Page 16 of The Coach

"Okay, but I won't need to," I say softly.

"But if you do, you have it." He smiles, and I get the impression him giving me his number is more than just so I can call if I'm ever in trouble.

He assesses me for a bit longer, and I know I really should be getting home before this unwelcome chemistry buzzing between us takes us somewhere we both know it shouldn't. I'm about to tell him that when he talks first.

"What are you doing now?"

I shrug. "Probably going to get something for dinner, the girls would have already eaten. Why?"

"Have dinner with me?"

I must show the shock on my face as I blink back at him, because he corrects himself. "I mean, do you want to grab something to eat with me? We could go over the plan for this week's game. I have a few ideas I wouldn't mind running past you, since you know the players on the team and their strengths better than I do at this stage. And I feel like you shouldn't be alone right now."

Brad Swift is asking me to dinner. This is a new and strange development.

I really shouldn't, but I can't help myself. Curiosity and all that. "Yeah, okay, why not," I say. I'm going out of interest's sake.

Brad could have taken the lovely Ava to dinner to talk tactics if that's what he really wanted to do. She knows the players just as well as I do. And she has a thing for him, that much is obvious after this week. But he is asking me, and my inquisitive side wants to know more. Maybe the side that still has a major crush on him as well.

I am just as bad as all the other girls on my team.

"It will be purely professional," he adds, though the look in his eyes tells a different story.

"Of course," I agree with a sweet smile. Dinner with Brad Swift, just professional.

I guess the silent treatment I've given him all week worked its magic again. He can't stand me ignoring him. He thinks he's the one in charge here because he's my coach.

Yeah right, Brad.

Brad

We agreed to meet at the wood-fire pizza place in town. I honestly have no idea what possessed me to ask her to dinner. One minute I'm walking her to the car park, just to make sure she gets there safely in the dark after the creepy thing that just happened. The next, I can't stop staring at her lips and thinking about how much I want another taste of them.

The thought of going home to a large empty house doesn't help this situation either. I'm used to having a busy social life, and the silence of my now-boring life is deafening. I know a night spent with Andy will be amusing, and ever since Madeline fucked me over, all I want to do is let loose a little, feel like I did before I settled down and was tied to her.

Every part of me knows dinner with this cute blonde bombshell is a terrible idea. I'm so attracted to her that really spending any time with her outside of training is not ideal. I should be doing my best to stay away, but I can't. I'm drawn to her. She has me sucked in with her don't-give-a-fuck attitude and sassiness. There is something about her that I just want to know more about.

And this week after our chat, she has been doing her best to avoid me. Quite childish, really, no eye contact and that scowl permanently on her face. I think she must be used to getting her own way and doesn't cope well when she's challenged on it. She's a brat.

Honestly, I have enjoyed pushing her buttons and making her squirm a little. She has all the confidence in the world and can handle anything I throw at her. It's sexy as fuck.

Running into her tonight was unexpected, and now that she's started talking to me, even if it was because she was scared, I can't help but want to keep it that way.

I watch as she screams into the parking spot behind me and jumps out of her car. Her long hair is swept into two loose braids, and she flicks one over her shoulder as she moves toward me. I love the look on her, but it tells me what I already know. She's way too young for me. And even if I wasn't her coach, this would never progress to anything more than just a fun flirtation.

She passes me, a small smirk playing on her lips, and I watch her go by. She moves with confidence, and her ass looks amazing in those skinny jeans. I get a vision of my fingers digging into it as I pick her up and slam her against a wall, our mouths pressed together.

I push off the car where I was standing and follow her into the modern-looking Italian restaurant. There's a large wood-fire stove in the center of the room and tables scattered around. The atmosphere is dark and moody, with mostly couples cozily sipping wine at tables for two. Andy walks through the room like she owns the place. I follow her to a table in the back where she takes a seat, scanning the menu with her finger.

She is so different to the type of women I'm used to. Ones who hang on my every word and don't take their eyes off me, women like my ex, who go after professional athletes for the prestige they bring them. They're always done up to the nines, hair and make-up perfect, nails manicured, outfits perfectly put together and high heels. High-maintenance, manipulative, and all kinds of trouble. I learned that the hard way. And now I still have to deal with my ex while we finalize the divorce.

But Andy is in control of her own life. She's hard working and determined and doesn't let anybody stand in her way. She's the type of girl who knows what she wants and goes out of her way to achieve it for herself. I like that about her.

She looks up from the menu. "What do you feel like?" she asks, glancing over me, her eyes sweeping down my body.

I settle into a seat across from her and scan the menu. "I don't know. You pick a couple of pizzas for us to share, I'm not fussy." And right now, I can't even think about food. My mind is on her.

"Well, okay then." She taps her chin as she decides what to order.

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