Page 57 of Press Your Luck

“Of course.”

“The thing is, Naomi, I cared for Bo, but I wasn’t responsible for him. Porter is a kid, and I’m wholly responsible for him and I’m floundering. I need someone to show me the ropes.” I was an asshole for using this situation to get close to her. Or maybe I was just pathetic. “Maybe you could come to dinner and give me some pointers on the fly? Like, be my coach?" I attempted a lighthearted grin. Maybe charm would convince her.

When she tensed, I knew I’d pushed too much. “You don’t need a coach, Pierce. You just need to persevere. In time, Porter will come around.”

I smiled and nodded, even though on the inside her rejection hurt.

She looked around, and I knew she was looking for an exit. Jesus fuck, she wanted to get away from me. I really was pathetic. Especially since I’d do just about anything to keep her talking with me.

"Sorry, but I've got to head out," she said hurriedly, avoiding my gaze . "I hope everything works out with you and Porter." She couldn’t get to the door fast enough.

I couldn't tear my eyes away as Naomi disappeared, and I chided myself for pushing her and once again setting up a situation in which she could reject me.

"Here," Reed said, appearing at my side and thrusting a beer into my hand. "You look like you could use one."

"Thanks," I muttered. I took a swig of the cold brew, wishing it could wash away my humiliation.

"Did something happen with Porter?" His gaze followed mine to the door Naomi had just exited through.

"Something like that.” I didn’t want to divulge the whole truth that I was lusting over a competitor’s coach who was nearly twenty years younger than me. Reed had been against my interest in Naomi from the beginning, and I didn't want to hear another lecture.

"Or maybe it’s Naomi you're brooding over.” Reed’s comment proved I wasn’t doing a good job hiding my attraction to her. "I've seen the way you look at her, Pierce. You’re interested in her."

I grumbled under my breath, feeling exposed by his observation. "I don't want to be, but I can't exactly control how I feel."

"True. But you can control what you do about those feelings." He took a sip of his beer. "Besides, you've got your hands full with Porter. Maybe now's not the time to get involved with someone new."

I was surprised he wasn’t cautioning me against seeing her for professional reasons as he had before. "Maybe not.” But fucking hell, I wanted Naomi in my life, even if it made things more complicated. But she'd made her position clear. She didn't want me.

"Focus on your son. If things are meant to work out with Naomi, they eventually will."

I looked at him over my beer bottle as I took a sip. “Eventually? You’re the one who was against it.”

He shrugged. “I won’t deny I see issues, but the heart wants what it wants, right? I learned that with Analyn. You were there as I went through it.”

I had been. And I’d cautioned him away from Analyn as he had done with Naomi and me. But Analyn worked for Reed, so I’d seen a potential lawsuit if things hadn’t worked out. With Naomi and me, there could be bad press or pissed off fans, which wasn’t quite as serious unless, of course, fans stopped coming to games.

“I remember.”

Reed took a swig of his beer, his eyes regarding me seriously. "Pierce, do you really want to pursue a relationship with Naomi? If it's just lust, man, keep your distance. Or find someone else." He glanced toward Porter, who was engaged in a cut-throat video game. "You've got your hands full with him."

I stared into the amber liquid in my bottle, wishing I could find an easy answer to all my problems. "I know. But I can't help but think there could be something more. It's not just lust."

"Then I'll support you, buddy.” Reed put his hand on my shoulder. "Just be careful. Don't let this get in the way of your responsibilities to Porter or the team."

I gave him a humorless laugh. “What I feel doesn't matter. She's made it clear she's not into me. Why should she be? I’m ancient compared to her."

"Does the age difference bother her?" Reed asked, raising an eyebrow.

"I don't know for sure.” It didn’t bother her enough to not fuck me. "Her excuse was that we’re rivals.”

“What about all the media about her and Max? The last thing you want to be in, Pierce, is a love triangle.”

I remembered when Reed had thought Analyn and Bo were dating. It nearly made his head explode. That was what thinking about Naomi with someone else did to me.

“You know the media. They’re wrong as much as they’re right.”

“You know, it sounds like she didn’t say she didn’t like you. She just came up with an excuse not to see you.”

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