Ruff and Tumble

by Lucy Gilmore

  Garrett waved off Javier, a merciless massage therapist known to them all as Javi the Hammer, and propped his head on his hand. Spending the past forty-five minutes getting his muscles pounded hadn’t put him in a conciliatory mood. “I got myself one step closer to professional and personal glory,” he returned. “Did you forget the part where I scored two back-to-back touchdowns?”

  “Only because I threw the ball directly into your hands.”

  Garrett snorted and turned his head toward the massage therapist. “Javi, of the two of us, who do you think carried the team last Sunday?”

  Javier held up his hands—those instruments of so much torture—and backed away. “I’m not getting dragged into this one. The last time you guys started a friendly debate, I ended up with three extra patients. I like keeping busy, but…”

  Cole whipped the towel from Garrett’s naked and prone body. “Get up and put some clothes on,” he commanded his friend. “You’re coming with me, and I won’t take no for an answer.”

  Garrett rolled over to expose every nook and cranny of his body and put his hands behind his head. “What’s in it for me?”

  Cole sighed. There wasn’t much room for modesty in professional sports, but Garrett didn’t have to be quite so comfortable flopping his junk around. There were only so many ways you could look at a man’s testicles before they started to get old. And wrinkled.

  “You mean, other than doing your best friend a favor?” He threw the towel at Garrett’s head. “Reggie will be there.”

  Garrett bolted up and swung his legs off the table. “Why the hell didn’t you lead with that?”

  Cole didn’t respond as Garrett reached for his clothes and shoved his limbs through them. He’d peeked at Garrett’s schedule and knew his friend had a full day ahead of him—a meeting with the coaches before lunch and a full session with Aiko this afternoon—but mention of Regina apparently had him consigning all that to flames.

  Not that he was judging Garrett for it. Cole was blowing off most of his day for the sake of a woman, too. He was technically doing it for the Puppy Cup, but that cover story was starting to wear thin. Hailey said she needed him for a few hours during filming next week, but that was it. He was only window dressing, a prop, a recognizable face that had long ago learned which angles worked best for the camera.

  Well, that was too bad. She was getting his help whether she wanted it or not. Not only did he have a team of puppies to coach, but he’d gotten word that his prize Great Dane was causing all kinds of problems at the shelter that was housing her. Apparently, she’d become something of an escape artist, and they were at their wits’ end trying to contain her.

  Good thing he had a solution ready to go. One that, yes, gave him an excuse to see Hailey again, but that was only part of his motivation. He wanted to do something for her, give her a gift that mattered.

  He wanted to matter, too, but he had a feeling that part wasn’t going to be as easy.

  “Tell me more about this favor you want from me,” Garrett said as he slipped on his shoes and began doing up the laces. “You said something about a woman needing my help?”

  “Not a woman, I’m afraid,” Cole said. “A female, yes. A lady, maybe. A bitch, for sure.”

  “Fuck me.” Garrett groaned. “You’re talking about a dog, aren’t you?”

  Cole answered with a grin. “I could always call Javier back in here instead. It’s your choice.”

  “At least I always know what kind of pain Javi is going to bring,” Garrett promptly replied. “It’s sneaky bastards like you I have to watch out for.”

  * * *

  Cole wasn’t sure what he’d been expecting from the Puppy Cup studio, but an abandoned warehouse transformed into a miniature football field, surrounded by bright lights, expensive equipment, and a crew of several dozen people wasn’t it.

  “Well, shit.” Garrett summed up Cole’s feelings in two easy words. They stood on the threshold, taking it all in with a bewildered air. “This is some production. Where are the puppies?”

  Cole wasn’t sure about the rest of the animals, but Philip came bounding across the fake grass that had been rolled out in the center of the warehouse. His teal bow tie was close to falling off, and his tongue was lolling out of the side of his mouth as though he’d just run laps around the building.

  “Hey, buddy.” Cole scooped up the animal and allowed him to wriggle into a comfortable position in his arms. “What have they been doing to you, huh? They told me today was just supposed to be an introduce-you-to-the-environment situation, not full-blown battle.”

  “What are you two doing here?” Hailey ducked underneath a long pole being carried by two men in black lifting belts. “As if I don’t have enough to do today already.”

  “Hello to you, too,” Cole said, leaning forward and pressing a kiss on her indignantly parted lips. He could have blamed his impetuosity on the fact that she was once again wearing her favorite red Converse sneakers, this time paired with well-worn jeans and a men’s button-down shirt that she’d tied in a knot at the waist, but that was just silly. Now that he’d seen this woman without any clothes on, nothing she covered her body with could move him.

  Although that was a really cute way to wear her shirt. It emphasized the way her curves—

  “It’s nice of you to stop by and to, um…” Hailey trailed off with a stammer and a blush and a flustered gesture at her freshly kissed lips. Cole was tempted to do it again, but she pushed him backward with a hand against his chest and a deep, resolute breath. Not to mention the light of battle in her eyes. “But I thought I told you to stay away. We don’t need you yet.”

  Next to him, Garrett coughed something that sounded like Not my fault, but Cole ignored him.

  “It didn’t seem fair that Philip gets to come but I don’t,” he said, heaving what he hoped was a pathetic sigh.

  It didn’t work.

  “Philip needs to get used to the scents and sounds of this place—not to mention all the other puppies. We don’t want them to be overwhelmed when we start shooting next week.”

  “What if I get overwhelmed?” Cole countered, undeterred. “I’ve never been on a miniature football field before. The yardage lines might confuse me.”

  “That’s not new. You always start overthrowing when you’re out by more than sixty yards anyway.”

  Hailey clamped her mouth shut as soon as she realized what she’d said, but it was too late. Garrett’s guffaw of laughter was unmistakable, and Cole felt his own lips starting to twitch in response. Someday, he was going to sit Hailey down and make her list every criticism she had. His coaches could learn a thing or two from her.

  Before he could come up with a suitable retort, they were interrupted by a twentysomething man in a headset. Cole recognized him as one of the PA grunts from the footage he’d watched—one of the many PA grunts whose teams Hailey had quickly and easily defeated in years past.

  “Hey, Hailey? What do you want me to do with Cleopatra? She’s already eaten through two of her leashes.” He paused when he noticed who she was talking to, his mouth dropping open for a good ten seconds before he remembered himself and closed it again. “Oh. Wow. Penny wasn’t kidding. You really are friends with them, aren’t you?”

  Hailey grimaced. “‘Friends’ is pushing it right now.” She passed a hand over her eyes. “What happened to Fitz? I thought he was going to keep Cleopatra distracted until we were ready to bring her out.”

  “He was. But he’s one of the only union technicians here today, so they asked him to set up the rigging.”

  “This is just what I need,” she said in the same exasperated tone she’d used when she’d seen Cole and Garrett walk through the warehouse doors. “That puppy is going to be the death of me. Next year, we’re not getting any animal who’s bigger than a breadbox.”

  “Hey, now,” Cole protested. “
That’s my winning puppy you’re talking about. I told you she was top draft material.”

  Hailey’s gaze snapped toward his, the steely glint impossible to ignore. “You’re absolutely right,” she said.

  “I know I am.”

  “She’s your problem, not mine.”

  “You say problem, I say secret weapon.”

  “Which means you should be the one to take care of her today. I’d like to see how many leashes she can get through before you manage to quiet her down.”

  “I’m one step ahead of you.” Cole laughed and darted out a hand to prevent Garrett from making good his escape. “In fact, it’s why I’m here. Garrett offered to foster Cleopatra until the Puppy Cup airs. He wants to do his part to bring comfort and healing to the canine world.”

  “The devil I do.” Garrett pinched Cole’s hand until he was forced to let go. Garrett didn’t leave, though, which was the most important thing. “What’s wrong with her?”

  Hailey narrowed her eyes at Garrett. Cole had been on the receiving end of that look so many times that he could only laugh to see it. For once, someone else was going to feel what happened when Hailey put on her full puppy armor.

  “Nothing is wrong with her,” she said, her voice clipped. “She’s a large-breed, active puppy who needs exercise, that’s all, and she’s not getting it while confined in an eight-by-four kennel. Imagine if you had to live inside a concrete cage for most of the day, only allowed out when someone else decides they have the time and inclination. How would you like it?”

  “Um.”

  It was probably the first time Cole had ever seen Garrett at a loss for words, and he was enjoying every second of it.

  “You run every day as part of your training, right?” Hailey continued.

  Garrett swallowed. “Why do I get the feeling there’s no right answer to that question?”

  Cole relaxed and stood scratching Philip while he watched the exchange, confident that things would turn out exactly the way he’d hoped. Other people might quail at the thought of asking favors of a man whose size and running capabilities had earned him the nickname of “Refrigerator,” but not Hailey. Not when it came to this.

  “I wouldn’t ask you to do anything you’re not comfortable with, and I know it’s a big responsibility,” she began, her voice a perfect blend of innocence and iron will. “But it would mean so much if you housed her until she gets adopted. It’s only for a few weeks, and you and Cole could have playdates. So the puppies get comfortable being on the same team.”

  Garrett physically balked. “Playdates?”

  “I meant man dates. Bro time.” Hailey took her lower lip between her teeth and tried again. “Hypermasculine bonding rituals?”

  Cole couldn’t contain his laughter after that last one. “Just agree to the plan, Gar, and save us all the trouble. She’ll win in the end. She always does.”

  “Nelson, could you go ahead and bring Cleopatra out so they can get acquainted?” Hailey asked the PA who was still standing with them. The poor guy looked torn between wanting to return to his work and awed at the opportunity to watch his coworker reduce Garrett Smith and Cole Bennett to putty. Cole didn’t blame him. A few weeks ago, he’d have paid good money to watch such a spectacle himself.

  “You aren’t obligated to take her home with you afterward, of course,” Hailey added to Garrett. “It’s just an introduction. To see if you get along.”

  It wasn’t just an introduction, and everyone standing there knew it. Garrett took the time to cast one last accusing glance at Cole before agreeing to be introduced to the Great Dane who was shortly to become his boon companion.

  “I can’t believe I bought that garbage you sold me about Reggie being here,” he muttered. “Fucking Bennett.”

  Cole was about to hotly defend himself, but Hailey stepped up and did it for him. “He wasn’t lying,” she said, casting a quick look around the warehouse. “She’s around here somewhere. She’s been really helpful coordinating all the publicity between our people and yours. Honestly, I don’t know if we’d have been able to do it without her. She’s good.”

  Cole felt a surge of pride for his sister, who was, in fact, very good at her job, as his million-dollar contracts with various retail sponsors could attest. His pride, however, had nothing on Garrett’s, who perked to a ridiculous degree.

  “She is good, isn’t she?” Garrett asked in a purely rhetorical spirit. “Maybe she’ll have some ideas about what I can do with Cleopatra.”

  And just like that, Cole got his way, everything falling neatly where he wanted it. Garrett was the proud and temporary owner of a Great Dane mix. Hailey got another home for one of her precious darlings. And best of all, Cole finally had her to himself.

  Well, except for Philip, but that could only be considered a point in Cole’s favor. No woman—especially not one as enamored of dogs as this one—could reject a man holding a pit bull puppy in a lopsided bow tie. He was sure of it.

  “Okay, now that you’ve proven your point, go away.”

  Or…maybe not.

  “Is that any way to talk to the man who just rescued your runaway Great Dane?” he asked, setting Philip lightly on the floor. He used his free hand to grab Hailey around the waist and pull her close. As he’d hoped, the press of her body against his was warm and full of the curves so carefully hidden under the masculine cut of her shirt. “After all the work it took me to get Garrett here, I expected a hero’s welcome.”

  “What do you think you’re doing?” she said in the exact opposite of a hero’s welcome. It was also the exact opposite of a woman-he’d-recently-slept-with welcome, but he was trying not to dwell on that part. “You’re supposed to be at practice.”

  “I am at practice,” he protested. “Puppies need to be trained, too. If they’re all like Cleopatra, a lot more than I expected. I should probably have Reggie pencil me in for a few hours tomorrow, too.”

  “Cole.”

  The way she said his name was familiar in all the worst ways. It wasn’t the sound of a woman who was happy to see him or even one who was playfully pushing him away. It sounded an awful lot like his mom whenever he’d begged to get out of peewee football practice so he could go ride his bike.

  “Besides,” he said, doing his best to ignore the condemnation he read in her face, “I wanted to stop by and see you. I haven’t been able to stop thinking about Sunday night.”

  “Cole.” This time, she said his name more as a plea, and the way her body melted against his proved that she was thinking about Sunday night, too. He responded automatically, tangling his hand in the hair at the nape of her neck and straining to pull her close. There were too many watchful eyes on them for him to do what he really wanted, but he was happy enough to have her in his arms.

  Let everyone know. Let everyone see. He liked this woman, and he didn’t give a damn who knew it.

  “I am happy to see you,” she said, her voice low. “And I’d be happy to continue this, uh, discussion at any other time. But you can’t be here. I know your schedule. This isn’t part of the plan.”

  Of course it wasn’t part of the plan—the plan revolved around one thing and one thing only. Football. It was supposed to be the first thing he thought of when he woke up in the morning and the last thing he pictured before he went to sleep. It was supposed to drive him, shape him, please him.

  Well, that was too bad. Yes, football had driven him for thirty-two years. And yes, it was so much a part of him that he wasn’t sure where the sport ended and he began. But it didn’t make him light up when it walked into a room. It didn’t shyly ask him what his preferences were in the bedroom and then proceed to rock his world in ways he’d never imagined.

  It didn’t make him feel like an actual goddamn person for the first time in his life.

  “The plan sucks,” he said, inadequately summarizing his feelings. “
I hate the plan.”

  Hailey smiled, but he could tell it wasn’t enough. “The plan exists for a reason. You can’t hang out here all day. Not only will your coaches call up Jasmine and demand my immediate termination but you’re a distraction.”

  Cole was so used to drawing stares and double takes when he walked down the street that he barely noticed them anymore, but he paused long enough now to glance around him. There were, in fact, an awful lot of people in this part of the warehouse, their arms full of equipment and their eyes equally full of curiosity. Somehow, he didn’t think it was the spectacle of a quarterback and his pit bull puppy they’d come over here to see.

  “I’m not the distracting one right now,” he said. “They’re staring at you.”

  Hailey’s whole body jerked, but he didn’t relinquish his hold. If he was going to be banished to football practice for the rest of the day, he was going to enjoy this moment while it lasted.

  “Only because you have your arms around me,” she hissed, her cheeks starting to diffuse with color. “This is tempting fate—and luck—too far. They’re probably waiting for lightning to strike me dead where I stand.”

  “Actually, I think they’re waiting for this.”

  He dropped his mouth to hers for a kiss. Public displays of affection weren’t something he indulged in very often, since the likelihood of it being captured on someone’s phone and posted online was high. He didn’t mind the world watching him kiss a beautiful woman, but he did mind his parents watching it. They had far too many Google alerts set up for his name to make him comfortable whisking random dates into his arms and putting on a show.

  He felt no such qualms now—and even if he had, they would have disappeared the moment Hailey parted her lips to let him in, her own reservations equally null and void. She was always doing that, and it took him by surprise every time. It didn’t matter if he was asking for entrance into her home or her body or even her heart. She opened the door every time.

  He’d never known anyone so unguarded, so honest. So real.