He paused, checking Dani for any emotion before he continued. “The team began to split up, the younger guys going on to more bars with pretty girls, the older ones, except me, home to wives and family. From there my memory just stops.”
“Convenient.” Dani was cool and again Cooper felt the anger and shame but nothing could change what had happened.
“Perhaps, but that’s the only way I can put it. One minute the world was full of harmless fun, the next nothing. I woke up and was taken into custody for assulting a girl I had supposedly gone home with.”
He rubbed a hand over his brow, shaking, certain that Dani was about to walk away. He wouldn’t blame her, he would respect her self-preservation.
Again she surprised him by saying, “The media frenzy was barbaric, even here. Your confidence was arrogance and you were just another dumb player that couldn’t control his sexual appetites, who thought he was better than everyone else and above the law.” Uncertainty pinged between them for a long minute but Cooper couldn’t understand what she expected of him. His infamous confidence had been crushed to dust and he was unable to go forward.
Dani asked “Why didn’t you defend yourself?”
“Because I just didn’t know.”
“You realize you were probably drugged? One of your precious fans probably spiked your drink.”
“By the time it occurred to me it was too late to test and my life was ruined. The captaincy was withdrawn, they never even bothered telling me, probably only grateful that it hadn’t already been announced. All my sponsorships were terminated. My club chairman physically tore my contract to shreds on a dramatic TV interview. He said I was proof that players needed harsher penalties for off field antics, only then would we learn some self-control.”
“Didn’t that fat prick Brad McRoberts say you had looked at his little girls?”
“No, but he kind of intimated it. I had gone from hero to rapist and possible pedophile in one big fucked up night.”
“Did you talk to the girl? Ask her what happened?” Dani was so earnest, so open and honest. How would she ever understand how evil the world was.
“She was still in hospital being assessed. I had left her on the side of the road while I let myself into her apartment and fell asleep in her bed. That’s where the police found me. It wasn’t until much later that I was shown a photo and recognized her. She had bought me a beer then pushed herself on me, getting angrier the more I denied her. She told me she was eighteen but the media used a school photo. She had looked like someone’s little girl and had been corrupted by the big bad wolf. By the time she left hospital she was a national treasure, a face for society’s inability to keep their kids safe from the evils of sports and alcohol.”
“And your career was done.” After a thoughtful pause, Dani asked, “What about the hospital results?”
“I was too scared to ask but eventually my lawyer returned my passport since the girl had withdrawn her complaint. The semen they found wasn’t mine.”
“You were cleared?” Dani was confused, cute enough that Cooper shuffled closer. “I never found that on any internet search.
“Only in the eyes of the law. Social media continued to hint that I had done it, they thought I was lucky enough that nothing would stick. The public hated me and by then I didn’t recognize who I saw in the mirror. Perhaps I could have done it.”
Dani didn’t try to console him and Cooper didn’t want her to. “I would love to talk to her.” She said instead, “Ask her why she picked you as her rapist.”
“She disappeared back into anonymity and I got the job in France. After that mess it was a relief to be alone and the media over there were much less interested.” Cooper looked at her, “That’s about it.”
“Oh, that’s all?” Dani deadpanned. Cooper felt better for unloading for the first time and someone with Dani’s upbringing was better than a therapist.
Cooper felt like a nervous kid as he asked, “Do you want to see me again?”
“Sure.”
He gulped at her indifference. “Okay, when can we annoy each other enough to never want to see each other again?”
“Are you asking me out on a date?”
At Cooper’s confusion, Dani said, “I guess you never dated, just enjoyed pick-ups and booty calls after rugby.”
“I was busy with training and sponsorship commitments. But I was no angel.”
She thought about that, “Look, I’ve got an exam next week. I’m going to be busy until after then.”
Disappointment spiked along his skin. He covered it like he always did, masking his feelings was as simple as breathing. “What are you studying?”
“I’m going to be a teacher.” She dared him to laugh.
Instead he sagged. “Those poor kids.”
“Hey, it could be worse, I could play rugby and behave like a dickhead.”
“Fair enough. What have you done so far, or do you just work in Jacob’s bar?”
Dani scowled showing the resemblance to her father, “I’m only at the bar when JD’s short of staff. I work most of winter, hardly at all in summer. I studied sports admin at Uni, and I’ve been a personal trainer for years.”
“I suppose Jacob was never going to have a kid that’s a computer geek.” He laughed, looking at the ceiling then to JD again. Dani’s gaze was trailing his neck and further south before he could prepare himself. He wondered what she saw. He was still bulky with muscle, less than at his peak but still well built. Fitness had always been his passion and it had saved his life in the past two years. When he couldn’t sleep, got emotional over what he had lost or when he over thought this pitiful new life, he could always go for a run, or even better, find a gym and work his body hard until his mind gave up the obsessive need to despair.
Cooper was studying Dani when their eyes next locked, his smile gone.
Embarrassed, she fidgeted and coughed. Cooper wanted to smile and tell her everything was fine. But it wasn’t, he was feeling things that were out of his reach.
Covering her uncertainty, Dani said, “In my family sport is like breathing but I’m bored with personal training. I’m cranky enough to yell at kids all day.”
“You want more excitement?” He asked, startled when she winked at him.
“Definitely. Excitement is high on my list of priorities.”
Was she teasing or attempting to cover her own concerns? Either way she needed the truth. “An exciting career can have nasty conditions and can end badly.”
Once again his bitterness didn’t have the reaction he was expecting, “You’re sad and disappointed. Who wouldn’t be? But only you can decide if it defines you.”
Taking a deep breath, he again glanced at where JD still eyeballed them, keeping Dani safe. “It’s just a weird day. I had a call today from this woman I met a few years ago. She owns a production company. Started in New Zealand and is now here with her reality bullshit. Rich and powerful and trying to dictate my life. She has an idea for a show she wants me to front.”
“Workings good, isn’t it?” Her grimace showed that she understood that not all work was equal and sometimes what you gave away was not worth the money or notoriety you received in return. Her calm acceptance made the decisions he fumbled through alone appear much less complicated. She was a good sounding board and even if they couldn’t be together romantically she might be just the friend he needed.
“It was a show about sports cover-ups and conspiracies. She wanted the first episode to be mine, showing exactly what led to the event and what became of me afterward. Said it was my opportunity to tell my side of the story, that she could even hunt down the girl and ask why she did it.”
“Isn’t that good?” Dani asked.
“I don’t have a side of the story. Like a fucked-up Cinderella, I don’t remember anything after midnight. I don’t know how I got to her place, why I would have left her outside or how I ended up in her bed. All I know is that some kid hit on me in a club, she was over th
e top then aggressive when I told her I wasn’t interested. Only she knows why she made me her rapist when I wasn’t the only person she had sex with that night.”
“You did have sex with her?”
He shrugged, “Something must have happened.”
“You are so not over this.”
“Whenever I think I’m moving on, some scary bitch calls with an offer I can’t refuse if I want my old life back. I’d love none of this to have happened but I’m not sad I’m living a very different life. I never needed everyone else, I’m able to find stability and peace on my own. I was an egotistical dog who got put down.”
“But are you a rapist?” She quietly asked.
He studied her, sad with longing. “I don’t know.”
“Don’t be offended but I searched it all up online. Don’t tell Dad, I should have been studying. That girl changed her story several times then disappeared. They couldn’t even find the guy from the sample. She couldn’t remember his name, only yours. Do you think she was raped by someone else and was so wasted she couldn’t remember or do you think she had an ax to grind against you? Maybe it was easier to say it was you if she knew the other guy and he had hurt her?”
“I’ve been over all this a million times in my head. I still don’t know.”
“Come on, Cooper. Don’t be such a fucking pussy. Someone drugged you and it’s your own stupid fault. Who accepts drinks off strangers these days? Spiked drinks are a huge problem, even in here. It’s been going on for years and you should have known better. You could have been targeted by a fan of the opposing team you beat in the final, because you’re big and good looking, or just because you’re dumb enough to drink whatever was given to you. There’s no way you did it.” She finished defiantly. “Look at you. I’ve never met such a sappy rugby player. You’re ruining years of stereotypes with this moody brooding. Get over yourself and your pity party and see what I see. You were set up and you fell for it like a Muppet.”
This gave Cooper pause, “You really believe that?”
“Do you think I’d still be sitting here if I thought otherwise?”
“But what if I did do something?”
“That’s like screaming into a hurricane, Cooper. You don’t know and she didn’t know. Or if she did she changed her mind.” She reached out to touch his jaw that was tense from clenching his teeth. “Either way, try to think better of yourself.”
Her hand moved to touch his arms that were tightly crossed over his chest. “Cooper, have you had any help, talked to a professional?”
“I tried but what could I say, I used to screw beautiful women as a hobby and I don’t know if one time some kid didn’t want me to?”
Dani sat back. “Holy hell.”
“Look, this was a mistake.” He stood to leave, unable to look at her now, grateful that she was under the careful watch of JD. “I won’t bother you again.”
Cooper was across the room by the time she stood. He waved at JD who yelled a goodbye. Dani called out but he was too fast, the big wooden door banging shut. Cooper was unlocking his car a little up the road, a prime park he had earlier taken as a good sign. He turned in time to see her slip, his blood running cold when she went down, staring up at the night sky. He was moving toward her before his mind even acknowledged the strobing light, as if a streetlight was faulty. All he could focus on was Dani lying on the dirty sidewalk. The first person who had ever called him a pussy to his face before assuring him he wasn’t a monster.
Chapter Seven
Cooper loomed over Dani and she found the sight delicious, but how had she ended up on the ground? It had happened so quickly
“Christ, Dani are you alright?” He helped her to stand before leaning down again to study what she had slipped in. “What the hell is it?”
They were locked together, Dani leaning heavily into Cooper for support. She nudged the goop with her toe, thankful it wasn’t dog crap.
“I think its kid’s slime. Unless King Kong cleared his nose.” They both gazed up as if expecting to find a gorilla hanging from a building.
Cooper looked her over before asking again, “You sure you’re alright?”
“I’m fine. I’m not usually so clumsy.”
Her ponytail was ruined and Cooper tugged the band from her hair, oblivious to the surrounding interest as he tucked her hair behind her ears then handed her the band. Dani slipped it onto her wrist, grabbed Cooper by his shirt front and dragged him close. Their lips met and Dani jumped back on a gasp when she realized Cooper had gone rigid.
“I’m sorry.” They both said at the same time. Dani in acute embarrassment and Cooper in deep regret.
“No, I should have warned you.” Dani said, staring at the ground, “I guess spontaneity is not going to work with you.”
Looking as if he wanted to run, Cooper rubbed his face. He was so forlorn Dani reached for him again, relieved when he clasped her hand.
“I don’t think I’m ready for this. I’m really sorry.”
She glared, “Well, that’s tough because you’re stuck with me now.”
“You don’t understand what you’re getting into with me.” He groaned.
“Then we’re equal because you don’t know anything about me yet. We’ll just have to figure this out together.”
At his continuing unease she snapped, “This is not up for discussion. Give me your address and I’ll come over tomorrow. We need to talk some more.”
“Shouldn’t you be studying?” He sounded petulant and that gave Dani hope.
“I’m just redoing my last paper because I flunked. It’s not too hard. I want to poke around in your head some more before I decide how to proceed.”
His eyes widened, “You really are scary.”
“Told you so, and for the record, you’re not scary at all.”
“I hope you’re right.”
“So how does this work? Can I kiss you or should I just move in slow so you know what’s coming?”
He gaped as if this was an unthinkable conversation then blew out a breath before saying. “Jesus. I don’t know. I suppose that would be alright.”
“Thanks for making me feel so at ease with you.”
Propping his hands on his hips Cooper gazed along the busy road. Dani let him, knew he was overthinking something, terrified of looking at her.
Eventually he said, “I really want . . .” He groaned again, “I don’t even know what I want. This was something I never expected.”
“I guess we’ll have to take it slow.” Dani couldn’t hide her horror, this had never happened before. Taking it slowly felt like hard work when she only wanted to get Cooper Graves naked. She found this funny.
“What’s amusing about any of this?” He asked.
“Remember I said you would never see me naked?”
“How could I forget?”
“I’ve changed my mind.” He coughed in surprise as she added, “Just so you’re prepared. I wouldn’t want to scare you again.”
“Noted.” He found his phone in a pocket, “I’m texting you my address. I’ll be home most of the day. Drop in when you can, but . . .”
“Yeah, I know. No touching the hot coach.”
He stared at her for a beat, “Are you going to make my life better or worse?”
“No idea.”
On a tight grin he kissed her cheek. As he reached his car she whistled loud enough to make him jump. He shook his head and Dani watched him drive away satisfied she had rattled his cage enough for one day.
She returned to work, looking forward to tomorrow and another tussle with Cooper for his morality.
◆◆◆
Banging on the door woke Jacob earlier than he cared for. He and Trisha had been at a function that had morphed into a party at an old friend’s house and when Jacob had finally crawled into bed the clock had shown the obscene hour of four. He was too old for such late nights but was proud of the effort.
It was just after eleven and he jabbed Trisha in the b
ack, hoping to wake her enough to answer it. She made a snort of derision, “My days of being first up ended the day our kids left home. Just leave it. They’ll come back if it’s important.”
But what if it was about one of his players? He had left his phone charging in the kitchen.
“Better not be fucking Mormons.” He growled, dragging himself from bed and into the chilly morning.
“What?” He barked as he flung the door wide, deciding if it were some fucking reporter wanting a quote about some team on the other side of the planet he was going to break his face. He didn’t expect to find his son in the doorway looking as if someone had died.
“What’s wrong?” Jacob was unable to interpret his cheerful son’s expression.
“I couldn’t find my key.” Andrew pushed past his father, handing him the paper as he went. “I saw this on my phone when I got up but thought I’d get the paper edition for you oldies. So you know this is real.”
Jacob groaned at the headline. His new assistant coach was already in trouble.
COOPER GRAVES SHOWS HIS TRUE COLORS!
The photo showed Cooper looming threateningly over a woman on the sidewalk. Jacob realized with a start that his bar was in the background. His hands then screwed up seeing the cowering woman was his daughter.
Andrew said, “She answered her phone then told me to get lost. At least we know she’s alive. I figured you’d want to come with me.”
He didn’t have to say to where. “Get in the car.” Jacob growled. Andrew nodded and turned to the door just as Trisha entered, yawning and tying her dressing gown tightly about her trim waist.
“What’s going on?” She asked, not particularly interested.
Jacob thrust the paper at her, both father and son waiting while she processed what they already knew, Dani had been beaten. They fidgeted with the urge to move, to pound on Cooper. There was no need for talk, the photo said it all.
Finally Trisha looked up, calmer than the other two, icy calm.
Rules of her Game: A Contemporary Sports Romance Page 6