Falling for You: A Forbidden Office Romance (Annapolis Harbor Book 5)

by Lea Coll

  “I get that.” I bit my lip, wanting to say more like it wouldn’t help him get better or heal any faster.

  Reid stood in front of us, holding Dylan’s hand. “We’re going to head out.”

  I looked around, realizing only a few people were still around, and they’d moved to the bar area. “Do you need me to do anything?”

  I rose, but Reid held up a hand to stop me. “The bar staff will handle it.”

  Dylan hugged me. “Thanks for organizing everything.”

  “Of course.”

  Reid’s gaze shifted from Jonah to me. “Do you need a ride?”

  “I’m good to drive. Thanks though.”

  Reid nodded at Jonah, opening his mouth as if he was going to say something when Dylan tugged on his hand. “Come on.”

  An uncomfortable silence fell between us. I should have said it was time for me to leave too. With Reid and Dylan gone, there was no need for me to stay. Instead, I felt rooted to my chair, my gaze on the sports highlights on the TV. I felt some obligation to Reid, the team, or maybe it was to Jonah to make sure he was okay.

  “You like hockey?” Jonah nodded toward the ice hockey game on TV.

  “No. Just football. It was something my grandfather and I did together. We watched games on Sundays, and he’d teach me everything about the sport―the plays, the positions, the players.” It was time I cherished with him. Looking back, I probably latched on to any way for me to bond with him. Yet the memories were good ones.

  “That’s rare for a girl.” His tone was appreciative.

  I smiled to cover the melancholy that thinking about life after my parents brought. “Lena said there’s a ton of die-hard female fans.”

  Lena was the head of PR for the team.

  “That’s true, but I haven’t dated many women who knew anything about football. Sure, they say they like it, but it’s pretty obvious when they don’t know anything about it.” His expression was bitter.

  I knew the kind of women the younger players attracted. They weren’t interested in much besides bragging rights and money.

  “They want to pretend they have something in common with you.”

  His nose crinkled. “It would be nice to be wanted for me, not my job. Especially since I might not have it much longer.”

  My heart clenched at his vulnerable admission. I knew he wouldn’t want me to acknowledge his slip, so I leaned over to slap his stomach playfully but lost my balance, falling heavily against his chest. His arm banded around my back. His breath whispered over the strands of my hair, sending shivers down my spine. “Easy, tiger. These abs are hard as steel. You might hurt yourself.”

  Laughing at the return of the old teasing Jonah, I placed a palm on his hard chest, pushing myself up. The heat of his body singed my skin. “Oh yeah?”

  Was I flirting? Why was my voice so high-pitched? Why did I sound so out of breath? I shifted back to my seat; my skin prickled from the chill of the air now that I wasn’t touching him.

  “I can’t do leg work, so I do extra upper body and ab exercises.” His grin was lazy and slow, one I’d seen him use on women at bars before. Even though I knew it was an act he put on to pick up women and not a glimpse into him, it still made me feel warm and tingly all over. I’d known he was handsome and charming, but I’d placed him in the playboy category, never taking him seriously.

  “It’s not like you were slacking before.” My voice was slightly breathy, and I couldn’t blame it on the alcohol. Other than my warm cheeks, I didn’t feel out of control. Just slightly buzzed from having Jonah’s focus on me.

  There was no mistaking his broad shoulders and bulging biceps. The guys kept themselves in top shape, and it showed.

  With one hand on the bottle of beer, the other one slid lower, resting over his stomach. I wanted to squeeze my eyes against the vision of him unzipping his jeans to fist his cock.

  There were beads of sweat on my forehead and my neck prickled with awareness. I wanted to ask him if he was warm, but I was sure it was just me. I swallowed some water, hoping it would cool me off.

  A slow smile spread over his face, bordering on cocky.

  I was falling under Jonah’s spell, and it didn’t feel manufactured, not when I remembered the vulnerability on his face when he talked about his injury and his fears for the future.

  This thing between us felt different, heightened because I knew he wouldn’t act this way if he were sober. Reid had warned him away from me. Jonah probably wouldn’t jeopardize his relationship with his teammate and co-captain. Spending time together when it was forbidden felt a little naughty.

  “Why are you still here?” Jonah asked.

  “I don’t know.” I could have said I was worried about him, but he wouldn’t like that. I could have said I liked spending time with him, but that would be admitting too much. I didn’t want to be another one of those women desperate for his attention.

  He shifted his arm from the back of my chair to my shoulders, leaning in close. All I could hear was a roaring in my ears, the blood pumping through my veins. His scent, leather and soap, surrounded me. He was so big everywhere. I felt protected, safe with him.

  Any mention of me being off-limits dissipated. I couldn’t remember why being with Jonah was bad when it felt so good. His lips brushed my neck and ear, my skin tingled with awareness. His hand tangled in my hair, tugging so my face turned to his. There was a second I could have said no, but refusing him never entered my mind. When he turned his attention on me rather than football, he was potent. His lips touched mine lightly, pleading for entry. My lips parted. He shifted closer, tightening his arm around me as his tongue moved with more confidence.

  Tingles ran down my spine. My skin heated with every pass of his tongue and the tightening of his fingers in my hair. I wanted more. More of Jonah, his heat, his strength. What would it be like to be with him? It would be so much better than the guys I’d wasted my time on in high school and college. He was all man.

  Yet I couldn’t help but wonder if I was merely a distraction for him or a way to sabotage his friendship with Reid.

  When his fingers tightened in my hair, I couldn’t care less about the whys. I wanted him. I wanted to straddle his thighs and grind on his cock. I wanted to ask if he wanted to get out of here. I hadn’t felt this wild or out of control since my parents died.

  With a groan, he pulled back, running a hand through his hair; his expression was filled with regret. “You’re my teammate’s assistant. You’re like his little sister. I can’t go there.”

  I cringed at his reference to me as a little sister. I’d never been that. It made me feel small.

  The sense of loss was acute. He’d unraveled himself from me so easily. Like what just happened meant nothing. He was used to bar hookups. How could I have fallen into his arms and under his charm so easily?

  I couldn’t believe I’d acted so carelessly. Getting involved with a player would jeopardize my job, but, in the moment, I hadn’t cared. I was reckless.

  He got up so quickly his chair rocked back once before settling. “I’m sorry.”

  He walked out. A couple of his teammates sat at the bar talking to the bartender. No one noticed my world had just shifted.

  I’d touched my fingers to my lips, wondering if I’d ever feel the same again. Kissing Jonah felt different than the guys I’d experimented with after my parents died.

  I stopped being reckless years ago. No matter how soft Jonah’s lips felt, how scratchy his scruff, or how good his arms felt around me, I didn’t need him in my life. He’d destroy what I’d worked so hard for―my relationship with Reid, my job, and my reputation.

  The things he took for granted—money, safety, security—were precarious for me. I wasn’t willing to risk it for him.

  Chapter Two

  JONAH

  I rested my aching head in my hand, wincing at the bright light shining through the window. “What are you doing here?”

  Last night was coming back to m
e in bits and pieces. Was I doing shots and drinking beer—with Callie? The feel of her hair under my fingers, her mouth opening sweetly for me, the soft whimpers as she moved closer. Was it real? Why were Reid and Chase here?

  Chase leaned back on the couch, crossing his arms over his chest. He kicked a leg out under the coffee table. “You look like shit.”

  I shot him a rueful look. “Thanks.”

  “We need to talk.” Among the captains on the team, Reid was the most serious one.

  Had I crossed a line with Callie last night? I’d noticed her before. Everyone had. She was young and beautiful. She had that girl next door innocence that pulled you in. It was the same reason Reid warned us away from her. She was nothing like the women who hung around the locker room looking to score a football player.

  Even cuter was the fact that she knew football. She’d held her own several times while talking about the game with the other players. But I’d never thought of her as a woman I was attracted to until last night.

  She wore a peach-colored ruffled top that bared her belly with soft, weathered-looking jeans that cupped her butt and thighs. I couldn’t remember how we crossed the line. Did she come on to me, or had I made the first move? Bits and pieces of the evening floated around in my brain, her smell, the feel of her hair, but not what we talked about. Had she straddled my lap, or had I imagined that after I fell asleep?

  “We’re worried about you.” Reid leaned his elbows on his thighs.

  Reid’s voice startled me from the feel of Callie’s lips on mine.

  “You’re worried about me?” Anxiety that he was here to confront me about Callie dissipated as I realized they were here about my downward spiral. My who gives a shit attitude.

  The sidelining injury made me remember I was no better than that kid I left behind in my hometown. I was still a screwup. I’d let the team down by dropping the ball, then getting injured. I wasn’t worth their worry or concern.

  “Yeah, you’re not yourself.” Chase’s expression was grim.

  After high school, I’d fled my hometown for college. The football scholarship was my escape from the soul-sucking guilt that burrowed deep in my chest. My high school coach told me it was my chance to start over.

  I was your go-to guy to pick up a six-pack at the store or to help you move, but not the one you relied on for advice. I was the good-time guy. Always quick with a joke. When I let that facade go, people asked too many questions.

  I needed to divert their attention. “I let loose last night. Had a few too many. I won’t let it happen again.”

  I tensed, hoping they’d let it go.

  Chase scrutinized me. “If something’s going on, we want to help.”

  “You’re not hanging out. You’re not responding to anyone’s texts.”

  The room filled with an awkward silence. I wasn’t sure what to say. I wasn’t screwed up in the head. That wasn’t the case, but what could I tell them to get them to back off?

  “We don’t blame you for the season ending.” As the quarterback, Chase’s opinion held a lot of weight.

  “It was a hard hit,” Reid added.

  I shrugged as if there wasn’t a weight on my chest. “I’m just worried about my career.”

  Reid raised a brow.

  “I’m nothing without football.” That familiar worthless feeling wrapped around my chest, tightening more with each breath I took.

  Reid gave me a pointed look. “There’s more to life than football. I learned that when I met Dylan.”

  I laughed without any humor. There was no girlfriend in my future. “Seriously?”

  Chase shook his head. “You’re the one who’s moody as fuck all of a sudden.”

  Reid shook his head. “You’re not going to recover if you’re screwing around drinking too much.”

  “I need my knee to cooperate.” I needed a miracle. Tearing the ACL and MCL was a difficult injury for anyone to come back from, much less a professional football player.

  “If anyone can do this, it’s you,” Reid said.

  “I’ll get it together.” I waved a hand at them. “This morning visit wasn’t necessary.”

  “We’re here for you. Whatever you need—some company at PT, your personal coach… Whatever,” Chase said.

  “I’ll return your texts. Hang out more often. Are we good?” It seemed like the only way to get them to back off was to go along with whatever they wanted.

  I didn’t want them showing up unannounced again.

  I started to rise, thinking they were done when Reid and Chase exchanged a look.

  “What?”

  Reid gave me an uneasy look. “We have a solution. We want you to work at Rebel Sports.”

  “What? Why?” When Chase mentioned us partnering together on the sports complex, I was all for it. I had plenty of money to invest, and his proposal was a good one. I never planned on being involved in the day-to-day operations.

  “We need someone to help out this summer,” Reid said.

  “I thought you hired Callie.”

  “You’re the one who said she’s young and inexperienced. You can help her.” Reid was appealing to my practical side, my concerns about leaving the new business in her hands.

  I shook my head. “I don’t know anything about business.”

  “Maybe not. But you need something to focus on besides your knee.”

  I could practically feel his unsaid words. This will be good for you.

  I rubbed the irritation prickling my neck. I didn’t want their interference.

  Sports highlights played on the large flat screen mounted on the wall. My headshot from the prior season flashed on the screen. Reid picked up the remote, raising the volume.

  “I don’t know if he can come back from an ACL/MCL tear, Bob. Very few players are healthy enough to come back in six months, and the ones that do are plagued with issues the rest of their careers. Why would JT be any different?”

  I liked the JT moniker when my teammates gave it to me in college, but the reference to it now only heightened my irritation. It was a reference to who I used to be—could I be that guy again? I was young. I was healthy. I’d come back from this, wouldn’t I?

  The second commentator went through the list of players with a similar injury, spouting their fates like a grocery list.

  Ever since high school, when my college coach sat me down and told me I could go all the way if I were disciplined, I’d made it my mission to prove myself, to be better than my competition. I did everything the team wanted me to do on and off the field. But Reid and Chase were right, I was letting everyone down, not just myself, by drinking too much and not taking my recovery seriously.

  For the first time since my injury, I felt a stirring of hope. Maybe they were right. It would be good to have something else to focus on besides the sports reporters’ commentary on whether my knee would ever be the same again. If I didn’t have football, the past came back. The guilt weighed heavier than my mom begging me to visit.

  “You need to start thinking about what you’re going to do if you can’t play again. Are you staying here, or will you go back home?” Chase asked carefully.

  The air whooshed out of my lungs as if he’d punched me in the gut. “I’m not moving back to my hometown.”

  I wouldn’t be the football star returning home, I was the cautionary tale.

  “Then overseeing the opening of Rebel Sports shouldn’t be an issue,” Chase said, his tone firm.

  I did need to focus on the future and the very real possibility I wouldn’t play another season. Initially, I’d agreed to invest in Rebel Sports so that I’d have a reason to stay in the area when I retired. I hadn’t thought I’d need it so soon.

  If he was suggesting I work at Rebel, it meant he didn’t know about what happened with Callie last night. Relief surged through me.

  “Fine.” I’d have to ask Callie not to tell Reid about what happened. It was a one-time slip.

  “You’ll do it.” Reid clapped hi
s hands, standing as if to leave.

  “Is Callie okay with it?” The conversation about Reid offering her the job came back to me.

  She’d bristled when we discussed my concern about her ability to do the job even though it wasn’t personal. I’d invested a lot of money into the project. I believed in Reid and Dylan’s vision to help the community. This way, I’d keep an eye on Callie to make sure the business was running smoothly. I’m sure that kiss wasn’t as hot as I’d imagined.

  “I haven’t talked to her about it yet, but I’m sure it won’t be a problem.”

  I wanted to disagree with him, but that would be admitting we’d talked last night.

  Reid glanced at his phone. “I have to head out. I’m taking Dylan to brunch with her parents.”

  Dylan’s parents lived closer to Annapolis where the sports complex was built.

  “I have to get going too,” Chase said.

  I followed them to the door.

  “You stink. Why don’t you take a shower?” Chase teased before he walked out.

  Looking down at the worn T-shirt and threadbare sweatpants, I smelled stale beer. “I’ll do that.”

  I didn’t need Coach Ackerman at my door, telling me to get my shit together. I needed him confident I was doing everything in my power to get better and to make a comeback.

  Reid touched my shoulder briefly. “We want you on the field.”

  “I know you do.” I barely kept the emotion from my voice. There was no shame in admitting I was scared to these guys. Career-ending injuries were every player’s worst nightmare.

  Reid nodded before leaving. I closed the door, determined to get my life together. When I got hurt, everything from my past came roaring back. I wasn’t the perfect football player with a bright future in front of him. I was the fuckup in high school. The one everyone pitied and blamed for what happened. I couldn’t get out of that town fast enough, and I had no desire to go back there. No matter how many times my mom begged me. I’d come too far to go back now.

  Chapter Three