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“And I quote, ‘She was perfect for him.’”

A bitter laugh escaped me. “Like he was even around enough to know,” I muttered, the resentment bubbling to the surface. His praise of Emma was another reminder of how little he truly understood me.

Ari shifted, her gaze flicking to mine. “Sorry I’ll never sit in the stands and wear your jersey. I’m sure that bothers you. I mean, you even tried to make it one of our rules⁠—”

“Stop.” I crouched in front of her, one hand bracing on the bench while the other tipped her chin to face me. Her eyes widened slightly, and I softened my tone.

“I’m sorry he did that to you. But listen to me.” I cupped her face, needing to touch her. “Emma wasn’t perfect for me. Not even close. She didn’t support me. She supported the idea of what being with me gave her. The money, the attention, the title of being a WAG.” I slid my thumb across her cheek, the roughness of the pad contrasting against her soft skin. “You don’t give a shit about any of that. You’re there for me in ways that actually matter. You push me to be better, you call me out when I need it, and…” Swallowing hard, I forced myself to say it. “I know you like me for me. Not the player, not the paycheck. Just me. He was right. You’re nothing like her, and that’s my favorite part. Understand?”

Her lips parted slightly, her expression faltering as she nodded her head.

“I’ve met Emma, and there’s no way I feel the need to try and compete with her.”

I smirked, recognizing her tactic to avoid talking about emotions, but deciding to let her have it—for now. “Good. Because if anyone should be trying to live up to someone, it’s the other way around.”

I stood, offering her a hand. She let me pull her to her feet.

“Thanks, Dalton,” she said, her eyes saying more than her lips were. Now I was the one running from the emotions hanging in the air. I pulled my gaze away. “Alright, now it’s my turn to work off some steam,” I said, dropping to the floor and moving to where she’d just vacated. Because even though I was smiling at her, I was fucking pissed to hear my dad had cornered her in her office and decided to talk about how great my ex supposedly was.

“You going to just stand there or load more weight on the bar?” I taunted, drinking her in from where she stood above me.

God, she was mesmerizing. Sweat glistened on her well-muscled body. She’d put in years of discipline, and it showed, but the sexiest part wasn't how she looked. It was what she could do with that damn body. How strong and resilient she was, both mentally and physically.

She was as much of an athlete as I was.

“You want more, Dalt?” Her voice broke me from my drool session over her toned hamstrings.

As a response, I hip thrust a rep with my hands behind my head. “Give it to me, Sunshine.”

My dick hardened at her tongue swiping along her full bottom lip.

That’s going to feel great against the metal bar.

Instead of walking toward the rack of bumper plates, she moved in closer. I forgot how to breathe when she swung her leg over, positioning herself so she was straddling my body, ass sitting on the padded part of the bar—right above my cock.

Calloused hands landed on my shoulder, coconut invading my senses. She would manage to smell delicious even while working out.

“There’s some more weight on the bar for you. Think you can hip thrust me?”

I reached up and turned my hat around because there was no way my mouth wouldn’t find its way to her body. I’d been dreaming about it since that night in Betty, and then sleeping across the hall from her had been torture, but I hadn’t wanted to push too far. I’d be damned if my hat was going to cock block me now that all the walls were coming down.

“How many thrusts do you want, Coach?” I asked already moving.

The top of the movement put her chest in perfect alignment with my mouth, and the sweat running in the valley of her breasts called to me like a siren’s song. I was moving before I could think better of it. Saltiness coated my tongue as I licked up her chest, starting slightly below where her sports bra covered.

The gasp of surprise, followed by a breathy drop of my name, only fueled me. She was going to leave marks with how tightly she gripped my shoulders, but I didn’t give a shit. Every rep I licked and kissed at a new section of her body, too far gone to put the breaks on the runaway train that was my libido.

Eight reps came and went too quickly, but I didn’t care. I was ready to burn my fucking legs out just to keep tasting her.

“You’ve gotta stop, Dalton. You’re going to injure yourself,” she pleaded, sounding as disappointed as I felt.

I set her and the bar down, before pulling her into my lap.

“Look how wild you drive me, Sunshine,” I breathed, pushing her down on the obvious bulge. Living for the moan she let out as her eyelids fluttered closed.

So much for not scaring her away, but I was too worked up not to show her the truth.

My hand slid to her waist, gripping her like she might disappear if I let go. Her long locks grazed my legs as she tipped her head back, letting out a soft “fuck.” The sight of her pulse pounding in her throat made me lose my mind.