Personal Foul: A Sports Office Standalone Romance

by Brooke O'Brien

  When it was time for everyone to leave, watching Isaac give Colson a hug, his arms wrapped around his waist thanking him, left me in tears. You could tell this meant more to him than many of the other kids. I know firsthand, having grown up in foster care, how differently your perspective can be shaped by someone you look up to showing you the attention you crave.

  I don’t know if Colson understood the gravity of what he gave those kids today, and how special he made each of them feel. I’m so glad my father made the decision to have him join me. He’s going to make an amazing father one day.

  The thought alone has me shaking my head, trying to rid myself of those mental images. I’ve only known him personally for such a short time. It was only a few days ago I was trying to convince both of us why it would be a terrible idea for us to pursue anything further. Now, I’m picturing what he would be like with his own children.

  You’re crazy, Syd. Seriously, stop it.

  “What’d you say?” Colson asks, palming the basketball in his hand.

  I don’t even realize he’s talking to me until he calls me by my name, turning to stare blankly at him.

  “Huh?”

  “Are you talking to yourself?”

  “What?” I pause, looking around the empty gym. We’re alone now, so I don’t have an easy out of this one.

  “Oh, sorry. I was thinking out loud.”

  “Do you normally call yourself crazy?”

  Busted.

  “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

  “Well, whatever you were thinking about must not be so bad. You had a big smile on your face.”

  “No, I didn’t.”

  “Yes, you did. You were doing that thing where you bite your lip to try and hide it, but I know you well enough to know it wasn’t because you’re crazy or you didn’t like whatever you were thinking about.”

  “You know, I don’t know if I should be flattered or creeped out how you’re seemingly one of few men who seem to pay attention to things like this.”

  “Men pay attention if it’s someone they’re interested in.”

  Heat blazes over my cheeks, and I know without even looking in a mirror, my pale skin isn’t helping conceal how much I liked hearing those words.

  “You’re cute when you’re nervous.”

  “You’re doing it again.”

  He laughs, dribbling the ball as he turns to add it to the rest lining the rack. Holding onto the handle, he steers the cart toward the edge of the gym where we had found them when we arrived.

  “I think we’re good to go.” I glance around the gym, doing a quick once-over to make sure we didn’t miss anything. Colson rubs his hands together before slipping them into the pockets of his shorts, waiting for me.

  I try to avoid looking at him in the eye, so instead, I stare at his legs. The way his tan skin highlights the muscles flexing in his calves down to his white sneakers.

  “All right, I think that’s it. We’ll have to lock up, and I’ll drop the key off at the front desk on our way, then we can head out.”

  Every step we take walking through the hall, then out to the car, my body is on hyperalert.

  We drop off our lanyards at the front desk, and I’m quickly checking the notifications on my phone when Colson grabs my forearm, an attempt to get my attention.

  My brows furrow, following his line of sight to where Isaac sits cross-legged on the curb.

  “I think that’s Isaac.”

  What is he doing outside by himself? I no more think the words before Colson is speaking them out loud.

  “I thought all of the kids had to stay inside until their parents picked them up.”

  Colson jogs over toward him, crouching down near him.

  The Miami sun is beaming down on us. The parking lot is quieter than it had been earlier, many of the kids having gone home, leaving only a few cars left in the parking lot.

  My eyes scan the parking lot, my heart thumping in my chest. My stomach churns, anxiety settling over me. I breathe out a slow breath, attempting to calm my racing thoughts, fearing what could’ve happened to him out here alone.

  “What are you doing out here alone, bud? I thought your ride was picking you up,” Colson asks.

  “She’s late, like usual.”

  “Who are you waiting for? Do you want to use my phone?”

  “No, it’s okay. I’m sure she’ll be here soon. Even if I did call, she probably won’t answer. She never picks up, she always lets it ring and ring off the hook.”

  “Who is she?”

  “Cheryl, my foster guardian.”

  To hear him use those words feels like a flash to the past I hated to experience.

  I was used to calling my foster parents as my guardian or by their first name, until I met my parents. I never felt comfortable enough to refer to them as more than someone who is merely looking after me. It was inevitable our time together would end, and they weren’t truly my mom or dad to begin with. To hear him refer to her as his guardian though, it’s like he reached into my chest and gripped my heart in his small fist.

  “We’ll sit with you. How does that sound?” I smile, lightly touching his arm. I move to take a seat next to him, remembering how I felt at his age, hating when everyone drew attention to me but also never wanting to be alone.

  Even when I’d tell people, “it’s okay” or “don’t worry about me,” I had always wished someone would. I would’ve given anything to have someone reassure me they wanted to stay and promise me I wasn’t inconveniencing them by watching over me.

  Eventually, as I grew older, I wanted to take care of myself, alone.

  “Are you excited to go back to school?”

  He taps his foot on the ground, folding his arms around his bended knees. Colson joins us on the curb, sitting on the other side of him.

  Isaac stares at the ground, using the rubber soles of his shoes to move the sand and rocks lining the edge of the road into a small pile.

  “Yeah, I guess. I don’t mind coming here during the day, but I like school, too. It’s fun.”

  “What’s your favorite class?”

  He stares out over the parking lot, his eyes squinting while he considers his answer before turning to me. With a grin, he says, “Umm… probably science. Or gym. Definitely gym.”

  I do everything I can to hide how bothered I am by the fact his ride isn’t here. Colson motions to me he’s going to head inside to see if he can get a hold of someone.

  I toss him a subtle nod, keeping my attention on Isaac while he tells me about one of his science projects he worked on last year. They had a unit on tornadoes. His eyes light up as he talks about watching the water swirl between two soda bottles, creating a tornado-like motion.

  In the back of my mind though, it’s like a clock is ticking away, wondering how much time has passed since he was supposed to be picked up. My heart aches thinking how he must feel being left here. A few minutes later, Colson strides out of the building toward us when a dark blue minivan pulls up.

  You can see how Isaac’s mood shifts from being happy and enthusiastic in recounting his science project, to having all those feelings deflate right out of him.

  “You okay?” I whisper under my breath to him.

  He ducks his head, moving to stand while shrugging his backpack over his shoulders.

  “Yeah.” He nods, giving me a half-hearted smile, turning toward the van.

  Smoke billows out of the window when she rolls them down.

  “C’mon, we gotta get goin’. I need to get home. I’ve been waiting on Charlie to show up.”

  One hand holding her cigarette in the air, she reaches over, hitting the unlock button, and the van door slides open.

  “Thanks for waiting with me,” Isaac says, one foot on the step before he climbs in. He turns back to look at us, flashing Colson a brave smile, holding his hand up to wave.

  “Of course, bud! You have a good night.” Colson smiles, flashing a wave to Isaac and the wo
man driving.

  She doesn’t bother to return the gesture, turning somberly back to face forward, rolling up the windows again.

  My eyes follow Isaac climbing into the last row of the van. His half-hearted smile is back on his face, waving to us again before resting his hand under his chin as they drive off.

  “Why was that so heartbreaking to watch?” Colson asks, sighing heavily.

  “Because it was.”

  Chapter Eight

  Sydney

  “What’s on your mind?” Colson’s deep voice reverberates through the small space, the raspiness reminding me of the way he whispered low in my ear the first night we spent at his apartment together.

  “Just thinking about today.”

  I didn’t want to kill the mood but watching Isaac drive away left me in a funk and now I am desperate to pull myself out of it.

  “You know, you were really great with the kids,” I admit, peering over at him before turning the wheel to pull my car under the awning down the parking ramp.

  It’s early afternoon, so it’s mostly empty. Many of the other residents who use the garage are still at work or out for the day. I hadn’t planned on going back to the office after the event, although I do have some papers and a box of leftover T-shirts in my trunk to return tomorrow.

  “They were a great group of kids. I enjoy doing things like this. This platform, I was given it for a reason. I’m going to use it to give back to the people who deserve it most, ya know?”

  I turn my head to look out the window, blinking through the tears filling the brim of my eyes, hating how my emotions are getting to me.

  “Yeah, I know,” I force out, trying to hide how hard his words hit me.

  I pull into my spot near the corner of the garage, putting the car in park. The moment I do, his hand is on mine, urging me to face him. Gripping the side of my face, he guides me closer to him, pressing a soft kiss against my lips, stealing my breath.

  Pulling back, he takes my hand and raises it to his mouth, trailing kisses along the inside of my forearm up to my wrist. My mouth parts, unable to move or breathe. Hell, unable to even think straight. All I can think about is how good it feels when he touches me and how I don’t want him to stop.

  In my right mind, I could think of a list of reasons why this isn’t a good idea. It’s too soon. How would this look to management, the team, and my dad?

  Except, I don’t care. Not right now. I push every fear and worry out of my mind, telling myself I’ll figure it out later.

  All I care about right now is Colson and the way he makes me feel, and I never want this feeling to end.

  “C’mere,” he careens, urging me closer to him.

  I lean toward him, expecting him to want to kiss me, when he reaches for the lever next to his seat and adjusts it to the point he’s nearly lying down. Half of his body is practically in my back seat as he stretches his legs out in front of him.

  “What are you doing?”

  “Making room for you.” He winks while saying, “Stop thinking so much and get your ass over here.”

  I scoff. What did he say?

  “You think too much. Now get your fine ass over here.” He pauses, repeating it again. He raises his brow, waiting for me to fight him on it. Leaning back, I narrow my eyes at him. I want to argue with him. Moving to pull my arm away from him, I’m ready to fire off what’s on my mind.

  “Now,” he commands.

  His tongue darts out of his mouth, gliding slowly across his lower lip as his eyes fall to my chest, where I’m struggling to gain control of my breathing. My lungs work overtime to keep up. My heavy pants cause the windows to fog as my eyes dart away from his, looking to see if anyone is around.

  There’s no one. Just me and Colson. All alone.

  When my eyes fall back on him, he moves his arm up to rest under his head, not fazed in the least by what’s going on, and it only aggravates me more.

  “Whenever you’re ready, I’ll be right here waiting.”

  My eyes narrow again. He’s seriously going to sit there, looking all fucking sexy, and it ticks me off. I hate how he gets under my skin, yet he’s acting like Mr. Calm, Cool, and Collected.

  Something spurs inside of me. Maybe it’s the adrenaline, or maybe it’s the fact I want to give him a taste of his own medicine. Find a way to rattle him, cracking his perfectly crafted exterior.

  Unbuckling the seat belt, I reach for the handle of my seat and recline to match his. Kicking off my shoes, I climb over the center console separating us to straddle his lap. A grin stretches across his perfectly etched face. Adjusting his position to make room for me, his eyes light up while his hands find their way to my hips, guiding me above him until my chest is pressed against his with my legs on either side of him.

  We might not have much space, but there’s no hiding how badly our bodies are craving each other. Even with what little material is between us, it’s still creating enough friction to drive us crazy.

  Bracing my hands on the headrest behind him, I lean in close until my mouth is a hair’s breadth away from his.

  “Is this what you wanted?”

  “It’s more than I expected, but I’m not complaining whatsoever.” He grins, his eyes looking down at my breasts. With the way my shirt is now hanging open, he gets a perfect view of my cleavage before looking back up at me. “I’m not complaining one bit.”

  His voice cracks at the end, reminding me he’s not as calm and collected as he’d like me to think, which spurs me to continue.

  “Good,” I whisper, leaning closer. “Now, no more thinking.”

  Grinding my hips down on top of him, he releases a low moan as desire flashes in his eyes. His grip on my thighs tightens.

  “No thinking. Just feeling.”

  I rotate my hips, rocking back and forth over him, causing his nostrils to flare as he leans up and captures my mouth in a soul-searing kiss.

  When our lips connect, a deep groan vibrates through them. He releases his hold, reaching his hands up to grip my face as he opens his mouth, brushing his tongue against mine

  All I want is more, to feel his body against me, inside me, consuming me.

  “I mean this in the most respectful way possible, but if you don’t take those fucking shorts off now, I’m going to rip them off you.”

  Oh, God. Is there anything hotter than Colson Rush talking dirty to me?

  “Sydney. Now.” His words are firm, spoken with authority.

  Ducking my head, I lean back and slip my hands into the waistband of my shorts, thinking through how I’ll be able to manage to shimmy my way out of them with a limited amount of space.

  His eyes burn into me, his teeth once again biting down on his lower lip. It’s exhilarating seeing how turned on he is, waiting for me to give him what he wants.

  I love how he looks at me, how his eyes seemingly eat up every inch of my body like he’s not sure where he wants to focus his attention but doesn’t want to miss a second.

  Two hard knocks hit against the window, causing my movements to freeze.

  Oh, fuck! We’re busted. My eyes dart to Colson, as he bursts out laughing.

  The car is still on with the music playing on low around us. Hitting the button to roll down the window, the humidity billows out. I know immediately who it is before the window is even down.

  “Hi…” I drawl.

  “Hello, ma’am,” the officer greets. Bending down, he peers into the car seeing Colson reclined back. A smirk lines the cop’s mouth as he stands back up.

  “Umm, can we help you? Is everything all right?”

  “Well, I guess it appears to be. We got a report of some suspicious activity, and someone requested we drive through to, uh, check to make sure everything’s okay.”

  My eyes dart to Colson, as he tries to smother his cackling. Climbing off his lap, I slide over to my seat to situate my shorts before shoving my feet into my discarded shoes as we adjust our seats back up.

  “Please step
out of the vehicle.”

  “Shit.” My face warms, humiliation settling over me. We were already blasted in the media once this month. They are going to have a heyday when they get their hands on this story.

  “Don’t worry,” Colson whispers. “I’ll take care of it.”

  He must sense my nervousness, knowing how this is going to look for both of us.

  He opens the door and climbs out, and I follow along with him.

  “What are your names?” the officer asks.

  “Colson Rush and her name is Sydney Carr. I’m sorry, officer. I know how this must look.”

  “Colson Rush.” His tone changes completely. “I thought I recognized you. I heard you were moving down to Miami. We’re glad to have you here. I’m a big fan of the Blaze,” he gushes.

  Of course, it seems like everyone is as smitten by him as I am.

  “Thank you, sir. I’m looking forward to the upcoming season and glad to be a part of the team.”

  His grin beams on his face, glancing from Colson to me, then back to Colson.

  “You said your name is Carr, right? As in Coach Ken Carr?”

  My eyes bug out, not sure how to respond. I don’t want him to know who I am, but I can’t exactly lie to a police officer. Isn’t that like a felony or something?

  “Yes, sir,” Colson interjects. “I’m sure you can understand why we may want this information kept between the two of us. For now,” he clarifies, looking over at me. The last part seems to have been spoken to us both.

  “I understand.” He nods, gripping his hands onto the belt looped at his waistband. “Your secret is safe with me. Do me a favor, though, will ya? If you don’t want anyone finding out, you may want to find somewhere a little more private. You know, one that doesn’t have cameras around.”

  He motions with a finger to the camera hanging from the corner above where my car is parked, providing a perfect shot through the windows right to where we were seated.

  “Oh, crap!” I mumble to myself, ducking my head down to hide my embarrassment.

  “You got it.” Colson chuckles. “We’ll be more careful next time.”

  Colson reaches his hand out, shaking the officer’s. Thanking him for his service and stepping back to press his hand against my lower back. Adjusting my purse on my shoulder, Colson guides me across the parking lot toward the stairwell and elevators.