Rules of her Game: A Contemporary Sports Romance

by Karley Campbell

  Dani noticed the boxes, “Why are you packing? You don’t have to go now.”

  As his heart rate returned to normal, he said, “I could have snapped your fucking neck. How the hell did you get in?”

  A guilty glance at the door showed her entry point although he saw no evidence of it. “You left a window open.” She said, meek at the lie.

  “I double checked everything with those vultures outside. Tell me that no one saw you climbing in my window. They’ll say I dragged you in by your hair.”

  “Stop worrying, Grandma. No one saw me.” She moved in closer, her eyes hooded.

  Cooper backed away. “Have you been drinking?”

  “No.” She snapped, “I thought you would want to see me after the news.”

  “I didn’t watch the news. I’ve been organizing things.” He indicated around the room in general, knowing he should have packed more.

  Dani propped her hands on her hips, her face curling with annoyance. “I thought you would be at least slightly thankful for what me and Trisha have done for you. Do you have any idea what’s going on?”

  “I’m leaving. That’s what’s happening.” He felt uncertain. Just having her here made him feel calmer. When it was just the two of them it felt so simple.

  “Cooper Graves, why the hell do you think reporters are outside your door?” At his blank shrug she continued, “Perhaps something happened that may have changed things for you?”

  “I’m sure it’s something bad so I haven’t bothered asking.”

  “Where’s your computer?”

  “I couriered it back to the rugby union today, same with the phone.”

  “No wonder I couldn’t reach you. Jesus, I hope no one switches it on. I sent you a few rude messages when I thought you were ignoring me.” She fiddled with her own phone, “Shit, I’m out of data.”

  Dani flicked the television to life and dropped onto the couch, propping her feet on the coffee table until Cooper pushed them off, “That’s disgusting.”

  “Sorry.” She grumbled then checked the clock, flicking through more channels. “There should be a bulletin soon. Sit down and prepare to thank me.”

  Cooper thought she cursed him under her breath but sat beside her and tried to relax, staring at the screen in dismay. Some cheesy eighty’s movie was on and the on-screen couple was soon naked having sweaty sex on an office desk.

  Cooper stood on a frustrated groan and Dani snapped, “Sit down.”

  “Look it’s late, I need sleep or coffee.”

  “I understand, this stupid movie is making me horny as well.”

  This time Cooper yelped, “You can’t just say that. Do you want coffee?”

  She smiled, slow and sexy, “I’d rather you helped me out of my clothes but I guess tea will have to do.”

  It was Cooper’s turn to mutter while Dani smiled at the screen. Thankfully the onscreen couple had moved on. When he returned with the tea, right on schedule, they started up again.

  “This is bullshit.” He growled, refusing to sit.

  “Don’t even think about leaving me here alone, Graves.”

  “I’m not watching this.” He was adamant.

  “Then look at the wall. Just sit down and wait. I’m enduring all this shit for you and regardless what you think we’re in this together.

  “Any clues?” He grumbled after several more awkward minutes of rhythmic thudding on screen.

  Dani’s smile was tight around the edges, “It’s called sex. You should try it sometime, it’s stress relieving.”

  “Why are you really breaking into my house?” He knew his voice was an octave higher and he avoided her direct gaze, uncomfortable when Dani took the opportunity to look him over. He wondered what she saw. He was dressed in old track-pants that were ripped in several places and his chest was bare. He had scars, mainly on his shoulders, standard sports related injuries for a rugby player.

  He gave her a warning glare as her gaze moved south to where he was trying to hide an erection behind his cup. He groaned again at Dani’s grin.

  “You are doing this on purpose.” He yelled.

  As she moved closer he shuffled away until he was butted against the sofa arm. Dani slid her tight little body close enough that their thighs touched. Cooper was wound tight yet she laughingly pat his thigh.

  “Chill out. I won’t touch anything that you don’t want me to.”

  He snarled, “That’s the problem isn’t it?”

  “I know what you mean. You want me but your still scared you’ll hurt me.”

  “You can’t just say that.” He cried.

  “We’ll go at your pace. I will learn patience for you, Cooper Graves.”

  Finally a news bulletin showed Cooper was still a story. He could barely focus on the words, Dani’s declaration ringing in his ears and in his balls. It didn’t help that she was watching him. He remained emotionless throughout and when she switched the television off and moved to put the cups away he was grateful for the time alone to think, she always knew what he needed even if he didn’t. He couldn’t watch her walk away, even to the kitchen so stared into space.

  When she returned he had so many thoughts he didn’t know where to begin and growled, “How did you get the photos? I presume you’re one of the mystery women?”

  “I’m getting bored of this self-hatred angle you’re taking.” At his sullen expression, she snapped, “I’m a typical woman, Cooper. How else would I get something off a sleazebag like Fisher Davies? I slept with him.”

  Cooper stood in a surge of motion, holding her by the elbows, “You better be joking, Maxwell?”

  She stared him down, remaining silent, arching an eyebrow to show he didn’t scare her in the slightest.

  He shook her gently, “Tell me you wouldn’t sleep with someone else.”

  Eyeing his chest she said, “What’s it to you? You’re leaving anyway.”

  On a deep groan of defeat Cooper mashed their lips together, his hands still clamped to her elbows. As Dani tried to relax into him he pushed her away, remembering who he was and why this couldn’t happen.

  He was panting as if he had run a marathon and Dani touched his shoulder.

  “Tell me you didn’t sleep with anyone.” He asked again, wound tight.

  “Are you asking if I’m a virgin?” She was not going to make this easy but something in his expression made her add, “If I have to suffer for your past you have to be honest, not say one thing and look at me another way.”

  “It’s obvious what I want. Why else would your father want to kick my balls every time he looks at me.”

  “What do you mean?” She was in his face, making him shake with doubt.

  “You know what I fucking mean. Don’t play games.”

  “I’m not playing games. I’m the girl you’re not interested in remember?”

  His jaw muscles worked as he clung to his self-control. Her gaze was penetrating, like she craved to see inside his head.

  “If you make the first move I won’t stop.” She said, “But I don’t want to face your self-loathing in the morning or your anger that I forced you into it.”

  “I’m not right for you, Dani.” He felt empty as tears bubbled on her eyelashes. “I was almost destroyed by what the world thought of me and that isn’t fair for anyone to take on. It’s my burden alone.”

  Fighting the overwhelming urge to hold her, to protect her from the cruel world, he had to sit when she quietly said, “Then I can’t help you.”

  “I’m sorry.” Was all he could think to say, nibbling at his short nails.

  Clearly exhausted of the entire topic, she searched for her car keys. “No, I’m sorry, Cooper. If I hadn’t slipped none of this would have happened.”

  “Don’t you dare blame yourself, this is my fault. I should have known . . .”

  Dani held her hands up, “Let’s just say we should just be friends, that’s the standard line. I’ve used it plenty of times. It’s late, I’ll just crash on the c
ouch for a few hours and be gone before you get up. I promise no sleepwalking, you made it clear you don’t want me. I’m embarrassed enough to leave you in peace.”

  Emerging from his confusion, he said, “No, take my bed. It’s the least I can do. I haven’t even said thank you for trying to help me.”

  She froze, anger sparking in those beautiful eyes, “I want to be clear on this one point.” She said, “I didn’t try, Cooper, Trisha and I have made your life better. Marcus won’t stop now until he finds out who’s behind what happened to you, what’s still happening. He’s like a fat man with chocolate when he smells a good story.”

  “A friend of yours?”

  She nodded, “Married to my best friend.”

  “Handy.” He grimly said.

  “Only for you, for me it’s a pain in the ass. If you insist I sleep in your bed without you I’ll go home, probably crash on the way from exhaustion and die. You can have that on your annoying conscience and explain to my father what I was doing out there driving instead of being tucked up in bed.”

  Cooper ran his hands through his hair in frustration, noting Dani’s gasp at his ab muscles. “Fine,” He eventually said, “I’ll get you some blankets and a pillow.”

  “Just a pillow, I’m quite hot.” She stared at him until he groaned again.

  As he entered the hallway, he called, “I think I hate you for this.”

  “Ditto, you jerk.” She emphatically replied.

  ◆◆◆

  Dani came awake on a gasp. Someone was pressing the doorbell nonstop. It felt like she had just closed her eyes as she sat up, her neck kinked from the couch. By then Cooper was peering through the peephole.

  “For fuck sake!” He bellowed, turning to Dani as he yanked the door wide. “Your family is here for you.”

  He then stormed back to his room and slammed the door. Jacob scowled as Dani said, “I guess he’s not a morning person.”

  “Neither am I.” Jacob grumbled, “Especially when I’ve come to apologize and find my daughter at the bastard’s house.”

  Tired and frustrated, Dani threw the pillow at her father’s head. His indignant roar bought Cooper bounding back into the room in a haze of crankiness. All three puffed at each other.

  Jacob spoke first, accustomed to intense situations on the field. “You make it hard to like you, boy.” He pointed at Dani as explanation.

  “Then take her, Jacob. She won’t leave.”

  “You bastard!” Dani shouted, “I tried to help you and I’ve had nothing but bad attitude. Fuck you, Cooper!”

  Jacob smiled with delight which infuriated Dani further, “If it makes you feel better, he won’t touch me. Moralistic pig!”

  “Better than a rapist!” Cooper bellowed before striding from his own place. The door thudded shut behind him and Dani and her father stared at each other, speechless. Cooper was half naked and it was cold outside.

  “I guess he still has issues.” Jacob said.

  Dani sat heavily on the couch. “You don’t know the half of it.”

  Tentatively sitting beside his daughter, Jacob said, “He might be too much work for you, child.”

  Sighing, Dani replied honestly, “I don’t think so. He’s a decent man, just really, really angry about what happened to him.”

  “When that anger comes out, do you want to be near him?”

  “As you heard he doesn’t want me around.” She hugged her father, he was coping with a lot too. “Sorry you had to see all that, and for throwing a pillow at you.”

  Jacob returned her hug, his anger gone. “Takes more than a pillow to hurt me. I’m happy that prick didn’t get his wicked way with you. Long may it reign.”

  “Gee, thanks, Dad.”

  “You're welcome. Will he be back soon?”

  “Are the media outside yet?”

  “They don’t like being up early, it’s bad for their Botox.”

  “Not long. He’s half naked and will want to be firmly ensconced in his hiding place before they try interfering in his life again.”

  “Are you going to stay?” Jacob asked.

  “No, I’m going home. I’m tired and Cooper made it clear he doesn’t like me.” She paused to think about this, “Actually, I know he does but he’s too fucked up . . . sorry Dad.” She rubbed her forehead. Her father hated her swearing and she tried to accommodate him. Instead she headed for the door. Her father followed.

  “Are you working tonight?”

  “Yeah, so I better get some sleep before then.”

  “Haven’t you got exams?”

  “Next week, don’t worry, I won’t flunk again.” She kissed her father’s cheek and slunk from Coopers apartment, too tired to notice him sitting down the road at a bus stop. She hopped into her car and drove away.

  ◆◆◆

  Jacob watched her go, leaving the door wide while he made coffee. He was taking his first sip when Cooper returned.

  “I don’t want to talk to you, Jacob. There’s nothing to say, I’m fired, I’m moving and I’m not messing with your daughter.”

  “Sit down, boy. You’re not fired and you’re not moving, and you’re still not messing with my daughter, unless you want me to rip your fucking balls out of your hairy scrotum. I want someone who makes her happy, that’s all, and you sure as fuck aren’t making her happy, so stay away from her. Got it?”

  Coopers stare was hard and angry and made Jacob feel better. The kid still had some juice left in him, he just needed to regain his confidence.

  “Practice is today as organized. The media will be there at the end and interest in you will be high since you’ve avoided them so far. How do you want to play this? Do you want to talk to them or let the rest of us fend them off for you?”

  Clearly too tired to argue, Cooper sat at the table, leaning back, hands on his head. Jacob appreciated the size of him. He was built like a brick shithouse and Jacob thought he was close to playing fitness. If only he was British, Jacob would love a spare hulking lock around, one of Cooper’s size and game experience was hard to come by. He tucked this thought away, it would do the kid no good with the way his career had ended.

  Jacob waited, expecting Cooper was working up to telling him to jam it up his ass. Instead he finally said, “The media got enough out of me, I’m not giving them more.”

  “Fair enough. Be at the park and ready for practice by one. Do you want me to come pick you up, run the reporters off?”

  “I’m sorted. I’ve found an escape route out the back. They won’t even know I’m gone from here until I turn up at the park.”

  “Good man.” Jacob held out a hand and Cooper grasped it. “I’m sorry about yesterday but she’s my kid. She’s not as tough as she pretends and the thought you had hit her . . .” Jacob stood his ground and stared Cooper down. “Just don’t ever hurt her or you’ll be plucking your kneecaps outta the wall. Understand?”

  “Don’t worry, as I’ve explained to Dani, we would never work out and it’s better we steer clear of each other.” He said this like Jacob would agree.

  “My kid not good enough for you, Graves?”

  Exhausted from staring at his ceiling all night, it took Cooper too long to reply. Jacob was already out the door when Cooper said, “She’s too good for me.”

  Jacob called back, “See you at the park, boy.”

  ◆◆◆

  Practice was going well. The media were not due until the last thirty minutes so the team had the stadium grounds to themselves to work through calls and moves in secrecy. The players and support staff were tentative but polite around Cooper.

  Then Andrew walked onto the paddock.

  Never one for a fuss, Andrew ambled toward Cooper and gut punched him while everyone watched on with interest.

  “Feel better now?” Cooper wheezed from the ground.

  “Yep.” Andrew was smug, grinning at his team who were shocked when Cooper came to his feet so soon.

  “You know I didn’t touch her.”

&nbs
p; “Yep.” Andrew snorted as if it didn’t matter either way. He was eyeballing his big coach with an arrogance Cooper knew well from his own years of playing. The guy believed his own hype, thought the team had his back. He had so much to learn.

  Jacob joined his team, interested in how this would play out, leaving his son to deal with what he had started, same as any other player.

  Moving from foot to foot, anticipating a fight, Andrew blew out a relieved breath when Cooper held out a hand in peace. Andrew smiled at winning this first battle.

  Cooper squeezed Andrew’s hand then hit him with a solid left punch to the guts. Andrew dropped to the ground, winded and groaning while Cooper turned to the rest of the team.

  “If we don’t have any more issues to work through in therapy, I want the scrum team here now.”

  Jacob called, “The rest of you get moving too.”

  They left Andrew where he was, silently thankful they hadn’t endured that punch. Even Cooper’s left-hand looked lethal, powered by years of pent up anger.

  Practice went great, and when Andrew could breathe without pain he agreed.

  ◆◆◆

  Fisher sat outside Jacob Maxwell’s bar pondering the stupid name. Balls and All. Rugby players were all fucking dumb, like the world revolved around one stupid fucking game. Not like football, that was a real man’s sport He was drunk, a bottle of vodka clamped between his skinny thighs.

  He had been furious to discover the girl that had come to his house was the same one from his photo. Jacob Maxwell’s fucking daughter. He had been too busy gazing at her awesome tits. When the Growler had told him, when it fitted together in his head, Fisher had wanted to throw up. He wanted to throw up now too but couldn’t afford another bottle so gulped around his sweating tongue until the urge passed.

  Like usual, the Growler had been a bitch. God he hated her. She had even hit him, a backhand that left a deep cut along one cheek from one of her pretentious rings. She had barged her way inside the house then ripped all his photos off the walls and ransacked his drawers. She dumped everything into the fireplace, lighting it with his own Zippo before tossing his dope stash onto the blaze.