Page 49 of Players and Pages
“Henry thought it was okay to creep up behind me. He was pressing his fucking face to my neck and smelling me. Even said that you guys won’t always be here to protect me, so I protected myself!” I said, yelling out the last part for everyone to hear what a piece of trash he was.
The coaches frowned, hissing to each other in low voices and I winced, realizing I’d helped make a scene.
"Shit. Sorry, I didn't mean to get you in trouble."
They glanced back where the coach and assistant coach were talking, looking upset.
"He had it coming, peach. We’ll deal with the coaches if we have to," Cy promised me. His voice was hard, jaw set and teeth grinding together like he might break them. I think if it wasn’t for his hand on me, he might run after the asshole.
"Damn, sweets, I didn't know you had it in you," Jackson joked. It was an obvious attempt to lift the mood but not one of us smiled. Not even him.
"He tried to fucking scent me,” I said with a shudder, not meeting their eyes. “Make it better.”
They didn’t hesitate to erase every bit of his scent with their own, quickly running their faces on my neck and chasing it away until my omega was satisfied.
I started to open my mouth to send them back to the field, but it was too late, the coaches were walking towards us.
"Boys, can you tell me why Henry is bleeding and walking funny?" the closest one asked with a raised brow and crossed arms in the typical no-nonsense alpha pose. Even if it was directed at the guys, he gave me a pointed look.
"She already asked him to leave her alone earlier when he cornered her outside the locker room. Caged her in and didn’t back off when she asked. Now, he was smelling her and touching her again without permission, so she defended herself. He was asking for it," Griff answered.
Not wanting them to take the brunt of the coaches’ frustration, I spoke up, too. “Despite saying no earlier he told me that the guys couldn’t always be here and tried to prove it. He wouldn’t back off, so I punched him in the nose and kicked him in the balls.”
They both blinked at me as the words sank in. Then fury twisted their features.
“I’m sorry that happened to you in our stadium, but I promise you he will be dealt with,” one coach said.
The other grinned. “Seems he got what he deserved. Nice hit.”
Did this coach not like Henry, either? I had a feeling that I was going to like him, if so.
"You three get your asses back on the field. I’ve got a bleeding player to deal with. Miss, you take care but try not to hurt anymore of my players?" the coach asked. He wasn’t disapproving, more tired and not wanting to deal with more bullshit.
“I’ll do my best,” I told him honestly. Leaving the ‘if they keep their distance’ left unsaid. We all knew damn well this was on Henry and not me.
“Are you okay?” Griff asked, ignoring the coaches now.
“Yes,” I promised, my hand resting on his cheek so he was forced to look at me. His dark blue eyes were still furious. “He’ll be handled. You go play.”
“I’ll be watching out,” the assistant coach promised the guys, moving closer to me now.
They were reluctant, but couldn’t say no. With one last glance my way followed by a warning look at the coach, they finally moved back to their positions on the field.
"Do you play ball?" the assistant coach asked. He was studying me with a curious expression as he put himself between the building and me just in case.
Likely the only reason the pack walked away.
"For fun. I'm not too good. I'm more of a book nerd," I answered. "I’ve got a bookshop in Willow Lake. I do have an idea to get the players and my bookstore some more followers if you're interested, though."
"I'll get you in contact with our PR department. Have Griff, Cy, or Jackson get your number to Devon and we can get it set up," he told me.
The fact he didn’t dismiss me right away gave me hope. Maybe it would mitigate the backlash I was already receiving.
The words scrawled across the front of my building weren’t forgotten.
"That would be amazing, thank you," I said before he headed out to the field with a simple nod. He hung back closer to the dugout, making sure I was safe.
Once the field was back in motion, I pulled out my phone to text Taryn and Bea. I should've discussed this with them beforeopening my mouth but I had a strong feeling that they would be okay with it.
