Page 30 of Touchdowns and Temptations

My stomach clenches and I press my lips together to keep from making an inappropriate sound.

“No,” I say as calmly as I can. “This is Cara's Mercedes.”

Silence falls between us and Toby exhales.

“Cara?” He laughs. “Cara Catherine Corse?”

“You know another one?” I ask slightly irritated and he rolls his eyes.

“No, but why do you have Cara's car?” he asks, turning to look at the car again.

“I drove her home last night and she left the car with me,” I explain. “I'll get it back to her, don't worry.”

“I'm not worried about the car,” he replies with a wink. “It's nice that you two get along and she's giving you a chance.”

“Yeah,” I mumble. “She's still not giving me a chance. She doesn't want to date football players, she says.”

“I don't think Cara wants to date anyone in general,” Toby interjects. “She's extremely paranoid that every guy is only interested in her dad and not her.”

“She told me that too,” I say, not sure if I should tell him more. Yes, they are friends and get along well, but I don't want to discuss Cara's secrets and problems with him. She won't like it. “She doesn't like to be told about her dad, but she knows all the statistics herself,” I say after a few seconds.

“That's typical of Cara,” Toby replies amused. “She's Michael's biggest fan and really knows every statistic, but as soon as a guy knows anything about him, she sees red.”

It's strange to hear Toby talk so intimately about Cara and her family. If I didn't know better, I'd say there's another feeling rising up inside of me. Is it jealousy? I hope not. That would be bad, because then I'd be more involved than I wanted to be.

“Do you know why?” I ask, holding the door to the training building open for him.

“Not really,” he says. “I know she had some guys who promised her the moon and then shot her down as soon as they met her father and took a picture with him. High society in New York and Boston isn't so high anymore when it comes to sports legends. Her dad is the greatest of them all.”

“Oh wow,” I reply, entering the locker room and going to my locker. “So, what am I supposed to do?”

Toby shrugs.

I sigh and open my locker to change.

“Give her time,” he advises me with a smile on his face. “Make friends with her and prove to her that you're not interested in Michael.”

“Hm,” I say, getting out of my jeans. “I hope this works.”

“Definitely,” he says, winking at me. “She'll fall for your charm.”

“What charm?” asks Alex, stepping up to the locker next to mine. “He doesn't have any.”

“But you do?” Toby replies belligerently. “Half the women who go to bed with you only want to screw a football player once.”

“So what?” Totally unimpressed, Alex shrugs. “We all get something out of it, right?”

“Of course,” Toby says. “We've all seen your dick in every state at least once.”

I ignore their friendly banter and continue to change. Pants, pads and Jersey until I'm finally ready and reach for my helmet. I can't get Toby's words out of my head. Not even when I step onto the field and warm up. Cara probably doesn't want me to leave my thoughts today until I'm back with her. It's just a shame that I'm stuck here for at least another three hours of practice.

***

I enter the Corse Sports Management building and head straight for the elevators. I know Cara told me to leave the key with her assistant, but I don't want to miss the chance to see her. I push the button to call the elevator. To my surprise, it opens immediately and I get in. Smiling, I go to the third floor, where Cara's office is, and lean against the wall. Then I pull my cell phone out of my pocket and open her chat.

*Noah: Are you in the office?

The blue checkmark that indicates the message has been read and three dots appear immediately. I wonder if someone was waiting for my message and wants to see me. I'm probably telling myself that. Cara's main concern is her car.

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