Page 34 of Set Play

Proving himself to be the pretentious douche we all know him to be, Benji pipes up, staring right at me as he declares, “I bet she’s hot and easy. A hundred bucks says she’s another cleat chaser who will try to sleep with half the team. Wonder if I could get her to dress as a slutty nurse when it’s my turn.”

I step forward, ready to deck him in the mouth, but Cillian grabs my forearm, stopping me. I struggle against his grasp, desperate to do it, but Élise’s sweet, lethally calm, voice cuts through the chaos, freezing me in place. “I wouldn’t count on that, Sterling.”

As she rounds the corner, I watch my teammates’ eyes widen with recognition. Their frantic gazes find me, and I bite back a smile when I realize that they are scared that I will tear into them for how they were talking about her just now.

Jokes on them, my Chispita doesn’t need me to defend her. She has enough fire all on her own.

“Gentlemen, as I said, I’d like to introduce our newest medical staff member, Élise Clément. She is essentially a second Sarge for the season, and you will treat her with the same respect you treat him. Am I clear?”

The five decent members of the team, myself included, eagerly agree, but only a whisper of agreement comes from the others. Coach opens his mouth to speak again, but stops and steps back when Élise moves in front of him. The icy glint in her eyes as she addresses the team is foreign, but damn if it isn’t just as hot as her fire.

“You know…it’s in your best interest to agree to respect the medical professional entrusted to care for you. I could care less if the shot or wrap hurts a little more than usual, but you sure will. Plus, not only are we in charge of caring for injuries, should they happen, but…” She trails off, casting those piercing green eyes over the room, causing the guys to shuffle in discomfort. “I, personally, can inflict several types of injuries with medical precision.”

She smirks, stepping up to Benji with her usual fire back in her eyes, “For example, I can castrate you four different ways.” She drops her gaze to her nails, inspecting them as if making threats like this is an average part of her Monday routine.

When she looks up at Benji again, she gives him the cruelest smile I’ve seen, “Without anesthesia. So next time, keep your thoughts about female staff members to yourself unless you want to be seeing slutty nurses in your coma dream.” Benji’s anger is palpable, but she doesn’t seem to notice it as she finally turns from him.

Holding her head high, Élise looks around the room once more and suppresses a satisfied smile when no one meets her eyes.

When she finally makes it to me, I let every ounce of pride I feel toward her for how she handled that situation show, enjoying the slight blush that tints her cheeks before she straightens her blazer. With one last bright smile aimed at Coach, she strides out of the locker room, leaving a silence that says everything the guys cannot.

Fuck, her confidence is sexy as hell.

After Élise’s speech, all the guys rushed to get their shit and leave. Except me. I’m hanging around, hoping to catch her on her way out so we can finally have that face to face. My phone buzzes on the bench and I look over to see a text.

Today 4:11PM

Lukas:

There’s a dark Camry in the lot still. From what you said, could be hers.

Before I can reply, the sound of heels in the hall has me throwing my phone into my bag and rushing out of the locker room. The universe must love me. She’s heading right toward me, not paying attention to anything other than her phone.

Savoring how utterly oblivious she is, I drink in the sight of her, obsessed with her in that damn blazer. When she gets within arm’s reach, I step into her path, causing her to slam into my chest and giving me the perfect chance to wrap my arms around her.

“Well, hello Chispita. If I had known you were so eager to see me, I would’ve finished up sooner.”

She releases an adorable noise, halfway between a snort and a scoff, and tries to pull out of my arms, but I refuse to give her the space she is seeking. Using my larger body to press her back against the wall, I smirk, relishing in her response as I trail my lips across her jaw to her ear.

The skin I pass breaks out in goosebumps and her face flushes a bright red. “You’re not trying to avoid me, are you, gorgeous?”

“What? No! Of course not. Why would I ever avoid you?” She stumbles over the words, making her lie even more obvious.

I stare at her, clearly not believing a word she’s saying, but before I can call her on it, the sound of approaching footsteps has my head snapping up. It’s impossible to tell exactly where they are coming from, so I pull Élise into the closest room that locks—the women’s locker room.

“What the hell, Reyes?”

“I told you that we were going to talk face to face. And I’m not letting you ice me out again just because people are nearby, so I eliminated the option. Now you can’t use them as an excuse to run away.”

Élise takes several steps away from me, muttering under her breath. I don’t catch what she says, but her obvious fluster makes me smile as I slowly follow her. “Well, what do you want to talk about since you’ve trapped me in here with you? If this is about the messages I sent you,” she starts, but her voice trails off when I glide a finger along her jaw.

“The only thing I have to say about those messages is that I can’t wait to make them a reality,” I say in a seductive purr, before brushing a kiss against the corner of her lips.

The brief contact elicits a tiny gasp from her. “I’ve imagined it so many times. Hell, at this point, I might be the one who ends up begging.”

An inferno blazes in her emerald eyes and instantly a matching heat stirs to life within me. “I rather like the idea,” she breathes, “of you on your knees for me.”

Holy fuck.