Page 30 of The No Try Zone
She’s stunning. How am I supposed to function when I’m alone with the woman of my dreams? My dumb ass managed to marry her, but all I’ve done is piss her off at every turn. I shove a hand into my right pocket, needing the comfort of the quarter as I draw near. Now that I’m beside her, I canfeelhow pissed she is at me. I’ve always prided myself on being able to elicit strong emotions in my players – the need to play their absolute best, to leave everything on the field and to give their all, every time, without fail – but I’ve never felt this.
The thing is, I’m just as affected. I was hoping the picnic was a onetime thing, that I wouldn’t continue to have the same visceral reaction to her as I did in Vegas. But I was a fool. This woman is…she makes me feel out of control. The very thing I can’t have. All I want to do is touch her and beg her for forgiveness. Hear her beg me for something else entirely.
This is dangerous.Sheis dangerous.
I clear my throat and force myself to relax, reminding myself that Sam could ruin my career in seconds if she wanted to.
“I’m sorry,” I begin.
She snaps her gaze to mine, pure ice blazing in those gorgeous eyes. “You’ve said that before.”
“It remains true.”
She doesn’t blink. “Where did the ring come from?”
I still, the image of a gold necklace with a sea turtle charm flaring in my head. Then I realize what she actually said. Not the necklace.“The ring?”
“Yes, Colin, the ring. Or do you not remember that, either?” The second the words leave her mouth, she curses.
“I remember the ring. Both of them.”
Guilt stabs at my conscience as Sam’s gaze darts to my left hand, but it’s bare. The gold band is in the same place as the necklace, tucked into the back of my sock drawer where it can’t glare at me every day. One of the Elvis impersonators was a jewelry maker, naturally, and he had some relatively inexpensive rings. Our bands are only gold-plated, and Sam’s sports a lab-grown diamond with Swarovski crystals. I bought them without hesitation.
I can’t shake the memory of it. The trust we put in each other. The look of utter and complete happiness that shone in her eyes as I slid the ring home. A look I didn’t deserve then, and I sure as fuck don’t deserve now.
True to form, she scoffs. “Let me guess: you threw it out the window as you fled, hoping to get rid of the evidence. Tell me, Colin, do you make it a habit of marrying women while you’re on vacation? Or were you there for business?”
“I was there to relax,” I retort, unable to keep from rising to her endless baiting. I want to kiss the ire right off her face, to pull her body flush with mine and shut her up with everything I have. I know that ship sailed the minute I fled, but I can’t stop wanting it. Wanting her. “I can’t change what we did –”
“Believe me, I’m aware,” she snaps. “And I regret it every day.”
I school my face to keep my expression neutral, forcing myself not to react to the words. “But now we work together.”
“For the sameteam,” she corrects. “We don’t work together, Colin. We work for the same team.”
“It’s the same thing.”
“It’s not. We may be in the same building, working for the same team, but that doesn’t mean we work together. I can ignore you all I want.”
“I’m your boss. You don’t get to ignore me.”
Absolute fury falls over her face. “My boss? You think you’re my boss now?”
My patience fraying, I close the distance between us in a heartbeat. I clench my hands and lower my voice. “Do you always have to argue with me, Sam? The sky is blue. Do you want to tell me I’m wrong about that, too?”
She angles into me, her chin tipped up, her gorgeous eyes flashing with unrestrained fury. “It’s cerulean.”
I get even closer, moving in until only an inch separates us and not missing the way her pupils flare with heat. We don’t move. We don’t speak. For a few precious moments, all we do is stare at each other. Taking each other’s measure.
“Colin –”
I reach out, splaying my palm across her hip. The move nearly buckles my knees, and I’m barely touching her.
“Coach, I need a word.” Ryan raps on the door as he pokes his head in.
Sam and I move in perfect harmony as she takes a step back and pulls my wrist into her hands. “Can you twist it to the right?”
I meet her gaze.Is she serious right now?
