“You better get some ice on that thing.” She abruptly changed the topic. “I’m sure all the ladies would be devastated if I permanently damaged you.”
“All the ladies?” I questioned.
“I’m not naïve, Preston. I know athletes. How you all are.”
The comment sent a spike to my chest.How you all are.Trinity Maxwell had no idea what kind of man I was. And even though I wasn’t allowed to show her, I desperately wanted to.
Two steps had me standing right in front of her. One more inch and she’d be pressed against my bare chest.
A dangerous spot to be in.
“How we all are,” I repeated.
“Birds of a feather.” She lifted a shoulder, like that analogy held all the answers.
Something deep inside me told me she had a good reason. You didn’t have such concrete assumptions without experience.
“I’d never hurt you, Trinity.”
The promise hung between us like a portal. One we knew would suck us in if we let it.
She cleared her throat. “Good luck tomorrow, Coach. Lock the door on your way out.”
Coach.
I hated the reminder. Especially since I was standing in just a pair of athletic shorts, in the middle of the night, in my boss’s daughter’s kitchen, about to ice my cock.
She left the room, and I walked back home, clutching a melted pack of vegetables, while simultaneously fighting an internal battle.
One I didn’t know if I’d ever win.
14
Trinity
Wow.
Game day was serious around here. We spent the morning prepping the players who needed taped up, stretched, oiled, etc. Anything you could think of to get them ready to play some D1 college football. The stands were packed. The band loud, and the players pumped. I waited outside the locker room with Julia as my father delivered a speech that I could hear through the double doors.
“You look good in orange, girl.” Julia grinned as she had her own orange and turquoise shirt on.
“You too, Mama. How are you feeling?”
“Fat.” She laughed.
“You look gorgeous.” A man with curly red hair dropped a kiss on her cheek.
She blushed, rolling her eyes with a smirk. “Trinity, this is my husband, Atticus. He’s full of crap and always late.”
He chuckled and held out his hand. “Nice to meet you, Trinity.” He nodded in his wife’s direction. “I’ve heard a lotabout you this past week.” He leaned closer, his voice a whisper that was less than a secret. “Want my advice? Feed her Twizzlers to stay on her good side.”
“Ignore him.” Julia waved a hand. “He’s just trying to get back in my good graces.” She pushed off the wall she was leaning against. “Can you believe he ate Chipotle without me?”
I shot Atticus a wayward glance. “I’m not sure you can come back from that kind of betrayal.”
Julia pursed her lips before he nuzzled her neck. “I think she’s forgiven me.” He dropped a kiss on her cheek. “Judging from this morning.”
“Atti!” she shrieked, her cheeks flaming as he stole another chaste kiss. “Do your thing, baby.” He raised a hand to me. “Good to meet you, Trinity. Try to keep her from going into labor out there.”
