It was better that way. Or at least that is what she told herself anyways.
Chapter 4
Laurel got up early the next morning. Her roommate was still passed out in bed. She was sure that she had a hangover. It was one of the main reasons that Laurel didn’t drink, besides the whole lowered inhibitions part of it that made it a hard one to do. She couldn’t make a misstep with her position on the football team. The last thing Laurel needed was to get caught with her panties down.
So instead, she took all of her frustration and tried to run it off. It was a beautiful morning, the air was still cool, but once she got moving, it felt good on her heated skin. She had her earbuds in and was listening to her tunes as she made her way to the park. It was one of her favorite places, full of live oaks that were older than anything else around. It was a peaceful place and the whole loop was five miles.
Halfway through she stopped at a drinking fountain to get something to drink when she heard her name. Out of all the people that she expected to see there, she hadn’t thought about Max being there. He was shirtless and the basketball shorts he was wearing was riding low on his hips. Looking away after a minute, she asked him what he was doing there.
“Well my coach told me that I had to work on my stamina, so I figured I would go for a run. Zach says this is the place to go for that.”
“It is. Your coach is right. You look like you could use a little toning up.”
He smirked at her and started off towards her. Laurel knew that he wasn’t going to let it go and he was beside her for the rest of her run. Max was pretty charming when he wanted to be and she tried to forget that he had already paired off with one of the girls from her class. Denise was an airhead, but she was gorgeous. Laurel was sure that was the type of girl that he preferred. Why was she even worried about it?
“We should go out sometime Laurel. I would really like to talk to you without my side feeling like it’s twisting.”
She just laughed at him. “If you would have more stamina, you wouldn’t feel that way I bet.”
“Maybe so. So is that a yes then?”
Laurel shook her head. “That’s a no. Sorry, you aren’t my type.”
“What is your type?”
He was leaning in a little and she thought for a second that he was going to kiss her, but he didn’t. Laurel wasn’t quite feeling relief, but something else all-together. “I don’t know.”
“Well then how do you know I am not it?”
She just did. He was a dangerous type of man and she had learned her lesson with his type before. “Well you are the type of guy that doesn’t date anyways.”
“You don’t know me Laurel.”
“I don’t, but I know guys like you. You have been here a couple of days and have managed to find the easiest women on campus. Do you really think that it is a coincidence?”
She was being harsh, she knew it, but there was only one way to stop all of the drama. It wasn’t like she hadn’t dated guys like him before, it was what type her body wanted, but they were not so good for the heart. That was the problem with bad boys. They always were bad in the end. It didn’t mean that they weren’t very good at some things, but the rest of it was a mess to deal with.
“Well the girl I want doesn’t want me, so what am I supposed to do?”
Laurel shook her head. “Nothing I suppose. But it’s good to know that you didn’t pine too hard for her.”
She had stopped to talk to him, but after her last words, she was ready to go on and do something else. There was no way that she was going to get involved with a guy like Max again. He had just moved there and already had her mind missing some aspects of her old relationship. The parts of it that were good, were really good. Looking over at the man still beside her, bare chested and hard, it was easy to imagine what a guy like him could offer. Her weakness was hard muscles and with a knowing look from Max, she wondered if he knew that.
He didn’t say much else the rest of the way back. She could tell where his eyes stayed most of the time and she tried to ignore the tingling in her body because of it. Laurel was impressed that he stuck with her. He was not a runner, she could tell by his thick muscles, but he went just as far as she did. When she finally stopped, he made a sound of sweet relief that made her giggle a little.
“Now that wasn’t so bad, was it?”
Max looked at her as if she may be crazy. “So bad? Do you do that a lot?”
“Every morning. It helps wake me up.”
He didn’t seem too happy about the idea of doing that every day. “I never did like running, but you are good at keeping me motivated.”
“Really? You kept falling behind.”
Max nodded, “Yes motivation.”
She felt herself turning a little red. The man was impossible and he was doing a good job of making her think of things that she wasn’t supposed to. “Well that very well may be, but it looks like you are about to fall down. Maybe running isn’t the best idea for you. You should take it slow.”
He didn’t know what she was referring to, but Max didn’t like that speed and had no intentions on using it in a situation he was in now. Max had not pulled her too him and tried to take her breath away. He was moving as slow as he could.
“So can I run with you in the morning?”
“You really want to? You just said you don’t like running.”
“Yeah, but my coach was right. I need more stamina. All night long isn’t enough apparently.”
Again he was making innuendos that made her blush and she was finding it hard to meet his gaze. “You are horrible, you know it?”
He nodded that he did and he was finally close to her again. Her aquamarine eyes looked up at him for a minute and he needed her then. Leaning in to brush his lips across hers, Laurel moved back before he could. Max didn’t realize she had moved at first and when he did, he apologized. She had just looked at him in such a way, that all he could think about was kissing her. Her lips had been begging him for it and he felt like he had to obey.
“It’s okay Max. I just don’t date guys from this school. It becomes too complicated.”
“Sometimes complication is a good thing, pushes you to your limits.”
She sighed. “That may very well be, but how can I be a coach, if I am sleeping with the players?”
“Who said anything about sleeping together? All I wanted was a little kiss.”
Laurel blushed. Her mind had instantly gone to them in bed. Maybe she was the bad one with the dirty mind. “A kiss leads to more, so I think we should not tempt fate.”
Max agreed, but he wanted to tempt fate very badly. She was gorgeous and the very fact that she had already taken him to bed in her imagination, said a lot to Max. It gave him hope that she would come around to his ways. He wasn’t sure how he would convince her, but Max was now sure that he could. Did she know what she was doing to him? If she did, she was a bit of a tease and if she didn’t, he was in trouble. The woman oozed sexual desires and by the look in her eyes, she really didn’t know it. It might have been a good thing that she refused to date her peers and players. He knew that most of the team would jump at the chance if given one, but Max wanted his chance.
“Well I got to go get ready for class. Thanks for the run Max.”
“Are you going to be at practice later?”
She nodded. “Of course. Billy doesn’t come to practices anymore and barely comes to games. I am starting to wonder what it is the school actually pays him for.”
“The legend of him.”
Laurel looked up and smiled. It was how she felt about it and it was nice to think that she wasn’t the only one that felt that way. “Yeah maybe.”
“Can I have that kiss?”
Her eyes went to his lips and for a second, she wanted to bend down and give him what he asked so nicely for. She couldn’t though and ended up shaking her head no. “It would just lead to a mistake.”
“I am willing to take that chance.”
He watched her go, not trying to stop her again. The woman had made her mind up and there wasn’t really anything that he could do about it. All he could do was try to move on or pine for her properly. The thought made him smile to himself. If ever a woman was due some pining, he figured it was her. But how long could he go without what he truly needed? He wasn’t certain and in a way, didn’t want to find out.
Chapter 5
Max started getting up early every morning to run with her. She didn’t comment on it, but he saw a little smile on her face the second morning. She figured he had a glutton for punishment and Laurel didn’t give an inch or a kiss. After a couple of weeks of pining, Max was ready to go insane. He had never gone so long without his needs fulfilled and there were many choices to sway his thoughts.
Every morning they ran together and every evening she coached the practice. They had a couple of games a week and Max always sat next to her on the bus. There were starting to be rumors about the two of them and though he tried to dispel them, it was hard to. He wanted her and though no one else tried, they all did too. So if Max got through to her, maybe there was a hope for them as well. Zach in particular was always keen to find out what was going on with the two of them.
Max had just gotten back from his run and his roommate was up. “You went running with her again?”
Max just nodded and started to grab his toiletries to get into the shower room before the place filled up. It always did around ten, when everyone started to get up. Max wasn’t worried about any of that. He just wanted to get dressed and get down to class on time. It was hard to be on time when twenty guys were working with five showers.
“Yeah, just around the park. It’s no big deal Zach. I am just trying to get in better shape and she is helping me.”
Zach didn’t believe him. “Uh huh.”
“I’m serious. She is just helping me and has already made it clear that she doesn’t date students.”
“Who said anything about dating her?”
It wasn’t the first time that Max had heard comments about their assistant coach. Laurel was untouchable to most of the guys and that had been okay, because no one had a chance. Now that they saw Max around her all the time, they assumed that certain things were happening. While Max wished that they were happening, he knew that they were not. But it didn’t stop people like Zach and others to wonder if they would get their way if they only pushed a little harder.
“I am telling you Zach. She just isn’t that way. She is not like most of the girls around here. I mean I had Denise bedded on my first day here. Laurel is definitely not like that.”
“Then why are you spending so much time with her?”
He shrugged. It was a legitimate question, but the truth was that he liked to. They talked while they ran and he had learned a lot about strategy, as well as making him a stronger runner. Laurel was helping him in everything that she did and that was just how she was. She was making him want to be a better man and her encouragement was just what he needed to do so.
“Because she is helping me Zach. I am telling you. She is not like anyone that I have ever met before.”
Zach believed him. He had always been mystified by the assistant coach, but there had never been anyone that even attempted. She hadn’t dated one of the players before, but unlike what Max said that it wasn’t true, Zach didn’t believe that part of it. No man and woman would be together that much and not have something else going on between the two of them.
“You should put a good word in for me Max.”
Max just nodded. He wasn’t going to tell him that he wouldn’t. There was no way that he would, but he wasn’t going to say that. Max wanted her all to himself and if had nothing to do with bringing her to bed, but that he knew what guys like Zach wanted from her. She was just another girl to them, but to him, she was everything.
***
Zach wasn’t willing to give up on what he really wanted. Now that it was in his mind that he could have Laurel, that there was a chance, he couldn’t stop himself from trying. They had a class together in the evenings right before practice and he had always admired her from afar. That day, he had other ideas. He wanted to be next to her and when he sat down in the empty chair beside her, she smiled a little uncomfortably.
“Hey Zach. How’s it going?”
He just smiled and told her that everything was fine. It didn’t feel fine though. She could tell there was something off about him. He was staring at her in such a way and it was hard to ignore the way it made her feel.
“So I hear you and Max have been getting close.”
There it was. The reason for the look and she wasn’t prepared to answer something like that. It was the reason that she stayed away from the teammates.
“Is that what he told you?”
Zach nodded. “No, but everyone can see that the two of you have gotten pretty close.”
Laurel looked back up front. What was she supposed to say? Zach had tried her before and when she had told him that she wasn’t interested, he had gotten a little upset. The man was huge and he had a bit of a temper. She felt uncomfortable as he stared at her legs. It was the first time that she had wished to have worn pants instead, but she just tried to ignore him. He was the reason that she had made the decisions she had. Not him in particular, but guys like Zach. She had thought Max was like him, but he wasn’t.
“It’s not like that. I am just helping him with his running. The team needs more stamina.”
He just nodded his head, making it clear that he didn’t believe a word she said. “Well I am needing help with my stamina. Do you think you can help me?”
“I think you are looking for something else Zach and for that, no I can’t help you.”
His dark green eyes got darker and he had a look on his face. It was the look of being turned down again and it didn’t seem to be going over any better that time around. “I am looking for what every man is looking for with you. Do you really think that Max likes you for who you are?” His question was not meant to be answered. It sounded silly to even think like that. Of course Max just wanted her for what was between her legs, like every other man that she coached.
“I mean, really Laurel? You should know better.”
She felt heat rising to her cheeks and it still amazed her how quickly a jerk like Zach could kill her mood. “I don’t really care what you think or what you are implying Zach. Me and Max are just friends.” She thought to herself that he was a horrible friend to have. It was clear he was trying to shift Max under the bus. It was all just too much and her eyes went to the clock, wishing it would change and the bell would ring for them. She no longer wanted to be in class and she didn’t want to be anywhere near Zach.
When the bell finally rang, she was the first one up from her seat. She didn’t look back, but she didn’t have to. She could feel his gaze on her back and a shiver ran up her spine. Something just wasn’t right and she wished that she hadn’t had the conversation with him. It was hard to deny his words and then he was in her head, making her wonder if what he said was true. Was that the only reason Max was hanging out with her? She knew that he wanted her, but Laurel thought that there was more than just desire between them. She was hoping that he would like her for more than her looks, for who she was. Now she questioned everything.
Chapter 6
“I didn’t see you yesterday morning. Are you feeling okay?”
She nodded that she was fine, but Max could tell that there was something different about her. She seemed out of sorts and it had been the first day that she had missed in the month since she had started running with him. He had missed her the day before and without any practice, it had been a whole day without seeing her. It was hard not to notice her absence. It was felt more than he would have imagined possible.
“Yeah, I just needed a break I guess.”
“Well I missed you.”
Laurel would never admit how much she liked to hear it, but still Zach’s words were in the back of her head, making her wonder why it was he missed her. “Why?”
“What do you mean why?”
“I mean, why did you miss me. We just run together. It is not like we are with each other or anything.” It sounded harsh again and she could tell from the way his face dropped a little, that it was not what he had wanted to hear. She knew that she was letting Zach get in her head, but it was because Laurel had always questioned motives. What was Max trying to get out of her? Everyone wanted something.
“I always thought of you as a little more than just a running partner.”
“Well you shouldn’t.”
“I shouldn’t see you as my friend?”
Now the handsome face had completely fallen and she stopped stretching. “I didn’t mean it like that Max. I see you as my friend.”
“Then why are you acting this way?”
She sighed and started off towards the park. He was beside her, their legs and feet moving in step together. Max had gotten stronger since running every day and it was easier for him to keep up now. Something was different about her and he wasn’t sure what it was, but it was clear that something was bothering her and he didn’t like it. He didn’t like that she was upset about something and he wanted to know why she was so different that day.
“Acting what way?”
“I don’t know. Like you did when I first met you.”
“It’s just who I am I guess. I don’t have to answer to you or anyone else for that matter.”
She was trying to pull ahead of him, but her training had paid off and the trainee was keeping up with her with no problem.
“This isn’t you Laurel. What is going on? Did something happen?”
Laurel wanted to tell him about what Zach had said. It had upset her and she couldn’t get it off of her mind, but at the same time, it didn’t make sense for her to start something within the team. It was better to just not say anything at all. There was always just ignoring the situation with Zach and hoping that he would move on and leave her alone. He had done it before.
ROMANCE: MC BIKER ROMANCE: CARSON (MC Biker Romance)(Bad Boy Motorcycle Club Romance) (Contemporary Military Romantic Suspense Thriller) Page 9
