Page 12 of Undeniable

Slowly and before I even knew what I was doing, I licked the pad of my thumb, leaned forward, and brushed my finger over the mark.

“Wha—” Ivy jumped and stuttered, but her argument broke off when she realized what I was doing. I heard her breath catch in her throat, but I was transfixed on the spot halfway up her thigh where my thumb brushed against her skin. I pressed down slightly harder and scrubbed back and forth until the blue vanished.

But even when it did, I didn’t pull away. Ivy stilled under my hand, her body tense. She didn’t make a move to remove my hand or ask me to stop. I chanced a look at her face and was surprised by what I found. She was also staring down at the place where I was touching her. The blush hadn’t disappeared from her cheeks and her jaw was slack like she enjoyed the sight.

My fingers wrapped around the inside of her thigh and moved less than an inch higher before I squeezed. The second my grip tightened, my eyes found her face once again. That time I not only heard her sharp intake of breath but saw it, too.

It was satisfying to watch her eyes flare. I noticed each of her minute reactions, ones she couldn’t contain, no matter how hard she tried.

The moment I contemplated what she would do if I inched even higher, a quick knock sounded from her door only a split second before Ms. Sharpe pushed it open.

Ivy jumped and whipped her head around as I righted myself in my chair and angled my body in the opposite direction to hide the new…problemI was suddenly sporting.

“How’s it goin’?” Ms. Sharpe asked, completely dissipating any lingering tension in the room.

When Ivy didn’t answer, I cleared my throat and said, “Not too bad.”

She smiled. “Great. Well, James, your parents are here and dinner is ready. Why don’t y’all take a break and come eat? The project will be there when you’re done.”

Ivy quickly stood from the bed, crinkling several papers that she’d earlier been worried about messing up. “We were done anyway. Right, James?”

And I didn’t miss the double meaning in her words. Ms. Sharpe left the room and Ivy followed close behind but turned back quickly to glare in my direction. But that glare didn’t undo every little reaction she’d given me only seconds earlier.

No, I didn’t think we were even close to being done.

FIVE

Ivy

“Thanks,ladies! Rosters will be posted on the school’s website on Monday and preseason practice will begin on Wednesday.”

Quiet applause erupted throughout the gym and a few of the girls stopped to say how excited they were for the season while on their way to the locker rooms. Misty—or Coach P as the girls referred to her—patted me on the back.

“Hell of a tryout, Coach. But I’m so glad it’s over.”

I groaned in relief. “I couldn’t agree more. But I think this season is going to turn out pretty well.”

Across the courts, our assistant coach, Jasmin—or JJ to the girls—was working to take down one of the nets since I told the players to just head home after a tiring week. As was customary with all the teams I coached, it was the players’ jobs to help the coaches and staff raise and lower the nets. But after three days of two-a-days, I thought they deserved a break.

Misty and I started work on the other net as we discussed the starting varsity lineup and our upcoming games.

The previous head coach had retired after nearly twenty years of coaching the girls volleyball team, so I had a lot riding on the season. Coming in as a new coach to any program was stressful, but following up a career like that and a state title run the year before? I was feeling the pressure.

I’d coached our team in Willowwood, but it was a small school and there were a few seasons I didn’t think we’d even have enough players to make a full team. Going into tryouts that week, I felt like an impostor—someone pretending to have the credentials to be a varsity volleyball coach.

But I needed out of Willowwood. I didn’t think I was going to survive another second there, and the job became available at exactly the right time. When I felt the world collapsing in on me, I knew escape was the only option.

With the gym back to normal and my assistant coaches already gone, I jumped when one of the gym doors opened abruptly. My head whipped around, but my fear quickly morphed into confusion as Amanda peeked her head inside.

“Amanda?” I questioned, and she swung her attention to me across the gym, a wide smile splitting her face.

“Ivy!” she exclaimed and walked inside. The click of her shoes against the gym floor echoed through the empty space.

“What—what are you doing here?”

I’d been working at Murphy’s for nearly two weeks and had spent more and more time with the petite blonde. She was outspoken and outgoing. She also had my other two bosses, Josh and Reed, wrapped around her finger. It was hilarious to watch the throuple interact and her two guys give in to her every will and request with little argument.

She wasn’t there too often since Josh mainly ran things at the bar, but I looked forward to the times she stopped in and had a drink. And it wasn’t just because she doled out compliments like they were candy on Halloween.

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