“You know what I mean.” She put a hand on her hip and tossed her long ponytail, but then she gave him the sweetest smile he’d ever seen. Her lips were beautiful, full and irresistible. His mind was racing ahead to many evenings spent at the park with her and Krew; then it raced further ahead to many dates, sometimes with Krew with them, sometimes all alone so Caleb could get a taste of those luscious lips. “Thank you for the treats and drinks,” she said. “It was mighty thoughtful of you. I thought the three of us could share them after y’all get done.”
“I like that idea.”
Krew raced back with the ball and drilled it their way. Caleb instinctively snatched it out of the air with his stick, before it could smack Emily in the abdomen.
“Nice catch,” she said.
“Thanks. Careful where you throw it,” he cautioned Krew.
“Sorry, Coach. Sorry, Mama.” Krew grinned up at them, only partially repentant.
Coach? Caleb liked the sound of that. He liked children, but this little man was special. Where was Krew’s dad? He slung the ball down the field and called, “You got this, Krew!”
“Yes, sir!” Krew took off running.
“You sure you shouldn’t be working more on his passing?” Emily asked dryly.
Caleb chuckled. “It’ll come. He’s a natural.”
Emily nodded. “Thanks, and thanks for doing this with him. He’s in heaven.”
“I’m enjoying it.” Did he tell her he’d been drawn to her more than he’d been drawn to time spent playing lacrosse? Had he ever had such a crazy thought in his life? “Did his dad or you play?”
She shook her head quickly, focused on her child rather than him. “I ran track.”
He waited for something about Krew’s dad, but she didn’t give him anything more. “Ah, that explains why you look like an athlete, but Krew said your awful passes were making him ‘clutch.’”
She laughed. “You noticed that, huh? Yeah, I can run, bike, swim, anything individual, but you throw a ball at me and I’ll duck and scream.”
Caleb smiled. “I won’t ever throw a ball at you.”
“See that you don’t.” She gave him that sassy, sexy, fun look.
Whew. He was a mess for this woman, and it was only day two. Was it the added bonus of the adorable Krew who worshipped him, or could Emily stand all on her own with capturing him like no one ever had? He didn’t want to dredge it up, but he needed to know. “And his dad? Did he play lacrosse?”
She looked away. “His dad plays football, for the Broncos.”
Caleb whipped to look at her. Her smooth jaw was tight, and her full lips were pressed thinner. “Gehring … Jeff Gehring?” he asked.
She nodded shortly and focused on Krew, who was racing back to them, panting for air from his run down the field and back.
Caleb caught the pass from Krew. “Nice job, bud. The cradling looks good. Nobody’s getting that ball from you.”
“Thanks, Coach!”
Caleb launched the ball down the field, and Krew saluted them with his stick and then took off after the ball, a bit slower this time. Caleb considered what he knew about Jeff Gehring. He was an impressive athlete—not a superstar, but a solid player who’d been with the Broncos for three years, traded from the Patriots.
“You know him?” Emily asked.
“You can’t live in Denver and not know the Broncos players.” He gave her what he hoped was a reassuring smile. He noticed she lost her spice as they talked about her ex. The guy was aggressive on the field, had a reputation for being downright mean. This season he’d had some nasty hits, accumulating penalties and fines that had commentators wondering if other players’ safety was a concern with Gehring on the field.
Had he …? Caleb’s neck tightened. “Was he … rough with you or Krew?” Krew was moving much slower than the previous rounds; he’d finished his laps on the field and was walking-slash-jogging back toward them.
“Not horribly. Mean, sometimes scary when he got upset, but he never hurt either of us physically.” She darted a gaze his way.
Caleb read between the lines and decided that he was going to find Jeff Gehring and thrash the guy. Jeff scared her, even if he hadn’t hurt her physically.
“Don’t get all overprotective jock on me,” Emily cautioned.