Dare To Love Series_Don't Dare Me

by Jen Talty

  She swallowed. “What do you think, as a coach, will be your biggest asset to this team?”

  “I honestly have no idea. It’s my first experience coaching and I’ve been given a huge role. Ask me that question at the end of the season and I might have an answer.”

  “I think we can end here.” She turned the voice recorder off and shut her laptop down. She could have kept the conversation going for hours, asking the same question, but in a different way, just so she could listen to his voice and look into his warm eyes. “I should have this done by Wednesday.”

  “Great.” He glanced at his Apple Watch. “I’m sorry, but I’ve got to get going to my parent’s house.”

  “Sure, no problem.” She stuffed everything in her backpack. “I’m real sorry about your mom. If there is anything I can do to help, just call me.”

  “I need your number to do that.” He winked, handing her his unlocked phone.

  Luckily, her hands didn’t shake as she put her number in, then texted herself so she’d have his. “I mean it. I know some people say those kinds of things because its polite, but really, anything you need, just let me know.”

  “I will probably take you up on that offer.” He leaned in and kissed her cheek. His lips warm and soft. His breath moist.

  Her body shivered. Her goosebumps had goosebumps.

  “I’ll see you tomorrow,” he whispered.

  A warm tingle shot up her spin. Two weeks ago, Nolan barely gave her the time of day, but now he was kissing her on the cheek and being playful. There wasn’t a single person on the field, so it wasn’t for show. She blinked. The only reason for kissing him had been to rub it in Robert’s face.

  Robert wasn’t here either.

  Nolan sauntered toward the building where the coaches offices’ were. His hips swayed in a subtle yet, distinct movement that showed his confidence.

  She needed to find a good excuse to call him after the article was published.

  Chapter 4

  Nolan stared at the screen on his laptop. The article Jessica had written hadn’t been much different than any other and he appreciated her sticking to his guidelines. She did have a flare for words and her humor mixed with a serious tone lent itself well for an entertaining, yet informative read. There wasn’t one word he’d change.

  He brought up his email.

  Jessica,

  The article is great as it is. I see no need to change anything.

  “Screw that,” he mumbled, checking the time. It wasn’t six yet, so maybe she was still in her office. He snagged his phone and quickly pulled up her contact information. For the last few days, he hadn’t seen much of her, mostly because he left right after practice. She’d come down to the field a couple of times, they waved to each other, smiled, but that was about it.

  “Hello?” she answered in a huff.

  “Hey, its Nolan.”

  He heard a rattling of some kind, almost like metal against metal. “Shit,” she muttered. “Sorry.”

  “What’s wrong?”

  “Flat freaking tire.”

  “Where are you?” He shut his laptop and started packing up his things.

  “Parking lot.”

  “I’ll be right there.”

  He didn’t wait for an answer as he flung his backpack over his shoulder and ignored the dull ache in his knee as he jogged down the hallway. As soon as he pushed open the double doors, he spotted the sexy social-media-queen-of-thunder bent over, trying to unscrew a lug nut. Her long hair flowing down toward the ground.

  He paused for a moment, staring at her adorable rear-end, wanting to come up behind her and give one of those cheeks a nice little smack. He cleared his throat, and then cleared his mind of sexual visuals that drove him mad.

  “Let me do that,” he said.

  She jumped, causing her to lean forward and hit her head on the side of her SUV.

  “Oh…Crap,” she moaned grabbing her forehead.

  “Sorry.” He lunged forward, grabbing her hips, twisting her to face him. Holding her again sent signals to all the nerve endings in his body. He glided his hands to the small of her back, drawing her closer to him. The sweet smell of coconut filled his nostrils.

  Her lashes fluttered, showing off her soft, brown eyes glowing in the sunlight.

  “You okay?”

  “Yeah, I think I’ll live.” She scrunched her face and continued to rub the top of her head.

  He curled his fingers around her delicate wrist, placing her hand on his shoulder. His heart pounded in his chest as if he’d sprinted across the entire football field.

  Her daze and confused looked amused him…and aroused him. He kissed her forehead, then her temple, gliding his lips to the sensitive spot behind under her earlobe.

  “What are you doing?” she whispered.

  “Making sure you’re not hurt.” He lifted his head, staring into her sweet eyes once again. The moment she entered his personal space, he wanted to devour her, tucking her away from the rest of the world, keeping her all to himself. “I didn’t mean to startle you.” His thumbs drew little circles on the small of her back, just under her damned tank top. A red one this time, but also more stylish, going with her black slacks.

  Her breath came in choppy pants as her breasts pushed against his chest, eyes wide. Beautiful would be the understatement of the year. Stunning didn’t quite do it either.

  “I’m fine.”

  If he didn’t pull it back now, no telling what he’d do and the last thing he needed right now was to deal with a new relationship. He’d never be able to spend any time with her since he was either working, or spending time with his family.

  Family first.

  That was the Greer motto and one he was damn proud of, and right now when his parents needed him the most.

  Heather would always need him and she’d always come first, which meant women weren’t an option right now.

  “You’re incredible,” he whispered, leaning in as she licked her pink lips. He caught her tongue, sucking it into his mouth. She tasted like sunshine and warm honey. He told himself he’d count to ten and then end the kiss, only he couldn’t concentrate enough to get past five.

  Her hands pressed against his chest, firmly pushing.

  He took a step back, tripping over his backpack he didn’t remember dropping. Once he regained his balance, and composure, he lifted his gaze to meet hers.

  She covered her mouth.

  “I’m sorry,” he said for lack of anything else to say. “I shouldn’t have done that.”

  “Why did you?”

  He shook his head. “I don’t know. Caught up in the moment, remembering the last time we kissed. Could have been because I’m sleep deprived and not handling things with my folks too well.”

  Her wide eyes narrowed as her body recoiled like a snake.

  “That didn’t come out right.”

  “No, it didn’t,” she said, folding her arms. “Then again, I kissed you the first time to get back at Robert, so let’s call it even.”

  He laughed. “I can live with that.” He snagged the wrench. “Where’s the spare?”

  “Right here.” She pulled a tire from the trunk.

  It lacked firmness and after closer consideration, she had a second problem. “That’s not going to work.” He took the tire from her hands and examined it. Not many cars had actual tires these days for spares. “Look.” He pointed to nail in the spare tire. “You’re going to need to have it towed to a tire shop.”

  “Wonderful,” she muttered. “That is going to cost a small fortune.”

  “You don’t have road side assistance?”

  She shook her head.

  “I can call the garage that works on my family’s cars. Maybe they can cut you a deal.” Since it was his cousin’s shop, it would be the deal of the century.

  “I’d really appreciate that.” She took out her phone. “Thank God for Uber.”

  “Where do you live?” He tossed the tire back into her car,
then lowered the jack. No matter where she called home, he’d be taking her there. “I can give you a ride if it’s near my folks.”

  “A couple blocks from Concert Hall, but I don’t want to put you out.”

  “Put your phone a way. I go right passed you.” Wasn’t a lie, thankfully.

  “What about my car?”

  “I’ll make sure it’s taken care of. Don’t leave anything of value in it and put the keys over the visor.” He shot his cousin a quick text, explaining the situation.

  “But how do you know it will be safe?”

  He stared at his phone for a few minutes. His cousin was generally quick to respond to an S.O.S from family. Nolan smiled at the single emoji thumbs up.

  “Because the tow truck is on the way.” He flung his backpack over his shoulder and winked. “Trust me.”

  He told himself he was doing what any other good person would do, and giving her a ride had nothing to do with wanting to spend more time with her and finding excuses to touch her, as he helped her into his full-sized SUV.

  “Nice ride,” she said, crossing her legs. God, how he wanted to press his lips on those sexy ankles. “Why not a pick-up?

  He found himself wanting to explain he’d traded in his pick-up when he decided he couldn’t give Heather up for adoption. He’d fallen in love with his little girl the moment he found out of her existence. To him, she was perfect in every way. “I need a—”

  His phone ringer blaring over the car speakers stopped him mid-sentence.

  “That’s my dad. I have to take it.” But he wasn’t doing it over the Bluetooth. He took his phone, putting in his earbud. “What’s up, Dad?” He glanced at Jessica, who looked out the window, twirling her hair, ignoring him. He had half a mind to pull over and step out of the SUV so he could have this conversation in private.

  “Heather tripped playing in the yard with Muffy.”

  Nolan sucked in a deep breath. His daughter had his drive… and his lack of fear.

  “Is she hurt?” But he knew the answer as soon as he heard his little girl’s cry in the background.

  “Her wrist looks pretty swollen. I’m taking her to the Urgent Care by my office.”

  “I can be there in ten.” He glanced at Jessica, who looked out at the window as if she weren’t hearing his half of the conversation.

  “You’ll beat us,” his father said. “She wants to talk to you.”

  “Daddy!” Heather said between thick sobs. “Don’t be mad. I didn’t mean to fall.”

  “I know you didn’t baby. Daddy’s not mad at all. Just worried.” Nolan made a right turn, catching Jessica’s shocked stare as she snapped her head.

  “I’m not a baby,” Heather said in her stern voice, then hiccupped again. “Papa won’t let me take the ice off and it’s soooooooo cold.”

  “Papa’s a doctor, so you do as he says, okay munchkin?”

  “Yes, Daddy.”

  “I’ll see you in a couple of minutes.”

  “Okay, Daddy.”

  “I love you.” He took his ear piece out, dropping it into the cup holder, glancing once more at Jessica.

  She tilted her chin but said nothing.

  “I’m sorry, but I’ve got to take a detour. My daughter needs an x-ray.”

  “You have daughter?” Jessica asked, shaking her head. “And no one knows?”

  His chest tightened. Very few people outside his closest circle of family and friends knew he had a daughter. His ex-girlfriend, Gina, had been more of a two-week-one-night stand. They complemented each other in bed, but could barely stand each other after the first week. They had almost nothing in common, except for a healthy appetite for sex.

  The affair ended and he never heard from Gina until she was near death.

  “I don’t know how long this will take.” He pulled into the parking lot of the care center. “You can take my truck and I can just go home with my dad.” He didn’t want to make a federal case out of his personal life. He didn’t owe her any explanations.

  Jessica blinked her eyes a few times.

  “Or you can stay to meet her.” He swallowed. He hadn’t dated since he became a single father and technically he still hadn’t dated, but was he willing to introduce Jessica to Heather?

  Not a good idea, but no sooner did he change his mind, his father pulled into the parking spot across from him.

  He stepped from the car and walked quickly to his father’s sedan, opening the rear passenger seat.

  “Daddy!” Heather’s good leg kicked wildly, while the one in the brace moved, but not as fast, nor as wild. He knew she needed another operation and that broke his heart into a million pieces.

  “Hey baby.” He unsnapped her car seat, careful of her wrapped arm. Before picking her up, he wiped away her tears.

  “I’m NOT a baby!”

  “You’ll always be daddy’s little girl.” He hoisted her into his arms. “Now give daddy a kiss.”

  Heather palmed his cheeks before puckering up her lips. Nothing better than a big, sweet kiss from the most important person in the world.

  “Son.” His father slapped his shoulder. “I need to get home to mom.”

  “We’re good. I’ll be home as soon as I can.” Nolan knew he should have asked his father to drive Jessica home, but he wanted to explain.

  When he shifted Heather in his arms, she groaned.

  “Still hurt a lot?”

  Heather nodded, tucking her face into neck. “It’s a seven.”

  She’d had two surgeries in the last two years and she’d learn to give her pain a number.

  “Let’s get you inside.”

  “Daddy?” Heather whispered.

  “What is it?”

  “Who’s the lady that’s following us?”

  He looked over his shoulder and smiled wryly. “That’s Jessica. She writes articles for the team.”

  “She’s pretty,” Heather whispered.

  “Yes, she is.”

  Chapter 5

  Jessica normally didn’t hide from people, but today she wanted to avoid Nolan as long as possible. She’d taken an Uber from Urgent Care to home right after Heather went to an examination room. Nolan had tried to insist Jessica stay, but that would have been weird on many levels.

  She glanced at her phone. Three texts from Nolan about how her car would be in the parking lot by five and that he had the keys. The fourth had been asking why she hadn’t let him drive her to work. She’d responded to that one by saying she had an early meeting. She did have a meeting, but it had been scheduled for nine. That was better than calling him a liar and accusing him of being ashamed of his own daughter.

  Nolan was just another man with a lot of secrets, something she couldn’t tolerate.

  A tap at the door startled her. Glancing up, she let out a sigh of relief to see Lilliana standing in the doorway with a bag of baked chips and a couple of sodas, her standard, I need to talk, food.

  Jessica set her laptop to the side. “What’s up?”

  “What is wrong with me?” Lilliana whined as she plopped herself in the seat on the other side of the desk. “Why can’t I land a normal guy like Brad?”

  “I told you playing coy was a stupid idea. Just ask him out.”

  “I’m not normally shy or nervous around men, but something about Brad makes me jittery.” Lilliana ripped open the bag of chips and started chomping. She lifted her feet, dumping them on the desk after kicking off her sandals. Lillianna had been a tomboy her entire life. She enjoyed the outdoors and played just about any sport better than most, which often intimidated her dates.

  “I find that hard to believe. You can talk to anyone at any time.”

  “Have you ever seen me pick up a guy?” Lilliana asked.

  Jessica had to think about that for a moment. Lilliana had lush, full lips, jet-black hair, and the most stunning ice-blue eyes. Whenever they walked into a bar, heads would turn. Men looked Lilliana up and down and it was rare she ever had to buy her own drinks.
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  “No. I guess you’re always the one getting hit on.”

  “Yeah, by players and cheaters, and men with weird fetishes. Nice guys like Brad, I seem to repel like I’m a can of bug spray.”

  “You’re asking the wrong woman for help. I was a mistress and didn’t know.” And I’m attracted to another liar because if he can lie about his daughter, he can lie about anything. Jessica took a can of diet soda and flicked the metal tab. A loud pop followed a sizzle, which filled the room while bubbles from the carbonation floated through the opening. “You’ve known Brad longer than I have so I don’t think it would be weird if you invited him out for drinks after work or something.”

  “Except for the fact I almost never see him at work.”

  Jessica thought about telling Lilliana that Brad would be in her office in less than ten minutes, but then figured Lilliana might bolt. “Make a point of running into him. Come visit me when I’m down on the field.”

  “I hate it when you make sense.” Lilliana dropped her feet to the ground, smoothing down her slacks. “I really don’t know why he’s got me all wound up into a nervous school-girl.”

  Jessica laughed. “Maybe it’s because he’s one of the few men who don’t fall at your feet.”

  “I think it has more to do with I actually like him in a way that could mean something.”

  “And what something could that be?” Jessica arched a brow. In the two years she’d know Lilliana, she’d gone out with a lot of men. None of them led to any long-lasting relationships. According to her, most of them never even made it to the bedroom.

  “Something more than just going out and having a good time. I’m tired of the game.”

  “Tired of football?” Brad’s voice barreled through the room.

  Jessica tried to keep a straight face as Lilliana’s eyes widened with surprise.

  “You love football. It’s all you talk about,” Braid said leaning against the doorjamb. “And you come to every game.”

  “We weren’t talking about football.” Jessica ignored the narrowed stare from Lilliana. “She’s just tired of the dating scene.”