She physically shivers but doesn’t break eye contact. “You don’t want my help, so you’re not in the position to tell me what to do.”
If I were to lean down, and if Chelsea were to go up onto her tippy-toes, we’d be perfectly aligned to crush our lips together and pick up where we left off in Bloomington. But of course, that’s not at all what I should be thinking about right now, when my very football life is at stake.
“Let’s not forget your father commanded you to babysit me,” I remind her. “That means you’re stuck with me, whether you like it or not, so stop pretending you’d have any spare time to coach anyone else.”
“You’ve just proven my point. Given that we’re stuck together, why not use our time together as effectively as possible?” She takes a step forward so that she’s so close, I feel her body heat. “Please trust me, Luca,” she purrs softly. “I promise I won’t let you down.”
I feel every word of that in my balls. “Why do you even care what happens to me?” I rasp out. “Is this only about you proving yourself here, or do you actually give the slightest shit about me specifically?” Fuck. The second the words escape my mouth, I feel exposed, which causes my heart to begin hammering in anticipation of her response. Worried her reply might crush me, I quickly add, “Do you pick up stray dogs on the street and try to save them, too?” God help me, if Chelsea says she’s fighting like hell for me now because she couldn’t shake what happened between us in Bloomington, the same as me, I won’t be able to stop myself from leaning down and kissing the hell out of her, the whole situation be damned.
She clears her throat and her nostrils flare, but she doesn’t break eye contact. “I care because this is the perfect opportunity for me to show my father and everyone else here what I can do, which is exactly why you can trust me. We’re in this together.”
Well, fuck. That wasn’t the answer my heart and dick were hoping for. But in a football sense, it was a good answer. Chelsea’s right. She’s definitely got some skin in the game here.
I take a deep breath and stuff down my raging attraction to her. “I tell you what. I’ll give you three days to coach me, and I’ll listen to you without pushing back. But after that trial period, you’ll hear me out and we’ll make modifications as a team.”
Chelsea sighs.
“It’s my final offer, Chelsea.”
“You’d have to agree this is a completely professional relationship, though. No more flirting with me, Luca.”
I furrow my brow. “I haven’t been flirting with you.”
She scoffs. “You haven’tstoppedflirting with me since yesterday.”
“You’re clearly confusing my extroverted personality and general zest for life for flirting.”
She shakes her head. “You’ve been flirting with me shamelessly.”
“I flirt with everyone. It’s nothing personal.” That’s a baldfaced lie. It’s so fucking personal when it comes to Chelsea Parker, my balls physically ache every time she’s within fifty yards of me.
Chelsea side-eyes me. “So you deny all those smiles, eye-twinkles, and eyebrow waggles were flirting?”
“I’m a twitchy motherfucker. Always have been.”
She giggles. “And all the bicep flexing?”
“What bicep flexing?”
“The kind you’re doing right now.”
I hold out my arm and pointedly flex my bicep. “Baby, my body is my job. Literally. So, yeah, occasionally my muscles might flex. That’s not me flirting, though. That’s just me existing in the body I’ve worked hard to chisel out of sheer grit, sweat, and marble.” When she rolls her eyes at that last thing, I flash her a wicked smile. “It’s nice to know you can’t resist ogling my muscles, though. Thank you.”
“This isn’t going to work.”
“What?”
“You’re not going to get a rise out of me, so don’t bother trying.” She motions between herself and me and adds, “This isn’t going to happen, okay? So give it up.”
“It’s not going to happen because the situation prevents it, or …?”
“Yes, the situation prevents it! In fact, it makes it totally impossible. I’m a professional—one of your position coach’s assistants. Plus, like I keep telling you, my father, the head coach, will cut your ass if he ever notices you looking at me the way you’re doing right now.”
Shit.That little speech wipes the flirtatious smile off my face. She’s right, unfortunately. I’d have to be a real asshole to make a move on a member of the coaching staff, especially a newbie woman who’s working her ass off to gain some respect. And even worse, I’d have to have a goddamned death wish to make a move on my head coach’s daughter.
My shoulders droop in defeat. “Okay. I’ll clean up my act.”
“Thank you. If you were some random, hot guy in a bar, I’d probably have fun flirting with you. But I don’t have that luxury in this situation, and neither do you.”
