Chapter 17
Chapter Seventeen
ETHAN
I guzzled a bottle of water and stripped out of my clothes before striding quickly into the showers.
We’d had a long practice today. Management had signed two new players, so Coach was working us harder than usual to help them mesh.
Coach Bernie was all about team stuff. Being in the starting line up offered no privileges on his team.
Hell, I was bloody certain nothing would get Coach to treat any player special.
Occasionally, I grumbled for the sake of it, but I actually liked it.
I’d been playing football since I was a boy in Britain.
I’d played on many amalgamations of teams. The higher the level of competition, the more prima donnas you encountered.
There’d been a few idiots on my team in university.
I’d lucked into the same team with Liam and Alex once we started playing professionally in London.
Back there, we had a great team, but the coach let some problem players slide as long as they pulled their shit together when we had games.
Alex had been the backup goalkeeper for a bit until the bloody arse who used to be the starting goalkeeper finally pushed the limits too far with his partying and showing up hung over.
Most of my mates, myself included, had been beyond pissed at how long that shit dragged out.
My point was I didn’t mind Coach making us run extra for the sake of team spirit even if I bitched about it sometimes.
I rested my palms on the cool tile wall and let the hot water pound over me.
The shower echoed with occasional talking as we all washed away a few hours of sweat and grit.
After I was showered and dressed and heading down the echoing hallway, I paused when I heard my name just after passing by Coach’s office. I took a few steps back and glanced in. At his wave, I stepped inside.
“Should I close the door?’ I asked.
Coach nodded. “Please do.”
Coach often snagged us for little chats, so I didn’t think much of it.
I figured he wanted to ask me about the new players.
I closed the door behind him and sat down across from him, promptly catching the mini basketball he’d just tossed toward a hoop in the wall.
It hit the rim and bounced right to me. He grinned when I tossed it back to him.
Another throw and the ball swished through the hoop. Coach let it roll across the floor and faced me. He ran a hand through his typically mussed gray hair and eyed me for a beat, his blue gaze considering.
“Rumor has it you’re dating Zoe Lawson,” he said calmly.
My mouth fell open and then I snapped it shut. My mind started running through various machinations. If I weren’t worried about what Zoe might prefer me to say, I’d simply state the truth.
Coach chuckled and rested his chin in his hand. “Ah, I see then.”
“You see what?” I managed, hoping my usual manners would stave off any giveaway about what I might be thinking.
“The look on your face tells me yes,” he added.
Fuck. If Zoe wanted to keep things between us on the lowdown, I’d obviously blown it.
I’d conveniently blocked out her initial worry about having anything to do with me.
Hell, I’d blocked out all kinds of things when it came to her, including the disconcerting effect she had on me—namely, she’d pretty much taken up residence in my brain and body.
I was beginning to suspect she might be on her way to stealing more than that, but I wasn’t quite ready to go there yet.
I opened and closed my mouth, like a bloody fish, while I tried to sort out what to say to Coach.
He sighed and leaned back in his chair. “Ethan, I don’t care if you’re dating Ms. Lawson.
I have to say, she doesn’t strike me as your type, but I think that might mean you’re maturing.
The only thing I care about is making sure you resolve those silly charges.
If you are involved with Ms. Lawson, I’m thinking it might be best if we speak with her about alternative representation for you. ”
I was shaking my head before he finished. He arched a brow.
“You have a problem with that? From everything Ms. Lawson has shared with me, it’s a matter of formalities at this point. You were certainly in the wrong place at the wrong time and intoxicated enough to get yourself in a fix, but I don’t think this warrants a problem with changing attorneys.”
My heart was pounding—hard enough it startled me—and my head was spinning. The thing was, I trusted Zoe completely. I didn’t want anyone else to handle anything to do with my stupid legal situation. It had to be her and only her. I stared over at Coach, my head shaking on its own again.
Coach was quiet before he shook his head in return. “Look, obviously you can make your own decision on this. I suggested this more for Ms. Lawson’s sake than yours.”
“Pardon?”
Coach’s perceptive gaze held mine for a few beats, and I got uncomfortable. Sometimes he was crazy smart about people, well most of the time as far as I could tell. I couldn’t say I enjoyed feeling like he was sussing me out.
“I’m guessing Ms. Lawson might not appreciate the attention that comes with being involved with you. Particularly if she’s representing you. If the situation for your charges wasn’t simple, I’d be insisting.”
I knew his point to be true. In the years I’d been in the public spotlight, I largely ignored the media attention.
In fact, I found it mostly a source of amusement.
The nicknames and the silliness of it all weren’t worth letting myself get bothered.
Yet, I’d never had to worry about its effect on someone close to me.
I’d watched Liam and Alex navigate this tricky field when they moved into the territory of serious relationships, as determined by the gossip media.
It was fair to say I’d never even come close to a serious relationship, much less had any woman in my orbit who might care if they came under public scrutiny.
I didn’t know how to define what was happening with Zoe.
However, I knew beyond even a thread of doubt she would not want to deal with the glare of the media attention that might come if it became known we were involved.
Every time I tried to wrap my brain around what she meant to me, it was like static.
The sound of the basketball swishing through the hoop again cued me that I’d zoned out.
I looked back over at Coach. Because he was a decent man, he’d let me be to spin the wheels uselessly in my brain. He glanced my way and arched a brow.
“I’ll talk to her,” I finally said.
He tossed the ball once again and spun to face me. “You do that.” He paused as if considering his words. “You seem a little off about the whole thing. If I were a betting man, I’d say Ms. Lawson might mean more to you than you considered. Don’t let that scare you off.”
That static started up in my brain again. After a beat, I gave my head a shake. Unsure what to say, I fell back on something vague. “I’ll think about that.”
Coach didn’t grin, but a gleam entered his eyes. “Fair enough. Let me know tomorrow after you speak with her.”
I managed to politely excuse myself from his office and headed to my flat.
I had to hold back from the urge to turn down the side street that led to Zoe’s flat.
I walked into the flat I shared with Tristan, wondering if he happened to be around.
I was in luck. He was standing in front of the refrigerator, staring inside.
“Hey mate,” he called over his shoulder as he let the refrigerator door fall closed and turned to face me. He took a few steps and hooked his foot on a stool by the counter as he sat down.
“I’m probably calling out for pizza. Want some?” he asked
“Perfect. I forgot our grocery run this week.”
Tristan arched a brow and grinned. “I noticed. You’ve forgotten a lot the last few weeks.”
Before I had a chance to argue the point, he was tapping his phone screen and ordering pizza. I kicked off my shoes and threw myself down on the couch. After he hung up, Tristan meandered over and joined me, handing me a bottle of water when he sat down.
He knew I tended to guzzle several after practice. I made quick work of the water and then set the bottle on the coffee table before eyeing him. “What the hell do you mean I’ve forgotten a lot the last few weeks?”
Tristan met my gaze steadily. “Exactly that. If you ask me, Zoe’s got you tied up in knots. Not a bad thing though.”
My heart gave a funny little kick as I stared back at him. “I’m not tied up in knots. I’m just…”
My words ran out because I didn’t know what to say next.
I didn’t want to admit it, but he’d zeroed in on precisely what was bothering me.
I’d never in my life worried about a woman and what she meant to me.
I was the king of casual hook ups. I wasn’t an arse, not like so many other guys, who treated women like crap and used them.
But I definitely toed the line of lighthearted and casual.
I made that perfectly clear and backed off fast if I sensed someone wanted more than that from me.
This thing with Zoe had snuck up on me. It had started simply enough—she was fucking gorgeous and all uptight and I just wanted to rattle her.
Back when I’d first met her briefly when she was dealing with Alex’s mess, I hadn’t thought much beyond the fact I wanted her.
She’d represented a challenge, one I wanted to win.
Yet, back then, my interactions with her had been so brief and transitory, I hadn’t had much chance to think beyond that.
I couldn’t have known getting close to her would send me into a tailspin like this.
Tristan cut into my rambling train of thought. “Stop thinking about it so much. You obviously like her. Why not just enjoy it?”
I eyed him and shrugged, internally restless and irritated. “You’re one to give me romance advice,” I said with a roll of my eyes.
He returned my shrug. “Hey mate, it’s not my thing. I prefer my sanity. Sex is just that. No need to worry about anything more. I can see Zoe’s getting to you because I’m not you. Objectivity is impossible in your own head.”
My irritation faded because I knew I was more annoyed with my situation than with Tristan. “Of course. Maybe I do like her, but it doesn’t mean I’m tied in knots.”
He flashed a grin, standing the moment our door buzzer sounded. “Whatever you say, mate.”
I elected to let the topic drop. Tristan’s accuracy was too close for comfort at the moment. We inhaled our pizza and then he pulled out his laptop and buried his nose in studying.
I toyed with staying home for the night, but I was restless to go ahead and talk to Zoe, so I texted her and headed to her office.