Dare To Stay

by Phillips, Carly

  “I was just telling him that,” Bri said.

  Hudson smiled at Bri. “You look beautiful today. The royal blue in your shirt brings out your eyes.”

  “Is that your way of flirting?” Bri asked, sounding almost coy.

  Braden narrowed his gaze. “I think it was a compliment. I’m not so sure he’d make a play in front of your brother. Your twin.”

  That earned him another nudge in his ribs. “I don’t need you protecting me like I’m five years old.”

  Hudson laughed. “You two bicker like siblings. I’m complimenting a beautiful woman. Although if I wanted to date her, I’d think you’d approve of your best friend asking your sister out?” Hudson threw the volley back and smiled at them both. “See you later,” he said, and before Braden could reply, he strode off, shaking his head.

  “You made me look like I can’t handle myself. Like a child. Don’t do that,” Bri said, obviously annoyed with him.

  He held up both hands. “I’m sorry. Hudson’s a good guy. It was just instinct to protect you.”

  “Well, as I tell my four brothers, I don’t need protection!”

  “I’ll always look out for you,” Braden said, being deliberately stubborn because it was true.

  She let out an exasperated noise. “How about we go find Willow and put your love life front and center?” she asked, clearly still worked up over his interference.

  “Sounds like a plan,” he muttered.

  They headed out of the room, and although Ian had given him a tour of the stadium during off hours, he was glad to have Bri by his side directing him. Even if she was still annoyed with him.

  After passing through the Hall of Fame, which included Austin, who had retired as a wide receiver, he thought maybe one day Damon, the current quarterback, would also hang on these hallowed walls.

  Bri stopped at a point where they could go straight or right. “Since I doubt you want to face her for the first time with your sister holding your hand, I’ll leave you here. Down that hall and the room on the right. Her name’s on the door.”

  “Come on, Bri. Don’t be mad at me.” He used his most cajoling voice.

  She frowned but he could tell it was forced. “I’m not mad. You’re just annoying.”

  “But you love me.” He kissed her cheek. “Talk to you soon.”

  He turned and headed down the hall, scanning the doors with name plaques on each. He realized from his previous tour that Willow’s office probably connected on another side to the gym area where the trainers worked with the athletes.

  Drawing a deep breath, he knocked on her door.

  * * *

  Willow returned to her office and tried to immerse herself in the information on her computer about current players and their injuries but kept spacing out. She found it hard to focus when all she could see was Braden standing on the stage, looking so good in his suit and new scruff of beard. She hated how her body still responded to a mere look at him.

  She clicked on the mouse of her computer when a knock sounded on her door, no doubt Steffy coming by to gossip about her blurting out her past relationship with the team’s new doctor.

  “Come in!” she called out. She closed out the page she was looking at and glanced up as her door opened and Braden walked inside, shutting the door behind him. Her stomach flipped at the sight of him, and she rose to her feet.

  “Willow, it’s really good to see you.” He stepped toward her, his arms out, clearly intending to hug her. Being in his embrace and inhaling his sexy scent was the last thing she could handle, and she held out a hand to stop him from coming any closer.

  He stopped, respecting her boundaries, and she let out a sigh of relief. “How are you, Braden?”

  “I’m good. Settling in. How have you been?” he asked, those violet eyes staring into hers.

  “Also good. Enjoying my promotion, which reminds me. Congratulations on your new position.” She folded her arms across her chest in an effort to keep a barrier between them.

  “Thank you. I’m looking forward to getting to know everyone and traveling with the team.”

  God, she hadn’t let herself think about the fact that they’d be on away trips together, as well.

  “You look great,” he said, his gaze taking her in, and though she wore a pair of black leggings and a Thunder fitted shirt, she felt naked beneath his stare.

  “Thanks.” She didn’t want things to get personal nor did she desire a conversation about when he had returned or how his time with MSF had been. “So what can I do for you?”

  “First, I wanted to say hello. Second, we’ll be working together, and I thought we should clear the air.”

  She inclined her head. “Don’t worry. My entire staff will keep you up-to-date on every player.” She turned away from him and stepped toward her desk, away from the scent of his cologne that would now linger in her personal space.

  He groaned and ran a hand through his hair, messing it in ways she’d seen when they’d finished a round in bed. Clearing her throat, she sat down in her chair, hoping he’d take it as a dismissal.

  “Willow, look. I’m sorry about how things ended between us and I’d like to talk.” He strode closer to her desk.

  “There’s nothing to discuss unless it’s about the team.” She answered before he could settle himself on the corner as he’d clearly been about to do. “We’re colleagues and I’ll be professional. I’ll talk to you when I need to, and nothing will fall through the cracks, but I want to be clear. There is nothing personal between us. Not anymore.” Resting her hands on her lap, she curled them into fists, her nails digging into her skin.

  This conversation was costing her. Her pulse was racing and her stomach churning. She resented the fact that this man could still have a hold over her in any way.

  “That’s where you’re wrong.” He grasped the arm of her chair and spun her to face him, then braced his hands behind her shoulders.

  His face was close to hers, his lips so near if she moved at all she’d be kissing him.

  “I can see the emotion you’re holding back,” he said in a deep voice. “We have unresolved issues, and you can be sure we’ll be discussing them. In the meantime, how about a tour of the place?”

  She narrowed her gaze. “Didn’t Ian walk you through the stadium when he was trying to sway you to take this job?”

  “I have a bad sense of direction. I need another one.” He stood up straight, and she could breathe now that they weren’t face-to-face. He was still too close for comfort, she thought, as she rolled her eyes at his blatant lie. They both knew he had an excellent sense of direction.

  “I would also like you to run me through the daily schedule and fill me in on anything I need to know from your perspective so I can hit the ground running. I know the team is home this weekend, but we have an away game the weekend after. Anything you can clarify for me will be great.”

  “Fine.” She couldn’t say no to his request, so she cleared her throat and waited for him to get the message and step out of her personal space.

  Once he did, she held back the sigh of relief and pushed herself to her feet. “I’ll show you around, and then we can go over the players who are possibly on the IRL. Injured Reserve List, in case you don’t know.”

  “I did grow up in a sports-centered house. I’m aware of the terms. Just let me leave my jacket here. I can’t stand how stuffy I feel.” He shrugged off the jacket and, to her surprise, tugged at his tie next.

  “What are you doing?”

  “Relaxing now that the press conference is over.” He pulled at his tie, loosening it, then undoing it completely, and to her frustration, undid two buttons on his shirt, revealing the sprinkling of dark chest hair she used to lay her hand on after always amazing sex.

  Shit, shit, shit. She had to stop thinking of the past.

  He laid the jacket over the arm of her chair and added his tie on top.

  “Ready?” she asked, trying not to show how much he affected her.<
br />
  “Sure am.” He grinned as if he could absolutely read her mind and winked.

  She shivered and hoped he didn’t notice her hardening nipples. The damned man. “Then let’s go.”

  He gestured to the door. “Ladies first.”

  He always had been a gentleman. She stepped ahead of him, feeling the burn of his stare on her back as she walked out of the room.

  Chapter Two

  “What time do you get to work in the morning?” Braden asked Willow as she gave him a tour of the facility, doing his best to keep his gaze off her sweet behind as he followed her around.

  Instead he’d listened carefully to the information she gave him and focused when she introduced him to people he hadn’t yet met. Ian planned a team gathering for later in the day where Braden would get to know everyone better.

  “This way to the gym,” she said, turning a corner as she answered. “I’m in the office by four forty-five a.m. and in the gym by five thirty to start treatments. I go through therapeutic modalities, like ultrasound, joint mobilization techniques, soft tissue massage, stretching, exercise, and the like.”

  He nodded, knowing the hours he’d have to be here during the season. “Tough schedule,” he said.

  “You get used to it.”

  They entered the state-of-the-art workout room, where athletes were on various pieces of equipment, other trainers stretching and working with the players.

  Not only did he take mental notes for himself during this tour, he watched Willow deal with the people on her training team, the other physicians, and the players, admiring the mix of professional and joking relationships she had.

  Seeing her in her work environment was a revelation. He’d only known her one-on-one or interacting with friends as a couple. On a personal level, she was often reticent to give out much information about herself, but here was different. It was obvious the guys respected her, trusted her judgment, and genuinely liked her as a person, causing Braden’s admiration for her to grow.

  He was well aware of the wall she’d put up between them, and he took her warning that they were over seriously. But he interpreted her reactions differently than her words. Hearing the stiffness in her voice and seeing the way she wouldn’t relax and talk to him told him there were still feelings that ran deep. If she didn’t care, she wouldn’t be holding in so much hurt. As much as he hated knowing he’d caused that pain, he hoped to work their way through it.

  Call him an optimist but he wasn’t giving up. He now had time and space to repair their relationship.

  “Hey, it’s my brother!” Damon’s voice rang out in the room.

  Braden turned in time to see his sibling stride away from the weights he’d been lifting and walk over to him.

  Damon slapped him on the back. “Welcome to the team.” He glanced from Braden to Willow and back again, his curiosity obviously piqued.

  Braden held his breath, hoping his brother wouldn’t say something that would make her uncomfortable in front of the guys. Something about their past relationship.

  “Has Willow been showing you the ropes?” Damon asked, and Braden released a long whoosh of air.

  “He’s going to have to catch up quickly. We’re on the clock. Game in six days,” she said in her proficient voice.

  The one she’d been using with him for the last half hour as opposed to her sultry voice, the one he heard in his dreams. “I can handle it,” he assured her.

  “It’s not like he was in a cushy place before this,” Damon said. “I think he’ll do all right.” He grinned. “Gotta get back to work. Evie said to invite you for dinner one night soon.”

  “Name the night and I’ll be there.” He wanted to get to know his brother’s wife and become closer to all of their significant others.

  Damon strode off and Braden turned to Willow. “What’s next?”

  “Tour’s over,” she said. “But I’m always around if you have questions about the players or the schedule.”

  Holding back his groan because he wasn’t ready to end his time with her, he merely nodded. “I appreciate you showing me around. I know you’re busy.”

  “It’s fine. We’re a team here. Ready to head back? Your jacket’s in my office,” she said, obviously eager to get rid of him.

  He wasn’t about to let her get away that easily. “Sure.” He walked to the entrance of the gym and pushed the door open for her, following her out. His plan was to invite her to dinner so they could catch up and, he hoped, dig deeper than the surface conversation she’d allowed today.

  They stepped back into her office, and once again he was in close quarters with Willow, surrounded by the delicious scent of coconut, his favorite smell since she’d always favored that in shower gel and shampoo. All he had to do was inhale and his cock stood at attention, which gave him a reason to shrug his jacket back on and cover the evidence of his arousal.

  Had he been with other women in the last two years? Yes. Did he remember faces or names? No. And he’d always thought of Willow and wished it was her he was with.

  “So I was wondering,” he began, intending to ask her if they could get together, as a knock sounded on the open door.

  Not ready to share her yet, Braden turned to see who needed her attention. A man he didn’t recognize stood in the doorway. A blond-haired, brown-eyed, well-groomed guy wearing khakis and a short-sleeve Polo shirt.

  “Am I interrupting?” the man asked.

  Willow blinked, a flush on her cheeks. “No, of course not. Braden Prescott, this is Cole Walsh, one of the team physicians. You’ll be working together.”

  Stepping forward, Braden extended his arm and they shook hands.

  “My new boss.” The man took Braden in, obviously sizing him up, and Braden did the same.

  “Good to meet you and looking forward to working with you,” Cole said at last.

  “Same here. I’ll be announcing an official meeting in the morning, after I’ve been introduced to everyone this afternoon,” Braden said.

  “Great.” Cole smiled and turned to Willow. “Are you ready for lunch? I know we don’t have much time, but I made a reservation at your favorite place.” His expression as he turned to her was of a man smitten.

  That flush in her cheeks deepened as she looked at Braden beneath lowered lashes before glancing at Cole. “Sounds perfect. We’re finished here, right, Braden?” Without waiting for a reply, she opened a drawer in her desk and picked up her handbag.

  Shit. She was with another man, one he’d be working with. That was a hiccup he hadn’t anticipated, and jealousy rose fast and furious inside him.

  “Have fun,” he said as she walked past him without meeting his gaze.

  Son of a bitch. Now what?

  * * *

  “So I gave him a tour and we went back to my office and Cole interrupted and he and I went to lunch.” Willow took a sip of the wine she’d poured for both herself and Steffy, who’d stopped by on her way home after work.

  When Steffy was hired, she’d also been looking for an apartment, and there had been one available in Willow’s building, so she’d mentioned the rental. Steffy had liked the area and the unit and rented it immediately. After they’d become friends, she’d often stop by Willow’s for a drink and a chat and vice versa.

  “Hmm.” Steffy settled into the plush sofa in Willow’s living room.

  “Hmm what?”

  She shrugged. “Just hmm. And how was lunch with Cole?”

  Willow glanced at her friend over the rim of her glass, taking another sip before answering. “I don’t know. I was distracted.”

  “By a certain hot doctor? And not the one you went to lunch with?” Her friend gave her a knowing look.

  “Maybe.” Willow blushed at the admission, hating that Braden had the ability to get to her on any level. “But only because I was in shock that he showed up again and I’ll be working with him, not because I still have feelings for the man.”

  “Of course not.” Steffy walked into the
kitchen, which was a pass-through from the family room, and poured herself more wine.

  “You sound like you don’t believe me,” Willow muttered, knowing her friend was right but unwilling to admit it.

  “Oh, that’s because I don’t. I saw the look on your face during that press conference, and it wasn’t just shock. You were drooling.” Returning from the kitchen, she settled onto the other end of the couch, tucking a leg beneath her.

  Willow rolled her eyes. “I was not drooling.” Salivating was more like it, and she hated herself for still being attracted to Braden, never mind letting him ruin her lunch with a perfectly nice man.

  “Does Cole know your history with Braden?” Steffy raised an eyebrow in question, and Willow’s grip on her wineglass tightened.

  She shook her head. “No. I really want to keep my past out of the workplace. Cole and I don’t make a public display, and there’s no whispers about us. I’d like to keep it that way.”

  “Which I understand. But that has nothing to do with telling the man you’re dating that the new doctor is your ex.”

  She placed her drink on a coaster on the table and groaned. “It’s not an exclusive relationship. I really don’t think it’s a good idea to mention it and have that kind of mess between the three of us at work.”

  Steffy narrowed her gaze. “So it’s not serious. And you couldn’t focus on him at lunch. You’re not sleeping with him! How long have you two been dating?” she asked.

  “Casually for three months.”

  “Well, if you haven’t slept with him before now, I can guarantee you won’t now that Dr. Hottie is back.”

  She frowned at her friend, but again, Willow wasn’t about to admit Steffy had a point. Willow had been holding off taking that next step with him, and Steffy was right. Now she’d been reminded of what she was missing and why she hadn’t gone further with Cole.

  None of that meant she was interested in rekindling things with Braden, who she could not trust.

  * * *

  The first week passed quickly, with Braden getting to know the players and the staff. He discovered he enjoyed the hectic pace of the season, keeping up with each man on the team and their chronic issues and those things that put them on the Injured Reserve List. He actually liked the job more than he’d thought he would, coming off humanitarian work.