by L. P. Dover
A sad expression passed across his face. “I know how you feel.”
After we finished eating, he walked me back to the clinic and we stopped at his truck. “I guess I better get back to practice.”
“Yep, you don’t want to be late.”
He laughed. “You got that right. Coach will ream my ass.”
For a moment, he stood there staring at me, and I could feel the tension. I wanted him to kiss me, and I knew he wanted it as well by the look in his eyes. As if we’d read each other’s minds, we both stepped back.
“I’ll see you Friday,” I said. “As soon as I get off work, I’ll get ready and head to the stadium.”
He got in his truck. “Call or text me when you’re on your way so I can meet you at the gate. That way I can get you in.”
I nodded. “Will do. I’ll see you then.”
I waved at him and watched him drive down the street before going back into the clinic. When I opened the door, Jessica, Amanda, and Charity all pretended to be busy working at the front desk, but I knew they’d been watching.
“Enjoy the show?” I asked them.
Amanda jerked her head up and rushed toward me. “He so wanted to kiss you.”
“Yes, he did,” Charity agreed.
“It’s not like that. We’re seriously just friends.”
Jessica cleared her throat. “Doesn’t look like that to me. He only had eyes for you the entire time he was here.” I knew that had to piss her off. The thought made me smile. I loved having Derek’s attention, but I was afraid it wouldn’t last. Nothing good ever lasted.
“I’m going to call Mrs. Jenkins and tell her what’s going on with Lady,” I told Amanda.
Her smile faded. “Okay. I’m about to check on the puppies and make sure they’re fed. I think Kellie’s ready for them.”
“Good. I’ll take them over this afternoon. I guess this means I need to get to the store and get some things for Patch.”
She laughed. “Yep. And you better get him the top-of-the-line stuff. He’s my baby.”
“I will,” I said, retreating down the hall to my office.
I knew Amanda had grown close to the pups, what with keeping them overnight at her house. If I’d done that, I probably would be keeping them all. Taking a deep breath, I called Mrs. Jenkins and gave her the news. She was happy that I could operate on Lady but not happy about the cancer part. If I could get it fully removed, the dog would have a fighting chance. If not, Lady would have to suffer through chemotherapy. I was going to do everything I could to make sure Lady survived.
“Hayden,” Jeremiah murmured, knocking softly on the door. I looked up at him and waved him in before writing the last of my findings in Lady’s chart.
Jeremiah sat down in the chair across from me, and I smiled. Unfortunately, he didn’t look like he was in a smiling mood. “What’s up?” I asked cautiously.
“How was your lunch?”
“Good. Yours?”
He shrugged. “Can’t complain.”
“What’s on your mind? I can tell something’s wrong.”
Sighing, he moved closer, leaning his arms on my desk. “I want you to be careful, Hayden. I know what kind of guy McLaughlin is, and I don’t want to see you get sucked in.”
My back stiffened. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
“He’s a player, Hayden. There are pictures of him everywhere on the Internet with a different woman in each one. I’d hate to see you become one of them. You’re better than that.”
“We’re just friends,” I said adamantly. “No one is going to get used.”
His gaze narrowed. “Are you sure about that? I don’t want to see you get hurt.”
“Yes, I’m sure,” I assured him, getting to my feet. “Thank you for worrying about me, but I promise I’ll be fine. I know not to get attached.” It was too late; I already was.
He got up and stopped me at the door with a hand on my arm. “Good. He doesn’t deserve you.” He squeezed my arm and then walked down the hall, disappearing behind his office door. Blowing out a heavy sigh, I hurried to the back and into the kennel room. A lot of celebrities apparently did sleep around carelessly. I pulled out my phone and was tempted to look Derek up on the Internet, but I couldn’t bring myself to do it. I was afraid of what I’d see.
Sliding my phone back into my lab coat, I opened the door to the kennel room and headed straight for my puppies. They all perked up, their little tails wagging. “It’s time to find you some good homes, little ones.”
Chapter 12
Derek
Hayden: I’m on my way to the stadium.
Me: Text me when you’re five minutes away. I’ll meet you at the gate.
Hayden: Will do.
“Dude, who the fuck are you texting? Everyone you know is right here,” Chris exclaimed.
He tried to grab my phone, and I smacked him upside the head. “It’s none of your fucking business, dickface.”
Chuckling, he rubbed his head and waggled his eyebrows. “Is it a woman?” I dropped my bag on the floor and opened it up. We had about an hour before the game, and everyone was putting on their gear, pumped for the first pre-season game. Chris sat down beside me on the bench, nudging me with his elbow. “You didn’t answer me, cocksucker. Is it a woman?”
“Yes, it’s a woman. Can you shut the fuck up now?”
He burst out laughing. “Well, I’ll be damned. Are you serious about her?”
Evan walked through the door and joined us. “ ’Sup, guys?” he asked.
Chris put his arm around me. “McLaughlin here has himself a new woman. I’m trying to find out the deets.”
“Oh yeah, I met her the other day,” Evan announced. Groaning, I hung my head and ran a hand through my hair. “Uh-oh, was I not supposed to say anything?”
I glared up at Evan. “Too late now.” I turned to Chris. “We’re just friends. She’s on her way here to watch the game.”
His eyes lit up. “So we get to meet her?”
“Unfortunately,” I grumbled.
Cooper rounded the corner. “She can sit with Kate, if you want. That way she’ll have someone to talk to.”
I held out my hand and he shook it. “That works perfect. Kate won’t mind, will she?”
He snorted. “Of course not. Now that Summer’s not here, she’s missed having a female to converse with.” Then he turned to Evan, slapping him on the shoulder. “How is your little one doing?” he asked him.
As much as I wanted to join in on their family talk, I couldn’t bear to listen to it. Instead, I blocked them out and concentrated on the game at hand. I had to play my best, not only for my team but for the fans. I had to prove that I hadn’t lost my magic on the field.
I was completely in my zone when a pair of socks hit me in the back of the head. “Looks like someone wants his ass kicked,” I growled, without turning around.
Chris chuckled and threw another pair but missed. “I can’t help it you were ignoring me. I called your name like five times.”
Evan looked at me and nodded. “It’s true.”
Rolling my eyes, I turned to Chris. “What do you want?”
“There’s a party tonight at my place. Everyone’s going to be there. Well, almost everyone except Reed. Even if he is part of the team, that fuckhead’s not invited.” I glanced over at Jax, who glared at Chris and flipped him off before slamming his locker. Jax had never done anything personally to me like he’d done to some of the other guys, but I was all about teamwork. We all needed to get along on the field in order to win.
“That’s fucked up, Waters. He’s part of the team, too,” I said. Evan stared at me as if I’d lost my mind. “I know you hate him, but he is one of us. I’m not saying you need to be friends, but we need to back him up professionally. Sometimes it’s his kicks that win us the games.”
Chris rolled his eyes and waved at Jax. “Fine, you’re invited, too. But if you so much as fuck with any of us, you’re going down.”
<
br /> Jax scoffed and walked past us. “Fuck off. I have better shit to do than go to your lame-ass party.” He disappeared out the door and I couldn’t help but feel sorry for the guy. I could tell that the animosity everyone threw his way was getting to him.
“Can’t say I didn’t try,” Chris said to me.
“Yeah, it was very heartfelt.”
He shrugged as if he didn’t care. “The cocksucker can go sulk and get the fuck over it. The person I care about is you. We want you to come to the party.”
I shook my head. “Maybe some other time.”
Evan sighed and sat beside me. “Why don’t you bring Hayden? All the guys are going to be there. It’ll be a good time.”
“Are you and Cooper going?” I asked.
He slapped me on the back. “Wouldn’t miss it. And you know we always have a huge shindig the night of our first pre-game. It gives us good luck all year.”
“Please,” Chris begged, pouting. He got down on his knees and started crawling toward me.
I grabbed his dirty socks off the floor and chucked them at his face. “Fine, I’ll go.”
“Do you think Hayden will come, too?” Evan asked.
I shrugged. “I don’t know. All of this is new to her. Honestly, I don’t know if she’ll be able to handle my lifestyle.”
“There’s only one way to find out,” he said.
My phone beeped with an incoming text.
Hayden: Almost there.
“I guess so. I’ll be right back.” I met Cooper’s gaze. “Where’s Kate at? As soon as I get Hayden inside, I’ll take her there.”
Cooper nodded toward the door. “She’s down the hall, talking to Coach Joel.”
I pulled my jersey over my head and rushed out the door so I could get to security before Hayden drove up. The parking lot where I’d sent her was only for the teams and their special guests. When I got outside, people shouted and cheered my name. I’d missed that sound.
The security guard at the gate got to his feet and smiled. “Derek McLaughlin,” he called out. “To what do I owe the pleasure of this visit?” According to his badge, his name was J. Reagan.
I shook his hand and patted him on the back. “I’m here to escort my guest inside. She should be arriving any minute.”
“I’m glad to see you here. It should be a good game today.”
“Yes, it will be.”
I waited for the dreaded question to come up, but it never did. There had been times when I’d be in public and someone would come up and talk about the accident. You’d think people would get a fucking clue that it wasn’t something I’d want to talk about. The team knew not to say anything, and luckily, so did Hayden. I often wondered if she even knew.
Thankfully, Hayden pulled up in her little sports car with a bright smile on her face. “There she is,” I told the guard. “Her name is Hayden Hunter.”
“Hello, hello,” she greeted us happily. “It’s a madhouse here.”
The guard walked up to her and laughed. “It’s the first game of the season, my dear. Do you mind showing me your license, please?” She pulled out her wallet and gave it to him to inspect. “You’re good to go, Miss Hunter.”
“Thanks, Officer.” He lifted the gate, and I pointed to the space beside my truck that had orange cones in the center. I picked them up and moved them out of the way so she could park. She got out of the car and giggled. “Please tell me you didn’t put those there for me?”
I shrugged. “It worked, didn’t it?”
When she walked around the car toward me, I raked my gaze down her body. She was wearing her hair in a ponytail with a Carolina Cougars T-shirt and short denim shorts. The guys were going to get hard up over just one look at her. There was no doubt about that.
“Why are you looking at me like that?” she asked.
I blew out my breath and put my arm around her. “Because I just realized I can’t leave you alone with the guys.”
“Why?”
“They won’t know how to handle themselves, especially since they know we’re just friends. Trust me, it’s best you stick close to me. I don’t want to have to kill anyone tonight.”
She giggled. “I can handle it, McLaughlin. I get hit on by men from time to time.”
The thought made my blood boil. I didn’t want to imagine her with other men. Then again, I didn’t have any rights to her; she wasn’t mine. “All right, let’s go.”
When we got inside, I wanted to get her past the locker room, but the guys weren’t going to let that happen. Waiting by the door was Chris, his eyes almost bugging out of his head the second he noticed Hayden.
“Brace yourself,” I whispered in her ear.
Chris walked out into the hall, his smile widening the closer we got. “Aren’t you a pretty thing,” he said, reaching for her hand. “When McLaughlin said he was meeting a friend, I had no clue it was going to be someone as beautiful as you.”
“Thanks,” she said, shaking his hand. “I’m Hayden.”
“And I’m Chris Waters, the best player on the team.” I snorted, and in return, he brushed his shoulders off. “The others just don’t want to admit it.”
Cooper pushed him out of the way. “Don’t listen to him. He only wishes he was the best. I’m Cooper Davis,” he told her.
Her eyes brightened. “You’re the quarterback, right?”
Cooper winked at her. “Yep. I think Derek’s going to take you to Kate so you can sit with her during the game. She’s my wife.”
Hayden looked up at me and I nodded. “We figured you’d enjoy the game more, being with another female.”
“Sounds good to me.” I guided her away from the locker room and she waved at them in passing. “I hate that I don’t know who all the players are.”
“I’m sure you’ll know them all soon enough. There’s going to be a party tonight after the game. Do you want to go?”
“Do you want me to go?” she countered.
“I wouldn’t have asked you if I didn’t.”
A small smile appeared on her lips. “Then I’ll go. It might be kind of interesting.”
I snorted. “You got that right.” I would have to keep her at my side to make sure no one put the moves on her. Coach Joel’s office was just up ahead, and I could hear Kate’s voice. I said to Hayden, “Kate’s really nice, and I know you’ll like her. She’s one of our team physicians. I’m pretty sure you’ll both have a lot in common.”
“Great, I can’t wait.”
I led her into the office, and everyone froze. “Everyone, this is Hayden Hunter. She’s here to watch the game.” To Kate, I said, “Cooper and I thought it’d be a good idea for her to stay with you. That way she’ll have someone to talk to.”
Nodding, Kate beamed at Hayden. “Of course. I’m always happy to have more females around here.”
Hayden glanced up at me, and I could tell she was a little nervous. “Have fun and I’ll see you after the game, okay?” I said.
“Okay. Good luck with the game.”
“Thanks, love.” I walked out of the room and winked back at her. “See ya.” Fuck, I was in trouble. I was already giving her nicknames. When I got to the locker room, the guys were all ready for the game. I hurried and put on my pads just as Coach Joel waltzed into the room.
Chris came up behind me and put a hand on my shoulder. “If Hayden’s just your friend, does that mean I can ask her out? She’s sexy as fuck.”
“You do and you die. Stay away from her.”
He burst out laughing and backed away. “That’s what I thought.”
Chapter 13
Hayden
I followed Kate to another room where medical supplies were stacked high on both sides. “I had no clue Derek was dating again,” she said happily. She grabbed a handful of gauze and I helped her.
“Oh, we’re not. We’re just friends.”
“Even so, it’s nice to see him bring someone around. He hasn’t done that since…” She stopped and regarded m
e with a sad smile.
“I know about his girlfriend,” I told her. “He doesn’t talk to me about it, and I don’t bring it up.”
She frowned. “He doesn’t talk about it anymore. In fact, he doesn’t really talk to anyone. I keep wondering if he’s okay.”
“He seems to be. We’ve been together a few times this week, and I haven’t noticed anything abnormal in his behavior.” Except for the time when Evan was around, but I didn’t want to bring that up.
“That’s good. Maybe he’s starting to come around.” She grabbed more gauze and loaded it into a bag she had slung across her shoulder.
“How is it working with a bunch of football players?” I asked.
Bursting with laughter, she started for the door and I followed her. “It’s an adventure, I can tell you that. But I love those boys to death. They’re like my brothers, but Evan is my real brother.”
“I met him the other day. He’s really nice.”
“His wife, Summer, is really sweet, too. You might have seen her around if you ever go to the Carolina Tavern. She’s the owner.”
“Wow, it’s a small world around here,” I said, laughing.
The crowd started to cheer outside, so we headed that way. “Have you ever been to a game before?” she asked. We walked out; I’d had no clue I was going to be on the field with the whole team. Eyes wide, I scanned the stands, gaping in awe. “I’ll take that as a no.” She giggled. “Don’t worry, you’ll love it. Let’s go.”
The place was full of energy and even more so when the players rushed out onto the field. Derek winked at me when he ran out, and the heat rose to my cheeks. They were going to win, I could feel it.
—
The Cougars won 24–7 against New York, and the crowd went crazy. I didn’t know all the rules, but it was still fun to watch. What made it even more exciting was that Derek was hoisted into the air by his teammates and carried off the field.
“I haven’t seen him this happy in a really long time,” Kate admitted. “Whatever you’re doing, keep it up.”
“I have no clue what I’m doing. I think it’s all him.”