Page 11 of Love Game

“I’m just saying.” Mike shrugged. “A Lab or a shepherd maybe.”

A lazy wide receiver loped down field, still chasing the ball as it bounced end over end toward the far sideline. “I’m cutting that kid,” Danny said without a glance in Mike’s direction.

“Your roster isn’t deep.”

The statement was a reminder, not a warning, and Danny knew it. “I’d take an enthusiastic water boy over a slug like that.”

“You’re the coach.” For the first time since Danny had stepped foot on campus, his friend broke out a genuine smile. “So, Millie wants you to—”

He didn’t bother to hide his wince. The conversation he’d had with the head of the PR department had been oddly confrontational, though he couldn’t for the life of him figure out what he’d done to offend the woman. “Yeah, I talked to her. I don’t see how—”

He was cut off by a shout of, “Hey, Coach!”

His head popped up automatically. He scanned the overgrown field looking for who’d called him, but every player was facing the road, not him. He shot Mike a puzzled glance, then searched the field again. “The hell?”

Shielding his eyes from the slanting afternoon sun, he caught sight of a slender, shapely silhouette set off against the fender of a classic Mustang convertible. Recognition kicked in, and a burst of warmth pulsed through his veins.

Two weeks had passed since he’d started picking apart the film on his half-assed football team. He’d tried to erase the image of Kate Snyder sauntering down those steps, her hand extended and her sharp jaw set. The sight of her lifting weights encased in nothing more than a yard or so of skintight spandex fired his imagination to the point that he’d skipped his workout three days in a row, something he hadn’t done since…ever.

He’d been avoiding her. Fat lot of good that did. Even from this distance, he could tell he’d failed at banking the inferno her cool handshake sparked in him. Dangerous. The woman was dangerous. He needed to remember that. Career suicide on legs.

His pulse rate kicked up when she pushed away from the car and started toward the field. Danny rolled his shoulders back and widened his stance. Fit as he was, he clenched his abs just a little bit as he watched those long legs eat up the ground. In a gesture he was coming to realize was habit, she tucked her shiny, brown hair behind her ear, then shooed the slackers away.

“Back to work, or I’ll have all y’all running laps,” she called to his players.

Beside him, Mike stiffened and shot him a sidelong look, but Danny wasn’t about to take the bait. He wasn’t an impressionable young player or the hot-headed prima donna he’d once been. He wasn’t about to let a woman trip him up. Never again.

“Afternoon, Coach Snyder,” he called as she approached. “What brings you here?”

“I was just driving by on my way home, and I saw you boys out here.”

She made one of those flirty, fluttery gestures meant to deflect and distract. It wasn’t until Danny caught himself staring at those graceful fingers that he realized how powerful a weapon it truly was. Giving himself an internal shake, he forced himself to step forward rather than retreat. This was his turf, damn it. Literally. He wasn’t about to challenge her on the basketball court. She needed to stay the hell away from his practice field.

What little action he had happening on the field ground to a halt. Only old Mack Nord had the ability to keep his head in the game when Kate Snyder happened past, and he’d returned to the drill he was running with a friendly wave. The other two guys Danny had inherited as assistant coaches weren’t so cool. Neither were the players who were pulling cell phones out of he didn’t want to know where and snapping photos as if her appearance marked the start of coffee-break time.

He nodded to the milling players and raised his voice. “As you can see, we have our work cut out for us. Don’t we, fellas?”

The phones disappeared, and his team snapped back into action. After all, they had an audience to impress now. Danny focused his attention on the woman in front of him. That was both a blessing and a curse. Her eyes were big and thickly lashed, a medium brown that might have looked muddy if not for liberal flecks of gold. The healthy glow of her skin was the kind no cosmetic could mimic. Her lips were bare and pink and fucking perfect. He forced himself to look away as he grappled to gain the upper hand.

“Nice of you to stop by.” He managed a smile he hoped wasn’t as dorky as it felt. He couldn’t make a bigger fool of himself than the gaggle of man-children showboating up and down the field. “I can’t wait to crash one of your practices.”

A hint of color appeared in her cheeks, and she lowered her gaze, shuttering the flash of annoyance that flared in those mesmerizing eyes. She tipped her head just enough to free the curtain of silky, brown hair. He had to curl his fingers into his palm to keep from touching it.

He heard Mike’s warning cough, but it sounded a million miles away. It didn’t matter anyway. Nothing in the world could have pried his eyes from the pearly flush creeping up her throat. The urge to chase it with his mouth hit him like a two-by-four upside the head. She swayed slightly, and he followed, leaning into her as if they were connected by an invisible string.

A string their esteemed athletic director seemed to be determined to snap. Thank Christ.

Mike executed an expert pivot and inserted his shoulder between them, effectively drawing Danny’s attention. “Other than the green-gold game, Coach Snyder doesn’t hold open practice sessions.”

Glancing from the AD to the glorious woman across from him, Danny forced a tight smile. “Yeah, I never did either, but I guess there’s no way to block the lookie-loos out here.”

Kate’s eyebrows rose. The effect was almost as potent as the smile she’d used to subdue his players. Lines creased her high forehead, but the marks only made her more attractive. They spoke of a life lived open to surprise and amusement. The sudden need to know every little thing that tickled her funny bone or ticked her off made Danny’s mouth run dry. He needed to know so he could figure out how to rank number one in both of those categories.

“Lookie-loos?” Her smile was syrupy sweet. She leaned in closer and lowered her voice. “If that’s the case, I hope you can find some soon.” She made a point of scanning the nonexistent sidelines for equally nonexistent fans. “Seems kind of…sad out here.”

Kate glanced down, and he had to force himself to unclench his fists. Of course, he was a second too late. Her smile widened as she backed away.

“The Sentinel is looking for an interview,” she announced, darting a glance at the boss man.

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