Page 100 of Her Coach

He left three minutes later.

Brynn appeared in front of me with her arms folded and one eyebrow raised. “You want to tell me what that was?”

“No,” I said.

She studied me for a second. Then something shifted in her face and she dropped her arms. “Tonic water with lime?”

“Please,” I said.

She turned to make my drink and I watched the napkin disappear under the bar rail without her ever picking it up. I didn’t say anything about it. Neither did she. But when she slid my drink in front of me a minute later, the corner of her mouth was doing something she was trying very hard not to let it do.

Would I really have to go back to New York?

The question slammed into my chest in the middle of that crowded bar, and I damn near couldn’t breathe. I watched Brynn as she leaned over the bar, placing her hand on a woman’s shoulder while they talked. I watched as she took care of orders. Cracked open more beers. Poured them from the tap like a professional, with perfect heads on top of all the pints. She didn’t carry herself as a woman who wanted to be a professor and write a book. She carried herself like a woman who was destined to own this bar.

All at once, I questioned my four-year plan. Every time I racked the balls and cracked them with the cue, I thought about what it might be like to do this after every game. Coming to the bar and celebrating the win with a tournament set of pool games. Enjoying Brynn’s presence, and burying myself into her body to celebrate every win. Sure, the PHL was where I left my legacy. Yes, I missed it.

But as I won my first pool game and advanced on the bracket board, I watched Brynn slowly make her way over. She leaned against the wall with her arms crossed over that voluptuous chest of hers while her eyes watched me.

Clocked me.

Smiled at me, whenever I looked at her.

Sure, New York held my legacy. But Las Vegas was quickly becoming the place that held my peace.

And as I racked the balls for my second round of pool, I turned my thoughts away from New York. Away from top franchises. Away from the idea and the plan of getting back to my old life.

Because to be honest?

This new life didn’t seem that bad after all.

40

COLTON

“Who knew Frank was such a monster at pool?” Brynn asked as we made our way into my place.

I threw the door open for her and relinquished her just long enough to get her inside. “The second I watched him sink that red stripe on Jett during that third round he played, I knew he was taking it.”

“Really?” she asked as she shrugged off my windbreaker and hung it up on the coat rack near the door. “How did you know?”

“Form,” I said simply as I made my way toward the stairs. “Form tells all.”

She snickered. “Is that the slogan for the season? Form tells all?”

I chuckled as I held my hand out for her. “Might as well be. Coming?”

She tossed me a wink as she slipped her hand into mine. “Always, when you’re around.”

I barked with laughter as we made our way up the steps. We immediately moved toward my bedroom, but instead of collapsing onto the bed, we danced around one another. It wasn’t a rehearsed dance by any means, but I watched as she washed her face at the sink. I moved around her as I changed out of my clothes and into a pair of my sweatpants. She slipped around me, bebopping back and forth from my closet until she was settled in a pair of my boxers and a gardening shirt of mine that practically swallowed her whole.

She beamed with pride as she climbed into bed, and I took an equal amount of pride wrapping my arm around her and pulling her close.

“Mmm, you’re always so warm,” she muttered as she hunkered down beneath my arm.

I placed a chaste kiss to the top of her head before I pulled the comforter over us. “How are you feeling?”

She giggled softly, and it brought such peace to my soul. “Good. Tired, but the good kind of tired. You?”