by Lucy Gilmore
She tasted like coffee and sugar, both perfectly ordinary and somehow the most intoxicating thing in the world. So, too, was the way her arms wound naturally around his neck and pulled him close. She was all heat and curves, and he could have stood there falling into those sensations for hours.
Unfortunately, the moment he dropped a hand to her lower back, his fingers unable to resist the downward journey toward her ass, a burst of catcalling and applause broke out around them.
That sound might not bother him, but Hailey reared back, her color heightened so much that he could practically count every freckle on her cheeks and across her nose.
“Oh my god.” She dropped her arms from around his neck and released a low moan. “I can’t believe I just let you do that. What’s the matter with you? Don’t you have any decency?”
He chuckled and dropped a quick kiss on the end of her nose. “Not a scrap. Besides, I don’t think you have anything to worry about. From the sound of things, they liked it.”
“They’re a bunch of shameless wastrels who need to get back to work,” she said, unable to meet his eyes. “And so are you.”
“Actually, I’m going to agree with Hailey on that one.” Regina’s sharp voice hailed him from behind. He did his best to bite back a groan, but Regina either heard or sensed it. Given how well she knew him, it was probably the latter. “And don’t give me that bullshit. I have four missed calls from the team offices, and I’m guessing you have twice as many.”
“It was Garrett’s idea,” he protested, turning to face his sister. “He was desperate to foster one of Cole Bennett’s famous Puppy Cup puppies.”
Since Garrett could be seen in the background, wrestling with an enormous black puppy that appeared to be making a run for the nearest exit, this was an obvious lie.
“Garrett has already heard everything I have to say on this subject, so don’t try putting the blame on him.” Regina stood with her arms crossed, her foot tapping a staccato beat on the concrete floor. “Go away, Cole.”
“All in good time.”
“Go away, Cole,” Hailey echoed, ranging herself on the side of his sister. She was still flushed and looking decidedly kissable, but Cole knew better than to make the attempt.
“Fine,” he said, acknowledging defeat. He picked up Philip and pointed the puppy at his sister. “But I’m taking Philip with me. I want him to watch the replay of the Texas game with the rest of the team. It’ll help with his own strategy. I don’t know if you noticed, but I kind of killed it on Sunday.”
Hailey muffled a laugh, but Regina only sighed. “I don’t care what you do as long as you get back to work.”
She meant it, which was the worst part of this whole thing. She didn’t care if he publicly kissed Hailey or played puppy football or adopted twenty-seven different animals in the name of compassion—just so long as his game play didn’t suffer for it. She was indulging him in this puppy plan, playing along in hopes that he’d work it out of his system, without recognizing it for what it was.
His parting gift. His way out. His goodbye.
“Oops.” Regina glanced over Cole’s shoulder and gave a sudden start. “I think Garrett just lost the battle with Cleopatra. She’s heading for one of the side doors.”
“Oh good,” Hailey said with a complete absence of irony. “Hopefully, he won’t catch her until she gets a few of her fidgets out. Try to distract him so she gets some exercise in.”
Regina didn’t find anything odd in this request. With a nod, she went off to assist and/or hinder Garrett’s attempts to corral his new ward. Either way, Cole knew she’d be back—and sooner than he wanted—so he wasted no time.
“What are you doing after work?” he asked, grabbing hold of Hailey’s hand and pressing it.
She stared down at the clasp of his fingers against hers. “The usual. Taking care of the puppies. Laundry. Maybe I’ll go all out and rent a movie.” She became suddenly suspicious. “Why? What are you doing?”
“I was hoping to visit my dad at the hospital.”
All her suspicions melted away at once. “Good for you. He’ll like that. Did you need me to puppy-sit Philip while you’re there?”
“No,” he said. “I was hoping you’d come with me.”
She gave a slight jolt, but his grip on her hand was strong enough that she couldn’t pull away. “What? Me? Why?”
He saw no reason to lie. “Because I can’t get in the doors otherwise. My parents are afraid it’s too distracting in these important Kickoff Cup times, so they’ve had me banned.”
“They have not. You’re just saying that to get me to agree.”
He wished that were the case. Legally, he didn’t think they could prevent him from entering the hospital and standing outside his dad’s room, but he wouldn’t put it past them to try.
“Please? They like you. They respect you.” He gave a slight smile. “They fear you.”
“They do not!”
He cocked an eyebrow. “Are you kidding? The woman with the power to break the curse? You could saunter in there and demand the keys to the city, and they’d move heaven and earth to make you a set. They’re at your mercy, Hailey. We all are.”
She didn’t want to believe him. He could see it in the way she distracted herself by petting Philip, in the way she held her body at arm’s length.
“You could just ask me as a friend, you know,” she said. “Not everything has to be a curse-breaking, back-alley deal.”
That was a matter of opinion. Curse-breaking, back-alley deals were what had brought Hailey into his life in the first place. He could swagger and preen all he wanted in an attempt to keep her, but he doubted it would work for very long. Hailey was a woman of substance, a woman who accomplished things that actually meant something. Strip away the trappings of football, and what did he have to offer in exchange?
Nothing. Nada. An underaccomplished and overhyped man with more money than was good for him, who’d spent his entire life in pursuit of someone else’s dreams. Some deal that would be.
“Hailey Lincoln,” he said, as one issuing a formal proposal, “will you please accompany me to the hospital after work tonight?”
“Why?” she asked again.
“Because I’m scared,” he admitted. “Because you have experience with this kind of thing. Because it would mean a lot to me to have you there, and I don’t think I can face it alone.”
She didn’t hesitate. “Of course, Cole. I’d be happy to go with you.”
The tight feeling that had been mounting in his chest loosened. He hadn’t realized until that moment how much he’d needed Hailey to agree—not just because it would make it easier for him to get in the door but because he genuinely wanted her by his side.
“Thank you,” he said and meant it.
He might have added more, but he caught sight of Regina leading both Garrett and his reluctant new puppy back in the side door they’d escaped through. If Cole knew his sister—and he did—he had about two seconds before she came over and dragged both him and Garrett back to practice by the ear.
She was a woman of substance who accomplished things that mattered, too.
Chapter 14
“You bought my dad flowers?”
Hailey glanced down at the bouquet in her hand and blushed. She’d had to dash out on her lunch break to grab something, so the bouquet was a somewhat paltry assortment of gas-station carnations dyed in a variety of neon colors, but it had seemed better than showing up empty-handed.
“Doesn’t he like flowers?” she asked. They were standing in a highly visible location outside the front doors to the hospital, and she couldn’t help but be in awe of how easily Cole could ignore the reactions he elicited from the general public. She’d already heard several people comment on the likelihood of his identity—and even more disconcertingly, one man who seemed to know who she was.
“That’s his good-luck charm,” the man hissed as he’d pushed his heavily pregnant wife up the ramp in a wheelchair. “The one who’s going to get them to the final game.”
Either Cole had long since inured himself to the stares and comments, or he genuinely didn’t care, because he leaned down and kissed her as though they were the only two people in the world.
“If a kiss like that doesn’t get us in, I don’t know what will,” the wife hissed back.
Not surprisingly, Hailey was hot enough to melt the dusting of frost on the ground by the time Cole let her go. She’d have liked to blame it on the embarrassment of being recognized, but that would have been a lie. Cole kissed the same way he played football—all in. This was no salutary peck on the lips. There was tongue and teeth and a warm hand on the back of her neck holding her in place.
She was being handled like, well, a football. And Cole definitely knew what to do with one of those.
How he could stand there afterward, looking so cool and gorgeous after a kiss that quaked her knees, was beyond Hailey. She might have quailed at so much poise in such a confident package if it weren’t for the way he began anxiously toying with the cellophane.
“I don’t know if my dad likes flowers,” he said, plucking at the edges of the petals. “I’ve never asked him.”
Partly to comfort him and partly to save the carnations from further damage, she slipped her fingers through his. Her small, unremarkable hand with its jagged nails and chipped polish felt insignificant against his massive, powerful one, but she could hear him letting out a breath of relief.
“They’ll cheer up his room at any rate,” she said. “I was either going with these or a pair of Cole Bennett socks to keep his feet warm. People in hospitals always have cold feet.”
“There’s no such thing as Cole Bennett socks,” he protested.
“Um, yes there are. There’s a local woman on Etsy who knits them. They have your little face on the toes.”
Cole’s demand to see a picture of the socks carried them through the hospital doors and past the reception desk. His incredulity at how inaccurate they were got them up the elevator. And Hailey’s blushing confession that she had not just one but two pairs in her sock drawer had him laughing by the time they reached the nurses’ station.
“If someone had told me I’d one day become a knitwear sensation, I wouldn’t have believed them,” he said, barely noticing that they’d arrived at his father’s door. “People should be ashamed of themselves.”
She reached up and brushed imaginary dust from his shoulders and adjusted the perfectly straight collar of his pullover. The actions seemed to bring him comfort, though she wasn’t sure why he was so nervous. She was the one crashing a family hospital room without an invitation.
Before she had time to check her own shoulders and collar, the door swung open. Mia rocketed out of the room and latched herself onto Cole’s and Hailey’s legs without hesitation.
“Uncle Cole!” she cried. “Puppy lady!”
And just like that, Cole regained his confidence. “Favorite niece!” he cried in the same excited tone. He planted a kiss on her forehead. “And before you ask, no, Miss Hailey isn’t going to give you her phone so you can watch her puppies.”
The girl’s face fell in a comical frown.
“Because I’m going to give you mine.” He drove his hand into his pocket and pulled out his cell phone. In a short space of time, he’d pulled up a full-color video of a very large and very well-lit living room. It was expensively furnished, although the puppy toys scattered around and the corner of a pristine white couch that had been eaten down to the stuffing displayed evidence of wear and tear. “You’ll notice that the person watching Philip this evening is your nanny. She charges inordinate rates, by the way. I had no idea you were so expensive.”
“She’s not.” Regina appeared at the doorway with a tight smile for Cole and a friendly nod for Hailey. “I told Velma to charge you double. She has a master’s degree in child psychology, Cole, and it took me months to find her. I forbid you from turning her into a glorified dog walker.”
“Desperate times call for desperate measures,” Cole replied easily. He made a move as if to enter the hospital room, but Regina barred the door with her body.
“What are you doing here?” she asked, her voice dropped to a low whisper. “Have you lost your mind?”
“Hailey wants to see Dad.”
Regina cast one look at Hailey and shook her head. “She does not. You dragged her here as a pretext.”
“True, but now that she’s come all this way, can you really slam the door in her face?”
Hailey had no qualms about what was expected of her. Cole’s sister was right about her being used as a pretext, and if any other man had pulled this kind of stunt, Hailey would have supported Regina to the end of the world and back again. But Cole had asked her to come because she had experience with this, because he couldn’t face it alone.
She knew that feeling too well to let him down now.
“We won’t stay long,” she promised. “We’ll be in and out before any damage can be done.”
“He’s not supposed to be here.” Regina glanced down at her daughter, who was fully absorbed in the live puppy feed, before crossing her arms and adopting a much firmer tone. “We talked about this, Cole. We agreed.”
“I don’t remember agreeing to anything.” Cole’s stance matched his sister’s. They were a formidable pair, tall and gorgeous and built like twin stone parapets. “He’s my dad, too, Reg. You can’t keep me out forever.”
“It’s not forever. It’s just until all this nonsense about the Kickoff Cup is done.”
“The nonsense about the Kickoff Cup will never be done. You know that better than anyone.”
Something about Cole’s tone, which was veering on the edge, caused Hailey to step up. “You might as well give in,” she said. Recalling Garrett’s words from that day in her office, she added, “I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but Cole can be a bit of a drama queen when he doesn’t get his way.”
Next to her, Cole choked on what was either outrage or a laugh.
“Of course, you could leave us standing in the hallway, but I should warn you that there were a whole gaggle of people pretending not to wait for us when we got off the elevator. If you don’t let him in, he’s likely to have the whole hospital shuffling by. They’ll want pictures. Autographs. Conversations.”
She had no idea if it was the mention of Cole’s dramatic tendencies or the adoring fans that worked, but Regina relented with a sigh.
“Fine. You can go in.” She held up a finger in warning. “But make it a short visit, and don’t do anything to increase his blood pressure. I mean it, Cole. He’s not as strong as he looks.”
“Are any of us?” Cole returned.
It must have been a rhetorical question, because he waited just long enough to nudge Hailey before stepping through the door.
The first thing Hailey noticed was that her floral display wasn’t going to be noticeable among the many recovery gifts that had already been sent to Julian Bennett. Flowers, stuffed animals, balloons, and cards covered every bit of available space, turning an ordinarily dull room into what looked like a child’s birthday party. Even the blankets covering the bed were festive, with a colorful quilt that looked to be handmade spread over the top.
Hailey’s heart gave a lurch to see such an affectionate outpouring. Her own father hadn’t survived the ambulance ride, but she had vivid memories of sitting alone in an empty hallway, holding a cup of vending-machine coffee that had long grown cold. Every footstep down that hall had sounded like it echoed from miles away, every fluorescent bulb highlighting the stark white of her surroundings.
This was much better.
“Don’t say it,” Cole said as he stepped in to greet his parents. As if sensing Hailey’s hesi
tance, he put a hand on the small of her back and propelled her forward. “I know I’m not supposed to be here, but I came anyway. And I brought a present.”
Hailey held out the flowers, thinking it was just like a man to take credit for something he didn’t buy, when his mom opened her arms and pulled her in for a crushing hug. Crushing was the only way to describe it, since both Hailey and the flowers were pressed so hard against Paula’s chest that neither of them survived the encounter. The flowers, because they lost almost their petals, and Hailey, because she couldn’t remember a time in her life when a woman had held her like that.
Like the room, like this whole family, it felt so warm and so right that it was all Hailey could do not to cry.
“She’s perfect,” Paula said and with such sincerity that Hailey believed her. “We need a fresh face after the parade of gloomy doctors and relatives shuffling through here. We only just got rid of Julian’s mother, and the Wegmores have been haunting us all week. Wouldn’t you know it? They booked a trip to France in April. That’s what we need—all those croissants and cassoulets added to the mix. I swear on everything I love, if Gertie takes to wearing a beret after this, I’m crossing her off next year’s Christmas list.”
Hailey gave a watery giggle, grateful that the older woman’s chatter gave her a moment to compose herself. It was ridiculous for her to be the one bursting into tears—it wasn’t her father lying in that bed, and it wasn’t her life that would forever be changed by his condition—but that didn’t seem to stop her.
“Stop hovering over the poor girl,” Julian called from the bed. Despite the various machines and tubes attached to him, he looked remarkably robust, as though he might jump up and start giving her football pointers at any second. “Come over here and tell me what you thought about Cole attempting to run the ball from the fifty-yard line on Sunday.”
“I’m standing right here, Dad.”
“Hubris, I call it. He’s never been light on his feet.”
“I can hear every word you’re saying.”
“Then again, they did get a first down. Sometimes hubris has a place.”