by Kim Karr
Thor came jogging after me. When he caught up, he pointed toward Swann. “Did you hear?”
I bobbed my chin in his direction. “No. What happened?”
“Groin injury.” He winced.
“Shit. How bad?”
He shook his head. “No clue. I guess we’ll find out soon. You headed in?”
Under the still-blistering five o’clock sun, I nodded, and we both walked over to the fitness center without saying another word. It was likely Swann was going to be the first to go, and that meant I had no backup.
For some reason, this made it seem like I was invincible, but in fact meant the complete opposite. Whoever replaced him could easily try to vie for first string. Swann just wasn’t good enough to surpass me. I knew that from the first day. Whoever was coming up next, could be an entirely different story.
At my locker, I was just about ready to hit the shower when Aiden, the assistant trainer, walked in.
“Hey, Lucas,” he called.
“Yeah,” I answered, expecting to be blasted after not having shown up this morning for my session with Gillian.
“I really think you should hit the cold tub before you head out.”
Okay, that was better than what I had expected, but not much. I nodded. “Yeah, I’ll do that.”
I knew he wasn’t asking.
Gillian had tried to get me to go in it a couple of times. She insisted it would help my muscles repair quicker, but I had refused. Come on, submerging waist-deep in a pool of water set to forty-seven degrees would do more than make your blood vessels constrict, it would make your balls shrivel. Who in the hell would ever volunteer to do that in front of a girl they’re into? Not me, but I guessed I was about to go anyway.
Fanfuckingtastic.
“You coming?” I asked Thor who was already headed to the shower, where the rest of the team was.
“Fuck no,” he said. “We have ninety minutes of free time today and I have a phone date.” He grinned.
“Thanks for the heads up.”
“Anytime.”
I shook my head at him.
He shrugged. “You know I have to keep my ladies happy.”
“Ladies? As in more than one?” I stupidly asked.
With a nod, he said, “Rebecca and Honey.”
Now it was making sense why he was on the phone all the fucking time. He had more than one girlfriend.
“Whatever,” I said.
“Hey, don’t be jelly, man.”
I slammed my locker. “Dude, jealous isn’t even on my radar. I’m thinking about the shit you’re going to be in when they both come here to watch you play next week.”
Trace Wentworth went a little blank and I think he might have shit his pants had he been wearing any.
I laughed all the way to the cold tub.
In my gym shorts and T-shirt, I stared down at it.
Through the glass I noticed Swann, and a veteran tight end named Jon Hanover, both lying on training tables, receiving treatment.
Ice, electric stimulation, ultrasound.
And Gillian was there along with the other two interns, whose names I couldn’t recall, along with Aiden and Dallas. Liam wasn’t around. Then again, he never seemed to be. Not my business.
Gillian caught my stare and stared back at me for a moment too long because Drake noticed and nudged her.
Did he know?
Quickly, I looked away and glared down at the pool of cold water. I really didn’t want to do this, but I knew I should. It might be just what I needed. My shoulder was almost back to normal, and I had that girl in the next room to thank for it. The same girl I’d made come the other night. And the same one I wanted to do it to again.
The girl who kissed me like no one ever had.
I peered up, needing to see her, and this time when I did, the team physician was with Swann, who was being put on a gurney. Swann looked grim and by the look on his face, I knew he wasn’t coming back.
Fuck me.
I glared down at the water again, and then finally, I poked my toe in. Yep, sure enough it felt like Lake Michigan in March.
Fucking great.
Slowly, I descended a couple of steps and stood there, arms resting on the ledge. “Fuckkkkkkkkkk,” I stammered to stifle my screams.
Something had me peering through the glass again, and when I did, I found Gillian, arms crossed, and smirking at me. Aiden was just finishing putting a brace on Hanover, and she was next to him, casually looking toward me.
When I caught her gaze, she covered her mouth to hide her smile, and something strange happened within me. It was a feeling or an emotion I couldn’t decipher, or didn’t want to, who knew.
What I did know was Aiden catching Gillian would be way worse than getting caught by Drake.
Drake was harmless.
Aiden, not so much.
With that, I turned my back to her for more than just that reason. The tent in my pants was about to become obvious, and unfortunately I knew just how to take care of it.
As I plunged into the cold water, I couldn’t help but think how this was new territory for me. Never had I been in this position.
Not to sound insensitive or uncaring, but except for the purpose of pleasing my dick, I never really paid any attention to women. Other than my sister-in-law, Tess, I didn’t really even engage in much conversation with the opposite sex.
Being the quarterback of the football team, in both high school and college, had many benefits, and girls at the ready was one of them.
If I wanted a handy, I just had to go to the student center. If I felt like a blowie, the library was always a good choice, and if I wanted to fuck, all I had to do was hang out after a game. The offers were never ending and the strings were unattached.
Shit, I thought the notoriety was crazy then, but now I knew it wasn’t even the tip of the iceberg when you entered the NFL.
Between mini-camp and training camp, a couple of vets on the team took me to a club, where we sat in the VIP section. The girls who they had invited were giving hand jobs to every single one of us under the table. They were also all too eager to hook up in the bathroom, the car, or anywhere, for that matter.
For no reason, I replayed the other night with Gillian in my mind. I wasn’t in a hurry for her to do any of those things to me. What I was in hurry to do was take care of her.
She was fucking with my head and she didn’t even know it.
When my feet and toes began to feel numb, I figured it was time to stop thinking about a chick, since chances were good my dick was at the bottom of the tub anyway, and get out of the water.
After I reached for my towel and wrapped it around my waist, I couldn’t resist turning around.
The training room was empty, and if I had thought I was going to get another glimpse of Gillian, or a goodbye, or even a drop dead, I was wrong.
Disappointment surged in my veins. Not a sensation I’d felt in a very long time. I hated the feeling.
Practically shaking from the cold water, I hustled to the locker room, which was now empty. Everyone more than likely taking advantage of the extra free time. I should hurry and catch up with them, but I something was slowing me down.
Not something.
Someone.
Even as I hit the hot shower, I couldn’t stop thinking about her. While the warm water sprayed over me, I let my thoughts wander to places they shouldn’t.
To her.
In order to force myself to stop, I turned the water all the way to the right.
To cold.
But even the shock of that didn’t suppress the image in my mind of her thighs squeezing mine as she hovered above me, looking at me like she couldn’t wait for me to take her, possess her, own her.
And fuck, I wanted to.
I really did.
13
Walk-Through
Lucas
There was a good chance my arms were going to turn into fins.
If an NFL player typically sp
ent twice as much time in meeting rooms as they did on the field, he must spend three times as much time in water.
Seriously, between hot tubs and cold tubs and showers, I was starting to feel like a fish. The heck of it was there was no denying I was feeling a whole lot better.
Almost normal.
After throwing on a pair of sweats and a T-shirt, I left the locker room and strode down the hall toward the exit.
For some reason, I slowed just before the training room. The lights were still on and I saw movement out of the corner of my eye.
Stopping near the doorway, I poked my head in. I had no idea why I was doing this, but a part of me was hoping…
I spotted the Coach’s daughter immediately. I think my heart nearly skidded out of my chest when I realized—I missed her.
Missed talking to her.
Being with her.
Her.
Gillian.
She was over at the whirlpools, cleaning them out. Her hair was back in a ponytail and a few strands of red glinted from the glare of the overhead lights shining on it.
I watched as her ponytail swung from the amount of effort she was putting into scrubbing the basin.
I watched as her long lashes brushed her checks when she closed her eyes from the effort she was putting into her work.
I watched her.
“S-s-s-s-s-h-h-h,” she muttered, as though wanting to swear but not doing so.
Biting my fist to stop from laughing, I stepped inside. “New curse word I should learn?”
Her head jerked up and when her gaze landed on me, she froze. “Lucas.”
With my eyes locked on hers, I found myself walking her way. Normally, I wouldn’t bother going after a girl. Not ever. And yet, this was my second time with her. In this case, I wanted to close in before I changed my mind and hightailed it out of this dangerous situation.
“Hi, Gillian,” I greeted smoothly.
“What are you doing here?” she asked breathlessly.
I glanced down into the tub and then up at her before shrugging. “Just wondering if s-s-s-h-h-h is another way of saying this part of the job sucks?”
She rolled her eyes at me. Rolled her eyes. And then she shook her head. Shook her head.
“Is it?” I asked.
As if she were planning on ignoring me, she turned the water on and began rinsing the cleanser away.
I reached inside the tub and curled my hand around hers. “Gillian, did you hear me?”
I knew she did.
Yanking her hand away from my mine, she used the sprayer to wash down the sides. “Yes, I did.”
“Well, are you going to answer me?”
She sighed. “No, it isn’t.”
Trying to connect with her some way, I kept on. “If you ask me, it sounded like you were going to say shit.”
Her gaze lifted. “Look, Lucas, I’ve had a crappy week and have a lot to do.”
The agitation in her voice hit me hard. She was dismissing me. And although everything in me screamed fuck it, just turn and walk away, I couldn’t. “Why? What’s going on?”
There was a moment I was fairly certain she thought about aiming that water nozzle at me, but then she cocked her head to the side. “Let’s see,” she said, pulling her bottom lip between her teeth. “Where should I start?”
“At the beginning,” I suggested, trying to be funny, however I was certain I sounded more like a smartass.
“Oh right.” She gave me the fakest of smiles “That’s easy. On Monday I got up extra early to meet this football player who decided to flake on me without so much as a text. He must think he’s hot stuff.”
Drawing in a breath, I had to interject. “What makes you say that?”
Water splashed her face, but she ignored it. “Well obviously his private training sessions mean nothing to him.”
“That’s harsh.”
She turned the water pressure up. “It’s true. I mean even after I texted him to remind him to show up on Tuesday, he didn’t.”
I took the nozzle from her to finish the rinsing. “He sounds like an inconsiderate bastard.”
Her lips twitched and her eyes flashed. I’d almost gotten a smile out of her. I really wasn’t a bastard, but in her defense what I did was pretty rude. “I wouldn’t use the word inconsiderate. I’m sure he wanted to let me know. Perhaps scared would be a better way to describe him.”
I shut the water off and moved around the tub to be closer. “Scared? Is that what you think?”
The room looked spotless, but she walked over to the counter and picked up a container of Clorox wipes, yanking one up. “As a matter of fact, I do.”
After reaching for some paper towels to dry my hands, I tossed them in the trash and followed her across the room. “This guy’s ego is taking quite a beating. I bet he already feels like a big enough ass.”
Gillian started furiously wiping down the counters. “Oh, I doubt that. Like I inferred earlier, he’s a little full of…” She shook off the rest of her thought and didn’t finish.
First hot stuff.
Now full of myself.
Is that what she was thinking?
I grabbed her hand to stop her. “If he were here, I’m sure he’d say he was sorry for the way he treated you.”
She narrowed her eyes at me, but she couldn’t stop the corners of her mouth from tilting upward. “It doesn’t really matter, I’m over it. In fact, I’ve moved on. I have other things to worry about now.”
My face fell, and I think my heart did too. “What do you mean by other things?” I air quoted the last two words.
There was a desk at the end of the counter and she flopped in the chair. “Just what it sounded like. I have other things to worry about.”
She was wearing a pair of blue shorts and a white tank top, but it wasn’t until she propped her feet up on the desk that I noticed how sunburned her long, lean legs looked. Curious, I leaned back against the counter and stretched my own long, muscular legs out in front of me. “What? Like the sunburn on your legs?”
That comment went ignored, but she did move her head in an exaggerated motion to make sure I saw how she was looking me up and down.
“I’ll take that as a no. So what is it?”
This time she shrugged, as if annoyed, and without taking her gaze from mine, she said, “If you must know, the team had a number of injuries today and we were short handed. Liam flew home for undisclosed personal reasons early this morning. The five of us have to pick up the slack, so as it turns out, I don’t have the time anymore to dedicate myself to just one player.”
That felt like a sucker punch. What was more, I deserved it. “Strawberry Fields,” I said with a sigh, “don’t be this way.”
Those green pools narrowed on me. “My name is Gillian, not Strawberry Fields,” she responded. Her tone was clipped, almost pissed off. With a huff, she set her feet on the floor and whirled around to the computer, which was on the other side of her.
“Come on,” I pleaded to her back. “You like it when I call you that. I know you do.”
Or I thought she did.
Maybe not?
That didn’t make her turn around. However, it did seem to stop her from doing any work. She let her fingers hover over the keypad, but she didn’t type anything. Then again, she didn’t say anything, either.
“Gillian,” I groveled, this time a little rougher, a little more raspy. Not only did I not like this silent treatment, I didn’t like anything about this current situation.
In less than a heartbeat, she twirled back around and glared in my direction. With a thump, she got to her feet and strode over to me. “Stop whatever this is you’re doing.”
Understanding the need to get it out, I stood there and gave her time to finish. I knew she wasn’t done. I could tell.
She poked my chest with her finger hard enough that I had to lean back. “I’m not going to play games with you, Lucas. I don’t like them. I’m sure you’re used to getting any g
irl you want, whenever you want, but I won’t be one of them.”
I blinked, not expecting this rant. “I don’t want you to be.”
Now she was waving her finger at me. “Then stop thinking you can come in and out of my life when it suits you because I have news for you—you can’t. Do you understand me?”
I stood where I was, an odd ache in my chest.
Her hand dropped to her side. Clearly, she was finished.
“I’m sorry,” I said, my voice soft.
With a shrug, she took a step back. “That’s great. I feel so much better now. I think this conversation is over. You should go. It’s almost time for dinner.”
A quick glance at the clock told me I had a few minutes. “Gillian, I’m not trying to hurt you. It’s just,” I stopped. Ran a hand through my hair, and grouped my thoughts. “It’s just I…don’t know how to say it…we can’t be together. We just can’t.”
She sighed and looked away. “You don’t want to jeopardize your career. I get it, Lucas, and I don’t blame you. I just think you could have talked to me about our situation before you shut me out the way you did. That’s all. Now please go.”
I shook my head. I hated this. She had it wrong, or at least most of it. I moved a little closer and lifted her chin. “Gillian, listen to me.”
Again, she glanced away.
“Please.”
Her piercing gaze found mine.
“I’m not good at any of this, and it seemed like letting it go was better than trying to put my feelings into words.”
“Well, it wasn’t.”
“I get that.”
“Good,” she said. “Now, will you please go?”
I shook my head. “No, I won’t. I want you to understand where I’m coming from.”
She looked at me, but said nothing. I took that as a green light.
“Sure, my career is part of the reason I know I should stay away from you,” I said. “The fact that your father has the power to make it or break it is also most definitely a factor that I have to take into consideration. But there’s so much more to us. To the reasons we should stay apart.”
