Page 73 of Ruff and Tumble

“I can be ready in five minutes,” he promised as he rose to his feet. Both Regina and Hailey made a move as if to help him, but he wasn’t an invalid. He could stand without toppling over. “Reggie was just going.”

She did go, but not very happily. “I can put them off formaybea day, but you have to head in tomorrow. They need to update the injury report, and there are all kinds of interviews lined up—”

“I know, Reggie.”

“I’m just saying. The Puppy Cup will buy you a little time, but not much.” Regina glanced at Hailey and held back a sigh. “Make sure you use it wisely.”

Hailey tactfully busied herself with greeting Philip and thus avoided any kind of conflict with Cole’s sister. He was more grateful for that than he could say. For the past three days, his life had been a barrage of excessive emotion. His parents, his coaches, the press, even the doorman in his condo building—everyone was demanding to know what his plans were and how likely he was to fulfill all their hopes and dreams for the Kickoff Cup.

He was tired and he was sore. He just wanted to play with his puppy and his woman. Why was that so hard for everyone to understand?

“I told you this was a bad idea,” Hailey said as soon as Regina disappeared out the door and they were left to the peace and quiet of his condo. It was the first time Hailey had been here, but she showed no surprise at the surroundings. Or awe. She proved it by taking a quick glance around and wrinkling her nose. “This isn’t a very puppy-friendly place to live, is it? I should have asked before I gave you Philip. I hope Garrett’s house is less…pristine.”

Cole laughed for the first time in days. Of course Hailey would be just as unimpressed by the expensive and overdone furnishings in his home as she was about his career. She saw everything through the lens of her puppies. If it couldn’t feed them, house them, or play fetch with them long into the night, it was essentially valueless.

God, he loved that about her. He lovedeverythingabout her.

“My cleaning woman threatened to leave me about six times, but she brings in home-baked doggy treats for Philip, so I suspect she’s mostly talk.” Unable to resist the urge any longer, Cole strode across the living room and planted himself in front of Hailey, pulling her into a one-armed hug.

She smelled, as she always did, like lavender and puppy formula. Since he couldn’t greet her in the suave, debonair way he wanted, he buried his face in the top of her hair and inhaled instead.

“What are you doing?” she asked, her voice muffled by where it was pressed in his chest.

“Smelling you. Do you know it’s the one thing that’s been keeping me sane?”

“The way my hair smells?”

“The way your hair smells. The way your hair feels. The way your hair tickles my lips and my nose and makes me want to kiss every part of you.”

“Well, then.” She put her arms around his waist and hugged him back. “I’m glad I buy the expensive shampoo.”

He laughed again, their bodies shaking as one. Even so slight a movement as laughter caused his shoulder to twinge, and although he quickly subdued his reaction, she noticed.

“Oh God. I’m sorry.” She stepped back, taking her delicious scent and the warmth of her body with her. “How is it?”

He’d only had an opportunity to chat with her briefly on the phone since the accident, but he had no doubts that Hailey knew down to his blood pressure and oxygen levels how he was doing. Not only did she have a direct pipeline to his parents, but she would have made it a point to read the stats and articles, to listen to the news reports and assess his condition from a distance.

Which was why he lied. He didn’t want to talk about stats and articles. He didn’t want to discuss his condition. He wanted to kiss her and film a bunch of puppiesnotplaying football. In that order.

“Not bad, actually. A little sore, but that’s only to be expected. Dr. Hampton thinks I’ll be as good as new in no time.”

She didn’t draw close enough for him to kiss, and Philip, finishing his sandwich, demanded immediate attention. She gave it to him, which only served to put yet another barrier between them. Lifting the puppy and curling him to her chest, she planted a kiss on his head and examined Cole as though he was wearing his skin inside out.

“How is it really?”

He shrugged, using his right shoulder to prove that things weren’t as dire as they looked. The truth of the matter was, theyweren’tas dire as they looked. It had only been a partial dislocation, and—miracle of all miracles—his labrum hadn’t torn. The scar tissue and the surgery had done their job, holding him together even when he’d been hit from the side at full speed by a three-hundred-pound man intent on bringing him down.

From a medical standpoint, he’d be fine in about six weeks. In any other man, the injury would be a minor nuisance, an irritation in an otherwise full life. Inthisman, it meant he was probably never going to play pro ball again.

“I’m giving it a few days to rest and heal, and then we’ll see,” he said. “It’s too early to tell. My dad and Dr. Hampton are sure I’ll be fine for the Kickoff Cup.”

He was no longer able or willing to accept the puppy barrier that Hailey had placed between them. Philip or no Philip, he was going in for his kiss. Since his arms were only half-functional and Hailey’s were holding a dog, he had to go in face-first. It wasn’t a play he was used to running, which was what he blamed for the quick way Hailey turned her head at the last second.

His kiss went awry, hitting the side of her mouth, but it was enough. He wanted to taste her. He wanted to feel her. He wanted to forget, for one goddamned minute, that—

“I know about your shoulder, Cole,” she said, turning her head again. This time, his kiss landed somewhere near her ear. Never in his life had he felt—or acted—so awkward.

He was Cole Bennett, dammit. His kisses went exactly where he wanted them to. He swept women off their feet and made them whimper with desire. He’d heldthiswoman in his arms and devoured her moans as she came time and time again beneath him.