Chapter 13
CAMERON
Iwatched her all night, taking note of her movements and the way she interacted with customers.
With short interactions with the fans who surrounded us, Hannah was the one whose attention I couldn’t drift from.
I kept playing back the advice my brother had given, and I found myself ready to take it.
I knew what was at stake, even toying with being near her, yet it didn’t matter as much as I thought it would.
After I discovered just who she was, I went through all the pros and cons, in which the cons won hand over fist, but still, I couldn’t sway my desires to look at her.
Be in the same space as her, even if we never spoke.
Yet, as we shared glances and not a single word was spoken, I found my desires shifting to a need.
I needed to talk with her, be close to her.
No woman in my life had ever captivated me the way she had; I would have been a fool to deny it.
That night was supposed to be our date, one I had planned perfectly.
I would have picked her up at her home and taken her out for a private dinner.
The reservations had been made, and the entire restaurant was ours to enjoy without prying eyes or interruptions.
After, we would go for a walk, enjoy the city lights, and have some conversation.
I wanted to know everything about her, and I wanted her to know me.
Not just the football player, but something simpler.
Discovering who she was took me by surprise, and I had prepared to walk away, but seeing her again, I knew that was no longer an option.
As the hours flew by and closing time was nearing, it was now or never.
I glanced at the woman, who had clung to me all night, and smiled at her before my gaze shifted to Easton as she leaned forward.
Like a good wing man, my brother pulled her attention from me, and I was able to move from the table.
With a single step forward, I searched for Hannah, no longer behind the bar.
It was then that I saw her friend, Martha, pointing toward the back of the bar.
I nodded with a grin in appreciation before I made my way in the direction she motioned.
I glanced into a few of the cracked doors before one flung open in front of me, and out came Hannah with a rapid motion.
She crashed into me; my hands quickly lifted to her arms as her eyes lifted to meet mine.
I smiled and hoped she would do the same, but she moved back away instead.
With a quick slide of my tongue along my lower lip, I stepped back but kept my eyes fixed on her.
I could smell her perfume, the scent of lavender that lingered with a deep breath.
“You planning to ignore me the entire night?” I asked with a playful tone, a smile pulled to my lips until I noticed her expression, one of anger. “What?”
“What?” She repeated my question, crossing her arms in front of her.
“That’s what I asked.”
She scoffed at my reply; her stare turned into a sharp glare. “You don’t know?”
Sighing, I looked down briefly. “Look, I didn’t know he was your father, and it took me…”
“No.” She interrupted, bringing my attention back to her. “That’s not what I’m talking about.” She added.
“I’m sorry then, I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Confused by her attitude toward me.
“I’m not a one-night girl, and you made me think there was something more than that.” She answered.
“I had a work trip, which you knew about. I never…”
“Yeah, and there is that. Why didn’t you tell me you were a player? You know how complicated that makes things for me?”
I chuckled at her comment. “Frankly, I’m a little shocked you didn’t know who I was, being who your father is,” I replied. “Why didn’t you tell me you were Coach Marshall’s daughter? One might think you wanted no last names for that.” I added.
“I don’t typically feel the need to throw my father’s name around to men I meet.” She answered. “Anyway, it’s something I honestly try not to mention due to past experiences.”
“You know I didn’t call or text before or after the game because I was a little thrown for a loop,” I admitted with a calm voice and slight move toward her.
She turned, her back pressing against the frame of the door as I positioned myself in front of her.
There was a look of nervousness in her eyes, her chest lifting and falling with a quick rhythm.
“It doesn’t matter.” Three words. That’s what it took for me to take a step away from her.
“It doesn’t matter,” I repeated. “That's really how you feel?” I asked.
“You want to know how I feel?”
We remained silent for a moment when I took a slow movement toward her, closing the small gap that separated us.
My arm lifted, my hand pressed beside her with a slight lean toward her.
She was angry, I could feel it, see it. The way she looked at me, her tone.
Was it because I hid, I was a player? Nah, that couldn’t be the only reason, I thought.
“Tell me,” I replied, my head slightly tilted as our gazes remained locked with one another.
I wanted to kiss her. Pull her into me and take her right there.
What had this woman done to me? The more she pulled away, the more she drew me in.
I waited for her to speak, my eyes falling to her full lips as they parted; that wetness that lingered on them drove me crazy.
Our bodies grew closer as I slowly leaned forward, when the sound of someone clearing their throat broke our connection.
Looking up, I saw my brother at the end of the hallway, pointing to his watch.
I nodded my head as Hannah turned and looked at him, Easton, with his legendary smirk, to her before he left.
Had it been for the best? That we only shared one night.
That she was angry at me, felt deceived by me for what I imagined was keeping my job a secret from her.
Perhaps she thought I sought her out, used her to say I scored with the coach’s daughter.
Did any of it matter at that point? Did our connection matter?
I wanted to ask her more and tell her more, but I stopped myself.
Without a word, I took another deep stare into her eyes before I moved past her back into the main room.
Patting Easton on the shoulder, as he leaned against the bar talking to Hannah’s friend, I continued my stride to Maximus and Austin waiting at the entrance.
This was how it needed to be, I told myself.
It was the safest option for her, for me, for the team.
Giving a handshake to a fan as I passed, I turned with a final glance back to Hannah before leaving.