He shifts slightly, lessening the distance between us, and for a euphoric moment, I wonder if he’s leaning in to kiss me. His eyes dart down to my lips, and butterflies erupt in my stomach.
We both jump when Jamie’s phone rings. “Shit. It’s my coach. I need to take this.”
“Of course,” I reply, watching as he stands from the couch, quickly striding across the room to exit my townhouse. Flash whimpers in her sleep, then sighs loudly. I feel the same way, girl.
“Coach.”I say as I answer the phone, quietly closing Audrey’s storm door behind me. I probably didn’t need to come outside to take this call, but I need the fresh air. I was a split second away from kissing her, simply because she seemed so genuinely compassionate about my seafood allergy, and then she touched my arm. What the fuck is wrong with me?
“I made a bet with Bennett Davenport of the Wolves, and I lost.” Bennett Davenport is Jax’s coach. While Jax hasn’t had anything truly negative to say about Bennett, he also hasn’t spoken very highly of him either. Then again, no one except for me seems to be on a first-name basis with Silas Youngstown as he begins his second year as the Coyotes head coach.
“Okay?” I ask, confused. All kinds of bets are made in sports. Usually it’s dumb things like wearing the same underwear for a straight week, or eating a specific thing right before practice. I don’t know why this impacts me.
“We played golf today, and I lost.”
“And if you had won?”
“He’d have to buy me season tickets for the Wolves in one of the suites.”
“And since you lost?”
Silas growls audibly, and I stifle a laugh. Coach is pretty gruff. Rough around the edges. He glowers on the sidelines, hates doing post-game interviews, and keeps an incredibly small circle of friends. In his late forties, he has no idea that there are hundreds of forums and groups based solely on how attractive women think he is. Or if he does know about them, he keeps that to himself. About an inch or two taller than me, his salt-and-pepper hair has just enough silver to give him a distinguished quality, and an ever-present five o’clock shadow makes him look even rougher.
“I have to participate in your stupid auction.”
“What?” I shout, loudly laughing.
“We were tied on the ninth hole, and a fucking gust of wind took my ball all the way across the green. Davenport is convinced it was meant to be. I call bullshit.”
“Should have said you had to play eighteen instead of nine holes.”
“We couldn’t. He had something to get to. Or maybe he made it up, because I was ahead the whole damn time.”
“You understand what the auction is, right?” I ask, unable to withhold the smile that is evident in my tone. The women are going to go absolutely nuts for him, and he’ll hate every minute of it.
“I know it’s a date with me. Am I allowed to set the parameters? Like we meet for a thirty minute coffee?”
“Uh, we haven’t decided that yet. I’ll get back to you.” I’m totally going to add a minimum time to the rules now.
“Jamie,” he growls. “I don’t want to fucking do this.”
“I didn’t make the bet, Silas. You did. This is all on you.”
When he doesn’t respond, I check my screen to see the jerk hung up on me. I’m not surprised.
Knocking quietly on Audrey’s storm door, I open it to find her on the floor next to her dog, speaking softly. I can only imagine what she’s telling Flash. I bet she’s explaining how the medication works, any side effects Flash might have, and how hopeful she is that Flash regains the use of her legs.
“Hey,” I say quietly. Audrey jolts, rolling over to face me, and I have to force myself not to groan. Spread out on the floor, she looks like a present I wish I could unwrap.
“Everything okay?” she asks as she quickly stands up. Her hair, no longer perfectly coiffed in her bun, makes her look even more perfect. Small tendrils fall against her head in haphazard directions, and I love how she looks approachable and innocent. Stunning.
Mine.
For fuck’s sake. I have got to get a hold of my emotions here.
“Yeah, it was my coach. He lost a bet with the Wolves coach, so now he has to do the bachelor auction,” I tell her, grinning widely.
She gives me a hesitant smile. “And we’re … happy about this?”
“Hell yes, we are! Coach has no idea how feral Denver women are for him. Or if he does know, he never brings it up. But they love him. I think he’ll get the highest number of bids.”
