19. Pretty Sure I Smell Like a Mix of Man and Fresh Mountain Air
Once Lily is beside me,I tell her we”re going to the park, and that I”ll let her lead so she can set the pace. I try to play it off like I”m a gentleman and I don”t want to push her faster than she wants to go this morning. But the truth is, I want to stay that half step behind so I can watch the way her ass bounces with each step despite those tight workout leggings she”s wearing. So I can see that ponytail swing side to side. Before her, I never thought a simple ponytail could do this to me. Serenity would wear them sometimes—usually when I insisted we just stay in for the evening—but they never made me feel the way this one does.
I thought I was in control this morning. I know what I felt the first time I saw her. And I know the way her touch made me feel when we were in her kitchen. But I thought I could handle it. Seeing her during practices has been fine. Mostly. Other than the time I let Kayden score because I was too distracted by her. And the time Poppy snuck one by me just as I heard Lily”s voice. But those were momentary lapses. Now? Watching her body as we run? I want to touch every single inch of her. I want to run my hands down those sides. I want to cup those breasts. I want to be the one who makes her ass bounce. Fuck.
Lily stops at the intersection before the park. We have the red Do Not Walk sign, so she turns toward me and jogs in place. Holy hell. This view is even better than the one from behind. ”Did you say something?”
Do not look at her breasts, Brant. Not at her breasts. Not her breasts.”What? No. I don”t think so.”
”Sounded like you said ”fuck.” Can”t keep up with me?” She winks, and I bite down hard on my tongue. It doesn”t work, and my dick starts to stir. Luckily, the light changes just then, and I sprint across the street. Glad to focus on anything but her and to get away before she notices anything.
When I get to the other side, I turn, and she”s right behind me. ”Not your first run?” I ask, even though I know it”s not. Despite her pledge to avoid running by my house, I”ve seen her jog by. And each time I”m tempted—so fucking tempted—to join her, but I”ve never had the balls to do it. Now that she”s partnering with me for the Charity Bee, though, I have an excuse.
”What kind of athletic trainer would I be if I didn”t work out?”
My mind flashes with ways that I want to work her out. Not helping. ”You have met Elijah right?”
She laughs. ”Elijah is one of the sweetest people I”ve ever known.”
”And I don”t think he”s ever jogged a day in his life, but he”s still a great trainer,” I say. ”He”s one of only two I would trust to look after me.”
”He is great, I”ve learned a lot from him already,” she says. ”But who”s the other one you trust? Leito? Don”t tell me it”s Jason.”
I laugh. ”What”s wrong with Jason?” Aside from being one of the worst trainers I”ve ever worked with. The only reason he has a job is because his mom works in the front office. ”No, it”s not Jason.” I grin and dash further into the park.
I lead her all the way around to the shelter house, sure that I”m at least a few seconds ahead of her. But when I take my last stride, she”s right there beside me. She”s not even out of breath. I”m bent over, hands on my knees, and sucking in air.
I look up at her and notice a drip of sweat at the side of her jaw. It rolls down her neck. Then along her collarbone toward the center of her chest, where it disappears behind her tank top. I imagine my finger following its line. The microscopic hairs on her neck would rise a fraction of a second before goosebumps spread over her skin. She would tilt her head back, baring herself to me, all while giving me a look that says it”s about time. My finger twitches as I just begin to reach for her, but her laugh stops me.
”That all you got?” She has the biggest smile I”ve seen on her yet. It”s beautiful, but it”s not the look I wish I could see on her face.
”Who”s the rude one now?” I stand up straight and clutch my hand to my chest in mock indignation. ”I”m a goalie. I”m best in quick bursts.”
”That must be so disappointing for your girlfriend.” She sticks her tongue out and jumps back a couple of steps like I would try to grab her.
Okay, maybe I do try to grab her. ”There isn”t a girlfriend. But any girl I”m with is never disappointed. I always come up big in the moment.”
The grin drops from her face, and I curse myself for pushing things too far. ”Sorry,” she says. ”I shouldn”t have said that. We”re coworkers.”
It feels like my stomach was just replaced by a slab of concrete. I need to lighten the mood. ”Still not prepared to admit I”m your boss, eh?” Her gaze stays fixed on the grass at her feet. Fuck me. ”Anyway, I thought maybe we could just do some basics today. To see our strengths and weaknesses as a team.”
”You”re that serious about this charity thing?”
I nod. ”You act like you haven”t spent years around professional athletes. You know how competitive we are.”
Lily looks at me for a second. ”How do you know this isn”t my first job with a team?”
Shit. I”m not sure if I should tell her I asked Elijah about her. Or that I asked around the front office when he didn”t know much. Maybe she would think I was just checking on the qualifications of the new trainer like I would for any new hire. But I”ve never even thought of asking about any of the others, and I get the feeling she would see right through me if I lied. So I settle on a shrug. ”Just a guess. Anyway, yes, I take this very seriously. I”ve won it three of the four years I”ve been here. Not counting last year. I need to win again this year to show everyone I”m back.”
”It is for a good cause.” A hint of her smile returns, and even though it is just like flicking on a dim light bulb in a dark basement compared to before, I”ll take it. ”You said you do it for an animal shelter?”
I nod. ”Yeah, I know they do good work, and they can always use the extra money. Do you have something else in mind, though? I”m open to suggestions, but it”s kind of hard to top a no-kill shelter, right?”
”My friend Em would agree.”
”But you don”t?” She looks hesitant, like she”s debating whether she should say what she wants to. ”You can tell me anything. I promise. I know you don”t know me that well, but I”m really quite fantastic.”
There”s that smile again, but it goes away almost as quickly as it appears. ”Is that so? It”s nothing. I just... Let”s get going.”
I wait a few seconds, hoping she”ll change her mind about talking to me, but she doesn”t. So we spend the next twenty minutes doing short sprints and agility drills. She does everything I set up for her without complaining. And the more I see what she can do, the more I think we”ve got a great shot at winning again this year.
When we finally stop, I rest my arm on her shoulder without thinking. It”s the same thing I would do with any teammate, but this doesn”t feel the same. Based on the way she stiffens, she can sense it too, so I jerk back. I”m not sure if I should apologize. I don”t want to make it seem any more awkward than it was, so I settle for changing the subject. ”I thought maybe we could get breakfast?”
”I”m a little sweaty.”
”I promise it won”t matter. Come on.” I want to take her hand and walk her back through the park. Fuck, I want more than that. I want to take her back to my house and make her sweat even more than she already is. But she”s so jumpy I know I”ll scare her away if I move too fast. So I start to walk and wait for her to come up beside me. ”Race you?”
She laughs. ”I don”t even know where we”re going.”
”Good. If you don”t know where the finish line is, you can”t beat me.” I take off. My shoes pound on the pavement. I don”t have to look to make sure she”s keeping up with me. I know she is. After spending time with her this morning, I know she”s not the type of person to let a challenge go. And damn if that doesn”t make me like her even more.
The restaurant is only a couple of blocks away. When we get there, there”s a line out front that stretches down the sidewalk. ”Brant, I don”t think these people want us anywhere near them as bad as we stink.”
”I”m sure you stink,” I tell her. ”Pretty sure I smell like a mix of man and fresh mountain air.”
A couple of people in line look at us when Lily snorts. ”I promise that you definitely don”t smell like that.”
”Agree to disagree, I guess.” By this point, I hear the murmurs from the line, and I groan. I may be hidden behind a mask when I”m on the ice, but the fans still know what I look like. Serenity loved this attention and never understood why I don”t. She would even drop hints just to make sure people would find out who I am.
Maybe it doesn”t make sense. I love this city, and I love the fans. But it”s the adoration that gets to me. I”m a normal person who happens to be really good at my job. From what I”ve seen so far, Lily is just as good at her job, but these people aren”t sixty seconds away from telling her how much they love her. No one will say that seeing her is the best thing to happen to them all week. At least none of the people standing in line.
Lily”s smile is gone now, and she”s inching away from me. ”I can”t go in there with you. And it”s not fair to jump the line anyway. But thank you. This morning turned out to be?—”
”You”re not going in. I am. Just wait for me around that corner.” I point behind her. ”Promise me you”ll go there and stay.” There”s no way I”m letting her tell me this morning has been fun or a surprise or whatever she was about to say. Because as soon as she says it, whatever this is ends. I”m not ready for that yet. ”I”ll be back in two minutes. And I”m not bumping these people. I swear. Tell me you”ll wait. ” She blows out a breath but doesn”t say anything. I choose to take that as a yes. ”Good girl. Right around that corner. I”ll be back in... better make it three minutes. Sounds like I might need to sign a few things.” At this point, the murmur has grown to full volume, and I”ve heard my name a few times.
When I turn back toward the entrance, everyone is gaping at me, so I give them my best smile. ”Good morning. I swear I”m not jumping the queue. I just need to pop inside for a second. But I will sign a couple of things as long as we can make it quick.” Before diving into the line, I look back for Lily, but she”s already disappeared around the side of the building.