Dare to Stay (Dare Nation 4)

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.

“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.