“Walker, stop that,” she said, hating the way her cheeks were heating up. “This is serious, my career is on the line here, there are things you can’t say…”
“Sorry, you probably weren’t ready for that,” he said, but he was grinning and not looking the least bit apologetic. “I’ll try to behave myself, but it’s almost impossible when I’m around you.”
She stared at him for a second, anger welling up inside her. “Okay, that’s it, I can’t do this anymore, I don’t know what’s wrong with you, but this has to stop,” she said, hating the tears that sprang to her eyes. “Don’t flirt with me like I’m one of your…conquests, you had your chance with me and you threw it away. Acting like nothing happened isn’t going to erase the past. I really cared about you, Walker, I thought we had something special, but I was clearly wrong. I fell for your lines once, but it will never happen again, so save your energy for someone who doesn’t know the real you.”
She turned away from him, afraid that the tears were going to spill down her cheeks, then managed to take a couple of steps toward the door before she felt his hands on her shoulders. Hating the wave of warmth that instantly spread through her, she shrugged his hands off, then headed for the door again, but he caught up to her and this time blocked her path, forcing her to look up at him.
“I was a first-class idiot back then, heck, I still am, I haven’t behaved very well lately either,” he said, looking into her eyes. “I really am sorry about all of it. I just didn’t know how to handle my feelings for you. I still don’t, but I’m finally smart enough to know that I made a mistake. I shouldn’t have treated you that way, I should have talked to you, I should have let you know what I was feeling, it just all felt so complicated. I wasn’t sure what to do, so I ran away.”
She studied him for a second, seeing only sincerity in his eyes, and her anger began to melt away. “I think I can forgive youfor treating me that way, but it’s going to be a long time before I can trust you again,” she said, then sighed and stepped back from him. “No more flirting, no more innuendos, we keep this professional, or I’ll find another internship.”
Walker looked a little disappointed. “I guess that’s fair,” he said, then grinned at her. “But I’m not making any promises. That way I won’t have to break them.”
“Walker, I mean it,” she warned, but warmth was slowly spreading through her body and she knew her resistance to him was weak. “Behave yourself or you’ll be riding that bike alone.”
“No way, we’re going swimming, remember?” he asked, the grin still firmly in place. “Water aerobics or something like that, right?”
“You want to do water aerobics?” she asked, unable to stop the smile that spread across her face. “Fine, you’re on, but just remember you asked for it.”
“That and more,” he said, then winked at her. “I hope you have a two piece…”
She didn’t wait to hear more, just spun and walked out of the room, the sound of his laughter following her into the gym. “Walker and I are moving to the swimming pool tomorrow, evidently his little tooshie is too fragile for those hard bike seats,” she told Carol when she found her sitting on the bleachers watching practice. “I’m going home now, I’ve had all the Walker I can take for one day.”
Carol studied her for a second, then burst out laughing.
“You can’t fool me,” she said, giving her a hug. “You love him and you know it.”
CHAPTER 9
***WALKER***
Walker limped out of the training room just as practice was over. He was feeling pretty good about the afternoon, even if his knee was actually hurting from wearing the brace; it was the price he had to pay to keep his secret. Wondering if he would have to keep up the charade for the full three weeks, he made his way over to where the team was meeting with the coach and stood, listening, as the frustration welled up when he realized how much he missed playing.
Distracting himself with trying to win Maddie over was helping, but he couldn’t help but mourn the weeks he’d be off the court, time he would never be able to make up. Trying to think like the adult he was supposed to be, he told himself he could use the time to figure out what he wanted to do after graduation, really put some effort into it, make lists and all that. Just thinking about it exhausted him, but he had to do something and soon, there wasn’t much time left before he’d get left behind.
“Okay, boys, get out of here and get some rest, we’ve got a game in two days and I want you in top form,” Coach said, interrupting his thoughts. “I don’t have to tell you how important this game is. We need this win to put ourselves at the top of the bracket.”
The team began to cheer, and the coach waited until it died down, a big smile on his face. “That’s right, we’re going to crush them and get that trophy this year,” he yelled, pumping his fist. “Go Tigers, we’re number one.”
After a lot more chanting, the team finally broke up and headed for the locker room, and he headed for the bleachers where he’d left his stuff, more than ready to go home and take off the stupid brace. Lost in his thoughts, he didn’t notice Thomas walking up behind him until he felt his hot breath on his neck and froze, every muscle in his body tensing up.
“I bet you think that you’re pretty smart,” he hissed in his ear. “Faking an injury to get close to Maddie, that’s brilliant, but there’s only one problem, it won’t work.”
“Back off, Thomas, before you’re sorry,” he said, holding himself perfectly still, afraid of what he might do if he moved. “Don’t start something you can’t finish.”
“Those are some big words, Price,” Thomas said, but he felt him back off. “I was just wondering what will happen when you make your move on Maddie, I mean, she could get in so much trouble for getting involved with a patient, it breaks some kind of code or something. I would sure hate to see that happen, I mean if someone…I don’t know who…turned in an anonymous tip that something was going on between you two, well, Maddie might get kicked out of the program. It could ruin her whole life.”
He slowly turned around, trying to fight the instinct to protect Maddie. “That would be pretty low even for you, Thomas,” he growled. “I don’t know what you think that would gain, but if you mess with Maddie, I promise that you’ll be sorry. I told you to leave her out of this.”
“I tried that,” Thomas said, looking down at his knee. “It didn’t work out very well, so I think I’ll try a different tactic. If Maddie gets hurt in the process, well…you only have yourself to blame; you should have stayed down when you had the chance.”
White hot fury exploded inside him, and his vision filled with red. “You tripped me,” he spat at Thomas, those few seconds suddenly crystal clear in his memory. “You stuck out your foot just as I came by…”
“It was a split-second decision,” Thomas said, shrugging his shoulders. “I thought there for a second it blew up in my face, but just the opposite, now I’ve got you just where I want you. If you put one hand on Maddie, I’ll report the two of you for inappropriate behavior. Her career will be toast and she’ll come running to me to save her, then we’ll see who’s so smart.”
He could only stare at Thomas for a second, then realized he was serious. “You’re delusional, that will never work,” he said, shaking his head. “Give it up Thomas, you failed. Maddie doesn’t want you, she wants me.”
“We’ll see about that,” Thomas said, a look of confidence on his face. “You’re going to screw up, Price, and I’ll be there to pick up the pieces. I’ll be watching you, and I won’t be the only one. I’ve got friends all over campus; nowhere will be safe.”
