It was no wonder Daisy was still hopelessly attracted to him. She and probably every other single female in his life.

  “And I have to say, thank you for talking to Emma last week. We finally had a conversation, and she opened up a bit.” James looked a little shy behind that hard-guy exterior of his, which only encouraged her to tease him.

  “See? And you think you’re not cosmopolitan. You’re an NFL pro who can talk about feelings.”

  “Don’t tell the others.”

  “I’m sure the others have realized by now after all these years,” Daisy said before sipping her sparkling water. “And you’re welcome, by the way. Your daughter is lovely, though I expected no less.”

  “So apparently, Dad has no business helping his daughter pick clothes from the girls’ department anymore, and she didn’t want to hurt my feelings because she knows how busy I am and how important it is to me that we spend time together during the season.”

  It was hard not to register the way her heart both broke and swelled at such a statement.

  “That’s great…I’m really happy to hear that.” She paused and then blurted, “How are you single?” When her head caught up to her mouth, her eyes widened. “I didn’t mean—”

  James looked equal parts cocky and amused. “Who says I’m single?”

  “I guess I—really, I just thought—”

  “Now why are you blushing, Coach Daisy?” James peered at her, that shit-eating grin on his face just making her feel more caught. Heat crept up to her collarbone, and she felt as giddy as if she’d opted for wine. This was dangerous.

  “I’m not blushing,” she insisted, trying to hide her grin as she stared off across the restaurant. “I’m just not trying to get involved in whatever it is that NFL players call their private life.”

  James snorted. “Well, you’re right. I am single. And my life consists of exactly what you see: Emma and football. Not as glamorous as you might expect.”

  “You don’t even date here and there? You could probably have any woman you laid eyes on.” Her heart was racing now, though she wasn’t sure why. Was this normal we’re-just-friends conversation? She had no idea how to play this game with James. When she looked up at him, he watched her so intensely she thought she might combust on the spot. Damn that inherent charm of his. Was he feeling this energy coursing between them? She took another sip of her water, feeling hot again.

  “Any woman, huh?” He repeated it lazily, like he didn’t believe it.

  The hum of the restaurant around them intensified as Daisy got lost in his gaze. She wasn’t sure what was happening. All she knew was that this man was both familiar and a challenge for her, and the way he was looking at her made everything else in the world fade to oblivion.

  Daisy offered a little smile and chugged the rest of her water. Thankfully, the server returned with their food, and Daisy could have kissed her for the good timing.

  The conversation resumed normal trajectory—food commentary, the occasional moan, work complaints sprinkled with good-natured ribbing. When the check came, James had scooped it up before Daisy even noticed it had arrived. When she tried to split the bill, he waved her off. She couldn’t convince him to let her leave the tip, either.

  “This was my invite. You changed my tire, remember,” James said. “This is your punishment.”

  She snort-laughed. “This is what I get for being helpful, huh?”

  “That damn Katrakis kindness,” James said with a tut.

  She fought to hide the smile that lingered on her face as they left the restaurant. She didn’t want the evening to end, but she knew he needed to get home to his daughter. They’d snagged adjacent parking spots earlier and now stood in front of their cars in the humid evening.

  “Thanks for dinner, Sullivan,” she said, reminding herself this wasn’t a date. Even without alcohol, she was intoxicated around this man. “Just remember to go get that tire replaced tomorrow.”

  “I’ll call the shop on my lunch and set up the appointment,” he promised.

  “I’m gonna be checking in about it. And your shoulder,” she warned.

  “Anything else you need to kick my ass about?” he challenged, drifting closer to her. He was leaving a door open, but for what, she couldn’t tell. All she knew was that she was getting lost in those chocolatey eyes, his dark hair tousled and begging her to touch it.

  She swallowed. “I’ll come up with a few more things by tomorrow.”

  He smirked, his gaze scorching across her face. Something heavy shivered between them, and she felt stuck here, swallowed up by him, never wanting to leave but too paralyzed to continue.

  “All right, Coach Daisy,” he finally said, breaking the trance that they’d both been lost in. “I’ll see you in the A.M.”

  James headed for the driver’s side of his SUV, which finally allowed her to suck in a deep breath and remember how to move again. She waved, squeaking out a weak “See ya” before sliding into her car and driving away.

  Whatever had happened tonight had come a little too easily for her taste.

  And the worst part was, she was dying to see if it would happen again.

  5

  That Friday, the Sharks had a low-impact alternative workout day. Usually, James chose yoga or something low-key, but his trainer warned him off doing much of anything. By the time he was ready to leave the facility for the day, energy buzzed through him. He’d done nothing but sit in offensive meetings and think about all the movement he wasn’t allowed to do all day. And now? He probably wouldn’t be able to sleep as a result.

  He headed for Daisy’s office after he’d grabbed his bag from the locker room. He knew he shouldn’t even bother with her—seeing what she was up to, whether or not she had any ideas for his excess energy—but hell if he could listen to that good sense anymore.

  Not since their night at the restaurant, when he’d come so close to kissing her in that parking lot that it scared him.

  Now it felt like a free-for-all: get as much Daisy as he could, while still keeping their interactions within the confines of work. That way, nobody was doing anything wrong. He could keep a secret infatuation on the clock, while not neglecting any of his at-home duties. A win-win, sort of. At least it was the only way he could rationalize it to himself…for now.

  He rapped on her door, and she called out, “Come in!” a moment later. He pushed into her fragrant office, which smelled like her: amber and rose. She sent him that sparkling smile that made his gut twist.

  “Hey! What’s going on?” she asked, taking a pause from her typing.

  “Not too much. I’m heading out early. My trainer wouldn’t let me do shit today, so I’m gonna go home and pace the living room until I fall asleep.”

  She snorted. “Are you that wound up?”

  “You have no idea.” He gripped the door frame as hard as he could. “I could probably rip this door out with my bare hands.”

  A single brow shot skyward, and the way her gaze lingered on his arms made him wonder if she was feeling this intense attraction just as much as he was.

  “Well…I think I might know a work-around,” she said, clicking through something on her computer. “Let’s go swimming.”

  “Swimming?”

  “Yeah. I was headed to the pool myself after work today. That should be low stress enough for you, while also helping with this little issue you have of feeling like a pent-up lion.”

  He pretended to consider it, but the truth was plain: he couldn’t say no to the chance to see this woman in a bathing suit.

  “I’ll just have to head home first,” he said. “Emma’s going to a sleepover tonight, so I’ll need to drop her off.”

  “That’s perfect, because I’m not quite ready to go for the day. How about I meet you there? I’ll text when I’m getting ready to leave and send you the address.”

  She sent him a smile with a wink, which he told himself did not excite him at all, before she buried herself in work again. James headed for his SUV, oddly buoyant. This wasn’t a date—just like their dinner earlier that week wasn’t a date—but it gave him something he hadn’t realized he’d been craving.

  Adult time with a sexy-ass woman.

  Except normally, adult time with a sexy-ass woman ended a lot differently than what he knew these outings could lead to. Even if he wanted to push the envelope, he wouldn’t. He couldn’t. Not when she was a new coach, and he was a veteran quarterback.

  Back at the house, Emma had just gotten home from school and was doing homework at the kitchen table. James told the nanny, Iris, that she could head home a little early today. Iris kissed Emma on the top of the head before gathering her things.

  “How was school today, honey?” he asked, sliding into the chair across from her.

  “Good.” She crunched happily on some carrot sticks while she did math homework. “Harriet wants me to come over a little earlier tonight, at five. Is that okay?”

  “Sure. I’ll drop you off whenever you’re ready. You’ll be eating dinner there?”

  Emma nodded enthusiastically, and he was happy to see that normal eagerness had returned. They’d done some online shopping for new clothes since their talk, and Emma being able to air her true thoughts had made all the difference between them.

  James made himself a snack while Emma finished her work. By the time she was ready to go, he’d packed his gym bag again with swimming trunks and a towel. Though he kept the conversation focused on what Emma’s plans were that night with her girlfriends, his entire body was buzzing with anticipation at seeing Daisy again. James sent Emma off with a big kiss and a hug at the front steps of her friend’s house, and by the time he made it back to the car, the text from Daisy was waiting for him with an address.

  Heading there now, he typed out. Loser buys dinner.

  James couldn’t keep the smile off his face as he drove toward the rec center. It was impossible not to flirt with her. But luckily, he was in control of the situation. It didn’t have to go further, so it wouldn’t.

  Simple as that.

  The parking lot at the rec center wasn’t that full, and as he pulled in, he saw Daisy already exiting her car. She slung her bag over her shoulder before sending him a haughty look.

  “Excited to buy me a second dinner?” she asked once he’d opened his door.

  If you only knew. “I think you cheated.” He grabbed his things and locked the car, and they both started a slow walk toward the front doors.

  “Don’t make a promise you can’t keep, Sullivan,” she teased. “And I will be selecting the fanciest place out there, I’ll have you know.”

  Their sparring warmed him. He held the door open for her at the front of the red brick rec center, and they both registered for a pool pass before being waved along.

  “Last one in the pool buys a third dinner?” he asked before they headed into separate locker rooms.

  “You’re just that eager to eat out, aren’t you?”

  Something about the way she said eat out made his mind go straight into the gutter. He smirked. She wasn’t wrong with either interpretation. “Maybe I am.”

  Inside the locker room, he raced to get ready, but even his ultra-fast changing session had him coming in second yet again. Daisy sat at the edge of the pool under the glass-domed atrium, her long, caramel-hued legs dangling in the clear blue water. Her one-piece wasn’t wet yet, but it clung to her svelte, toned frame in all the right ways. Only one other person was using the pool right now, making lazy laps at the far edge.

  “I expected a better time for an NFL quarterback,” she teased, her eyes crinkling at the edges as she laughed.

  “Maybe you should be a quarterback, then, since you’ve clearly got skills.” He eased to sitting beside her, his black swim trunks contrasting with the steamed milk undertone of his skin. “Man. Remind me never to sit next to a Mediterranean lady again.” He scooted closer to her, comparing the skin tones of their thighs. “Look at this. I look ill.”

  She threw her head back and laughed, their legs brushing. “You just need to get out into the sun more. Without football gear.”

  “It would take me a year of sunbathing to come close to that,” he said, poking her thigh, pleased by the giggle this elicited. God, they were full-blown flirting and they’d been together less than ten minutes. He was powerless to stop it…because he loved it.

  “Then I guess it’s just pasty white boy for you,” she said.

  “Oooh, now that deserves a push,” he warned, before pushing her solidly by the hips and into the water. She squealed as she went in, submerging completely. When she surfaced, her pitch-black hair was plastered to her shoulders, eyelashes spiked like a water nymph.

  “Not fair,” she protested, swimming toward him. Daisy pulled at his leg, but he just laughed as he shook her off.

  “You’ll never move me. I’m four times your body weight.”

  With the sexiest look of determination on her face, she sized him up. “Fine.”

  “Fine?”

  “Yeah.” She sank beneath the water and swam away. He watched her graceful strokes beneath the water, feeling the itch to join her.

  When she resurfaced, she sputtered water from further down the pool. “I’d ask you to join me, but I know you can’t with that broken shoulder of yours.”

  He smirked and shook his head. He would have laughed, but she couldn’t see how much he enjoyed the ribbing. “You are asking for an ass-whooping, aren’t you?”

  She cackled, so he slid into the water. He made powerful strokes toward her at the other end of the pool, and when he hooked onto the edge, she sent a spray of water into his face.

  Now it was war. He shouted, sending a powerful spray back toward her. Daisy shrieked, and they played like this so long that he lost track of time. Soon, he had her cornered in the pool, her arms clasped behind her back while she bobbed in front of him, grinning like a maniac.

  “Call a truce?” he asked.

  “Never,” she said with a laugh, their bodies floating dangerously close. This close, she looked heavenly: prismatic brown eyes, so alive and mischievous. Those full lips that begged him to kiss her. He felt himself drifting closer to her, drawn into the vortex that was her Grecian beauty and endless ribbing. God, he could get used to this sort of thing. The playfulness. The challenges. The heartfelt moments laced with honesty. And this body of hers…

  “You’re lucky you’re my friend’s little sister,” he warned, letting go of her wrists. He needed space, and now, or he was liable to kiss her face off.

  She threw her head back and laughed. “So I get a free pass?”

  “This time.”

  “Maybe next time I don’t want one.”

  He lifted a brow, backing away from her as he treaded water. This was dangerous territory. It was too easy to get lost in her. Too easy to plunge forward. The dark side of him whispered in his ear. See what happens if you kiss her. She’ll love it. She wants it too.

  “We’ll see what happens at the next two dinners I owe you,” he said. “Now did you come here to swim or just fuck with me? Because I’m not seeing much swimming.”

  “Hard to when you have me pinned in the corner,” she said, floating along the edge of the pool. “But that’s one of the tried-and-true team captain approaches, isn’t it? You must use it with your teammates all the time.”

  He knew what she was getting at, and he wouldn’t bite. None of my teammates look like you, Daisy.

  “I do what it takes,” he said, sending her a haughty smile as he swam away. “Do your laps, Katrakis. I’ll be timing you.”

  James pulled himself out of the water and perched on the edge as she did her laps. He gobbled up her sexy figure as she swam, sending a spray of water her way whenever she’d pause. Time melted away, and James was thankful for the chance to disconnect. When had he last felt like this? It had been years—that much he knew.

  When Daisy finished her laps and James had worked off some of his energy, they headed for the locker rooms. James hung a few steps back, feigning towel issues, when really, he just wanted to get a last glimpse of Daisy’s toned ass and powerful thighs from behind. He’d carry that image to bed with him tonight, that much was certain. When Daisy glanced over her shoulder at him, the playfulness in her gaze told him she knew exactly what he was doing…and that she didn’t mind it one bit.

  By the time he reached the locker room, he’d given up all resistance. Every cell in his being told him to invite this woman to his house. He had a rare kid-free night and an abundance of desire for the woman he’d known almost his entire life. Indulging even slightly in this intense attraction would be fine. It had to be fine. Because they’d make it be fine.

  More than satisfied with his decision, James peeled off his swim trunks and rinsed off before slipping into his regular clothes. He checked his phone then. Ten new messages and five missed calls.

  His stomach shrank to a nut. The number was listed simply as Harriet’s Mom. He didn’t need to read past the preview of the first message on his screen—Emma got sick—before he was calling.

  Harriet’s mother, June, picked up almost immediately. “Hey, James.”

  “I’m so sorry I missed your calls. I was in the pool, training. Is Emma okay?”

  “She’s fine,” June said, “but I think she’s not feeling great about having gotten sick. She ate pizza and then went straight for the trampoline. You can imagine how that ended up.”

  “Oh, yeah,” James agreed, packing his things as they talked. “I’ll be there as soon as I can. Thanks for letting me know.”