by Blobel, Iris
It was another small step towards the future.
Despite enjoying her evening stroll, though, her body was sore from the anxiety inside, from the tense muscles, and the constant fear. A tear escaped, falling onto her cheek from the relief and hope she felt inside. Hope of moving forward, hope that’d been hidden away for so long. She took a deep breath, trying to calm herself by inhaling the smell of the sea and listening to the screeching of the seagulls.
Tamara had done well moving across the country, finding a house and a job so quickly. She’d learnt to live from one day to the next. The lesson learnt this night was she might be ready to start taking little steps.
“Fancy seeing you here.”
Tamara shot around at the sound of the familiar voice and stood in one smooth motion. Staring at Oliver, she noticed how he waved to someone back at the pier.
“Are you following me?” she asked when he looked back at her.
He laughed softly without mirth. “Cupcake, this is one of the most popular places in a radius of about fifty k’s, and you’re sitting here on your own. You draw attention to yourself like a magnet.”
Looking around, she realised he was right. Suddenly that simple fact and the realisation she was so exposed, gave her a shiver. Uncomfortable with the situation, she wrapped her arms around her waist before meeting his gaze again.
“What?” she asked in a whisper.
He shrugged. “Trying to figure you out.”
His reply surprised her. Deep inside she enjoyed his attention, and for a moment, she suppressed her guilt that she’d only recently lost her husband…yet she was intrigued and possibly surprised as well, as to why he wanted to figure her out.
“Why?”
Shoving his hands in his pockets, Oliver rocked back on his heels. He lifted one shoulder in a shrug. “Perhaps I like you against my better judgment.” A smile crossed his lips, and he shook his head in what seemed a bit of amusement. “Or maybe if I figured you out, I’d like you more.”
“More?” she asked.
He laughed. “I know. It sounds impossible. But, hey, I’ve always liked a challenge.”
Gone was the moment when she’d enjoyed his attention, replaced by a building irritation in her chest. She took a minute to get it under control. With raised eyebrows, she asked calmly, “A challenge? I had no idea I was a challenge.”
The man from the pier joined them, and Tamara was grateful for the subject to be diverted. Still trying to calm her frustration, she took another deep breath.
“This is Markus. A friend of mine.”
She closed her eyes momentarily, preparing herself for more chit chat. This evening had suddenly become out of control, and the moment of guilt when she’d enjoyed their little conversation had long gone.
Tamara looked up at his friend Markus. It didn’t surprise her that he was as good looking as Oliver. Even in the evening darkness she noticed his blue eyes. Markus had the same athletic physique as Oliver. His blond hair was cut short, but it had a small wave in it, which gave him a mischievous look. More so with the constant smile on his face.
Markus held out his hand. “Nice meeting you.”
She never replied, though, simply turned, and walked away. She didn’t owe them anything, especially not her time. Challenge? She wasn’t cut out for chit chat, and she certainly wasn’t his challenge.
Looking ahead, she stared into the distance, watching people moving along, laughing and enjoying their evening. The sudden guilty conscience that rose within her didn’t surprise her, but what did was the pang of regret. She stopped and replayed the moment in her head. The panic combined with her frustration and messy feelings for Oliver had been at such a high level, it’d been an instinctive reaction to walk away. She sighed as she stared at her feet. No, she didn’t owe them anything, but she did owe her parents to apply the good manners she’d been taught. Closing her eyes, she let the breeze caress her face before turning around. Some things had nothing to do with whether she liked it or not, but with the fact that they are right or wrong. And she’d been wrong.
***
Oliver’s jaw grew tight as he stared after her.
Markus chuckled. “Your charm doesn’t seem to work on her. What’s her problem?”
Oliver looked at his friend and shrugged, when out of the corner of his eye he noticed Tamara stopped. Head nearly on her chest and raking her hands through her long hair, she seemed to contemplate something. He hadn’t lied when he’d told her he was trying to figure her out, but he admitted the word challenge had been the wrong choice. The challenge wasn’t her per se, but figuring out what made her so jumpy. Still watching her, he hoped to get another chance to explain his unfortunate choice of words.
“I have no idea why she’s so fucked up, but we might find out,” he said quietly as he nodded towards her.
Tamara had turned around and come back. She held out her hand towards Markus and said, “I do apologise, Markus.” Then she took a deep breath before she continued. “The last year has been a bit rough, to say the least, but I suppose it’s no excuse for my bad behaviour. My name is Tamara. I work at the A-Stadium, where—” She pointed towards Oliver. “Where your friend does his training every week.”
Markus’ lips tugged into a grin as he followed her finger to Oliver. Then he met her eyes. “Nice meeting you, Tamara. Wanna join us for a drink?”
“Hell no, she doesn’t,” Oliver interrupted before he could actually think about it.
He had no idea what was happening right there in front of him. Not believing what he was seeing or even hearing, he shot his friend a glare that said back off.
Tamara and Markus both stared at him, and he shrugged his shoulder. “What?”
Markus lifted an eyebrow. “I seem to be missing something here.”
Tamara placed a hand on his arm. “It’s okay. I’ve been…let’s say…” She hesitated.
“A bitch?” Oliver helped, but he regretted it straight away.
“I certainly have not!” she retorted before he could retract his words. Markus had offered him the perfect chance to spend more time with her, and here he was behaving like an idiot. He tried to shake off this odd reaction inside him.
“Challenge might have been the wrong word,” he finally said.
She smiled at him and removed her hand from Markus’ arm. “Perhaps another time, but thanks for the invite. Do you play baseball?”
Markus shook his head. “Nope. Soccer.”
Then she turned and walked off.
Again.
Hands on hips, Oliver watched her making her way to the pier. “Can you believe this woman?” When he didn’t get a reply, he looked at his friend. Markus was watching her as well, but with a love-struck smile on his face.
“Back off, mate. She’s trouble!”
Markus snorted. “You’re an ass. Just because she doesn’t fall for your charm, she’s trouble?”
That was one reason, all right, but the other reason was her behaviour the other day. The panic in her eyes, the same panic he thought he’d seen on her face when Markus had held out his hand as he’d introduced himself. Not to mention his coach’s stern warning to stay away from her.
So what had made her come back?
Was it really Markus?
Frowning, he shook his head. “No, that’s not it,” he finally replied. “But you should’ve seen her eyes last week,” he said more to himself than to Markus.
“Oh, I saw them just then,” his friend replied with a little chuckle.
“You’re such an ass, man.”
“What? You said, I should’ve seen her eyes. I did. They’re beautiful. I mean like…”
But he never finished his sentence, and as Oliver looked after Tamara, the sudden silence, broken only by the sound of the waves of Port Phillip Bay, gave him a shiver.
“What did you do to her?” Markus asked suddenly.
He shrugged, not willing to admit to his friend that she occupied his mind far more that he
liked. “She’s screwed, mate. Coach Becker told me she’s off limits, but man, I tell ya, she’s screwed.”
They started walking back towards the pier. “I ran into her the other day in the parking lot, and she couldn’t find her keys. They were in her pocket. When I pointed at the keys, her whole body jerked.”
Markus raised an eyebrow. “Apparently you have that effect on women.”
Oliver choked back a laugh. “I do, but, hey, that wasn’t my touch, that was fear, mate.”
And again, the moment when Markus held out his hand rushed through his mind. Her eyes wide open for that split second before she’d turned and left.
His friend nodded towards Tamara in the distance as they watched her trying not to walk too close to other people.
“I think I can see what you mean.” Patting Oliver’s shoulder, he asked, “How are you going with the girl from the other weekend?”
He shook his head. “Don’t remind me. I have a feeling she expected baseball to be a lucrative sport. Once she found out it isn’t, she was gone.”
Markus laughed, but Oliver noticed his friend was still staring at Tamara.
“You’re quite smitten with her, aren’t you?” he said.
Markus shook his head. “Nope. Intrigued, but not smitten.”
Oliver was, though. And it irked him. She wasn’t his type. His type of woman was drawn to him, was attracted to him, and looked sensational. Tamara was different. Yes, she looked good, and as he quickly stole another quick look, he admitted she had a nice behind as well. Yet somehow, there was something about her he could not place. Something about her grabbed him. It confused the hell out of him to find himself drawn to her.
Shaking his head, he followed Markus to the pub across the road, still wondering whether it was because his coach not only asked him to stay away from her, but also told him she was off limits.
Off limits?
They weren’t words he was familiar with. He’d asked why and the simple answer was she had a hell of a year. He didn’t get any more details.
Off limits his ass.
“Mate, I need to do something. Ty will be here in a sec. I’ll catch up with you tomorrow.”
Not waiting for a reply, he left Markus standing at the door. There was something he had to do.
***
Tamara startled when she heard a voice behind her call her name. With the noise of the waves, and the people around her, she didn’t recognise it and instinctively walked faster, her eyes fixed on her path ahead. Focusing on the buildings in front of her, she quickened her steps.
“Hey!”
Heaving a big sigh, she stopped. Shoulders sagging, she knew he’d followed her. She let that thought sink in for a moment before she turned around. Had she forgotten something? Or was he following her to apologise? Her heart ached, and she thought of Jason. Although no man would ever be able to take his place, deep inside she was afraid of being alone for the rest of her life.
Tamara watched Oliver coming closer. Her gaze was drawn to his lean body, his long legs, covered by faded jeans, moving swiftly along the beach.
Only a few seconds later, Oliver was by her side. “Bout time.”
Damn, he had a way to annoy her. With her bubble burst, she put her hands on her hips. “I don’t usually respond to hey.”
He cocked a brow. “I did call your name first. I’ve noticed you’re a bit jumpy.”
How dare he? First, she was a challenge, now she was jumpy?
“I am not jumpy,” she replied as calmly as possible.
Meeting her gaze dead on, he let out a long breath. “Look, I’m not sure what Coach Becker’s told you about me, but I’m not a bad person.”
The fact that he’d thought her defiance was about him made her smile.
Tilting his head, he grinned. “Well, whatta ya know. You should do that more often. It suits you.”
“Oliver,” she emphasised his name. “My uncle has not said a word about you. You’re giving yourself too much credit.”
“Why the hostility? I saw it before, you can be nice.”
She looked away, trying to focus on something in the distance, anything to avoid looking into his eyes. She watched a couple taking their shoes off to dip their toes into the water. Tamara sighed, now staring at her feet, because she knew if she met his gaze, she could so easily melt into those eyes. A little chuckle escaped her. Of course, her uncle had warned her about Oliver. Stay away from him. He’s trouble, he’d said. Right after telling her what a great talent Oliver had and how much he wished Oliver to be less loyal to Australia so he could make it big in the States. Apparently, Oliver wanted none of it. Why, she’d asked. The obvious question. Women love him and he loves them. And as soon as he’s had enough of them, he throws them away. She’d expected an answer referring to Oliver’s loyalty to Australia and wasn’t sure what to make of her uncle’s reply.
Her scars were still fresh, but with her move to Melbourne, she had promised herself to open up again. That day she’d seen Oliver coming off the field her whole body had responded—his eyes, the muscles under his tight shirt, his smile, and the sound of his voice. She’d nearly melted away right there next to her uncle. Tamara wasn’t looking for another marriage, but she missed a man’s hand on her skin. The feeling of being touched and caressed. She missed being hugged and ached for the simple feeling of having someone around her. But how could she even have these thoughts, these cravings without cheating on Jason?
He’s trouble!
They were the last words she’d wanted to hear, especially as she’d run into Oliver twice afterwards. She tried so hard to avoid him, no wonder he thought she was a bitch. And a challenge.
Tamara let out a long, slow breath before she replied, “Yes, Erik warned me about you.”
His eyebrows shot up. “I’m a nice guy!” he reasoned.
Another smile tugged at her lips. “Yes, although according to my uncle, too nice at times.”
Oliver shook his head. “Wanna join me for a drink?” he asked, his voice husky. It sent shivers down her spine.
Yes! she thought, but heard herself say, “Thank you for the invite, but I’m honestly very tired. Everything in my life’s kinda new at the moment, and it’s a bit draining to adjust.”
His eyes searched hers. “I knew you could be nice,” he said with a big smirk on his face. “Will you take a raincheck?”
Shaking her head, she said, “No thanks. I’d rather not.”
“Because of Erik?”
“That too.”
He stepped closer, and everything inside her tensed. As much as her body had enjoyed the previous five minutes, in the end the urge to step back won. She heaved a big sigh.
“You need to give me a chance,” he whispered.
“Who said I’m interested?”
That seemed to throw him somewhat. Eyes wide open, he stared at her. It made her smile.
He raked his hand through his hair. “Sure? I could show you Melbourne’s favourite sights.”
Now she had to laugh. “I’m sure you could.”
“Damn that Erik. I need to have a good word with him on Thursday.”
“No,” she nearly screamed. “You can’t tell him.”
Trouble with her uncle was the last thing she wanted, the gossip would flow right back to her parents and then she’d be treated like a teenager being warned to stay away from the bad boys. She sighed. Her parents had let her move to Melbourne, but she knew they worried. Stories about her spending time with one of the baseball players was the last thing she needed them to hear.
Then she felt his hand under her chin, and with a soft touch of his finger, he lifted her head. Meeting his gaze, her whole body was on alert. But he didn’t say anything. Studying her face, he stood there as a long silence engulfed them both.
“You’re tense,” he said matter-of-factly.
Tense wasn’t the word for what she was. She was beyond tense. Strung like an archery bow was more like it. But he was like forb
idden fruit. His touch was so gentle, so opposite of what she’d expected. His eyes were mesmerising, and after what had seemed like forever, she stepped away.
“I really need to go.”
With her heart thumping in her throat, she avoided his gaze, turned, and walked off. It took all her willpower not to look back to see whether Oliver was following or not.
Chapter Two
A few days later, Oliver made his way through the clubhouse towards the locker rooms. He’d had a few massages the past few weeks for his shoulder and had done some laps in the pool as well. His shoulder was still not a hundred percent right, but he’d been given the all clear for some plyometric exercises. And he was grateful for it. In need to burn some energy, but also a good workout for his legs, he’d enjoyed the sessions.
Oliver threw his bag into the locker before heading into the gym where he saw his coach.
He gave Erik an update on his shoulder as he started his warm-up. There’d been so much more he wanted to talk about, but he focused on his stretches and his shoulder.
It was on the tip of his tongue to ask Erik about Tamara. She’d been on his mind since that evening he’d seen her at the beach in St. Kilda. Not to mention that she’d come between him and everything he’d tried to do since. He was intrigued by her, although he couldn’t figure out why. Of course, he’d considered Markus’ words, whether it was his ego that was hurt by her resistance to his charm. But was that really it? Was it as simple as that?
Erik stopped next to him, studying his progress.
“What’s with your niece, Coach?” he asked casually before thinking twice about it.
Erik took some notes and replied nonchalantly, “None of your business.”
It’d been short and straight to the point.
Oliver chuckled.
“It’s really not that funny,” Erik said.
Oliver’s smile disappeared, and he stopped his stretches. For a brief moment, he’d considered how to walk the thin line that had just opened in front of him. He could ignore the temptation to ask the obvious, but he’d never been one to steer away from politeness.