Page 12 of Forbid It

I’m about to burst through the double doors that lead back to the main hall when a hand grabs my elbow and pulls me through a door.

The light overhead blinks on and I assess my surroundings. A storage closet. And Robbie King towering over me, his hand still holding my elbow. His broad shoulders almost fill the small space, not to mention his overwhelming scent. He’s in the middle of practice in eighty degree weather but he still smells divine. Fresh cut grass and sweat that should not smell as tempting as it does.

“We need to talk, trouble.” His voice is a low rumble that causes a shiver to climb down my spine.

I shake my arm free. “Oh, so now we need to talk.” My patience is on thin ice now. “You ignored me out there.”

“Did you know who I was?” he asks.

I roll my eyes. “You think I would have done that with you if I did?”

He sends me a dark glare. “I think you might have, yeah.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” He seems mad. It’s so unlike the flirty suave guy from my patio that I have to recalibrate. I wasn’t expecting to see him ever again and I definitely wasn’t expecting this reaction.

My back is pressed against a shelf, the wood digging into the base of my spine and making me arch my lower body towards him.

“Did you know who I was?” I throw his question back in his face. “No offense, but it’s far more likely that you’d recognize me. Did you think seducing the boss’s daughter was a great idea?”

“You know I didn’t know who you were,” he snaps. It’s almost refreshing for him to admit that he didn’t recognize me, considering I can barely walk down the street without sensing heads turn. This is the first time being famous would have actually solved my problem. Or at least prevented this situation from happening in the first place.

Despite his pissy mood, I still can’t bring myself to regret it, especially as he towers over me. The last time I saw him, we were both sitting down and now I barely reach his chin. I’m a tall girl, even taller in heels, but I’m still the perfect height to see his pulse race in his throat.

“Fine,” I cross my arms. “You didn’t know who I was, and I didn’t know who you were. We can just go on pretending we still don’t know each other.”

“We were literally introduced a few minutes ago.”

“Shall we pretend that didn’t happen too? Every time we cross paths from now on, we can shake hands and announce our full names and job titles.”

“Cassie,” he grits out.

“No one will ever need to know that you know what I taste like.”

Robbie’s silent for a second, his eyes hooded, his tongue darting out to lick his bottom lip.

He nods once, the movement stilted. “We can’t do it again.” He whispers the words so quietly, as if he’s talking to himself.

I tilt my head up, bringing our faces close together. “Are you sure about that?”

I can’t deny the heat pooling in my belly at the prospect of his lips brushing mine. Of his strong hands pushing me back onto the shelf, his hips falling into the cradle of my thighs. Of making me forget the world that exists outside of this tiny closet.

“This should never have happened. It’s…” He runs his hand through his hair. “Inappropriate.”

“Inappropriate?" I choke. "It’s not like I’m signing your checks."

"No.” He glares at me. “But your father is.”

I chew on my lip. My dad hasn’t owned the team for long, and it’s not like he’s explicitly told me I can’t date a player, but it does feel pretty likely that he would not approve. Still, I can't seem to regret it as much as Robbie obviously does.

Except for the pretty clear sign that he feels something a little bit more than regret.

“Hmm,” I murmur. “So maybe you should stop pressing your boner against my thigh.”

He freezes in place, eyes widening as if he didn’t notice the hard-on that’s making itself very known. When I use my hand to push against his chest, I purposely let my long crimson nails scratch at the neck of his t-shirt, feeling his Adam’s apple bob under my finger.

“See you around, King.” I glance down again at the imprint of his erection clear in his thin athletic shorts. “Probably should sort that out before seeing my father again.”

I let the closet door shut behind me.