Chapter 2
COLE
“We’re looking good for this season,” Lennox, the owner of the New York Nighthawks, said as he sat in the chair next to me. “Some of those plays you’ve been calling shocked the shit out of me.”
I grinned at my boss and friend. “Just call ’em like I see ’em.” As the offensive coordinator for the team, I was in charge of the team’s offensive strategy and called the plays during the game. I was damn good at my job and had a reputation for keeping the other teams guessing.
Lennox chuckled. “Well, keep it up. I still have a couple of fingers that need a ring.”
“One finger,” chirped Lennox’s niece, Finley—who was also married to one of our offensive linemen.
She sat across the table from us in the VIP section of a club owned by the friend of our head quarterback.
She held up her left hand and wiggled her fourth digit.
“I don’t think Aunt Brielle is gonna let you replace the one you already have on there. ”
“Touché,” Lennox replied with a smirk, then he looked at me. “Don’t worry about stopping at nine, I’ll just switch them out on the other fingers.”
I laughed. “You’re the boss.”
“Damn right,” he grunted. Suddenly, he tensed, then yanked his phone from his pocket and answered excitedly. Lennox’s wife was due any day, so every time his cell rang, he expected it to be “the call.”
“Baby? Is it time? I—” He stopped, then sighed and rolled his eyes to the ceiling. “Sure, baby. I’ll bring home some taquitos and plum ice cream. Yeah. I’m leaving in a few minutes. Of course. Love you too.”
Finley’s smile stretched from ear to ear. “Who’s the boss?”
Lennox’s eyes narrowed as he stood and shoved his phone back into his pocket. “You’re still little enough for a spanking, Fin.”
Her cheeks turned pink, but the stubborn look in her eyes told me that Lennox wouldn’t like whatever she said next. “The only person allowed to spank me is Rhodes,” she said with a haughty sniff.
Oh, for fuck’s sake.
Lennox’s face turned purple and his head whipped around, looking for his nephew-in-law with murderous intent clear in his expression.
“Don’t you need to be getting back to your wife?
” I asked, jumping to my feet and grabbing his arm.
Anxious to avoid any injury to one of my best players, I started guiding Lennox toward the door that opened at the top of the stairs, which led down to the main floor.
“Something about ice cream and Mexican food?”
Lennox glared over his shoulder, but he didn’t fight me when I nudged his shoulder to get him moving down the steps.
“If it wouldn’t make my niece hate my guts, I’d kill that kid for…” He gulped, obviously uncomfortable with even the thought of the girl he’d practically raised having sex.
“Just keep pretending they’re platonic friends,” I encouraged, biting back a chuckle.
Lennox grumbled all the way to the back exit, where I handed him off to a bouncer to escort him to his car. It was late, and the team owner was a fucking billionaire, so we forced him to have security in and around the club.
Smiling to myself, I decided to hit the bar before heading back up to the team’s private area. There was no need to make someone wait on me when I was already by the bar.
Besides the lack of crowds in the VIP section, I really appreciated the soundproofing that allowed us to have conversations without screaming at each other.
The music blared as I wound my way through the high-top tables, avoiding the edges of the dance floor in the center of the space since there were often jersey chasers just waiting on the fringes, ready to pounce the second they spotted a player or coach.
Sometimes they would even settle for the freaking water boy.
One of the bartenders spotted me when I reached the end of the bar and lifted her chin in acknowledgment. “Usual?” she mouthed, and I nodded.
She was in the middle of what looked to be a big order, so I turned to look out at the crowd while I waited. I scanned the room, people-watching, but barely paid them much attention.
“Coach!”
Three of my players, Micah, Huck, and Raiden, ambled up to the bar, all of them grinning jubilantly, clearly still on a high from winning our game.
“Boys,” I greeted them with a matching smile.
We shot the shit for a couple of minutes, but after they’d ordered their drinks, Micah’s attention strayed, and he slowly took a few steps back, looking off to the side.
“Uh, I see someone I need to meet,” he mumbled before spinning around and marching in the direction he’d been focused on.
My brow rose while Huck and Raiden laughed. “Mrs. Right?” Raiden guessed.
Huck shrugged. “Probably just another Mrs. Right Now.”
Their comments surprised me because Micah had never struck me as the manwhore type. In fact, I wasn’t sure I’d ever seen a girl with him at a game. I thought I knew my guys pretty well, so it irritated me that I could have missed the mark with him.
“Is he that much of a player?” I queried.
Raiden shook his head. “The opposite, actually. Micah is determined to find his happily ever after.”
“Ah,” I replied, satisfied that I hadn’t misread Micah.
“But I’ve never seen him go past a conversation and actually go out on a date with any of these women,” Huck chuckled. “Which is why I dubbed them ‘Mrs. Right Now.’”
“Well, well…what do you know…” Raiden mumbled, staring toward where Micah had disappeared into the throngs of people. “This is new.”
Huck craned his neck, searching to find whatever had caused Raiden’s shock. “Is he…? Are they headed to the dance floor?”
Raiden grinned. “She must be pretty fucking special.”
Curious now, I moved to stand closer to them and followed their line of sight.
I spotted Micah’s head above the crowd, moving in toward the center of the room.
Since I was well over six feet, I could see the woman he led toward the dance floor.
She was on the taller side too, although she was probably elevated from wearing heels.
She had a willowy frame, and my hands itched to explore her gentle curves.
Deep red hair was piled on top of her head, exposing the elegant slope of her neck and bare shoulders.
She wore a champagne-colored top with spaghetti straps and was covered with sequins that shimmered in the spotlights.
I frowned when she moved, and the back of the shirt split open, revealing a sliver of pale skin.
My attention was quickly diverted from her display of too much skin when I caught sight of a firm, round ass in skintight leather leggings.
They hugged her shapely legs all the way down to her ankles, and my cock jerked at the fuck-me gold stilettos on her feet.
It had been longer than I could remember since I’d found myself interested enough in a woman to ask her on a date, much less have such a strong, visceral reaction to some red hair, a spectacular ass, and heels that I wanted digging into my back while I pounded into this siren’s pussy.
I was already halfway to the dance floor before realizing I was moving. My gut clenched when Micah tugged on her hand to bring her closer and said something that caused her to drop her head back and laugh. The husky sound went straight to my balls, and I picked up my pace.
Just as I reached them, she turned to face him, and I had to blink several times to make sure I wasn’t dreaming. Perfection like that wasn’t possible…was it?
Big green eyes, surrounded by thick, dark lashes, twinkled as she peered up at Micah. Cute freckles dusted over her nose and cheeks, making her shiny pink lips stand out as they curved into a beautiful smile.
Her top sparkled when she laughed, drawing my eyes to her hint of cleavage, and my mouth watered when her full, perky tits bounced. They would fill my hands perfectly, just like the slight roundness of her hips, and her long legs would feel amazing wrapped around me.
She noticed me when I was only a few steps away and froze, her mouth forming a cute little O. There was a keen intelligence in her eyes, but something about her was innocent, and it made me confident in assuming that she wasn’t a jersey chaser.
At her reaction, Micah glanced over his shoulder. When he saw me, he started to smile until he clocked my thunderous expression, and his brow dipped.
“Coach?”
I winked at my woman before stepping in front of Micah, my scowl once more in place.
Placing my hand on his bicep, I clutched it tightly, causing him to release her hand.
Then I walked him back a few steps. Because of the noise in the club, I had to speak loudly, but I tried to keep my voice just to the point where only Micah would hear me.
“Walk away, Daughtry.”
He stared at me incredulously. “Walk…what?” he mumbled, obviously struggling to decide whether I was serious.
“Walk away, or you are finished with the Nighthawks. Do I make myself clear?” My tone was hard as steel, and my threatening stare was lethal, making no mistake that I was serious.
Micah’s eyes went wide as saucers, and he gaped at me.
After what felt like hours, he finally nodded stiffly, then glanced over my shoulder.
“Sorry, Lorna”—damn, her name was every bit as sexy as her body—“something’s come up and I have to go.
But um…” My hand tightened even more, and the corners of his eyes crinkled, the only indication that he felt the pain. “Thanks. Bye.”
When I released his arm, he tossed me one more perplexed and wary look, then shuffled off, shaking out his arm, though it was almost imperceptible.
I smoothed out my expression and pivoted to face the confused woman I already thought of as mine.
“I hope everything is okay,” Lorna said, her hands wringing as she watched him go.
Someone bumped into me, and I muttered an apology, but the small blond woman who’d jostled me didn’t notice because she was hurrying away in the same direction that Micah had gone.
Dismissing her from my mind, I smiled at Lorna. “Everything is fine,” I assured her, hating that I’d caused her to worry. “He had…he forgot about an appointment.” My conscience twinged with guilt for lying, but then it was gone because I would do whatever it took to make this goddess mine.
She looked relieved, and my mouth curled into a crooked smile. “I’m not a superstar player, but I’m a damn good coach, and I don’t have two left feet. Will I do?”
Lorna’s green eyes twinkled again, and she giggled, making my smile grow. “I should have figured he was a football player,” she snickered. “The dude was huge. But then…so are you, so I’m surprised you’re not.”
It was obvious that she’d had no idea who Micah was, further confirming my thought that she wasn’t there to hook up with a rich, famous football player.
I took her hand in mine and slowly pulled her closer until she was barely an inch from my body.
“I played in college, but I knew pretty quickly that I would rather be behind the scenes than on the field.”
I guided her arms up around my neck, then placed one hand on her hip and the other slipped between the split fabric, splaying on her bare back.
There was a spark of chemistry where our skin touched, and she shivered slightly. I bit back a triumphant smile, happy to know that she was just as affected by me.
“Um…so…” She trailed off when our gazes met and double blinked as if clearing her sight.
“Cole,” I murmured, using pressure from my hand to bring her a little closer. Although I was careful to keep enough distance that she wouldn’t feel the giant bulge in my groin. I didn’t want to scare her off before I managed to fully capture her. “My name is Cole O’Hara. And you’re Lorna…?”
“Dun–um–Dunigan?”
She looked so rattled, I couldn’t help but laugh. It was cute as hell.
“I should have known.”
“Hmm?”
I winked and adopted an Irish accent. “Shoulda known ya was a wee Irish lass.”
Pink bloomed on her cheeks as she laughed, dropping her head to peer up at me through her lashes.
“Wow.”
I shrugged with another lopsided smile. “My dad’s grandparents immigrated when he was around seven, and my mom’s when she was twelve, so I grew up listening to the Irish brogue. So it’s easy for me to imitate.”
“You’re really good at it, but, um…that wasn’t why I said wow…
” The color in her cheeks deepened to bright red, making me highly curious as to why she was so embarrassed.
Then she met my gaze, and the heat in them made my body clench with need.
“That was really, really sexy,” she admitted with an adorable little smirk.