Before I knew what was happening, he issued a savage punch to my jaw.
After that, all hell broke loose, punches being thrown.
The sound of two shrill whistles while security started ripping us apart didn’t seem to faze anyone.
I managed to get off a couple of brutal punches to Nick’s face as well, offering a solid undercut that sent him reeling.
“That is it, gentlemen. One more time and you’re both suspended. Now, get the fucking hell out of my face.” The coach turned in a full circle, giving every man left in the room a hard, harsh glare with me taking the ending blow of anger.
He cursed under his breath as he walked away, but Bobby remained in the room, glaring at me as if I’d started the whole thing.
We all stood staring at each other for a few minutes before I finally grabbed my shirt and shoes, trying my best to ignore the others.
Just when I headed from the room, Bobby grabbed my arm. “I don’t know what you’re doing, Steven, but I can tell you thatyou have one more chance. Don’t blow this. Find your center. Somehow. Some way. What I saw out there was pure magic, but you’re an angry man. If you don’t fix that, you’re going to ruin your entire career and I would fucking hate to see that happen.”
He was right. They were all right.
When I’d been with Christine, I felt like myself for the first time in so long it was shocking. But just being away from her for twelve hours and I was losing my shit.
What in the fuck was wrong with me?
What?
The aggressiveness inside was getting worse.
With the thought still in my head, I moved down the corridor, continually looking to ensure I hadn’t been followed. My private life was still my private life, at least at this point.
When I closed in on the maintenance shop, I rounded a corner and there she sat in a pretty little skirt and heels, waiting patiently where I’d gone off the deep end.
The second she fully came into view, I was thrown not only by her beauty but also by my body’s reaction to her. It was ten times as strong as it had been before. Ten fucking times.
While I was no expert, the connection certainly seemed far too strong to just be about our shared passion. There went my hands again, clammy as they were the night before.
And my heart? Forget about it.
It was thudding against my chest wall with enough force the sound was echoing.
I didn’t even get close and she felt my presence, standing and turning toward me. At first, she smiled, albeit sheepishly, her entire body tense as if full of nerves.
“Hi,” I said, feeling as awkward as I had my entire life. As I walked closer, I gathered a strong whiff of her perfume. Today was something deliciously floral mixed with a delicate group of spices. Shit, my cock was completely aroused, making the act of walking uncomfortable.
“Hi. I’m sorry to drop by. I didn’t know if you’d be here.” She took a few steps closer, stopping short. “You’re bleeding. What happened?” Reaching out, she brushed her finger across my bottom lip first, brushing the tips to the cut just under my eye, and it was all I could do not to yank her into my arms. “This one looks bad. You might need a couple stitches.”
“Oh, it’s nothing.” When I dragged my tongue across the split caused by Nick’s punch, my tongue danced across her heated skin. “Just a little skirmish with a member of my team.”
Her eyes opened as wide as I’d seen them, a sweet laugh breaching the surface. “Hmmm… What happened?”
“Nothing but a disagreement.” I scanned the perimeter, ensuring we were alone. “What are you doing here?”
She laughed, this time nervously. “I hope you don’t mind I had Steve see if you were in the building.”
Damn it, this was much more awkward than I thought it would be. “No, not at all. Is something wrong?”
“No. Nothing is wrong, but I know exactly how you can repay me for destroying my beautiful, once in a lifetime find flowers.”Her laugh was way too provocative, which meant my cock was already throbbing.
“Once in a lifetime, huh?”
“Yep. You can also call this a big favor.” She was now batting her eyelashes, trying to drive me crazy. It was working.
