Page 26 of Kiss Me Tonight

But Dominic is a big boy, both literally and figuratively. He can handle it. Hell, based on what I’ve read online over the years, he’smorethan used to fending off women at every turn. He fended offmejust this weekend, even.

Old habits die hard.

I hate myself a little for letting his words impact me so greatly. In the grand scheme of things, Dominic’s opinion of me means jack squat. So what if he doesn’t find me attractive? There are plenty of guys out there who don’t make my lady parts tingle. Attraction isn’t always a two-way street.

Andthereis your hang-up, my conscience announces like a little traitor.

I promptly shove it into a mental box and flip the lock. I refuse to give any more thought to emotional hang-ups, specifically those that include my ex-husband making me feel like less of a woman.

Big smile now.

It creaks across my face like the reaper of death.

You. Are. Grateful. For. This. Job.

“Having Coach DaSilva on staff will no doubt open some doors for us,” I tell the moms, forgetting about my smile as my love for coaching filters into place. “In the past, I’ve always capped off the end of football camp with a weekend retreat for the players.Everyplayer—even those with families who can’t afford the expense—deserve to go.” One by one, I catch the eye of every woman standing before me in a semi-circle. If I can convince even a quarter of them to help me out, I’ll consider this a success. “It’ll be fun for the boys after two months of hard work, and it’s a great way to solidify their bonds and friendships offthe turf, as well as on it.”

Meredith looks to the field, a pensive expression on her face. “What’re you suggesting, then?”

“A parents’ and staff meeting at the Golden Fleece,” I say, barely leashing my excitement, “maybe this Friday? It’s time to brainstorm and think of ways we can foster a family environment for the Wildcats.”

Instead of a volley of voices rising to meet the cause, I hear the collision of pads and the occasional squawking of seagulls swirling above our heads.

I look to Meredith, hoping she’ll help a girl out. She sways on her feet, announces, “I’m with you!” and then retreats back into the fold.

My clipboard feels like a hundred pounds in my arms. Sweat gathers under my pits. It’s almost laughable that I was put out that not a single one of my players was willing to go to bat for me at the watercooler. Here I am facing down the firing squad—er, theirmothers—and I’m an army of one.

Life must be so damn easy being Dominic DaSilva.

I take a moment to meet the gaze of every woman staring back at me. “While I can’t promise that every one of your boys will end up playing for JV or varsity, I can say with absolute certainty that an experience like a camping trip will be something they remember—”

“Will Coach DaSilva be at the meeting?”

I feel my brows go sky high. “He’s our assistant coach, so . . . yes. His duties aren’t isolated to whenever he’s blowing a whistle and telling the boys to give him more burpees.”

“Oooo,we should have him do a naked calendar!” someone calls out from the back of the pack.

What?“Absolutely not—”

“It’s a calendar forkids,” Meredith counters dryly. “You all do realize that, right?”

“It’s also for charity,” Timmy’s mom declares, her hands folded demurely over her chest. “And we’re the ones in need.”

“Ineedto see his naked chest,” crows someone else.

“September ought to be the month we have him pose with his dick in a sock.”

Startled, I stare at the thirty-something-year-old woman suggesting Dominic wear nothing but footwear on his penis. She has the good grace to look sheepish when she catches my open-mouthed gawking.

Not sheepish enough, though. “The sock is to keep the picture PG-13,” she defends with a loose-limbed shrug. “Plus, September is my birthday month. Happy birthday tome!”

“Have you guys seen DaSilva onPut A Ring On It? The only reason I’m hooked is because he’stotallydreamy. There’s this one shot of him pulling himself out of a pool, and let’s just say, his dick-print is what wet dreams are made of. I mean, I’m guessing he didn’t win the show since he’s here and all . . .”

“Does your husband know you’re salivating over someone else, Belinda?”

Belinda, a blonde who looks like she spends her days on a treadmill, only grins. “May I present to you all what marriage looks like after twenty years, ladies? We each have a celebrity free pass. His is that actress fromHow To Lose a Guy In Ten Days, and mine is Dominic DaSilva. It’s like the gods have answered my prayers because here he is in little old London, looking fineas heckout there in those shorts.”

As one, the women peer around me to check out the view.

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