Page 116 of Nailing Heat

That causes my head to snap back in his direction. “Are you leaving the Blaze?” I ask him.

The words are out of my mouth before I can stop them. As I wait for him to reply, I can feel a heaviness form on my chest. My breathing picks up, and my palms begin to sweat. How can he leave us already? We got a real trainer, and I think I need him to stay.

“No, I’m not leaving the Blaze,” he assures me. “I’m picking up some extra hours at his clinic to keep busy.”

“We don’t keep you busy enough?” I ask him.

He shakes his head. “Just setting up something for myself while you all are in the offseason. I thought it best to get my foot in the door as soon as possible,” he explains.

I nod and look away from him. Cassie flashes me a quick, encouraging smile. “That’s good.” I say to the wall, not knowing how else to continue the conversation, even though I’d really like to.

“Well, I guess I should go order some food or something,” Dex says. I hear his feet shuffle a bit behind me.

August puts his hand in the air, beckoning over our waitress. “She can take your order.”

“I sure can, what would you like,” she asks him all friendly and bubbly.

I want to turn around and tell her not to flirt with him, but I can’t. I have no right to him. The thought sinks in, and my shoulders drop under the weight of it.

“I’ll take the chicken chopped salad, please,” he tells her.

“There’s a lot of ordering that going around,” August tells him.

“I’m sorry?” Dex questions him. “I don’t follow.”

“Well, Amelia here ordered the same thing,” August explains.

“Yeah, well, she turned me on to it,” he replies.

I look over my shoulder in time to catch him smiling at me. I return the smile, feeling like I could melt right here on the spot as I look into those wide green eyes.

“How are you?” he asks in a low voice.

My smile fades. “I’m managing.”

He nods, his hand coming up and resting on the back of my chair. “And how is the knee?”

“Doesn’t your trainer tell you anything?” I ask him, teasing him a little bit.

“He does. But it’s not like I get to hear it from you. So, tell me, how’s the knee?” He’s smiling brightly at me. The full effect of his charm is weighing on me. It takes everything in me not to grab a hold of him and pull his lips to mine.

But I can’t. Or I’m not supposed to. My head and my heart are now at war and I’m not sure which one will win.

“It’s getting there, I guess. I’ve weaned off the painkillers a little bit. I’m down to only morning and nighttime. It helps me sleep,” I tell him.

“Well, then make sure you don’t have too many of those red drinks because while you might not be playing tomorrow, booze and those don’t mix.” He winks at me, and I feel my cheeks heat.

“I’ll keep that in mind.” I look up at him, and his eyes are locked on mine.

We both stare at each other, while everyone else is talking around us, like we’re in some kind of trance. In his eyes I see the man who carried me off the field when I was injured in front of the whole stadium, who held me when I was crying over my bum knee and who loved me so gently and fiercely at the same time. I miss him. My heart longs to reach up and pull him into my arms.

“Good, I’m glad,” he finally says. I see his face twist quickly. “You in tomorrow with Lucas before the game? Is that what I saw on the schedule?”

I nod. “I sure am.”

“Well, I guess I might see you tomorrow in the training room, or on the field at the game,” he tells me, grinning again.

“You know it’s September, which means the Halloween candy is already out. Should I pick up some Reese’s pumpkins? Is that something you’d like as a field snack?”