“Low-key, why?”
“Oh, I figured since you hadn’t had anycompanyfor the past two nights that maybe it was because of me.”
“You stayed out longer because you thought I wanted to invite a woman over?” She gave a small nod, and I shook my head. A tad irked by her assumption, I couldn’t help but spout a bit more aggressive than I wanted to, “Regardless of if you’re here or not, if I wanted to invite someone over, I would.” The fact was, I didn’t, and that bugged the hell out of me.
“Right. Of course. As long as I’m not at fault.”
You are, but you don’t know it. Nor do I know why.
“All good. Didn’t mean to snap, sorry.”
She gave me a pretty smile, turned, and headed upstairs while I went to the basement to work out some of my frustrations, and hopefully get a good night’s sleep. But that didn’t happen. Instead, I lay in bed, thinking about the woman down the hall. How in the world would I get through the season not acknowledging the fact that she had me wanting things I shouldn’t?
The fact was, I didn’t think Charlie understood how beautiful she was. Not only that, but she was smart. That she knew, of course. Maybe the guys didn’t know about her brilliant mind. Heck, I wouldn’t have known if she hadn’t rattled off her scholastic résumé to me, but once they found out, they’d either be intimidated or completely turned on.
My head sank into my pillow as I rolled onto my side. All I needed to do was keep it professional. Be the teacher to the student. I wouldn’t be able to help her with the mechanics of kicking—that was way out of my scope of knowledge—but I could teach her how to avoid injury, or at least to try to avoid it.
This week should be interesting.
###
We sat in one of the center rows in the auditorium-style room, waiting for the meeting to begin. Charlie had insisted we get there early. For the past twenty-four hours, she’d been holed up in her room, studying the game. She also spent time in my home gym but hadn’t gone on a run with me since Saturday morning. Maybe it had to do with her surprise kiss in my kitchen. I didn’t know. I didn’t ask. We didn’t speak about it.
Charlie’s right knee rapidly bounced up and down. I leaned over, taking in a whiff of her wildflower scent. “Try not to be so nervous.”
Her lips lifted slightly at the corners before she let out a breath and turned to look at me. Our noses were only an inch apart. “Easier said than done. Everyone is staring at me.”
Pulling my attention from her, I gazed around the room. Charlie wasn’t wrong. A lot of the guys were looking in her direction. They probably thought she was either a cheerleader who got lost or an intern. Either way, I would bet my yearly salary that none would think she was on the team.
Some most likely wanted to hit on her, and that would be a big mistake on their part. A wave of possessiveness washed over me. I had to get my thoughts in check when it came to Charlie. Then laughter came from the front of the room, and when I looked to see why, Lucas and Mack were chuckling with another teammate, Jackson. He played tight end and was best friends with our head coach, Trent Archer, who was also Reese’s husband. There had been zero doubt in my mind that Jackson knew about Charlie.
They walked toward our row and glanced at the empty seats; two were next to me, and one was next to Charlie.
“Hey,” Mack said in his easygoing manner. “This should be exciting.”
“Hi, Mack,” Charlie replied perkily before bringing her focus to Lucas. “Hi, Lucas. It’s nice to see you again.”
“Hey, Charlie. Are you ready for today?”
“I guess I am.”
Jackson walked toward us and offered her his hand. “Jackson Cartwright. Reese has told me a lot about you.”
While slowly pumping his hand up and down, Charlie gazed up at him. “Jackson Cartwright… number eighteen, tight end, played for the DC Rockets before accepting a trade and joining the Thunder. Three all-pro invites, two championships, four playoff appearances, had the third-most receiving yards last year, and averages six yards per carry.”
He beamed and then let out a chuckle. “Wow, really? I sound amazing.” He winked. “I can’t even say my stats that quickly.”
Charlie blushed. “Sorry, I’ve been studying.”
“Don’t apologize. It’s cool that you’re doing your homework.”
“What are my stats?” Mack asked.
Before Charlie could rattle them off, because no doubt she could, the murmurs echoing off the walls silenced, drawing our attention to the podium, where Reese stood alongside Trent and the coaching staff.
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Charlie’s fingers thrumming the wooden armrest. For a moment I almost put my hand over hers to calm her, but I thought better of it. Instead, I leaned over and whispered, “Relax.”
“Good morning,” Reese said. “I’m not going to take too much time, since I’m sure you all want to get to practice. Most of you have met the new draftees at the post-draft party, but there’s a new addition to the team that I’d like to introduce.”