Kickin' It (Red Card) - Rachel Van Dyken Page 0,46

down the hall. “I’m dressed now!”

He stood abruptly and turned on the lamp. “Dream happy dreams, Parker.”

“Any suggestions?” I asked in a thick, lustful voice I recognized as my own.

He just shook his head and then winked, closing the door behind him.

Leaving my body with a hard buzz.

And my heart galloping in my chest.

Chapter Twenty

MATT

I went to bed aroused.

Woke up aroused.

Fucking drank my coffee watching the damn birds outside—aroused.

Took another cold shower and then hated myself when I wanted to relieve the aching sensation with visions of her mouth on my skin, her taste on my lips.

I suddenly saw prison in my future as I walked around with a perpetual hard-on. One day, I’d bump into an elderly lady, she’d try to whack it with a newspaper, and because it had been unappeased for so long, that would only encourage it more and well, there you go, national news, prison.

Death.

Dramatic. I was being dramatic, and Slade was no help whatsoever, from his laughter that morning when I’d called, to the emojis he’d been sending me since I went to my office.

It was going to be a long, hard day.

Hah.

Hard.

“Ready!” Parker came flying into my room in spandex shorts and a loose tank top, her hair pulled back in a braid and her skin looking—edible.

I choked on my cup of coffee. “G-great.”

“You okay?” She put her hands on her hips. “Did you not sleep well?”

“You mean before or after I buried Willow’s body out by the dead goldfish last night?” I rubbed my eyes with the back of my hands.

“Nice one.” Parker pulled out a chair and put up her Nikes on my desk. Again.

I flicked them with my pencil. “Is this gonna be a thing?”

“At least my shoes are clean. I could have my cleats on, and leave little patches of sod all over your desk, maybe even a hair from the stadium for good measure.”

I gagged. “You’re a monster.”

She smiled sweetly. “I’m what you made me, Coach.”

Coach.

Agent.

Seventh circle of hell.

I mentally waved as Satan escorted me to my spot in the fiery middle.

I was here to be her supporter, I was not here to kiss the hell out of her and lock her in my room while making sweet love to her. It would be nice. More than nice, incredible. It was wrong.

Wrong.

Wrong.

Wrong.

I was all she had. I just needed to keep telling myself that.

Parker dropped her feet and leaned forward, resting her arms on her knees. “Are you sure you’re okay?”

“Yeah.” I sighed. “Just a long day. I think I need to run it off.”

“Then let’s do it.”

Had I been drinking coffee I would have sputtered it all over my laptop and her face. She wanted to . . . exercise? Voluntarily? The woman who threatened me every day during training?

I leaned closer, felt her forehead with the back of my hand, only to get it slapped away. “You feeling okay?”

“Hey, I’m just trying to be a good client!”

And there it was again.

She looked so happy, so . . . free that I had to laugh and then wince when I realized that I could either sit there and lust after her or join her. “I could use a run.”

“Remember, it’s six and a half miles to the stadium. It can be our warm-up?” Her eyes were so hopeful, so adorable.

“Yeah.” Just give me twenty minutes or a year for this to go down and I’ll be right out. Why was my body betraying me? “I’ll just go get dressed.”

“Great.” She stood like she was waiting.

“After . . . one last phone call.” I cleared my throat.

“Oh.” Hurt flashed in her expression before she stood. “Sure, I need to grab my ear pods anyways!”

She jogged out of my office while I pretended to pick up the phone. I finally calmed myself down enough to stand and make my way to my bedroom. I put on a pair of tight boxer briefs and my joggers, then grabbed a tank and my own pods.

She was already out in the living room stretching, and a smile broke out on her face when she saw me. “We racing?”

“Hah!” I wagged my finger at her. “Yeah no, we aren’t racing for over six miles, not sure my old heart could take it.”

She licked her lips. “Well, at least you have the body of an eighteen-year-old.”

“Skinny and awkward?” I elbowed her. “Thanks.”

She burst out laughing just as I jabbed my buds in and bolted out the door yelling behind me, “See you there!”

She sped