Page 69 of Forever Offsides

She smirks. “Anytime. So why are you following me?”

I shrug. “I do it all the time so it’s not as though this morning is all that different. You just happened to catch me.”

She sighs. “I try not to look back.”

The way she says that makes it feel as though she’s talking about more than simply while she’s running. It makes me not want to be her past. Not a guy she looks back on, but a guy she still thinks about and talks to. I don’t want a shot at a second chance because I don’t want to let go of our first try.

“Can I buy you breakfast, Dr. Reyes?”

“I’m not sure that’s a good idea, Coach. Someone will recognize you, and we’ll be photographed.”

I step into her, crowding her. My hand goes to her waist, and I squeeze it in my hand, holding her firmly. “Is that the only reason why?”

“What are you doing?” she breathes, her incredulous green eyes bouncing back and forth between mine. “Last night you were all I’m not going to knock on your door and I just want one look and this morning you’re flipping all that upside down.”

I twist my hat around on my head and put my forehead to hers. We’re out on the street, and she’s right, someone could recognize either of us, and that’ll be that. But it’s so hard to care about any of that when I have her like this.

“You’re dressed and not in your bed.”

“That’s the difference?”

“No. The difference is the truth.”

She blinks at me. “And what’s that?”

I run a finger down her cheek to her chin. “I want a date with you. One where we don’t have the complications we can’t escape. One where I get to look at you while you talk and flirt with you better than I did that first night.”

“That night ended with me in your hotel room, so obviously you did something right.”

“I’m not judging you for sleeping with me on the first date.”

She shakes her head, but she’s unable to stop her smile before it slips just as quickly. “What happens after this date?”

Good question. One I don’t have the answer to because I’m positive I’ll want another and another.

“Just breakfast. I’ll keep my hands to myself.”

“I have to be at the hospital before ten.”

I check my watch. “It’s a little after seven. I can hold to that.”

“Fine. Breakfast.”

I take her hand and twist us so we’re heading down Main Street into Kendall Square.

“Nope.” She slips her hand from mine. “Too public. We’re going to run back separately. I’m going to shower, and after that I’ll come to your place.”

My heart beats faster. “Then move your hot ass.” I give it a smack, and she yelps but gets running anyway. I count to a hundred and start after her. She reaches her door and goes inside without so much as a glance in my direction. There’s a strong chance I’ll get a text telling me she reconsidered, but for now, I fly up into my house and race up the steps for my shower. I’m sweating like crazy, but I have no time to cool down first.

I strip out of my clothes and get right in the shower while I mentally catalog what I have in the house that I can make for us to eat. It isn’t much, and I may have to get creative. But still, I’m smiling like a kid. Like a stupid bastard who knows he’s playing with fire but doesn’t give a shit because consequences don’t exist behind closed doors.

It’s one date. That’s all it’ll be.

Toweling off, I grab a pair of pants, a Rebels T-shirt, and a three-quarter zip pullover because while we don’t have physical practice today, we have meetings, game film, and next game strategy conversations starting at eleven. I also have no doubt the bullshit between Quinn and Russel will come up and need to be addressed.

I drag my hands through my hair, toss on my glasses instead of dealing with contacts, and decide it’s good enough. My bare feet pad down the stairs, and I go into the kitchen, searching around as if I’ve never been in this room before and have no clue what to do with it. Nerves strike me. The giddy kind, but I push them away as I open the fridge.

Eggs, cheddar, spinach. Perfect. I’ll make omelets. I think I may even have some bread in the freezer that I can toast up with it. It’s not great, but it’s better than nothing.