“Dammit,” I muttered, rushing forward, trying to reach Travis before he could throw another punch. Teddy spun, not seeing me, and his fist connected with my cheek. Pain exploded in an instant, and I cried out as I stumbled backward.
Both men froze, their eyes turning toward me in unison.
I reached up to touch my face, still in shock, and was relieved to find no blood.
“Frank—”
I held up a hand to cut Teddy off, turning my narrowed gaze on Travis. “Get out of my house. Now.”
He raised his hands in mock surrender. It was pathetic—he’d only leave after taking a punch from one of the guys on my team. Fucking fantastic.
The door slammed behind him, rattling the house as if the entire foundation might crumble under the weight of the moment. Teddy tried to speak again, but I didn’t let him. I shook my head and turned, making my way to the stairs with grim resolve. Each step felt heavier than the last, but I wouldn’t let myself break until I was alone.
It wasn’t the pain that had me on the edge—at least, not the physical pain. No, this was something else. For the first time, I realized I’d spent three years with a man I didn’t really know. Had I fallen in love with a version of him I’d created in my mind? Was I so desperate for the illusion of family that I’d turned a blind eye to everything he truly was?
By the time I reached my bedroom, the first tear had already rolled down my cheek. It stung as it traced the path of the punch, but that was nothing compared to the emotional ache gnawing at me. This night would leave a mark, and not just the kind you could see.
I crawled onto my bed, curling into myself as if I could escape the crushing weight of it all. I tried to push aside the wasted time with Travis, tried to silence the mental breakdown that felt imminent, like a crash I couldn’t stop. Griff had been right to bench me. I wasn’t okay.
Minutes dragged on. The pain in my face pulsed more urgently where Teddy’s fist had struck, but I didn’t move. I couldn’t.
“I’m so sorry, Coach.”
The voice came from the doorway. I didn’t need to look up to know it was Teddy Valentine standing there at the edge of my room.
His words replayed in my head.
Something tells me you’re a colossal idiot who just lost the most intriguing woman in San Francisco. Frankie… she’s a fucking goddess.
CHAPTER TEN
TEDDY
I couldn’t stand the sight of her tears. It was the second time in three years I’d seen her cry, and it gutted me. This woman was the toughest person I knew, and that jackass had tried to destroy her.
I wanted to punch him all over again.
My fingers tightened around the bag of corn I’d found in her freezer. There wasn’t much in there, but this would do.
Frankie didn’t lift her head, didn’t even move.
I knew I was crossing a line. Stepping into my coach’s bedroom, pushing past every boundary. But I couldn’t stop myself. I was standing at the edge of her bed, and she was in a dark blue silk robe, the bottom of it parted to reveal one bare leg. Her skin was creamy, unblemished, stretched tight over muscles that were defined and strong. I’d never been with a woman who had arms or calves as powerful as hers.
I took a deep breath, trying to ignore the way my body was reacting. I lowered myself to the side of her bed, my knee slamming into the floor with a shock of pain that shot up my leg. “Come on, Coach. Look at me. We need to ice your face where I…” I swallowed. I’d hit my coach. Accident or not, it was my fault.
“I’m fine, Valentine.” The pillow muffled her voice, but I knew better. Growing up with three sisters had taught me how to recognize deflection. She didn’t want me to see her as weak, but what she didn’t know was that tears didn’t scare me.
Three sisters.
“I don’t think you are.” I sighed, feeling the weight of it all. “Look, if you don’t let me help you, I’m going to spend the rest of my life thinking you hate me because I punched you. And I’m not sure I can live with that.”
“Teddy?”
She rolled over, and my heart stopped.
“Yeah, Coach?”
“Shut up.” She snatched the corn from my hand and pressed it to her face.
