Echo (The Player Book 3)

by Nana Malone

  Echo sighed as he pushed himself the rest of the way into her and hissed something unintelligible. He was right. He knew just what she needed. She would focus on the now.

  Echo laughed but the sound quickly turned into gasps as he changed angles to hit her G-spot just right. Oh, God. She swallowed, her hands loosening their grip on the bed sheets and traveling to tease her breasts as he moved faster. “Cole. Oh God. Please—”

  “Right there, Echo? Is that what you wanted?”

  “Yes, God, yes. More…please,” she panted, his hold on her legs pulling them farther and farther apart as he stroked her deep. Touching her in places she didn’t know existed. The first wave crashed into her and she screamed, her inner walls clenched him between her thighs, keeping him within her, holding him still until the pulsing brought him over the edge, too.

  “Fuck,” he ground out through clenched teeth.

  This was what she needed so desperately. Freedom, release. From the stress of training, the pressure to win. Being with Cole like this was the longest she’d gone without worrying about any of it. All she wanted to do was stay here forever.

  Twenty-Two

  Keep your shit together.

  That may have been what Cole told himself, but the next morning, as he watched her approach the practice track, he grinned like an idiot. She’d left his bed not an hour before, but they’d come to practice separately, because there was no doubt Rory would be there to yell at the both of them.

  She met his grin with one of her own. “Morning, Coach.”

  Cole couldn’t help but laugh. “Morning, Princess. You’re in a good mood. Wonder why.”

  “Maybe it’s because this guy I’m seeing has the most interesting way to wake me up. I mean, it was pretty awesome. He does this thing with his tongue, and then there was this thing with his fingers. It was quite unexpected. Makes a girl blush, just thinking about it.”

  “Woman, you keep talking like that, and your grandfather is going to get a hell of a show, because I will carry you over to those bleachers and show you my special moves again.”

  “Seriously, he beat me here?”

  “Yeah. Beat me here, too. Maybe he wanted to see if we arrived together. Dunno. He hasn’t approached me, though.”

  She shook her head and her brows furrowed. He hated to see that look on her face. Unfortunately, he saw it too often. It was her I’ll-buckle-down-and-deal-with-it face. Except he didn’t want her to buckle down and deal. He wanted her to be free with her feelings.

  “Echo, you don’t have to talk to him.”

  She threw up her hands. “Yes, I do. I was rude last night, so I’m awaiting that particular piece of ass-handing fun. I really can’t take pressure today. I can’t even be happy for a whole two hours in the day before someone else shoves something on my damn shoulder.”

  No, he could not afford to have her spinning. Not after all the work they’d already done. That part was coach-think. Guy-who-gets-to-see-her-naked-think wanted to protect her. Luckily, he had a way to merge both parts of his brain and give Rory Coulter a big ‘fuck you’ in the process. “Listen, you’ve worked really hard. How about we take a fun run?”

  She frowned. “But your knee…?”

  “I’ll be fine. We’ll go to LA to Griffith Canyon. That way, you still get some kind of a workout, and I’ll get some exercise in, too. We’ll get some alone time, and maybe spend the night in LA for a real live proper date. Not to worry, I’ll take you somewhere low profile. No one will recognize you. What do you say, Echo? Want to spend the day with me?”

  “You know what? That’s the best thing you’ve ever said to me.”

  “You mean all those times I called you a goddess weren’t enough?”

  She laughed as she turned back toward her car. “Nope. So who’s driving, me or you?”

  He might have suggested the fun run for Echo’s sanity, but Cole had a great day, too. They took the east trails and just meandered. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d been so relaxed with anyone.

  It was on their way down when she veered into difficult territory. “So, can I ask…? I mean, I know my family is a big ol’ horse pill to swallow, but your dislike of them seems to go deep. Can I ask why?”

  He sighed. He’d been expecting this question eventually, and he wasn’t sure how to answer. But he wasn’t going to lie to her. “Back in school. There was a girl. Missy. Her family was rich and did not approve of her choice of boyfriend. It was like an eighties movie, where the evil villain father offers money to stay away.”

  “And of course you declined politely.”

  He loved her automatic assumption. “Yep. Unfortunately, Missy didn’t decline. Her father gave her the option of staying with me and losing her all-expenses-paid trip around the world, or dropping me and getting her inheritance early.”

  “Oh, shit, Cole.”

  “You can guess where this is going. It didn’t end well. And that shit hurt pretty bad.”

  Echo scratched her nose. “Well, her stupid loss is my gain.”

  He smiled at that, even though the twinge of guilt niggled at him. Their relationship was on the borderline of his ethics. They’d had something before they were in the coaching relationship, but it was still dicey. And if not unethical, it would still be juicy gossip. They would need to be careful to protect what they had. “What about you? I can guess that your family must have run off most boys, but I’m sure one or two slipped past the cracks.”

  She flushed and immediately turned to look away. “Not exactly.”

  “Oh, come on. Give me a chance to say the their loss thing.”

  She licked her lips and he stopped them.

  What wasn’t she telling him? “Out with it, Echo.”

  “There was no one before you, Cole. You were my first.”

  His jaw dropped. “Wha—? Hold—” He shook his head to try and get his mind clear. “Explain.”

  She drew in a breath, as if trying to find the right words. “Well, I dated some in high school and college, but you’ve seen my family. None of those guys could hack it, or wanted to bang the ice queen. I was never comfortable enough with anyone to try. And then I met you and it felt like you basically set my panties on fire.”

  She was a— They’d had a one-night— “Echo, you were a virgin that night?” He shouted it out too loudly.

  “Go on, Cole, I don’t think they heard you in the Valley.”

  “Sorry. I’m sorry. I just can’t believe—”

  “It’s true.”

  He ran his hands through his hair and paced as he tried to come to terms with the numerous ways they’d had sex. He’d given her a hell of a crash course. Damn. He really wished he’d known. “Echo, that’s the kind of thing you’re supposed to tell somebody. Your first time is supposed to be with someone special.”

  She laughed. “Well, for starters. It felt special with you. The moment you kissed me I knew it was different from every single guy I’d ever kissed. Second, That’s a little antiquated of you. And finally, I didn’t wait for marriage or something. I just needed the right dude.”

  The guilt wormed its way through him. “But, Echo, I wasn’t gentle.”

  “And I didn’t need gentle. Cole, that was the most perfect night of my life. And then everything went to hell.”

  And he’d been a total asshole to her. “Shit, Echo, I’m sorry. You should have told me.”

  “Why? So you could make me feel weird about it? I know you wouldn’t mean to, but you would. Or worse, you wouldn’t have slept with me.”

  He laughed harshly. “Oh, from the moment I saw you, I was desperate. I would have still slept with you if you wanted me.” He shrugged. “I’m a guy. A hot, unattached woman wants to sleep with you, you do it.”

  “Guys.”

  “What can I say, we’re simple creatures. But seriously, though, I would have been gentler, or like made my bed or something. Something to make it special in some way.”

  “Weren’t you there? That nig
ht was hot. It was the after part that sucked.”

  Yeah, the part where he’d been a complete and total asshat. “Well, let’s not do that again. But now it looks like I’ll need to do that night we met all over again. You know, retrace my steps. All so I can interject a little romance into the process.”

  They made it nearly all the way down the hill before his knee started to protest, and he needed a rest. She helped him into a sitting position on the trail to try and help him massage it out. “Was it high school, or college, that did your knee in?”

  Shit…another reveal he wasn’t in the mood for. Better to do it now than wait. Hell, the woman just told you she’d been a virgin when you slept with her. Suck it up.

  “It had been not great before, but I was in the car when my parents’ car was T-boned on our way to Alex’s cross-country meet. I survived. They didn’t.”

  “Oh, my God, Cole. I am so, so, sorry. I had no idea.”

  He nodded a thanks.

  “Can I ask? You miss it, running?”

  He nodded. “Every day. But I have coaching now. It’s not the same, but I turned it into a career.”

  “And a damned good one at that.”

  “I think you’re biased.”

  She took his hand and intertwined their fingers. “Damn straight I am. I could not have gotten a coach with a nicer butt.”

  “You, woman, are incorrigible.”

  “I know.” She paused, and then added softly, “And, Cole?”

  “Yeah?”

  “Thank you for telling me.”

  “You, too. But I wasn’t kidding about the romance. I’m going to shower you with rose petals. Romance, coming right up.”

  She laughed. “Well, how about for now, we settle for a kiss. And you can make it up to me later.” She winked at him.

  Dick hard. Stupid Dick.

  Twenty-Three

  By the time the party rolled around, Echo was ready to pull her hair out. For starters, her family had kept her hopping, and she hadn’t been able to see Cole yesterday. But also, the planning had somehow fallen to her.

  “What do you mean, you need me to work with the caterers and cleaning staff?” she asked her mother over breakfast. Gage and Fox were still in bed, and she hadn’t seen her father yet, but chances were, he was still asleep too.

  “Your father had a rough night last night,” her mother informed her. “I called to make an appointment for tomorrow, but they don’t want him to wait that long. They want to see him today. So I need you to show the catering people where to set up and make sure that the cleaning staff focus on the public areas first.”

  “If the doctors are that worried about Dad that they don’t want him waiting till tomorrow for an appointment, don’t you think having fifty people over to the house might be a bit much?” She asked. “Why don’t you just cancel the party until Dad’s feeling better and—”

  “We are not canceling at the last minute like this,” her mother put her foot down. “We don’t want to worry anyone or cause concern. Now, will you help or not? It would be tremendously appreciated if you would—”

  “Of course, I’ll help,” Echo snapped. “I always help, you know that. But that doesn’t mean I agree with what you’re doing or that I’m going to sit by without saying something. You won’t tell me what it is the doctors have said. And you won’t tell anyone else that he’s sick at all. How long do you think you can keep this up? Don’t you think everyone else has a right to know?”

  Her mother’s brow furrowed. “Don’t you think it should be up to your father when and how he tells people?” she asked. “Don’t you think he has a right to his privacy? To not have everyone sticking their noses in and offering their advice? Second-guessing every personal decision he makes?”

  Echo fought the anger and the worry and the helplessness. Her first instinct was to call Cole. But no. She needed to learn to manage the stress on her own. That meant no Jen, either. The two of them hadn’t had a chance to download since her night at Cole’s. Jen had her suspicions, though, since Gramps called her that night after Echo. She’d pressed Echo for details via text for the last two days.

  Who was he and where’d she meet him? When would Jen get to meet him? And had she mentioned anything to her parents yet? She sighed, eager for the day to be over so she could go back to her regular training sessions with Cole, wondering if and how they might change now that they were involved. Of course, thinking about him made her wonder what she was doing. But with him, it was easier to be present.

  She certainly didn’t want a freaking media circus. Right now, they made no sense, and yet, in some ways being with him was the only thing in her life that did make sense. It was the only thing she felt she had any real control over or say in, the only thing right then that was hers.

  The noise from the garbage disposal jerked Echo back to the present moment as her mother tidied up her own dishes and put the rest of what she’d made on a tray to bring up to her father.

  Cole arrived later than planned, as part of the second wave of guests. Echo had texted and told him not to come early. He glanced around for her but didn’t find her in the crowded sitting room or the dining room where the table had been removed and extra seats brought in.

  The number of people he recognized barely broke double digits. The number he had ever met fit on one hand, and there was no one there he was comfortable approaching. He started to regret showing up at all. But he’d promised Echo he would, and wasn’t going to abandon her to this lot. Besides, she had been right about it being appropriate for her coach to be there, given the accomplishments they were celebrating were the result of their work on the track.

  He moved to the bar to get a drink, and instantly regretted the decision. There were too many bottles to choose from, and all of them individually were more expensive than the entire contents of his liquor cabinet combined.

  “I’ll take a…uh…Scotch,” he finally requested, his voice trailing up with uncertainty and hesitation.

  “Is there a brand you would prefer, sir?” the bartender asked.

  “Uh… surprise me,” he told the man with a grin he hoped looked more casual than uneasy.

  The bartender handed him a glass with a finger of amber-colored liquid. “It’s an eighteen-year-old single malt.”

  “Uh. Thank you,” Cole said with a nod. He was pretty sure the glass cost more than his rent. Now, all he had to do was find someone he knew.

  He knew enough to sip the Scotch and was glad he did. It burned on the way down, but sat smooth and warm in his belly. He still couldn’t believe Echo’s parents had hired caterers for a family party. This was worse than Missy’s parents.

  A man to his right inadvertently bumped him and turned to apologize.

  “I’m so sorry about that. I hope I didn’t spill your drink.”

  Colleague or associate? “Not enough in here to spill, unless I turn it upside down,” Cole explained, raising the glass tumbler for the man to see.

  The other man laughed more than he needed to, but it did serve to put Cole at ease.

  “Rick Becker,” the man introduced himself. “I’m one of the supplier relations guys over at Legacy Sports.”

  “Cole. Cole Jackson. I’m…uh…I’m Echo’s coach,” he responded, shaking the man’s hand.

  “Well, you’ve done a wonderful job with her,” Becker told Cole. “She’s a talented, talented young woman. I’ve worked with her in arranging sponsors for a number of her charity runs the last few years. I knew she’d raced in high school and college, but when word went around that she was going to be looking at the Olympics, I was amazed. I know that I couldn’t go back to something I hadn’t done for a while like that and do better than I had before, even if I was as young as you guys.”

  “Cole,” Rory Coulter’s voice sliced through their conversation.

  “Rory,” Rick Becker greeted the older man with a smile and a handshake. “You look as fit as ever. Like you could run a hundred yards and hardly brea
k a sweat.”

  “Thanks, Rick. Mind if I borrow Cole here for a minute?”

  “Please,” Rick backed off. “We can chat more later,” he told Cole. “I know some folks who might be interested in getting your professional opinion on a few of their products while they’re still in development. Sports drinks and protein shakes and stuff. Trying to customize them for the sport or workout, or something like that. I’ll find you.”

  Cole nodded even as he mourned the loss of his escape route.

  Rory’s face was a mask of determination. Whatever he was determined to do, the prospect left Cole dubious. He raised his glass of Scotch and finished the last of it, slipping the empty glass back to the passing waiter. Rory led him to the private balcony facing the extensive grounds, and Cole suddenly wished he hadn’t had that Scotch.

  The balcony and adjoining room were in sight, but out of earshot.

  “I want to know,” Rory began with a quiet calm that didn’t bode well, “where you were Tuesday night?”

  Cole knew where this was going. Not my first fucked-up, rich-people rodeo, old man.

  “Not that it’s any of your business, but I was at home,” Cole told him. “I stayed in that night, played some video games to unwind. Though I’m not sure why you care.”

  “You didn’t head out with Echo and Jen, or something like that? Take the girls out on the town so you could get them drunk and…”

  “Aaand, I’m done.” Cole said, moving to brush past Rory. “I’m not going to stand here and listen to your ridiculous insinuations.”

  “The only thing you’re done with is coaching Echo.” Rory said, grabbing Cole’s arm with an iron grip. “You are an employee. And it is not your place to tell any of us what she will and won’t run. Those aren’t your calls to make. We are the fucking Coulters.”

  “Those are my calls to make. That’s the job description of a coach.” Cole goaded him as he wrenched his arm free. “As her coach, it is my job to decide what is best for her. Physically, for her chances of success. And I, at least listen to her and to what she wants, and don’t try to bully her into doing things that couldn’t be farther from her goals.”