My brow tilts upward, and she has my full attention.
“And how many men have you had an arrangement like this with?”
“You’d be the first,” she admits. “But the truth is, I don’t like you. I actually hate being in your presence. Your attitude grates on my nerves …”
“But?” I ask, crossing my arms over my chest.
“But the physical attraction is?—”
“Dangerous,” I finish for her.
“Just physical. No feelings, no strings attached. We can help each other.”
I stare at her and wait for her to say she’s joking, but the words never come.
I release a ragged breath. “Your father would never forgive me. And my brother …” I shake my head.
“We tell no one,” she says.
I gently brush her dark hair from her shoulders, noticing the pucker of her lips.
Coach Hart gave me a chance when no one else would. He saw something in me during tryouts that other coaches missed, and he’s spent years molding me into the player I am today. He’s the reason I have this career, this life, this beautiful home at The Park. And his only rule, the one thing he’s ever asked of me, is to stay away from his daughter.
“Don’t think so,” I tell her.
“Why?”
“Because I don’t like you. And you’re a terrible liar.”
“I don’t like you either,” she says. “That’s what makes this perfect.”
“So, you want to hate-fuck me?”
“Exactly. I think …” She tucks her bottom lip into her mouth. “We’d have a lot of fun together.”
I stare at her, convinced I’m dreaming. “You’re serious.”
“You know what? Forget it.”
She moves toward the door, and I grab her wrist, pulling her back to me.
Coach trusts me. He defended me when the media dragged my name through the mud. He’s gone to bat for me more times than I can count. And I’m about to betray every ounce of that trust because I can’t keep my hands off his daughter.
But I’ve never been a good man when it comes to her.
“Rules,” I hear myself say. “We need to make them.”
“We text each other when we want to meet up. It needs to stay a secret. I won’t tell Addison, and you can’t tell your teammates, no one.” Her voice is steadier now that we’re negotiating. “Nothing changes in public.”
“Obviously,” I tell her. “We should keep going on dates, like we’re pursuing relationships. This keeps people from asking questions. The paps love me, Kendall. You can never be seen with me,” I tell her. “Ever.”
“Super easy.”
“Now, I need you to understand something.” I step closer until her back hits the wall. I brush the back of my finger down her cheek. “You can date whoever you want and kiss whoever you want, but no one else touches you. Your pussy is mine, Kendall. No one else’s. Not even your own. Every orgasm you have belongs to me.”
“That goes both ways then.” Her voice wavers, but her eyes stay locked on mine.
“And if one of us finds someone that we want to sleep with or pursue more seriously, this ends. We never discuss it. If you tell anyone, I will publicly call you a liar and humiliate you.”
