18. Dalton
EIGHTEEN
DALTON
INSTANT PUDDLE
“Are you whistling ?” Jimenez asked, pulling a collared shirt I swore had glitter on it over his head.
Shit, was I?
I’d been walking on clouds since Ari and I had gotten out of my car. She’d run off to turn in her new hire packet with HR before she had to coach us through a workout.
“I suggest you don’t eat anything,” she’d called over her shoulder, looking straight up gleeful as she tossed out the warning. I grimaced at the memory. We were all about to get our asses handed to us.
“What, I can’t whistle before practice?” I asked with a shrug, pulling on a shirt that was admittedly a size too small and cropped. And I might have worn some of my shortest shorts after noticing how Ari had stared at my quads last practice.
“Great, and now you’re dressing like a hoe for training?” Jimenez shook his head. “Hoe behavior is reserved for me. You can’t walk out there trying to outshine me,” he complained, unwrapping a protein bar. He may go out and party on a weekday during the off-season, but Jimenez didn’t mess around when it came to his fitness.
I ignored his previous comment.
He wasn’t wrong, I was exhibiting signs of his behavior. But I wasn’t about to admit it aloud.
“Eh, I wouldn’t eat that,” I said, swatting the bar away from his mouth.
He growled, bending over to pick it up while counting to five under his breath. “And why the hell not?”
“First of all, the five-second rule does not count in a locker room. That is foul, Jimenez. And second, Coach suggested we shouldn’t eat anything before this practice,” I told him, pulling off my sweatpants and stuffing them into my locker.
“When the hell did he say that? We aren’t even on the ice ’til later.” His voice trailed off, eyes growing wide as it dawned on him who I was referring to. “Holy shit. He didn’t tell us, but she told you. ” He hit my shoulder playfully before dropping his volume. “Shut the fuck up, Cap. Is she really your girl?”
I hated my personal life being the topic of conversation, but he was practically a brother. We’d come up together in juniors, got recruited to the same college, and when my dad had showed up to sign me, that was one of my negotiation requirements—Jimenez would get signed too.
Monroe coming on as coach was the other.
A pang of guilt shot through me for not telling either of them about my arrangement with Ari. I’d need to ask her about that, but until then, I’d have to get creative with the truth. “Yeah, we’re a…thing. It’s new and complicated because of her working here and all.”
There. Not a lie, not really, anyway.
He beamed at me, slapping a hand on my shoulder and making me feel guiltier. “My fucking man. Now I understand the hoe aesthetic, but bold move going for the hoochie shorts because a boner will not be contained by those.” He pointed to the honestly pathetic amount of fabric, then switched gears. “I’m so proud of you for getting back out there. I wasn’t going to say anything, but the way you two were looking at each other in that picture—damn. It was hot. Thought you were going to pull her into the bathroom, and you know.” He thrust his hips forward, folding his hands behind his head and biting his lip.
I laughed, shaking my head at his antics. Whatever woman he ended up with would have her hands full.
“Hey, assholes,” Monroe popped his head into the locker room, “let’s go. You’re supposed to be in the gym in about two minutes. You already embarrassed yourselves yesterday. We’re not doing that again. Got it?”
The locker room broke out in a chorus of “ Yes, Coach,” as everyone started making their way out the door he held open. But he stopped me as I tried to exit.
“I need to speak with you for a minute. The rest of you get your asses over there.”
“Sure thing,” I replied, trying to keep my tone neutral. He always sounded pissed off, but something in his tone had rock settling in my stomach.
Monroe folded his arms across his chest. “What’s this I hear about you and Coach Contreras dating?” he asked when everyone had left the locker room.
My fists clenched at my sides. The last thing she needed was for Monroe to be on her case, too. “Yes, Coach. That a problem?” I challenged.
The distance between us disappeared, and he drove a finger into my chest. “Quit acting like a dick, Dalton. We both know your mom didn’t raise you to like that. Don’t you cost that girl her job.” If only you knew. “She’s worked fucking hard to get here. I saw her résumé, and it’s impressive.”
I swatted his hand away. “Fuck you, Josh, if you think I’d risk her career. You should know me better than that. You’ve been around me my whole life. How could you think I’d use her?”
Instead of anger, Monroe did something I’d never seen him do in a locker room—he smiled. “Yeah. I do know you’re better than that. I’m just making sure you’re still the same man you were before your dad walked back into your life three years ago.”
He turned and walked away before I could question what the hell he’d meant.
“Langley, want to explain why you’re late?” Ariella asked, hands on her shapely hips, looking like my personal wet dream in her black shorts and Desperado’s T-shirt. But it was the scolding tone that had my dick stirring .
Roberts piped up before I could answer. The kid was the youngest on the team, and it was evident in his behavior, but he was good people. “Coach?” She turned toward where he was stretching on the black mats with the rest of the team, who were all locked into their own conversations as they warmed up. “Um, no one calls him Langley. It’s either Dalt or Cap.”
“She can call me whatever she wants,” I cut in, walking up to her, smiling at the way she arched a single brow my way. Of course, she was unwavering even as I practically stalked her down. I stopped when we were only inches apart. The only tell that our proximity was getting to her was the jumping pulse in her neck.
“Sorry, Coach. Monroe wanted to have a word. Is there a punishment for being late?” I brushed a strand of her hair off her shoulder, savoring her soft skin beneath my fingers.
“That what you want?” she asked, her voice too low for the others to hear, managing to stay the picture of professionalism, except for that damn tongue of hers. I would’ve been able to recover from the lust threatening to take over if it hadn’t darted out and swiped across her bottom lip, making it appear wet and glossy under the gym lights. So fucking kissable.
Fuck. Should’ve gone for baggier shorts.
She moved back, regaining space between us, but not before shooting me a heated look. And not the ‘I want to take your clothes off’ heated, but the ‘I’ll put you in your place’ heated.
Ironically, both turned me on just the same.
“Watch yourself, Dalton. Remember my last rule.”
“Yes, Coach,” I said, working hard to reign myself back in from whatever demon possession had taken over my body. I ran a hand over the back of my neck, feeling really out of my depths. Why was I suddenly so damn…affectionate?
I’d lied to her in the car.
PDA wasn’t my thing, or it hadn’t been until her.
With Emma, I’d never felt this way. She’d hated the “touchy-feely crap,” as she’d called it, and only leaned into public displays when cameras were nearby. Even then, it felt staged. Off-camera? We were borderline frigid, and every conversation ended in an argument about how I wasn’t doing “enough” for her. By the end, I’d felt more like an accessory than a partner.
But Ari? She was fire and independence, someone who didn’t look at me as a checkbook or a ladder to climb. Maybe that’s why I couldn’t shake this pull toward her.
“Why don’t you go by Langley?”
Her voice broke my thoughts, and I tensed when the question registered, turning over in my mind how to answer in a way that didn’t feel like a trauma dump of my childhood.
“Um.”
A hand landed on my shoulder, and her deep brown eyes held a look of understanding. “You know what? Don’t worry, it’s none of my business. Cap or Dalt it is.” Her smile was genuine, and it only made me want to tell her more, but I didn’t get a chance.
“Or asshole.”
The way she jumped nearly a foot away from me was impressive, and I would have laughed if she hadn’t looked like a deer in headlights as she stared down Monroe .
“Hey, what are you doing here?” she asked, flustered. She probably hadn’t seen him since the incident. I fought whether I should continue to stand there or move to the mats with the others. We’d never clarified when or how we’d tell everyone we were dating. Maybe she wouldn’t say anything at all and just let them assume. I was about to move when she straightened her back, lifting her chin.
“I’m glad you’re here, actually. Alright, let’s address the elephant in the room.” Her voice boomed through the gym, demanding the team’s attention. “I’m sure you’ve all seen the photo of Dalton and me by now. To answer your question, yes, we are dating.” She moved closer, gripping my hand as if we were shaking hands.
That’s not going to work, Sunshine.
I tugged her closer, tucking her under my arm and dropping a kiss on the top of her head. She froze, and I chuckled at how she felt like a stiff board against my side. My little bubble of amusement popped when Stephens let out a scoff, making my jaw tick.
“How come you didn’t admit it last time?”
The winger was asking to get his ass kicked. I opened my mouth to say as much but Ari beat me to it.
“Because, Stephens, I didn’t want to, and you’re not entitled to information about my personal life.” The look she gave him was so fierce it could make a grown man cry. “I can share as much or as little as I’d like. At the time, we were working out details with HR, and that’s all you need to know. Understand?” She looked around, making it clear she was speaking to everyone.
From where he stood against the door frame, Monroe gave a slight nod of approval and disappeared .
Ari’s shoulders dropped away from her ears where they’d been glued since he’d walked in, like she’d been braced for backlash. “For any of you concerned about how this might affect my professionalism, the answer is, it won’t. In here, I’m Dalton’s coach, not his girlfriend.” She shot me a menacing look. “He might regret dating me when he’s in the gym with me.”
“I’d never regret that,” I said so only she could hear before addressing the others. “Any of you have a problem with it, you can come talk to me. Now go take a lap around the building.”
Her elbow rammed into my rib while the guys filed outside, causing a grunt to slip from my mouth.
“Don’t ever tell my players what to do while in my gym. It undercuts my authority,” she practically growled.
Shit. “Sorry, you’re right. Force of habit.”
She crossed her arms, and I bit back a groan at the sight of her cleavage threatening to spill over the tip of her tank top, thankful that there was no one in here but us.
“You’re killing me, Sunshine,” I said, my voice low, wiping a hand over my face. Could I make it a rule that she could only wear turtle necks from now on? Baggy ones. Probably not. If I told her she wasn’t allowed to wear shirts like this anymore, or to do anything she wanted to do, she’d beat my ass.
“Are you even listening to me?” That kicked me out of my inner musing. She rolled her eyes, repeating what I’d missed while fantasizing about her. “I said, you don’t need to go all knight in shining armor either. I don’t need you taking care of me, Dalton.”
No, she definitely didn’t.
I leaned down so my lips were close to her ear. God, she even smelled like sunshine . An intoxicating mix of coconut and something floral, maybe? Whatever it was, it was warm—tempting.
“Didn’t we go over this? You may not need me to take care of you, but that doesn’t mean I won’t do it.” My breath fluttered across her cheek, and I smiled at her sharp inhale. “And I need my guys to know that if they even fucking look at you the wrong way, they’ll have to deal with me too.” Her skin pebbled up on the column of her neck.
“I can keep them in line, myself, you know?” she bit back after a few seconds, her eyes burning with a fire that set my heart racing and dick twitching. Space, I needed some space between us before I did something caveman-esque, like throwing her over my shoulder and carrying her to her office.
“You can keep me in line, so I have no doubt you can do the same for them.” I shot her a wink before escaping to run after the rest of the team.
God, running with a hard-on was going to be a bitch.