Page 11 of Unwritten Rules (The Sunburnt Hearts #1)

Chapter Five

TATUM

O ut of all the people I could’ve run into on my first day at work, it had to be him. The same guy I hooked up with in a car in a quiet park and vowed to forget about.

The universe is playing a cruel joke on me right now. I wish it would cut it out because there is no way this is happening. How unlucky do I have to be to run into my one-night stand out of the millions of people residing in Sydney?

“Tatum?”

Shit .

“Heyyy,” I greet with an overly large smile that doesn’t fit my face. “Fancy seeing you here.”

Sinnett shoves his hands into the front pocket of his hoodie and tilts his head to the side.

The curve of his jaw is enhanced with each clench of his teeth as if he’s fighting the urge to speak what’s on his mind or stay silent.

Despite the venomous glint in those dazzling eyes and the stiffness in his shoulders, he looks the same as when I last saw him.

“What are you doing here?” His deep voice vibrates through every inch of my body like a sound wave. “You’re not following me, are you?”

My eyes round at the edges. “What? No, I’m not following you. If I wanted to follow you, it certainly wouldn’t be to the sideline of a footy game.”

Sinnett blinks at me, unimpressed with my response.

God, what happened to the man I met one week ago? Sure, he only wanted to fuck me in his car and never see me again, but he was at least respectful and somewhat kind. Now he’s broody and grumpy as hell. Why the switch up?

I exhale a long breath and run my fingers through the end of my ponytail. A whistle sounds behind me, followed by tense voices. I’m not sure what’s happening on the field, and even if I wanted to know, Sinnett has my attention held hostage with his intense ocean eyes and looming presence.

“I’m not following you, I promise,” I offer with a shrug. “I work for the Wolves.”

Sinnett’s neatly shaped eyebrows shoot up to his hairline, getting lost behind the loose waves falling over his forehead. “You what ?”

“Yeah. I’m the club’s new physio.”

For a split second, I think I see the colour drain from Sinnett’s face. But just as quickly, it returns in full force, making me think the lights in the stadium had simply washed out his skin.

“Oh,” he murmurs. A hand slips out from the pocket of his hoodie to run through his messy hair. “I didn’t know.”

“Do you play for the Wolves?” I ask. Why else would he be here? He’s not in uniform, so he must be part of the club in some capacity.

Sinnett nods. “Yeah, I do.”

My eyes drift from his face, down the curve of his throat, over his broad chest and down to his jean-clad thighs. The same thighs I bounced on when I was?—

I clear my throat as an excuse to redirect my mind to the present. “Are you injured? Is that why you’re not playing?”

All Sinnett manages is a nod before he points a finger behind me. “I need to get going.”

“Oh, right,” I say, rubbing my right hand over my left arm. “Don’t let me keep you from your team.”

Sinnett drags his tongue over his bottom lip and nods. “I’ll see you around, strawberry.”

“I hope not,” I utter before I stop to think about what I’m saying. It’s a knee jerk reaction to our last conversation, when we said we hoped to never see each other again. But now I just sound like an asshole.

To my surprise, Sinnett chuckles as he walks past me, his shoulder brushing mine.

I spin on my heels and watch his broad back as he walks toward the row of white plastic chairs where some of the players are seated.

Each step is met with him putting more pressure on his left leg than his right.

Did he hurt his leg? He greets each one of them with what I assume is a bro handshake before he settles between two of the players.

My brows furrow as I sit down on my chair, unable to focus on the game.

From the brief interaction with Sinnett, I can’t see any physical injuries that might require him to be sidelined.

But then again, he is wearing a black hoodie and jeans, covering the majority of his skin.

The injury must be serious if he’s not playing, or he could have a strain that has forced him to sit out for one game.

Despite my better judgment, I glance over my shoulder and find Sinnett is already watching me.

Warmth burns in my cheeks the second our eyes clash.

Every muscle in my body is yelling at me to look away, but somehow, I’m trapped by his intense stare.

We stay like this, watching each other for what feels like an eternity before Sinnett’s attention is drawn away by one of his teammates.

I snap my head forward to stare at the field as the two teams come barrelling past. My pulse thumps at the base of my throat and I’m very aware of the blood rushing through my veins.

What the hell was that?

I mean, I would have to be a rock to not be attracted to a man like Sinnett, but that interaction was…

different, and unlike anything I’ve ever felt.

If I were to touch my skin, it would sizzle beneath my fingertips.

My heart races to the point it might jump from my throat and crawl over to Sinnett like it’s offering itself on a silver platter for him to stomp on.

The crowd erupts into a cheer, forcing my eyes off the ground to watch the Wolves celebrate another try. I blow out a deep exhale and lean back against the plastic chair.

Even with my attention now on the game, Sinnett’s intense eyes take up space in my mind. It’s like I’m looking at the field with blue-tinted glasses.

I groan and run a hand down my face.

Yeah, I’m totally screwed.

“How’d you enjoy the game, Tate?”

I blink at Dad, my mind lost at sea. “Oh, yeah. It was a good win for the Wolves.”

After the final siren blared through the stadium, I stood on the sideline and waited for my dad to join the team on the field. Despite being new to the club and staffing team, I enjoyed watching everyone interact with each other after an exceptional 22-8 win over the Dolphins.

Once the players shook hands with the opposing team, they rushed to the fence surrounding the field to speak with family members who drove down for the away game.

I couldn’t help but smile as I watched each player laugh and joke around with their family.

After a big win, I’m sure it would’ve been nice for them to know their loved ones were watching on in support.

Despite telling myself I wouldn’t, I watched Sinnett linger among his teammates.

He was called over to the fence by some young fans asking for his signature on their jerseys.

Each one of them smiled as if they had met their hero, giddy with excitement.

I tried not to watch when Sinnett smiled for selfies with girls not much younger than me, but like a bad car accident, I couldn’t look away.

His smile looked forced and didn’t quite reach his eyes.

Not like they did when I made him laugh a week ago.

“The guys played well,” Dad says, breaking me from my thoughts. “Of course, there are areas they can improve on, but for now, I’m letting them enjoy the win.”

The Dolphins are on the opposite side of the field interacting with their own fans while the Wolves players left for the sheds a couple of minutes ago, leaving only the staff members lingering on the sidelines.

“Did you see anything out of the ordinary when you were watching the team?”

I blink at Dad. Shit. I forgot I was supposed to be observing the players and not stealing glances of a certain someone. “They all looked in good shape to me. But I’ll know for sure when I’m doing recovery with them.”

“Good, I’m glad to hear it.”

Dad’s face lights up at something behind me. Every hair on the back of my arms stand on edge when I turn around and see Sinnett approaching us. His hands are shoved in the front pocket of his hoodie, and within a few long strides he joins my father and I.

Oh, God…

“Sin,” Dad cheers with a warm smile. “How are you feeling?”

Sinnett shrugs. “Okay, I guess.”

Dad’s face falls with what I’m sure is empathy. “I know it sucks watching from the sidelines, but you know it’s for your own good. I can’t have you going out there before you’re ready.”

Sinnett scratches the back of his head, unable to look me in the eye. “I understand. I’m doing everything I can in my recovery to ensure I’m fit enough to get back on the field soon.”

“Oh!” Dad snaps his eyes to me, as if realising I’m still standing with them. “Speaking of recovery, this is Tatum. She’s the club's new physio.”

Sinnett sweeps his ocean eyes to me, offering a sharp nod. “Yeah, we met earlier.”

“Good,” Dad says with a nod, folding his arms over his chest. “Since you’ll be working closely with each other, I expect you to treat my daughter with respect.”

It is at this moment Sinnett’s jaw hits the floor and his eyes nearly bulge out of his head.

Okay, maybe that was a little dramatic, but he does snap his wide eyes to me, as if unable to believe what just came out of my father’s mouth.

“ Daughter ?” Sinnett rasps out. “Tatum is your daughter?”

“She is,” Dad says, features sharpening. “And no funny business, okay? She’s off-limits, and that goes for the rest of the team, too.”

Sinnett hisses a breath and runs his hand through his hair, leaving some of the inky strands standing on end. He draws his eyes back to my father, jaw ticking.

I may as well not be here for this conversation since Sinnett and my father would prefer to talk about me rather than directly to me. But what can I say? Hey, Dad, funny story actually, I’ve already hooked up with Sinnett. I would be a dead woman.

All I can do is keep my mouth shut and pray Sinnett does the same.

Sinnett’s throat ripples with a deep swallow as he turns his intense eyes to mine again. I suck in a sharp breath, trying to ignore the heat pulsing through my veins. It’s on the tip of my tongue to say something—anything—but I’m at a loss for words.

My father has forbidden me from dating any player on the team, yet he doesn’t realise he’s looking at the rule I’ve already broken directly in the eye.

“Of course, Coach,” Sinnett finally says, his eyes not straying from mine. “I promise I’ll keep my hands to myself.”