Page 102 of Against the Clock

Kelsey takes the bag, opening it carefully. “A sausage, egg and cheese?” she asks, and her voice is delighted and slightly more awake.

“Did I do okay?”

“Heck yeah. This is the perfect breakfast after too many Darius cocktails.”

“Are you hungover?”

She shrugs. “Not really. A little, maybe. I only had three or four.”

“Ah, to have the liver of a twenty-five-year-old,” I say dramatically.

“With great power comes great responsibility,” she says knowingly.

We grin at each other like idiots for a moment.

“Well,” I say, getting up and slapping my hands together briskly. “We gotta get going.”

“What time is it?”

“Seven AM.”

She blinks at me, her eyebrows rising. Fuck, she’s so cute.

“Where are we going at seven AM on a Saturday?”

I point to a pile of clothes on the chair in the corner. “You’ll see.”

Kelsey gets out of bed gracefully, sipping her latte and then taking a bite of the sandwich. I can’t stop watching her. I keep waiting for the bloom of my fascination with her to wear off, keep thinking that it’s some kind of infatuation, but the more I get to know her, the more obsessed with her I feel.

Today’s going to be so fucking fun. I love bye weeks.

She bends over and the t-shirt I put her in to sleep last night rides up, showing off the thick curve of her ass.

“What’s this?” Her voice is still fuzzy with sleep, but slightly more alert now that she’s out of bed.

“Your uniform,” I tell her gleefully.

“My what?” she glances at me over her shoulder, and there’s slight shock in her expression. Ha. I love surprising her.

“Your uniform,” I repeat.

She chugs the latte, and I don’t hold back my laugh as she sets the cup down, then holds up the royal blue shirt. “Assistant Coach Kelsey?” she reads off the back.

Her eyes are narrowed.

“You’re going to be helping me coach youth football this morning.”

Her expression darkens slightly, and I hold up a hand.

“Don’t worry, it’s no-contact, and it’s hilarious. The kids are like little feral animals. They’re going to love you. We play games with them, it’s a lot of fun. I promise you’ll have a good time. Do you trust me?”

Her lips twist to the side and she eyes the empty coffee cup where she set it on the floor. “I’m going to need more coffee.” She puts the whistle on over her shirt, though, tugging her hair through it.

“More coffee. You got it, Coach.”

She rolls her eyes, but grins in spite of herself. “This is not what I was expecting to do today.”

“You mad?” I ask, my heart sinking. Maybe this was a terrible idea.

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