Page 40 of Off Limits
His look is one of surprise. ‘You got another shift?’
‘No, I… I just have other plans is all. Is that alright?’
Guilt washes through me. How do I even begin to be honest with this man about who I really am?
‘Sure,’ he says, but I can hear the waver in his tone, like he’s disappointed. ‘I can do that.’
‘It’s just that… I mean, I live with my dad and… he needs me to take care of him sometimes.’
This time he nods his head, maybe in relief. We’re moving again. ‘Your dad, does he work?’
‘Not anymore. He has emphysema.’
‘I’m sorry to hear that.’
‘He smoked cigarettes all his life. He’s given it all up now.’
‘What about your mom?’
‘She left when I turned seventeen. She’s in Mexico right now. At least she was. I haven’t seen her in a while. What about your parents?’
‘They live in Canyon. They moved with me after I got drafted. But it’s not like… you know… I wouldn’t want you to see me as that guy who still lives with his parents.’
‘Well, we’re even, because I still live with mine.’
He laughs. ‘That’s true.’
We lapse into silence as he navigates traffic. I glance to my left, let my eyes drift down his body, but not in a way that’s obvious. And it’s truly something to behold. Jake Walsh is a protector-type, with broad shoulders and sculpted arms, a strong jawline.A body made for footballing greatness, is how Jewel described him.
I don’t need a protector, or some white knight. I told myself during my shift at The Bounty that I would remain indifferent. That whatever happened on this so-called date, I’d roll with it and let him down easy at the end. It’s not like we can ever be anything while I’m a CMC squad member.
Yet I don’t remember the last time I got asked out on a proper date. If you don’t count the regulars who sit beside the stage at Surly’s who ask me to have a drink with them while they’re slipping twenty bucks into the hemline of my panties, or the college kids at the diner who ask if I’m single. Jake Walsh is a decent guy, and talented no less. He’s a guy you’d be proud to call your boyfriend. And I like the idea of having somebody in my life that I can trust. But every time I let my guard down, I’m reminded of the contract I’ve signed with the Mutineers that says this guy is off limits. Even sitting in his car right now is against the rules. If Kathleen saw me now, or Samantha Conway, they’d fire me faster than I could say ‘guilty’.
I’m in dangerous territory. I can’t fall for this guy. I can’t show any interest. It’s safer to keep my distance.
‘Good game yesterday,’ I say. ‘That was a nice touchdown.’
‘Yeah, we got the win, that was the main thing.’
‘Don’t underestimate yourself. Everybody was talking about you when it was all over.’
He looks over at me. It’s a shy smile he gives me. ‘I don’t know about that. It was a team effort.’
I wanna say that I call bullshit. That he was one of the main reasons the Mutineers took the game. Everybody said so. But rather than heap praise on him like everybody else, I ask him a different question.
‘How do you recover? After a game like that?’
‘Uhm. Last night I went back to the training facility for an ice bath. I didn’t sleep all that much. Still sore this morning too. Training room was packed full of guys. Heat therapy, stretches, deep massage, all that. What about you? Those high kicks must murder your glutes, huh?’
I bite back a laugh. ‘Glutes, adductors… medial hamstrings, deltoids… I didn’t think you’d be focused much on what the cheerleaders are doing.’
He beams. ‘Oh, hell yeah. You guys steal the show. Really. Feels the whole stadium showed up to see what you guys can do. I mean, I’m blown away. It’s the way you’re all so in sync.’
The way he takes one hand off the wheel at a time and twists his wrists in some pretend dance moves has me giggling like I’m back in high school.
‘Seriously,’ he continues, maybe pleased that he’s managed to make me laugh. ‘That’s good muscle knowledge. Where’d you learn to back flip like that?’
‘Gym class, when I was ten.’
