AllFreeNovel
Share Us
He said it low enough only she could hear, but everyone could see him grasp her hand. Once again, he’d overstepped his boundaries, infiltrated her space and her senses, but people would notice if she snatched her hand back. She had no choice but to allow him to lead her through the throngs of excited fans, across the security gate and to the back area. It wasn’t until he moved to open the locker room door that she finally resisted.
He shook his head. “Don’t worry, no one is naked now.”
Naked. She flushed as unbidden images returned. Did he know what she was thinking? He gave no clues. “The players are already practicing. I’ll join them in a minute, but first we talk.”
How could she deny him after she’d grabbed his… ahem? “All right,” she agreed primly, removing her hand from his. “I have some things to say to you, too.” As he opened the door, she strode past him, into the world of cold steel and the scent of sweat. She forced herself to remember why she barged into the locker room in the first place, fought for the indignation, the anger. As soon as the door clicked shut, she pivoted. “How could you?”
He folded his arms across his chest, stood up tall. “You’re angry at me?”
“The situation warrants it.”
“Is that right?” he drawled. “Was I being offensive by being naked in the locker room? Did changing in front of my teammates harm the Dragons’ image? Of course, I did have a towel on, which you dislodged when you crashed into me.”
Her face flamed. “Of course, you’re allowed to be nak – indecent – in the locker room.”
“Then what’s my crime? It certainly couldn’t have been worse than a woman running into a locker room, and then literally running into someone.” He took a step closer. “You do realize the locker room was closed to outsiders – with good reason.”
Oh yeah, because the players were less than fully clothed. Of course, she wasn’t really an outsider, but it didn’t matter. She had no business being in the locker room when the men were preparing for a game. “About that…”
“For someone who’s concerned about propriety, you seem to spend a lot of time on top of me.”
She stiffened. Did he mean literally, figuratively or both? “I wasn’t on top of you. I was…” What was an innocuous way to say plastered against someone and touching their… ahem? She cleared her throat. “That was a mistake.”
“Really?” he stepped forward. “Because I’m wondering if something subconscious is going on.”
Like she wanted to be plastered against him and touching his… ahem? How utterly, positively ridiculous. And definitely not true. Well, not entirely true. Well, maybe – Focus! “Are you insinuating I wanted to touch your–”
He smiled.
She cleared her throat, hardened her resolve. She had to think about Alan. Her parents. “It was a mistake and will not be repeated. The only thing I want from you has to do with business.”
“Are you sure about that? Because it seemed like something else was at play.”
Her throat dried at the all-too-accurate assessment. There was something between them, something unfathomable, something strong. Was that why she was overreacting? “You have to stop doing these things.”
“Ahh, yes. You still haven’t told me what I did wrong.”
Time to stick to business and ignore that she’d been plastered against him and touching his… ahem. “It’s bad enough to party every night with a hundred women, but now you’re bringing them to the dugout?”
He raised an eyebrow. “You’re accusing me of bringing women into the dugout? Isn’t that a little ironic?”
“Of course not.” It was a lot ironic. She blustered forward, “Kelsey stopped by. She said Crystal was very excited to be joining you today. Not only that, but they’re bringing the good stuff.” She put her hands on her hips. “After everything that happened, how can you bring women and alcohol into the dugout? The press will have a field day.”
She expected a hundred and one excuses, but he remained stalwart, if a bit bemused. “You haven’t seen Crystal yet, have you? Or the good stuff? Didn’t I warn you about making assumptions? This may be perfectly harmless.”
The slightest smidgeon of doubt throttled her next words. But what else could it be?
“You seem very worked up. Do you always get so entrenched in your career or is there some other reason you’re upset Crystal is here?”
“Some other reason?” Dara stopped. “You’re not suggesting I’m jealous.”
He smiled.
“That’s completely, utterly and entirely ridiculous!” And not completely, utterly and entirely incorrect. She pressed forward. “How about I join you in the dugout, as well? That way I can watch your completely innocent exchanges.”
His gaze sharpened. The dugout was usually reserved for players, coaches and their assistants, not support staff. Of course, random women from last night’s clubbing experience were not supposed to be there either. He grabbed a ball and turned it in his hands. “You’re the one who needs watching. How many men do you accost on a daily basis?”
“Only you,” she stormed back. She closed her eyes. That had sounded better in her head. “This is about you. No one cares how I behave.”
