Page 33 of Unwritten Rules
“You not gonna share the details with us?” Zane questions, wiggling his brows. “Come on, I thought we were friends. You’ve never had any issues talking about any of the women you’ve slept with in the past.”
He’s right. I’m that asshole who regularly shares intimate details about the women I’ve slept with because it didn’t bother me whether anyone knew about it or not. But for some reason, Ican’t bring myself to talk about Tatum. When I think about her soft jade eyes and strawberry blonde hair, I’m reminded of that night in my car. At that moment, with her sitting on my lap, getting lost in the depths of her eyes, I forgot who I was for a moment—to the point I forgot to ask if she was on birth control, like an idiot.
I’m more careful than that because I have a reputation to protect, but back then, it was just the two of us. And nothing outside of the car mattered. Not my parents, sister, grandmother, career or public image. It was just me and Tatum. And fuck, I would be lying if I said she wasn’t the most stunning woman I’ve ever met.
“Yeah, well, you’re not getting a speck of detail from me about Tate.” I scull the rest of my beer, slamming the glass down on the table. “And don’t tell anyone else on the team, okay? It doesn’t leave this table.”
My friends share a knowing look, their silence weighing heavily on my shoulders.
It’s Khai who breaks the silence by clapping a hand on my shoulder. “Don’t worry, Sin. Your secret is safe with us.”
Secret. That’s what Tatum is. And possibly all she ever will be.
While I can’t get her out of my mind, and my body aches to touch her again, I know I can’t. At this point in my career, I can’t afford to lose sight of my goals. Tatum is the one rule I can’t break, no matter how badly I fucking want to.
Chapter Nine
TATUM
Exhaustion doesn’t come close to describing the weight in my limbs or the heaviness of my eyes. Who knew travelling around the country and watching men play rugby would be so tiring? I had expected this job to be a piece of cake—something easy with the ability to switch off when I got home—but it’s far from it. Turns out, treating thirty men and keeping on top of their recovery and training schedules is far from a piece of cake. It’s possibly the hardest job I’ve ever had.
Don’t get me wrong, I love my job and having the ability to help others, especially footy players who need me in order to be able to play their best. I wouldn’t say I’m the glue that holds them together—more like one tiny speck—but a lot does ride on my shoulders, especially going into a game day. Each player checks in with me and we go over their charts to make sure nothing is amiss, and they can talk to me about any pains or aches they might be experiencing. And once I’ve done a few exercises with them and given them the all clear, I move onto the next person who might have a different history and is experiencing something new.
It’s a lot of pressure to shoulder, but at the end of the day, I go home with a smile on my face, grateful to be in the position I am. And it’s all thanks to my dad.
Even with pain soaring through my bones from being on my feet for multiple hours of the day, and exhaustion clinging to my soul, I have no regrets leaving Barrenridge. If anything, I made the right choice because here, I can grow. And if I didn’t take Dad’s offer when he handed it to me on a silver platter, I have no doubt I would be working behind the bar at the local pub because in a town like that, there isn’t much else to do.
“How are you feeling, Tate?” Dad asks when I walk into the kitchen, pulling my hair into a high ponytail. “You look tired.”
“I am,” I agree, dropping my arms to my side. With a sigh, I slide onto one of the bar stools at the kitchen island. Dad stands opposite me, back leaning against the granite bench top with a coffee cup in hand. “Should you be drinking coffee this late into the arvo?”
Dad chuckles and sets the cup down beside him. “Probably not, but with a late game tonight I know I’m going to need the caffeine rush to keep me going.”
“That makes two of us.” A yawn slips from my parted lips and I crush the palms of my hands into my eyes. “I don’t know why I’m so tired.”
“Well, we did go to Townsville over the weekend with a bunch of rowdy men in their twenties.”
I drop my hands to my lap, blinking away the blurriness coating my vision. “Yeah, maybe it’s that. Or maybe it’s because I’ve been staying up late revising every player’s medical history and recovery plan. Not to mention ensuring my plans coincide with Todd’s training schedule. It’s a lot of work.”
Dad rolls his lips and nods. I swear I don’t see this man wearing anything besides a black and red polo shirt with the Wolves logo stitched into the fabric and black jeans. If he ownsother clothes, I haven’t seen him wear them since I moved to Sydney, nearly three weeks ago now.
“You’re doing a great job, Tate,” Dad says, his lips tipping up in a smile. “I’ve had a chance to speak to every guy on the team and they have all given me positive feedback about you.”
I raise a brow at him. “Are you sure it’s not because I’m your daughter, which you made abundantly clear on my first day? Who knows, they could be too afraid to tell you that I suck and need to look for a new job.”
Dad snorts a laugh and shakes his head. “Trust me, they like you. Even the rest of the staff have sung your praises.”
Warmth spreads through my chest. I hadn’t realised since starting the job that the rest of the staff members thought so highly of me. When I’m working, I tend to keep to myself because I’m in the zone and have a lot of work to get done, so I do most of my socialising during lunch. To hear the team is already accepting me fills me with a sense of pride that has me smiling like a damn fool.
On my second day, I met Olive during my lunch break. She’s not much older than me and oversees the social media aspect of the club, always involving the guys in interviews or playing small pranks on them. Her carefree attitude and warm smile make her approachable and easy to talk to. After spending twenty minutes with her, I realised we had far more in common than I thought. And from there, we couldn’t stop talking until we both had to get back to work.
Now, we spend most of our lunch breaks together, and when I’m not with Olive, I’ll speak to whoever is in the break room. I love flapping my gums and making people smile, it brings me joy seeing others happy.
“I’m glad because if I wasn’t accepted by the people you trust and admire to help run things smoothly, I may have considered packing my bags and returning to Barrenridge.”
Dad waves me off with his hand. “Nonsense, Tate. You’re a great addition to the club. Your mother would be proud of you.”
My heart stutters in my chest and I have to swallow the lump forming in my throat for fear it might choke me. My fingers flex on my thigh, and I will my lungs to focus on pulling air in at a steady pace and releasing it without a shake.
