“Only if you want it to be. I just figured I’d save you the trouble of having to ward off my teammates. I can name three of the guys who are interested in you. My threats to stop their advances can only go so far.”
“What if I didn’t want to go to your party? I can easily just tell them I’m not interested.”
He nodded and crossed his arms over his chest. “You could, but that doesn’t mean shit to these guys. They’ll keep hounding you until you give in. They love the chase.”
“Just like you,” I retorted with a smile.
“What can I say? I’m relentless when I want something.”
I sucked in a breath and bit my lip. Did he really want me like that? The thought made everything inside of me tighten. It was too dangerous to think of him like that.
“So are you trying to save me from your friends or are you really wanting me to join you? I know how you guys work, and I don’t want to be a part of some game you’re playing to get girls.”
His grin faded, gaze hard. “I don’t play games, Summer. I may have in the past, but I would never do that to you. Have I ever given you the impression that you can’t trust me?”
Sighing, I shook my head. I felt like such an idiot. “No, and I’m sorry for being presumptuous. It’s just…” I paused and bit down on the inside of my cheek.
“It’s just what?” he asked in all seriousness.
“It’s just this is all new to me. All I’ve ever known is Austin. Being around you makes me nervous. I’m not like the girls you’ve brought into the restaurant. If it’s sex you want, you can forget it. I’m not one of your groupies.” For a second there, I thought he was at a loss for words, but then he belted out laughter. Ouch, that hurt. “I’m glad I could amuse you.”
When he straightened up, he took off his hat and ran his hands through his hair. And again, my heart sped up at the sight. Shit. “Damn, you are a fiery one. And just so we’re clear, I’m not trying to fuck you or trying to put another notch in my belt. Believe it or not, I’m actually interested in something else.”
“What is that, exactly?”
“I don’t know, but I’m hoping you can help me figure it out.” Grabbing my hand, he pulled me toward his truck. “Let’s go.”
“Go? Go where?” I looked down at my empty hands. “I must have left my purse inside. I don’t even have my phone.”
Lara showed up out of nowhere and tossed my bag in the air. Evan caught it and handed it to me. “Now you do,” Lara said. “Kate said that she and Cooper will be right behind you. I’ll see you this afternoon.” She glanced back and forth between Evan and me, grinning from ear to ear, before rushing back inside Kate’s house. I swear it felt like they were all up to something. It didn’t take a genius to figure it out.
Evan opened the passenger-side door and waited patiently for me. A part of me wanted to jump right on in, but the other part was hesitant. I didn’t want to lead him on, and, more important, I didn’t want to be stupid. For the time being, I guess it didn’t hurt to have him as my protector. I’d rather be around him than be thrown to the wolves.
As soon as he slid behind the wheel, he shut the door and backed us out of the driveway. “You better hope your arguing with me doesn’t make me late. We get reprimanded for that shit.”
“What does the coach do if you’re late?” The last thing I wanted was for him to get in trouble because of me.
“It all depends on what mood he’s in. Most of the time we have to stay late and do extra workouts. You don’t want to be responsible for that, now do you?”
“No.” I looked at the clock on the dashboard. It was twenty till nine. “What time is considered late?”
He looked at the clock, grinning. “We have five minutes left to get there.”
“Five minutes!” I shouted. “We’re at least twenty minutes away.”
“Well, then, I guess you’re going to be staying late with me since you’re late as well. You belong to the team for the next two weeks. I do believe that in the contract you signed you agreed you would abide by the team rules.”
“You have got to be kidding me,” I groaned. “So what do I do now?”
“I’m sure Lara already knows since she’s familiar with our policies, but it looks like you need to call her and tell her you’ll be late tonight. But don’t worry, I’ll get you there.”
Judging by the wolfish smile on his face, he wasn’t upset about it at all. Grabbing my phone, I called Lara’s number and waited for her to pick up. “You’re evil, you know that?” I grumbled, shaking my head incredulously.
“Sometimes you just have to break the rules. If you don’t, you’ll miss out on life.”
Is that what I’d done for the past two years? Missed out on life?
“Summer,” Lara said, answering the phone. “Are you okay?”
I cleared my throat and took a deep breath. Was I okay? I was better than okay. I’d never felt so alive, excited, and scared all at one time. I felt free. “Yeah, I’m fine. I just wanted to tell you that I’m going to be late tonight. I’ll get to the restaurant as soon as I can.”
Not waiting on a smart-ass reply, I hung up as soon as the words were out. Sometimes you just have to break the rules. I had a feeling I was about to break a ton of them…and I couldn’t wait.
Chapter 6