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She rewarded him with a smile, the wall he’d felt her building sliding back down. “Right. Let’s eat.”
Hand in hand, they made a discreet path down the hall, cautious not to be seen until they reached the kitchen. When they reached the glass door to the backyard, it swept open as the coach greeted them, guiding them into the gathering of friends and teammates. But that sexy promise they’d shared still lingered, reinforced with each passing glance they shared.
***
KATIE LOUNGED in a patio chair in the coach’s backyard under a shaded awning. With the party well underway, she sat with several other women, experiencing what she considered to be a little piece of hell. Team parties and picnics, she knew from her days with Joey, were always packed with big-breasted women and big-egoed men. One of those big-breasted women was the coach’s blonde bombshell of a wife, ten years his junior, Heather Bradshaw, who was down-to-earth and friendly, and unfortunately, ever attentive to Katie. That meant every time Katie had an “I-want-to-grind-my-teeth-clear-to-dust” moment, she was forced to smile her way past it. She did so by thinking about her and Luke and their nights spent together.
Thankfully the questions about her dancing and tours, how she’d met Luke and how she’d injured her knee were somewhat behind her. She’d even managed to throw in a remark about Luke pressuring her to go to Texas for the away series. Katie smiled as Luke won yet another game of horseshoes and Rick cursed him up and down—good-naturedly, of course. The two were clearly close friends. And Luke winning horseshoes, she hoped, was a tiny reminder he was still in control. This stalker of his was not.
Rick’s date for the day, Libby Reynolds, grimaced. “Dating Luke gave me a complex. He is always so darn perfect.”
Katie whipped around, her eyebrows dipping. Her professional instincts were all but vibrating. “You dated Luke? But now you’re seeing his best friend?”
Libby laughed and waved off the concern. “Luke doesn’t care, believe me. I filled in when he needed a date for a few functions here and there. I certainly never made it past his front door, let alone one of these backyard functions by his side. Nobody has, before you.”
So Katie had been told by about everyone who’d met her today, and then they’d drilled her and Luke about their relationship. She felt as if she should have had a flyer printed to hand out, explaining their history. It would have been easier than repeating it fifty times.
“How long have you been seeing Rick?” Katie asked.
“Three months.” She eyed Rick, who had been plastered by Luke’s side pretty much all afternoon. The two were always together, a kind of brother bond between them. “He’s a real teddy bear. Easy to get close to and real lovable.” She snorted. “Unlike Luke.”
Katie’s eyes narrowed. “What does that mean?”
Heather answered. “Luke likes his privacy.”
“There’s nothing wrong with that,” Katie said, finding a bit of defensiveness rise in her.
“Oh, my husband agrees wholeheartedly,” Heather chimed in, sipping one of the daiquiris Katie had passed on to keep a clear head.
Libby tugged at her little white tee and adjusted the bow positioned over her cleavage. “You wouldn’t know that from all the headlines he created last year,” Libby said, her tone hinting at a bit of disdain that Katie couldn’t quite dismiss. This chick had dated Luke, and now she was dating Rick. That could mean she was a groupie who’d take any player she could get, or she was trying to stay close to Luke through Rick.
“Please,” Heather said, setting her drink down. “That low-life little bitch he was dating was behind all his press. I was certain Luke would never date again after that woman.” Her gaze shifted to Katie as she added, “Now, not only is he dating, but he can’t keep his eyes off you, Katie. Do tell us your secret to seducing the best catch on the planet.”
Katie quirked a brow. Shouldn’t she think her husband, not Luke, was the catch? Interesting. Probably nothing, but interesting anyway. Katie laughed. “Love potion number nine,” she joked.
“Hmm,” Heather said, and winked. “Does it make him frisky? If so, I might have to borrow some for Coach.”
Katie laughed. “You just called your own husband Coach.”
Heather’s eyes twinkled with mischief. “He likes it. He has a thing for power, if you know what I mean.”
Okay, then. Heather might not think her husband was a catch, but they had a good sex life. Or an interesting one, it seemed.
Katie was contemplating a response when suddenly Luke’s hands settled on her shoulders. A shiver raced down her spine. She looked up at him and found warmth spreading through her body reflected in his tender eyes. “Hey,” she said softly, head spinning with the impact of her response to such a small gesture.
