Page 24 of Not My Coach

Feeling like I shouldn’t push my luck too far, I stop outside of the players bench, watching quietly.

Peering to my right, I see the coaches huddled up, talking about something I can’t make out. Nate somehow senses my presence because not a second later, he steps away from the group and turns right in my direction, locking eyes with me.

He holds me in place, and I think if the building caught on fire, I still would be unable to pull away.

“Evie!” Brett calls, causing Nate to tear his gaze from mine, dropping his eyes to his feet as he walks closer to me toward the exit of the bench.

“Hey, Brett!” I shout back as the door in front of me opens.

Nate stands tall in his clean and crisp three-piece suit, towering over me, but not meeting my eyes.

“Excuse me, ma’am,” he murmurs, his deep, husky voice coiling around my spine and pulling me toward him.

“Ma’am?” I chuckle softly, batting my eyelashes up at him. “What happened to sweetheart?”

His eyes fall to mine, and it feels like a hot iron is pressed against my chest from the intensity. His gaze trails to my neck and then drops down to my low-cut, distressed T-shirt, and his jaw clenches.

I pat his shoulder and step to his side as I whisper, “Don’t worry; the marks you left are all covered.”

“Evie,” he warns, his voice so deep and quiet that it’s almost undetectable, but I feel it deep in my bones.

“Did you get the stuff from Laura?” Brett asks, stepping into the players bench and walking over to me.

“Excuse me. Nice to meet you, Ms. Burns.” Nate’s voice is cold and professional.

“Have a good night, Coach Carrington,” Brett says, and I mentally store the information.

“Not yet, heading there now. Just wanted to pop in and see you first.” I smile at him.

Someone yells something our way, and I can only make out the words sister and hot.

Brett looks away and shouts, “Watch your mouth, Jensen!”

I have no idea what Jensen Donnelley said, but I can probably guess he was talking about me being the hot sister.

When I glance back at Nathaniel, he is stopped dead in his tracks a few feet behind me and glaring at Jensen like he wants to kill him. My core clenches at the possessive gleam in his eye. I knew he wasn’t as detached from me as his dismissal sounded.

He looks my way, and I almost jump backward at the ferocity. He looks like he’s angry and he wants to tear me apart. Too bad I am the type of girl that would run to a predator, thinking I could pet it versus running away.

“Yeah, yeah.” Brett is still talking to someone on the ice, and I turn back around, focusing on him.

“All right, Eve. I gotta get back out there. We should catch a movie or something soon. I miss you.” He steps out of the players bench and wraps his arms around me.

“I miss you too, Bubba,” I say genuinely and squeeze him back.

I don’t know where my nickname for him came from, but I have called him Bubba for as long as I can remember.

He shoves my face with his glove as he pulls away from me.

“You little shit!” I scold him, and part of me wants to rush after him, but I also don’t want to embarrass him in front of his friends.

Hopefully, Nate didn’t leave yet and I can find him again. Making my way back to the offices, I pass Laura’s office, seeing the lights off and a couple of bags set outside of it, full of Brett Burns merchandise.

Scooping the bags up, I catch a glint of a silver nameplate on a door across the hall—Coach Carrington. I’m standing in front of the door with my hand on the door handle before I know it.

My heart is racing so loud as I close my eyes, push the handle down, throw the unlocked door open, and step inside, shutting it quickly behind me.

My breathing is erratic as I open my eyes and find that the office is empty and the man of the hour is not here.

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