Page 3 of A Shot at Love

He chuckles again, sending a shudder through my body. My eyes fall closed and my body drifts closer to him without permission. I should really push him away and leave this locker room before I…

“I think I can convince you,” Oliver murmurs in my ear, and within seconds, his mouth is on mine—and to my utter surprise, I’m kissing him back. I’ve kissed a man before, but not like this. Oliver is hungry, he wants me in a relentless way that has me folding myself into him. I wrap my arms around his neck, sighing into his mouth in content. When he runs his tongue along my bottom lip, I open up to him even further.

I move my mouth against his, doing my best to give back as good as I’m getting. A whine escapes me without my permission, and before I’m able to feel shame about it, Oliver’s kissing me even harder. He shifts his hands to the swell of my ass, pulling me flush against his front. His tongue pushes against mine.

I’m wet between my legs, unbelievably turned on by nothing more than a kiss. And, judging by the hardness that’s pressing against me, Oliver’s just as into this as I am. His hips twitch slightly, like he’s looking for more friction.

After a few seconds, he pulls away, and says, “That wasn’t the kiss of someone who’s convinced, little girl.”

My breath hitches at the nickname. It should upset me. I hate being treated like a child, yet when Oliver calls melittle girl,my stomach does flip flops. It’s the same sensation I felt earlier when he said the word, “daddy.”

“I–” I swallow. “Um.”

Before I’m able to respond, the sound of Oliver’s teammates calling his name floats into the locker room. Hechuckles, shaking his head as he leans down to press his lips against my neck. I shudder at the contact, aching for more.

“Come to my place after your practice,” he whispers into my ear, his proximity causing goosebumps to blossom down my arms. “We’ll talk more about this later.”

He gives me a once over, shaking his head as I try to collect myself. Oliver presses a kiss to my forehead as his teammates call his name again. My hands drop to my sides as I watch him disappears into the hallway. What the fuck just happened. My mind is trying to catch up to my reality. There’s no way I’m going to his house tonight, no way I’m going to indulge him in whatever fantasy is playing out in his head because I’ve seen guys like Oliver. I’ve known men who don’t respect their wives or girlfriends—so why does Oliver seem to exude the complete opposite of the trash I’ve dated before?

Chapter Three

Oliver

When I came out of the locker room, I had to dodge a million questions from my teammates. I easily lied and said I got a cramp and needed to stretch, which most of them accepted. The ones who didn’t take my excuse at face value don’t have the guts to call me out on my bullshit. Despite most of them knowing something more than a cramp got me worked up, they were thankful for the long break and were ready to resume practice when I got back.

As soon as I step onto the court, I’m fully prepared for Coach White to call me over. I was even expecting the way his jaw is set and how his brow furrows in annoyance. It’s a look I’ve seen when a referee makes a shitty call, or when someone on the team disregards his instructions, but that expression has never been directed at me before.

“What’s up, Coach?” I ask, deciding to keep this casual. He’s great at his job, but he can be a bit of a hothead. I’ve already poked the bear enough.

“That was some stunt you pulled with Jenna,” he says, his eyes narrowing. “You wanna explain yourself, Harmon?”

“Nothing to explain,” I say with a shrug. “I said I was giving her pointers. That’s all it was.”

“Bullshit,” he spits, keeping his voice dangerously low so my teammates can’t overhear our conversation. He steps in closer, and even though he has to look up to maintain eye contact, I can’t deny that he’s a little intimidating. “That’sbullshit and you know it, Harmon. Now I’m going to ask you straight. What the hell are your intentions with my daughter?”

I want to marry her, I think.And I want to make her call me Daddy while I fuck her within an inch of her life.

That answer won’t go over very well, though.

Instead, I double down on my story. I keep my posture straight and as relaxed as I can manage as I say, “I don’t have any intentions, Coach. I was just giving her some pointers. As a professional. That’s all that was.”

“Right,” he scoffs, clearly not believing a word out of my mouth. Smart man. “Is there a reason you couldn’t have had that conversation courtside?”

“I didn’t want to disturb my teammates during their break,” I reply with a shrug, knowing I’m digging myself into a deep hole, but I’ve already committed, and if there’s one thing about me, I see things through to the end. “Just trying to be respectful.”

Coach’s face deepens in a crimson color and his jaw clenches even tighter, but I stand my ground.

“Respectful,” he mutters. “Do you think I’m a fucking idiot?”

“No, sir,” I reply, and that’s the full truth. I do respect Coach, and I know he’s not stupid. He’s a great coach, a great mentor, but with Jenna, I’m willing to die fighting.

He laughs, cold and humorless. “Really? Because you’re talking to me like I’m one. I know you didn’t just drag my daughter off to give her pointers. Your teammates had to go looking for you, Harmon. I don’t know what the fuck you were doing, and quite frankly I don’t want to, but I know for damn sure you weren’t ‘giving her pointers.’”

Well, maybe not about basketball.

When I don’t respond, he smirks. Apparently not saying anything gave him all the confirmation he needed. He knows I’m guilty, but I refuse to give him an admission. I keep my mouth stubbornly closed and my face completely blank.

“Look, Harmon,” Coach White says after a long pause. He crosses his arms over his chest, staring me down in what is clearly an attempt to make me back down. “I like you; I do. And I don’t give a shit who you stick your dick in.” His eyes rake over my body as a hint of disgust settles on his face. “But Jenna? She’s off limits,” he says. “Got it?”

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