Page 22 of Playmaker

I jerked my head sideways to get Cooper’s reaction. Again, I couldn’t see his eyes behind his sunglasses. But his mouth—the corners were twitching.

Okay, I needed to shorten the length so when the club moved to the tee it didn’t hit the grass first. I adjusted my grip and tried again, this time catching just the top of the ball and knocking it off the tee to roll by my feet. I knelt down to pick up the ball and put it back on the tee. I didn’t look at Cooper again—he wasn’t offering advice. I adjusted the length of the club in my hands and took another swing. I did hit the ball, but it went up and sideways, and I jumped out of the way.

I huffed. “Aren’t you supposed to be teaching me?”

“Figured you’d want to try it for yourself first.”

He had a point, but I didn’t have to admit it. “Well, I obviously am doing something wrong.”

He nodded. “Watch me.”

He pulled a club out of the other bag and crossed over to the tee. I moved several feet away, where I was out of range of his swing and where I could get a good look at how he moved. He stopped in place, shirt stretched over broad shoulders and his hands sure on the club. He shuffled his feet a bit, adjusted his grip, swung back. And next thing the golf ball was sailing straight down the…green? Fairway? Range?Whatever.

His motions were smooth, graceful, and controlled, and a familiar wave of inferiority swept over me. I would never be able to do that. But I shoved my chin higher. And when he stepped away, I took my place at the tee, where he’d set up another ball, and tried again.

And again. No matter how I tried to recreate his smooth and effective swing, I missed the tee or chipped the ball too high, or too far sideways.

Throwing the club across the grass would have been satisfying but wouldn’t help. Cooper was still standing there, calm and patient.

“So teach me!”

A smile crossed his face, bringing out the dimples and adding charm to his already lethal good looks. I was too frustrated for that charm to affect me. “Now you’re ready.”

I almost growled.

“I’m going to have to touch you, put my arms around you to show you how you’re supposed to do this. It’s not a move. You understand why I have to do it?”

I wasn’t sure it wasn’t still a move, but he was right that I’d have resisted his attempt to do that earlier. All I had to do was imagine Benson sneering to give in.

“Right. Show me.”

Chapter8

I didn’t die from it

Cooper

She was stifferthan the driver. To reassure her, I was as professional as possible, wrapping my arms around her slowly and gently. I had to wonder what had happened in her life to make her react this way. Her body was lush curves and her citrus shampoo tickled my nose. Tempting, but I reminded myself to focus.Professional!

“Try to relax.”

She huffed but dropped her shoulders, only to tense them up again when I moved. She couldn’t let go. After a few aborted attempts, I came up with something different.

“Okay, I have another idea.” I stepped back and her posture relaxed. “You put your arms around me and I’ll swing the club. Maybe that way you can get a feel for the motion without tensing up.”

She bit her lip. “I’m really not trying to make this more difficult.”

I shrugged. “Everyone learns differently.” I grabbed my club and positioned myself in front of the tee. I looked over at her, still biting her lip.

“Do people learn like this?”

I grinned. “I’ve never seen anyone do it, but maybe I can start a new school of golf. I’ll earn a fortune.”

She shook her head, and I knew her eyes were rolling behind those big sunglasses. But she dropped her club and wrapped her arms around me.

At first, she barely touched me. “That’s not going to work. You need to feel how my body moves. I trust you not to take advantage.” A joke to loosen her up. But Callie reacted differently.

“Do people do that to you?”

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