Page 24 of Change Your Play

In the early, early hours of the morning, I eased out from underneath him and called an Uber to the hotel. Nobody noticed me, and nobody wasgoingto notice me. Not with the super-secret spy moves I pulled in the stairwell.

In the end, I was still twenty minutes earlier than anyone else on my team at the training center, and jumpy at small noises.

Surrounded by Coach Lawson and his team, all I could think about was Miles while I checked items off my clipboard. His hands, all over me. Him, easing inside of me. His praises, muttered into my ear while he—

“Cleo Bennight.”

I glanced up at the sound of my name, but I would've recognized that voice in a crowd. He rounded out my name in the most inappropriate way. It was just aname. But the way he said it, it felt like I needed to cover my ankles.

Miles. Here to complete his one-on-one with the new team captain. Why couldn’t he wait for his spot like everyone else? I needed more minutes to figure out what tosayto him.

But while we were in front of Coach Lawson, I needed to treat him like every other football player.

Even if he came twice inside of me.

“Mr. Locke, I apologize,” I said, busying in front of him, picking up as many papers as I could to appear like I was actuallydoingsomething and not as flustered as humanly possible. “You weren’t going to be called next. We’ll let you know when you’re requested.”

A smirk touched his lips. “That’s how it’s going to be?”

I hesitated, my fingers skimming over the stack of random papers, like his fingers had skimmed over my hips.

Oh, fuck. No. Absolutely not. It was everything I was afraid of.

“Yes. That is exactly how this is going to work,” I said, my voice firm. “As it does for everyone else.”

“Well, I’m not everyone else.”

Cocky bastard.

“Locke,” Coach Lawson barked and I dropped my papers. “First thing about Marrs is that youlistento our team.”

“No, no—” I stopped myself and swallowed back my words.

Oh, shit.

Coach Lawson peered up from his phone. “No?”

It wasn’t a power play from my boss. Coach Lawson was genuinely surprised that I was sticking up for a football player, especially a KYU one. It wasn’t like I was a hardass on the Marrs boys, but I would never let them dig themselves into holes that I couldn’t rescue them from. And that included respecting staff.

Once Coach Lawson took over, respect became a cornerstone of the team. The fact that I was keeping my coach from admonishing a football player…I might as well have swung around a red flag.

Miles held up something into view.

“She meant no because of the coffee I brought her.” He flashed him a respectful smile and shifted back to me. “He’s right, I apologize. I believe wholeheartedly in pleasing your intern.”

I choked.

“White drizzle mocha?” Miles offered, and I stared, dumbfounded, at the cup.

If I took it, was that inappropriate?

But if I didn’t take it, that’d look weird. Because I took it from him when he bought the entire coffee order. But, if I did take it, then I’d have to—

Almostchokeagain when I spotted the name scribbled on the side of the cup.

Future Wife.

“Mi—Locke, Mr. Locke.” I yanked the coffee away from him and covered up the name. “Mr. Locke, while we appreciate the…while we appreciate such a kind gesture, to show the…to show the enormous kindness of Kennedy Young University. You arenotthe next person on our list, and we’ll only be too happy to see you in five spots. No more, no less.”

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