computer science, and the contemporary English language. She felt no more satisfied or whole since she had first started college.
Maybe she was just a spoiled brat. The thought had her lips twisting downward, but it was a legitimate thought. She hadn’t worked nearly hard as her parents had when they were her age—may her mother rest her soul—and her father now had his dream job. He was never a football player himself like he had initially wanted, but still.
Either way, something needed to change. Her father had been right about that. If only she knew exactly what to do—what path to take.
The screech of multiple whistles pierced her ears, and she flinched. As her father yelled out some more directions, Tanya stood and walked off the bleachers. There had to be a better place to go for some motivation—or, better yet, some guidance.
She walked toward the exit, her mind throwing ideas at her.
She could go to church.
To a museum.
To a cemetery. She always did some of her best deep-thinking at a cemetery.
“Tanya! Hold up a second!”
She turned and stiffed at the sight of Eric, his helmet in his hand as he jogged up to her. The other players and her father were watching them intently, and she blushed as self-awareness overwhelmed her for a moment.
“Hey,” Eric breathed, coming to a quick stop in front of her. “I just wanted to thank you for saving my ass the other night. I…I really could have gotten suspended or something if it wasn’t for you.”
“I did it for my dad,” she said, smiling politely. Nervousness jittered through her, her flesh tingling. She scratched her arm and looked away. “He likes you, you know. Despite all the crap he says on the field.”
“Really? A white ass like me?”
“Don’t think we need to bring race into this, but yeah. A white ass like you.”
“Huh.” He looked over his shoulder, at her glaring father. “Go figure.”
She pursed her lips and nodded. “Yup. So…goodbye, I guess.” She turned.
“Wait, wait,” Eric said, shuffling around her until he was in front of her. “Go out with me.”
“Well, that’s charming. Barging in front of a girl and demanding a date of her.”
“Would it help if I said please?” He batted his eyelashes at her and smiled goofily.
Amusement bubbled up in her torso against her will, a genuine laugh passing her lips. She covered her mouth and glanced to the side. “You’re cute, I’ll give you that. But I’m the coach’s daughter and you are a heartbreaker. This doesn’t typically end well.”
“True, but the middle part is always really fun. Plus,” He raised his eyebrows, “I think you’re cute, too.”
She blushed despite herself.
“Come on,” Eric said. “One date. It’ll be a good time, I promise.”
Tanya licked her lips. She knew better than this—avoided guys like Eric. But with her uncertainty about everything at an all time high, it sounded…liberating to be with Eric for a little while. It also sounded stupid, but trying to think about things rationally cost her father too much of his hard-earned money and too much of her time.
“Tanya,” Eric sang.
She rolled her eyes and smiled. “One date. Okay.”
He pumped his fist in an air. “I know where you live. I’ll pick you up Friday night. Eight o’clock good?”
“Sure.”
“Awesome.” He put on his helmet and ran around her, back to the other players. “Eight o’clock!”
Oh, her father was going to kill her. Or Eric. Or both of them.
CHAPTER THREE
“You’re smarter than this Tanya,” her father said over and over again during the week.
“Eric is a racist womanizer,” her father had said over and over again.
“You are living under my roof, so you live under my rules.”
“I’m pretty sure he has an STD, what with all the sex he has.”
“You deserve someone better. I like the kid, but he doesn’t treat his ladies with enough respect.”
Yeah, her father had legitimate arguments against her going out with Eric Reed. To appease him and her guilt for bothering him like this, she nearly called Eric to cancel the date. But restlessness stirred inside of her, loneliness always in its wake.
She was tired of being too smart for people like Eric Reed. She at least wanted to try something different. If it ended horribly, it ended horribly. At least she would get some kind of learning experience. And maybe it would be the wake-up call she needed to get her ass into gear—as her father liked to put it.
That Friday night, Tanya wore a casual outfit. She had no idea what Eric had planned for them, after all. They could be hiking, for all she knew, though she suspected they were going to be spending a lot of time some sleazy bar. Either way, a casual outfit was the way to go.
Her father was already in bed. He had been stressing out how weak their defense in practice has been lately, and after spending hours working out new strategies, he crashed hard.
Tanya thanked the Good Lord for that and stood out on the porch, lest the doorbell wake up her protective father.
Maybe she was as worthless as she secretly thought herself to be.
She clenched her teeth and shook the thought away.
A blaring horn and bright headlights made her jump, her fingers fumbling over her purse. A second later, a sports car sped up before coming to a screeching halt in front of the house.
“Hey, baby!” Eric called from the driver’s seat. “Sorry about being late.”
Tanya frowned. She considered going back into the house, but she waited all this time….
Sighing, she hurried toward the car and got in it. Eric sped off as she put her seatbelt on.
“Where are we going?” she asked loudly, the wind and the car’s engine nearly drowning out her voice.
“It’s a surprise!”
Great, she thought. This had probably been a mistake.
He took her to a church. He drove that car into the parking lot—tires screeching as he made sharp turns—and parked it right in front of a big old cathedral. He didn’t even park the right way, he parked crookedly over the white lines.
Tanya gawked at the massive wooden front doors, the tall colorful windows revealing the lights inside. So many questions came to mind, but all she could do was shake her head and make a strange squawking sound.
“The organist in there has insane skills,” Eric said, turning off the ignition before pocketing the key. “The crowd’s a little meh, but once you get in tune with the music, everything else just goes away.” He got out of the car and turned to her, a wide smile on his face. “What are you waiting for? We have to get in tune with the music!”
She would have laughed if she wasn’t so stunned. This was…unexpected. Blinking owlishly, she got out of the car and followed Eric inside the cathedral. The moment he opened one of those massive doors, music flooded her eardrums.
“What did I tell you?” he said loudly, grabbing her hand and leading her inside. “It’s magic!”
They walked through one large hallway before entering the main area of the church. All the pews were piled up against the back wall, and the stage had a band of older people play while elderly people danced in front of it.
Tanya had never been more confused before in her life. They didn’t even go up to the elderly people, they stayed in the back, in the shadows of the faded light coming from the dusty chandelier above them.
“What is this?” she asked, a surprised giggle tinting her words. How wonderfully…different.
“Senior’s Dance,” Eric said, wiggling his body from side to side while rolling his arms around. He was…dancing, she guessed. He pointed forward. “My grandparents are over there. They come to this thing every month, and occasionally, I crash it.”
“Why?”
“Why not?” He spun around—so smoothly, so flawlessly—and pointed his index fingers at her. He smirked and offered her his hand. “Care to dance, milady?”
She giggled and blushed. “I don’t think I can keep up with you.”
“Oh, well,” He straightened his posture a bit and stepped into her personal space, “I better slow down then.” He grabbed both of her hands, his thumbs running over her knuckles.
Heat rushed through her, embarrassment tinging her face. It had been a long, long time since she had held anyone’s hand—since she had thought of guys, period. Life had been distracting.
Together, they swayed back and forth, Eric scooting himself closer and gently wrapping his arms around her waist. That left her hands empty, so she hesitantly placed them on his shoulders.
Embarrassment faded, replaced with a more relaxed sensation pulsating through her.It was as if Eric was grounding her, his bright eyes and charming smile hypnotizing. Her heart fluttered.
“So,” she said over the music, “how do you like being Running Back for the Yaks.”
“I love it. I love it a lot. It’s the best thing in the entire world, and I thank God every day that I get to be on that team.”
“I’m not going to tell my father anything you say.”
“Oh. In that case, it’s terrible! Traumatizing even! Your dad is so bossy it’s like he thinks he’s the coach or something.”
She laughed, leaning toward him. He laughed with her, the feel of the sound rumbling beneath her palms.
“Do you even like football?” he asked. “You looked like you were going to pass out the other day at practice.”
“Would it be offensive to you if I said I found the sport horribly, horribly dull?”
“Ouch.”
Tanya smiled. Then a weight bared down on her chest, and her gaze lowered. “It’s just as well, really. I’m not sure what I like. I’m not passionate about anything. Nothing matters to me like football matters to my dad. Or to you.”
He made a thoughtful sound, nearly impossible to hear because of the music. His eyes implored her a bit. “Now that sounds horribly dull.”
“It is.”
“Well, why don’t we change that?” He tightened his grip on her and dipped her.
Tanya laughed, the weightless feeling making her tingle pleasantly. Her hair fallen back toward the floor, she kicked up her leg.
“That’s it,” Eric said encouragingly. “You’re a natural at this. Maybe you should be a dancer.”
She snorted. “You’re doing most of the work.”
“True, but you look way better than I do right now.”
She looked up at him. His eyes had darkened a bit, his lips parted as he panted out small breaths. He couldn’t be overly exerted from just dipping her.
Flattery and lust warmed her. She smiled, her hands gripping him a little tighter. This was so good—so much better than how she had been feeling. She wanted to keep this—this moment, this man…
Eric leaned over, angling his body so that his face was parallel to hers. His eyes darted up and down her face, as if silently asking her a question.
She answered it by grabbing the back of his neck and pushing his lips against hers.
When Eric parked the car in front of her father’s house, he leaned over into her personal space and whispered in his ear. “You sure you don’t want to come back to my place? I’ve got a new bottle wine with our names on it.”
She smirked. “I’m sure you have many bottles of wine with your name on the bill.”
He snorted, his eyes lighting up. “Fair enough.”
Gratitude swelled beneath her breastbone, making her smirk soften into a sincere smile. She placed her hand on his shoulder. “Thank you so much for tonight. I really needed something like this.” She turned and opened her car door.
“Would you need more dates like this in the near future?” he asked.
Eyebrows raised, she looked back at him. “You…want another date with me?”
“Yeah. We had a good time tonight, didn’t we?”
She smiled again, wider this time. “Yeah, it’s just…you’re not known to date women more than once.”
Eric huffed, bitter amusement flashing over his face. “Well, it depends on the woman, I guess. And on me. And on the date.” He cocked an eyebrow at her. “So…is that a ‘yes?’”
She bit her lip and nodded. “Yeah. It is.” She leaned over and kissed him, his lips molding perfectly against hers.
CHAPTER FOUR
They dated for the next few months. Though, to be fair, she counted the four times she visited him at practice as dates. Very, very casual dates, but dates nonetheless.
Her father still didn’t approve, but the longer it took for Eric to break her heart, the more and more her father tolerated the growing relationship.
“At least it gets you out of the house and doing something,” he said once.
It was as much of a blessing from her father as Tanya and Eric were ever going to get.<
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“How did you know you wanted to play football for a living?” she asked Eric, both of them sprawled on his couch while the end credits of the movie rolled over his HD TV’s screen.
Snorting, Eric wiggled his fingers over her bare arm. He turned and pressed his lips to her head, his body stretching a bit as his legs tangled around her own. “Who wouldn’t want to be a professional football player?”
