Intercepting Love

by L. P. Dover

  “Luke, I’m flattered, really,” I admitted truthfully. “On one hand, I would love to go out with you and have fun, but on the other, what if it changed things between us? What if one of us wanted more than the other could offer? It would ruin our friendship.”

  Smirking, he tapped me on the chin with his fingers. “No, it wouldn’t, Kate. I want just you, but if you wanted something casual then that’s fine with me, too. I can offer you whatever you want and more if you just give in to me. Trust me, it’ll be fun.”

  Actually, what he offered didn’t sound like a bad idea, I thought.

  For so long, I thought of others well-being above my own and never allowed myself any shred of happiness, especially with a man. I craved the intimacy, but I couldn’t let go of the guilt from my past in order to attain it. After what had happened two years ago, I felt like I didn’t deserve it; like I wasn’t worthy.

  Luke gazed at me expectantly, his eyes twinkling with delight as he waited on my answer. Grinning, I gave in and nodded my head. “Okay, fine. I’m going to give you a chance. I honestly don’t think you’ll hold up the end of your bargain anyway. One date is all you get.”

  Guffawing, Luke scooped me into his arms and held me tight. “I knew I could wear you down, sweetheart. You won’t regret a second of it.”

  Both of us laughing, he set me down and cupped my face in his hands, his smile boyish yet completely sexy. What have I gotten myself in to? He leaned down ever so slowly and placed his lips to mine, kissing me gently. His hands caressed my back, pulling me closer, and he deepened the kiss by opening my lips with his tongue.

  “Don’t leave, Kate,” he begged. “Stay.”

  Before I could give in to the temptation of his touch, my phone began to ring in my bag.

  “Ignore it,” he whispered, trailing his lips down my neck.

  Groaning, I moved back and reached for my bag, which was sitting on the table beside us. “Luke, you know I can’t. It could be an emergency with the team.” Reluctantly, he nodded and stepped back to give me my space, his gaze heated.

  Luckily, it was just my brother when I pulled out my phone. Breathing a sigh of relief, I sat down on the arm rest of Luke’s black leather couch and answered it.

  “Evan, what’s up?” I asked.

  “Hey, where are you? Have you left Luke’s yet?”

  Trying to sound as innocent as I could, I looked up at Luke and replied, “No, I haven’t left yet. We just finished the last of his … therapy session.” Grinning from ear to ear, Luke winked and bit his lip, squeezing my ass as he pulled me back to him.

  “Okay, good. Coach Harris wanted me to call and see if you could come to the stadium in the next hour or so.”

  Trying to hold in my snicker, I looked over at the clock on Luke’s wall and cleared my throat. “Yeah, of course. Is everything all right? I thought he didn’t need me until tomorrow.”

  “That was the plan,” he replied. “It seems our new quarterback is coming in early, and Coach wants you to look him over before practice starts tomorrow.”

  Inwardly, I groaned. When I found out our team had taken on Cooper Davis as our new quarterback, I just knew they had made the worst mistake ever. He used to be the best quarterback out there, and I had to admit I was impressed with him when I read a ten page spread on him in the Physique Sports and Fitness Magazine. He definitely went downhill after injuring his shoulder.

  Our team needed guidance, but bringing in someone who clearly needed help of his own definitely wasn’t going to facilitate a win for us. Not only had he been injured and traded to our team, but the guy had serious issues with being reckless, even getting into trouble for misusing drugs. I wasn’t looking forward to working with him.

  “Okay,” I grumbled into the phone. “I’ll be there in about thirty minutes. Will you be there, too?”

  “No, I just left, but I’ll see you tomorrow morning. Oh yeah, and tell Luke there’s a party this Saturday night with the team and that I want him there.”

  Glancing up at Luke, I held the phone away from my ear and said quickly, “There’s a party my brother wants you to go to on Saturday night.”

  Luke nodded and grinned. “Okay, but he’s going to have to wait until after my date. Unless you want to go with me to the party as well.”

  Jaw dropping, I glared at him as my brother cleared his throat, choking in surprise. “I heard that! Please tell me he’s joking, Kate.”

  I groaned and hung my head. “No, it’s no joke, and it’s not that big of a deal, Evan.”

  “Yeah, for him,” he scoffed. “I don’t think I like this, Kate. He’s my friend, but the guy’s a serious player. I don’t want to see you get hurt.”

  He didn’t have to worry about that. Having fun with Luke was one thing, but I knew how to control my feelings. I wouldn’t get hurt unless I wanted to, and that wasn’t going to happen.

  “Believe me, Evan, you have nothing to worry about. You have to trust me on this,” I told him.

  Evan groaned. “Okay, but don’t say I didn’t warn you.”

  “Duly noted. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

  As soon as the call ended, Luke pursed his lips and followed me toward the front door. I had a little less than an hour to get to the stadium and I wanted to get there early so I could look over Cooper Davis’ file again.

  “What does your brother need you to do?” Luke asked.

  When we got to the door, I stopped and turned to face him, exasperated. “Our new quarterback, Cooper Davis, is coming into town today and Coach wants me to evaluate him. I’m really not looking forward to having this guy on the team. Do you know who he is?”

  Leaning against the wall with his arms crossed at the chest, he scoffed and curled his lip in disgust. “Yeah, who doesn’t know him? The guy seriously went to shit after his shoulder gave out. I’m surprised he hasn’t been kicked out of the league with all of the problems he’s been causing. I wish you luck though. He’s a time bomb waiting to explode.”

  “Great … thanks,” I remarked sarcastically. We had a couple of problem players on the team, but nothing like Cooper. We deserved to win, and I was afraid that wasn’t ever going to happen if we couldn’t get reliable players.

  Luke walked me to my Jeep and opened my door for me before leaning his arms inside my window. “So … Saturday you’ll go on a date with me, right? Then afterwards we can go to the party together?”

  Reaching for my sunglasses, I slipped them on and smiled. “Sounds like a plan. Give me a call sometime this week and we’ll figure everything out.”

  Slowly, he leaned forward, keeping his gaze on my lips before gently touching his to mine. “I look forward to it. I just hope you’re ready for me.”

  “Please,” I scoffed incredulously.

  Kissing me once more, he winked and sauntered back to his front door while I started up my Jeep. Tomorrow all hell would break loose, and I had a feeling this season was going to be the most memorable one yet … and not in a good way.

  I didn’t see a reason to delay the inevitable, so I made an earlier flight and flew across the country to North Carolina, especially since everything I owned was already there. There was nothing keeping me in California now that I screwed everything up and basically got kicked off of my team. What looked to be a simple trade wasn’t exactly so. The real reason was too fucking embarrassing, and thankfully, money talked or else the story would be publicized in every magazine and tabloid in the United States.

  How did I fall so low so fast? I had everything going for me until it was all taken away in one single game. Who would’ve thought that one injury could destroy everything? I wasn’t going to get back what I lost.

  Finally, after several hours of listening to the guy beside me talk about his marketing plan for selling cat food, the plane landed and it was time to go. By the time I got out of the terminal, Coach Harris was there dressed in a black polo shirt and khaki pants, waiting for me with a smile on his face. It had been years since I’d seen h
im, but his once dark brown hair was now covered in gray, giving him the salt and peppered look that was very prominent with the men in my family.

  You see, Joel Harris wasn’t just my coach … he was my uncle. If anyone found that out, I was pretty sure speculation would suggest that the only reason I got on the team was for that fact alone. No one else wanted me, except him. Sometimes I wish I’d have just given up on football and let it go, but it was in my blood. It was all I had.

  “Cooper, it’s so good to see you again,” Joel said, extending his hand. “How’s the family back home?”

  Nonchalantly, I shrugged and shook his hand. “They’re fine,” was all I could say. I didn’t want to say that they were disappointed in me and could care less what I did with my life since I was an utter failure. Thankfully, my uncle could sense I didn’t want to elaborate so he moved on.

  “Do you have any more luggage other than the bag you’re carrying?” he asked, letting go of my hand.

  “No, this is it. Everything should’ve already been delivered to the house. I have a lot of unpacking to do this week.”

  “I’m sure you do, son. How about we get out of here and head over to the stadium for a few minutes? I want one of our physicians to look at your shoulder and get to know you since you’ll be joining our team. How is the shoulder anyway?”

  I subconsciously rolled it in a circular motion; I didn’t have pain per se, but there was always a constant ache that never seemed to go away. My addiction was what I thought about the most. Every time the pain would become too much, I knew what I had to do to make it disappear. It was a place to escape where no one else could judge me; a place where I honestly didn’t give a fuck.

  Shrugging, I kept my gaze straight as we walked through the airport. “The shoulder’s fine. I’m just ready to get back into the game.” Out of the corner of my eye, Joel pursed his lips and I knew he wanted to say something, but he kept quiet until we got outside.

  “Look, Cooper, I’m sure I don’t have to say this twice, but the shit you got into out in California with the drugs, alcohol, and the reckless behavior won’t fly here. I’m putting my neck on the line for you, and I expect you to work hard and get along with the team. They already have their doubts about you and I want you to show them that you can lead them.”

  Talk about pressure.

  “You used to be the best quarterback in the NFL, and I know you can be that way again. You have one chance to redeem yourself, son. My guys work hard and they need someone like you to help get them to the top. Except, the first time you screw up you’re out of here, understand?”

  Closing my eyes, I blew out a frustrated sigh and turned to my uncle. All I’d heard from my family for the past eight months was how much of a screw up I was. I was so goddamned sick of listening to it.

  “Yeah, I understand,” I mumbled.

  The only time I felt like I was worth something was when I was on the field, and thankfully, I spent the summer in a drugged and drunken haze to not notice that it was off season. I was afraid that might’ve been why I spent a few nights in jail. Now, however, wasn’t the time to be like that. I had to prove to everyone that I could be the winner I used to be, that I wasn’t going to screw up again. All I had to do now was convince myself.

  Unfortunately, that was easier said than done when I had bigger problems to deal with.

  Pulling into the team’s designated parking area, I saw that Coach Joel Harris’ white Range Rover was in its usual spot. Otherwise, the stadium was quiet. I guess Cooper hadn’t arrived yet. My hair was windblown from the ride over in my Jeep, and unfortunately, I didn’t have time to put on something presentable since Joel wanted me at the stadium within the hour.

  Thankfully, Joel was more down to earth and I knew he wouldn’t mind what I wore as long as I did my job. I liked that about him, and it made working for him and the team that much more enjoyable.

  Once inside, but before getting to his office, I pulled the tie out of my hair and ran my fingers through my wavy, golden locks in hopes that it wouldn’t look so messy from the ride. After looking at my reflection in one of the windows I knew it was hopeless; the hair was going back up into a ponytail.

  Joel’s office was just up ahead, and taped to the door was a yellow piece of paper. The closer I got, I could see it was in Joel’s handwriting and addressed to me. Peeling it away from the door, I read it out loud.

  “On my way,” I muttered, turning around.

  Walking through the empty hallway, it didn’t take long to get to the door that led onto the field. Joel’s loud, booming voice echoing through the air caught my attention, praising Cooper on how great he was doing. Slowly, I edged closer and stayed out of view so I could watch. As much as I didn’t like the guy, he sure could throw a football. One after the other, and with exact precision, Cooper didn’t miss one single pass through the holes in the practice net. Our last quarterback couldn’t even do that. When he was done, Joel grinned. I had never seen such a big smile on his face as I did in that moment. He had faith in our new quarterback … I could see it.

  Out of the shadows, I sauntered onto the field so Joel would know I was there. Cooper had his back to me, but the second Joel saw me, he clapped Cooper on the shoulder and turned him around. For a split second, my steps faltered and my stomach fluttered when Cooper’s gaze met mine. I hated to admit it, but he looked amazingly different in person than in the newspapers; his hair was a little longer on top and the arrogance I could see in his pictures didn’t show on his face now. He almost looked … lost.

  They both stopped in front of me and surprisingly it was hard to tear my eyes away from the hypnotic, ocean blue color of Cooper’s gaze. There was no smile on his face, just the intensity of his stare. His dark brown hair looked almost black, and his sweat glistened skin—which had the golden glow of the California sun—was bare except for the pair of denim jeans he had hanging low on his waist.

  Stop staring, Kate, I scolded myself.

  “Ah, Kate, thank you so much for coming,” Joel greeted warmly. “I’d like you to meet Cooper.”

  Cooper held out his hand, and for a moment I just stood there, still staring mesmerizingly at the bluest eyes I’d ever seen. It wasn’t until the corner of his lip turned up in a smirk that I snapped out of my trance.

  Shaking my head, I grasped his hand and said, “It’s nice to meet you, Cooper.”

  Mine looked so small wrapped inside his warm, rough hand, but I tightened my hold and shook before abruptly letting go. “The pleasure’s all mine … Kate,” he replied amusingly, his voice dipping lower when he said my name.

  Smiling, Joel put his arm around my shoulder and squeezed while looking over at Cooper. “Actually, this is Kate Townsend. She’s one of the physicians for our team. She’ll be the one taking care of you today. I want her to look over your shoulder.”

  Cooper’s eyes went wide in disbelief, and finally a smile spread across his face when he looked me up and down. I’d seen that look plenty of times before and it never failed. Each time I told someone that I worked for the team they immediately thought I was one of the cheerleaders. It didn’t make me mad, but I had a lot of people underestimate me … and that was what I hated the most.

  “Is there something funny, Mr. Davis?” I asked pointedly.

  He shook his head and grinned wider. “No, not at all. I just didn’t expect you to be a young woman. You must have a trying time dealing with a bunch of football players. I don’t see how you do it.”

  If it wasn’t for my brother, it probably wouldn’t be as easy as it had been, but I had to believe I could handle it all on my own if I had to. “I think I manage pretty well on my own,” I informed him dryly. “Are you ready for me to take a look at your shoulder?”

  Cooper nodded. “I’m ready when you are.”

  Once he grabbed his shirt off of the ground and bottle of water, I turned on my heel and marched out of the arena so we could go inside to the locker rooms where I had all of my medical s
upplies. Joel and Cooper strutted along behind me—talking about random things—but I couldn’t help but overhear Joel’s warning to him.

  “I’m warning you, Kate can be a pistol, especially when she has to deal with certain players. Oh, and to give you a heads up, she has her own protector on the team that makes sure no one messes with her. I’m sure you understand what I mean.”

  Quickly hooking a glance over my shoulder, I glared at Joel before turning to Cooper. His gaze never wavered from mine when he responded, “Yeah, I understand … loud and clear.”

  I could only imagine the things my brother was going to say to him tomorrow. If any of my family and friends thought I got any action from the players they were sorely mistaken. Not that I had any interest in any of the guys, but if I did, I knew my brother would never let me live it down.

  When we got to the locker room, I turned on the lights and took a deep breath. My stomach was jittery and I couldn’t tell if it was because I hadn’t eaten anything yet or if it was Cooper making me nervous. Why would Cooper make me nervous? He’s just a damaged football player that let fame go to his head. Just overlook his sexy as hell body, his gorgeous eyes, and that smile of his that makes everything in my body tingle. I could feel his gaze on me the entire time I moved about the room, searching for my notebook and pen, and his file.

  With my gaze looking down toward the notes in my hand, I pointed to one of the medical benches. “Cooper, if you wouldn’t mind sitting down for me I’d really appreciate it. All I’m going to do is ask you some questions and do a couple of mobility exercises with your shoulder.”

  Joel reached out and took Cooper’s shirt and bottle of water and set them both on the small wooden table that I used to hold my ointments and bandages while I tended to the players. The temperature in the room spiked as I watched Cooper’s muscles flex before he sat down in the chair, but it didn’t stop him from making eye contact with me first. Immediately, I averted my gaze back to my notes.