A Devoted Heart (The Heart's Temptation Series Book 2)

by Genevieve Matthews

  I have meetings and press conferences that I need to get through this morning. I could live without those responsibilities. We’ll meet as a team and warm up for the game. That’s the best part of the day, actually working with my guys and getting them in the mindset for the mental toughness that is required to win these big conference games.

  I feel like I’ve barely had a chance to blink today and now I’m standing on the field, the guys are warming up and people are already starting to trickle into the stands. I have to concentrate on the job I have in front of me but it’s taking all of my self-control not to keep looking back and searching the stands for Catey.

  I know she’ll be close to me. Her seats are down in the front of the stands where she has a good view and I can hopefully catch her eye at some point during the night.

  We’re nearing the end of warm-ups when a familiar face walks to the side of the field and waits with a microphone in her hand and a cameraman at her side. Ava Lunette is a sideline reporter and sportscaster for a nationwide television station. We also happened to go to college together.

  “Ava, it has been a long time!” I say as I walk over and extend my hand.

  She returns the smile and handshake. “It’s great to see you, Brogan. I was so excited when I found out I would be covering the game tonight.”

  “Yeah, that’s awesome. I didn’t know you were doing sideline reporting.”

  “I just started.” Ava has always been a sweet girl. We got along great in college, she was a good replacement for Cate when we went our separate ways after high school. Saying that now sounds really heartless, but I missed Cate more than I was willing to admit and I never did a good job dealing with my feelings.

  Ava and Cate were both incredibly focused on academics and they share the same sweet disposition. And like Cate, we never dated.

  “It’s such a small world! We should get together and catch up after the game,” she says.

  “Totally. As long as it isn’t too late once everything wraps up around here.”

  “Perfect! Why don’t you give me your number and then we’ll get focused on the game.”

  She pulls out her cell phone and her fingers quickly fly around on the screen. After a minute she says, “okay,” and I fire off my digits.

  “Okay, let’s do this. Give me your first question,” I say.

  The interview is quick and then the game is underway. Before long I’m lost in the fervor of the action. Calling plays, yelling at the refs, checking in with my guys when they come off the field. I try to keep my cool throughout, but there are always things that come up that push my composure.

  Like when Sanders fumbles the ball, which leads to a turnover before the end of the half. That pushes my composure. When Myers misses a tackle that leads to a sack, my composure is challenged again. The complete lack of hustle by half of the defense during a pivotal play finally cracks my composure.

  I’m not nearly as friendly to Ava when she pulls me aside for questions at the end of the half. I’m in the zone, already thinking about the adjustments that need to be made to pull off a win at the end of the game.

  The third quarter starts strong. We tighten up on defense and are able to stop their offensive drive. They kick it away and we return it for a touchdown. Things are moving in a direction that instantly lightens my mood.

  There’s a lot of pressure for me to succeed and I’ve been feeling it since I started coaching. It isn’t just a game win, it’s also wanting to show that I can make it at something besides playing a sport. I want Cate to respect the man that I am now. I want people to know that I didn’t get this job because of my name but because I’m savvy and capable when it comes to being a leader.

  When we finally take the lead for the first time I catch my first glimpse of Catey up in the stands. Her fleece is zipped all the way up and it looks like she is holding a hot chocolate. Her hair is down and the long, soft strands are gently blowing in the wind. She takes my breath away.

  For a moment, everything around me disappears and it’s only her that I see. The frantic pace of the night slows down to a crawl and I feel a swelling in my chest. I’m not good at sharing my feelings with other people, but I’m trying with Catey. I’ve told her I love her, which is something that doesn’t come easily for me.

  I wish I had a way to describe to her how she is my everything. I want to be able to describe how it feels when I hold her in my arms and I feel completely at peace, for the first time in my entire life. I’ve made millions as a football player, constantly surrounded by people, but I’ve always felt empty.

  I’m sure I’ve been daydreaming for way too long when a voice in my ear snaps my attention back to the field. This game is too damn close and my guys are too damn tired. A few adjustments on defense and I’m putting it in their hands. Let’s see how far adrenaline and pure want will get them.

  And just like that, I’m sucked back into the game, Cate pushed to the back of my thoughts but never far from them.

  Victory.

  I needed it and this team needed it. Our push for a bowl game is pretty much solidified after this win.

  We celebrate in the locker room. I’m feeling good, really good, when my phone dings in my pocket and I see a text message from Ava.

  Ava: Great game tonight! Feel like celebrating?

  I think it over for a bit. What I really want to do is go home and celebrate with Cate, but I’m sure she’s already in bed and asleep. She’s been working her butt off at the coffee shop and will be until she hires someone else to help out. I’m jacked up and can’t imagine going home and being able to fall asleep.

  Me: Let’s do it! Where are you staying?

  Ava: I’m at the Westin. Meet me at the bar in the lobby?

  Me: C U in a bit.

  The Westin is a nice hotel and a bit of a drive, but you can’t find anywhere this fancy in Winterhaven or even the surrounding small towns. To say that I feel underdressed in this place is an understatement. Luckily I’m not here to impress anyone.

  I spot Ava in a quiet booth in the corner when I walk in. She stands up when I walk over and gives me a big hug and congratulations.

  “You must be so excited! That was a huge win for you guys,” she says.

  I return the hug then sit across from her in the booth. The waiter is at the table as soon as my butt hits the seat asking what I’ll be drinking.

  I keep it simple and order a beer.

  “Do you need anything?” I ask Ava before the waiter leaves.

  “No, I’m good with my wine. Thank you,” she says.

  “Thanks,” I tell the waiter and he’s off. “Yeah, I’m unbelievably excited,” I say to Ava, getting back to her question. “We needed the win and somehow we pulled it off.”

  “Not somehow, you’re a great coach and you’ve done really amazing things with your players. You’ve got a cohesive team.”

  “Well thanks. It’s nice to hear that people think I’m doing well my first year of coaching.”

  “Absolutely!” She reaches across the table and puts her hand on my forearm, giving it a reassuring squeeze. “I can’t believe our paths have crossed again. When you joined the NFL I figured that would be the last I’d see of you.”

  “Yeah, I didn’t do the best job keeping in touch with my friends. I got swept up in it all I guess.”

  The waiter walks over with my beer and sets it down, asking if there’s anything else we need.

  “No, this is great, thanks,” I say and he nods and leaves us.

  “It’s understandable. Playing a sport professionally is such an amazing opportunity. So how have you handled the transition from player to coach?”

  “Ah, it has been an adjustment, for sure. I was devastated when my doctor told me I wouldn’t make a full recovery after my last injury. I was really lucky that I was able to get this coaching job. I think it helped keep me from falling into a depression over everything.”

  “I bet. I’m sure it’ll take time to get use to the c
hanges. And I’m sure you don’t have a lot of free time to really think about it all. That’s probably a good thing, too.”

  I drink two beers and catch up with Ava. She tries to talk me into a third, but I won’t drive home if I have any more to drink and I’m ready to be home. Ava and I hug outside of the bar, she goes up to her room and I go out to my SUV.

  I’m starting to feel tired on the drive home. The adrenaline from the win is wearing off. I try to be as quiet as I can when I open the door to Cate’s place but the damn place is so creaky I feel like I’m waking up the entire building.

  I shower, throw on a pair of clean boxers and crawl into bed. Cate is already sound asleep and I’m careful not to wake her, though my body instantly perks up when I curl up beside her in bed.

  I wrap my arm around her waist and pull her close, her ass burrowing against my cock. It takes a lot of restraint to keep from sliding her panties down and waking her up by pushing my cock into her wet warmth.

  Tomorrow, I tell myself.

  I close my eyes and focus on matching her slow and steady breathing with my own.

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  Cate

  Once again I have to wake up so damn early to go to work. Brogan is wrapped around me, making the task of getting out of bed an impossible one. This is getting to be a pattern. Why does it have to feel so good when he holds me in his arms while we sleep?

  I mentally commit to hiring someone ASAP whether he’s the perfect candidate or not while I stand under the hot shower stream and slowly let last night’s sleep wash itself down the drain. I love my job, but I need a few days off every now and again. Even having someone to open for me every so often would be nice.

  It’s still dark when I leave my apartment and make the ten-minute walk to the coffee shop. The streets are completely deserted right now, not a car or person in sight. I unlock the coffee shop, turn on the lights and get busy prepping to open.

  I brew the coffee and the delicious smell makes my mouth water.

  “Coffee?” I say to myself. “Yes, please.”

  I grab a mug and pour myself a cup, adding cream and sugar as an added boost to get me going. A few minutes later I hear the bell signaling someone entering the store.

  Embry walks into the store, carrying some large, white boxes of bakery goods.

  “Hey, Embry! Let me help you with that,” I say as I set my coffee cup down and rush over to take some of the boxes out of her hands. Embry’s father owns the bakery in Winterfield. I buy all of the baked goods for the coffee shop from them and she delivers them each morning. We’ve become friends from seeing each other every morning and sharing a cup of coffee to start our day.

  “Morning, Cate!” she says.

  “It’s comforting to know that I’m not the only one awake at this hour of the morning,” I say.

  “Yeah, right? We need to choose a different career path if we’d like to join the nine-to-five work force.”

  “No doubt. Coffee?” I ask.

  “Absolutely.” I pour her a cup, black, and hand it to her. She sits down to enjoy a moment of peace and quiet as I open the bakery case and start putting the muffins, scones, breads, and doughnuts into their spots.

  “Man, these make my mouth water every morning. This part of the job isn’t good for my waistline. I’m always so tempted and when I’m tired, like I am right now, I have no self-control.”

  “Well, you should come work with me in the bakery for a few weeks. Actually baking all of these things might take away some of the pleasure of eating them. You’d be so sick of the sight of a scone after making hundreds of them.”

  “I suppose you’re right. But then again, I make coffee day and night and I never get tired of drinking it.”

  “Ahh, you’re addicted to the caffeine.”

  “True!” I say as we both laugh.

  We talk some more and finish drinking our coffee as I put all of the bakery items in the case. I know Embry likes our time together in the mornings. I get the feeling that she doesn’t really get out much, with friends or otherwise. Her father seems protective of his family, especially his little girl. It’s my opinion, but she’s ready to cut the cord.

  I like having another friend in town, too. I moved here because of my mom and Bree, but I didn’t know anyone else when I made the move. I’ve met Bree’s friends from the bar but we’re on really different schedules. I get up early to open the coffee shop and they work into the early hours at the bar.

  So these early morning chats while I get the store ready to open are really nice for both of us.

  “So what else is new with you these days?” I ask.

  “Oh, not much. Just working a lot and when I’m not working I’m going to class.”

  “You are? I didn’t realize. What year are you in?”

  “This is my third year. Hopefully I’ll be able to earn my degree after four, but I’ll really have to work my butt off. That doesn’t leave a lot of extra time for fun.”

  “That’s true, but it would be nice to get it finished. Do you go to any of the sporting events?”

  “Sometimes.”

  “I went to the football game last night. It ended up being a lot of fun! You’ll have to let me know if you’d like to go sometime.”

  “That would be great! Do you have season tickets?”

  “No, I grew up with the new head coach, Brogan Lockwood. We’re close and he’s the one that got me the tickets.”

  “Well, I’d say you’ve got your connection!”

  “Yes, for sure.”

  “I saw an article on my favorite gossip site this morning about Brogan Lockwood. It’s one of my guilty pleasures, reading the gossip columns.”

  “It’s easy to get sucked into that. So was it a good article? Something about the amazing win they pulled off last night?”

  “Kind of, there were pictures of him with a woman at her hotel last night. The headline was referencing how he chose to ‘celebrate’ the win.”

  I can almost feel the color drain from my face. I’ve been busy behind the counter but suddenly I need to lean against the wood and grasp it with my hands. If I were alone I’d sink to the ground and curl up in a little ball, but I’m all too conscious of Embry and I don’t want to make a scene.

  “Hey Cate, are you all right? You look really pale all of a sudden.”

  She walks over to the counter and stands across from me.

  “Yes, I’m fine.” I manage a small smile and wave my hand to brush off her concern. “I don’t feel that great. I probably didn’t get enough sleep last night.”

  I force myself to go back to what I was doing even though mentally I’m reminding myself to breathe in and out. I’m sure there’s something I could say to Embry to convince her that I’m okay, but nothing comes to mind.

  What I really want is for her to leave so I can find the article she’s talking about and see the evidence for myself. I don’t want to see it but I need to all at the same time. I’ve practically convinced myself that she must be wrong and this man at the hotel was someone who was mistaken for Brogan.

  I mean there’s no way he would really do this to me, right? How could this man who tells me he loves me and makes love to me every night step out on me like that? Maybe it’s true, maybe I don’t know the kind of man he has become over the last few years.

  The ding of the bell brings the first customer of the day and snaps me back from my thoughts.

  “Well hang in there, Cate. Feel better,” Embry says as she waves and makes her way to the door.

  “Thanks, Embry, have a good day,” I call after her.

  Never have I had to put on a happy face more than I have to right now. I brace myself for the early morning rush, hoping my coffee will kick in and give me the buzz I need to make it through the morning.

  A few hours later I have my first lull in customers. There are a few people sitting at tables in the coffee shop, on their laptops or reading books and peacefully drinking their coffee. I’m envio
us of them. I want to feel that calm inside that they must be feeling right now.

  I pull out my own laptop and open it up behind the counter. I search for different gossip sites, pulling each one up one at a time and quickly scanning through the articles. My vision goes fuzzy when I finally find the article Embry was telling me about.

  She was right. Brogan’s standing in the lobby of The Westin hotel hugging a blonde woman. There are also a few pictures of them sitting in a private booth in the back of the bar and it looks like they are holding hands. I feel the tears coming and I pinch the bridge of my nose to try to keep them at bay.

  I quickly close the laptop and push it under the counter, trying to get it as far away from me as possible. I have no idea what to do right now. Do I confront him? Text him to get the hell out of my place and then change the locks?

  I need someone to talk to right now but I’m stuck here, working, by myself.

  I help another string of customers, all the while thinking about what my next move should be. It physically hurts me when I think about having to get over Brogan again. But, I tried to do it once, I guess I need to try to do it again. Maybe I’ll even be successful this time.

  I take out my phone and send a text.

  Chapter Twenty-Nine

  Brogan

  I’m in my office re-watching last night’s game when I hear my phone beep. I pause the game and search for my phone under the stacks of paper cluttering my desk. When I find it I swipe the screen so I can read the text. It’s from Cate.

  Cate: Get your shit and get out of my place.

  I read the message three times and come to the conclusion that this must be a joke. I type in a few question marks and hit send. I sit back in my chair, holding my phone with both hands. All of my attention is focused on the screen, anticipating a response.