Page 57 of Caught Looking

While the heavy door swung shut I moved inside and started grabbing my shit. “I’m not apologizing.”

He stared at me as I moved. “You touched her?”

“Yep.” So much. Everywhere. Literally every inch of her gorgeous body. “Like I said, we’re together now. A couple.Serious.”

Rhett sucked in a breath through his nose and let it out. “How serious?”

Murder Owen and take Chris up on his offer, serious.“I’m not going anywhere. Not until she makes me leave.”

“You better not give her a reason to kick you out. If this ends it’s because she’s come to her fucking senses.” He poked his finger through the air as he spoke.

I put my hands up. “A hundred percent, man. I know this is borrowed time.”

“She’s too good for you.”

Preaching to the choir.“I know.”

His jaw ticked. “Why her? Why now? Explain it to me like I’m five.”

It was the question everyone wanted the answer to but only Annalise would truly get. “Seriously?”

“Explain. It. Like. I’m. Five.”

I wouldn’t tell him that her kisses blew my mind or that it was the best sex of my life. That would earn me a broken nose and two black eyes. What Rhett needed to hear was that I understood what I had. The gift that was Annalise Ryan. “She’s perfect. I can tell you everything you know. That she’s gorgeous and strong and talented. And yeah, I’m attracted to all of those things, but Annalise has me by the fucking throat because she’s better than me. She’s a better athlete, a better person. She doesn’t put up with any of my shit.” I couldn’t help but grin.

“Why are you smiling like that?” Rhett recoiled.

“She says I go zero to a hundred. She puts me in my place before I spin out. No one has ever done that before. They usually just watch.” I was always the sideshow, wasn’t I? At least until Annalise. “The other morning she was annoyed that my security detail insisted on walking Roscoe.”

“You have a security detail?” He stood up straighter.

Apparently Annalise hadn’t shared that information with her cousin. “TechnicallyAnnalisehas a security detail. I used my usual company. I trust them.”

“You hired security for Annalise?” He blinked like this information didn’t compute.

“Well yeah. I’m not taking any chances with her safety.”

Rhett stared, but this time it was in disbelief. Then suddenly I was in a hug. WithRhett Ryan. He hugged hard, patting my back. Then he stepped back and tried to wipe the emotion off his face like it hadn’t been there. “Good thinking. Keep it up and I won’t have to kill you.” He shook himself. “And just in case I haven’t reminded you enough, you hurt my cousin and I will kill you. And all the guys on our team will help me hide the body. Got it?”

I put my hands up. “Got it. But I’d much rather make Owen disappear.”

Rhett gave me a nod and then left without another word.

16

ANNALISE

Coach Summer pinched the bridge of her nose and let out a sigh. “Just…never be alone with him. Never.”

I stood in her office with Jeri, who was seething beside me.

Coach’s hand fell away. “I’m hoping when the owners get into town for the game this weekend I can talk with them face to face.”

Her pleas had fallen on deaf ears so far. The front office and the entire executive team were sympathetic but didn’t want to deal with the fallout of firing an award-winning documentarian.

The fuckers.

We were holding out hope that the owners would be more understanding. Which meant, in the meantime, we had to grin and bear it.