Beyond the Play (Out of Reach 3)

“What?”

“How many women have told you no in your life?”

He swallows hard, and my eyes follow the bob of his Adam's apple in his throat. “None that I can ever remember.”

“There you have it,” I say, sliding out of the booth.

“What are you talking about?”

“It’s the chase, Holden.”

“Sure.” He shrugs. “That’s part of it.”

“And the other part?”

“We have chemistry.”

I nod. “I won’t deny that, but that’s not enough.”

“Why are women so complicated?” he grumbles under his breath.

“Thank you for the latte. I’ll see you around, Bailey.” With that, I walk as fast as my feet can carry me, without looking like I’m running away, and push out the door. As soon as I’m outside, I suck in a full breath of the fall air. Next week is Thanksgiving, and the fall air feels more like the winter air today. Ignoring the bitter cold, I rush to my car and don’t even wait for the engine to warm up before I’m speeding away.

My hands grip the steering wheel, and it does nothing to remove the memory of his hand laced with mine and the lazy circles he drew on my palm. As I pull into the lot of my apartment complex, it hits me that after four years of using Cup of Joe as my personal study venue, I’m going to have to change things up. I don’t know if I’m strong enough to keep pushing him away, so desperate times call for desperate measures.

CHAPTER 8

Holden

I was dreading coming here today. I know I need to meet my new team, but I’m still coming to terms with the fact that I’m now a Blaze and not a Tomahawk. However, as I sit here in the players’ lot staring at the stadium, it’s not dread I feel, but peace. It sounds crazy, but that’s what it is. I’m suddenly calm and, dare I admit, eager to meet everyone and start this next chapter of my career.

Grabbing my keys and my cell, I climb out of my truck and make my way inside. I flash my badge that arrived in the mail last week to the security guy.

“Glad to have you on board, Bailey,” the big burly guy says, slapping a hand on my shoulder as I walk by.

“Thanks.” I nod and smile. There’s no point in being a broody asshole. This is my new family, at least for the next year. The Blaze bought out the remainder of my contract, of which I only had a year left to play. Hopefully, all goes well, and I can make this my permanent home, my permanent extended family. The thought of jumping from team to team until my career is over doesn’t sit well with me. I just want to… settle down in one place. I shake my head, the words sounding foreign even in my own head.

I follow the instructions included with my badge and take the elevator to the top floor for the meeting that will be down the hallway, the last door on the right. Walking onto the elevator, I push the button to take me to the top floor when I hear “hold up” being called out. My hand reaches out and holds the door as Cameron Taylor steps onto the elevator.

“When Daddy gets home, we’re going to Grandma and Grandpa’s for dinner,” he says into the phone. I stare at the numbers, trying not to listen to his conversation. “We can toss the ball there. Maybe you can get Aunt Parker and Aunt Peyton to toss with us,” he suggests.

At the sound of the name Parker, my mind drifts to my Parker. Well, she’s not mine, but you know what I mean. I haven’t seen her since that day at the coffee shop. Not for lack of trying. I’ve been there every day, and sometimes multiple times a day, just trying to get a glimpse of her. Something tells me that she’s been avoiding her favorite hangout to evade me. I don’t know what to do with that knowledge. I’ve never had a girl who clearly wants me to push me away like she does. Is it the chase? She said that’s what it was for me, but maybe, just maybe, that’s what it is for her as well. Maybe she enjoys the attention and the fact that she has me losing my damn mind thinking about her all the time. That’s not me.

She’s consuming my thoughts and my body. I went to a place called Shorty’s with a few of the guys a couple of days ago. The four of us were all traded to the Blaze, and we had a few beers and talked about our new team. Oddly enough, all four of us have come to terms with the trade and hope to work here for the remainder of our careers. Anyway, Shorty’s is a place where Blaze players can go and not get accosted by fans. There was a woman there at the bar, making eyes at me, but I couldn’t find it in me to give her the time of day. She knew she wasn’t allowed to approach me. We learned that from the owner himself when he came over to introduce himself. If she approaches us, she gets tossed on her ass.