Page 10 of Stalked By the Assistant Coach
“Excuse me?”
“It’s all about what you do after that. How you make your life count. I’ve been…” I inhaled, and the jagged air hurt my chest, but I had to say it. “I’ve been waiting. I’ve been living, and don’t get me wrong, professionally, I love my life. But everything else in my life has been on hold. Making the most of it because…” My shoulders rose, and I knew the smile I had on my face didn’t reach my eyes. “Because at least we were friends. At least I had you in my life in some shape or form.”
“But?”
“But sometimes, you come face to face with the choices you made, and you need to make a decision. And I’m making mine.”
“By cutting me out,” he gritted through his teeth.
“It’s not about you!” I shoved his chest, but he didn’t move, not even an inch. His scent filled my lungs with every breath I took. It hurt as much as I loved it. “For once, I want to do something for myself.” My shoulders dropped, and I was suddenly exhausted. “I love you. You’re my…” I winced at the way my voice cracked but kept trying to push forward. Because when things didn’t work, you needed to rip the Band Aid off quickly and fast. If not, you’d never do it. Or I wouldn’t. “You’re my best friend. My favorite person in the whole world, Redford Bridges, even when you’re the biggest pain in the ass.”
“Bug—"
“But I need more, and let’s face it.” My watery smile didn’t help as I blinked the tears away. "As sweet as your words were, I couldn’t do that to you.”
“I wasn’t lying.”
“Right.” I rolled my eyes. “It’s why we’ve been friends for how long? Please, Red. It’s okay. I’m me and?—"
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“It means I’m plain. I’m short and nerdy and—" I sniffled, hating having to point out all my faults to the man I’d been in love with what felt like my entire life. “And I’m just… me!”
“Are you done?” he asked through thinned lips.
“I’m just being honest!”
“No. You’re talking out of your ass.”
“Excuse me?”
“You heard me.” His nose flared, and I shivered. He pressed his body closer.
“Red, back up.”
“No.” He shook his head and leaned in closer, crowding me. “No. I listened to you, and now you’re going to listen to me.”
“Red, I’m serious. This is?—"
“Hush.” His finger pressed against my lips. I wanted to pull it between my lips and suck, but I stopped myself from doing something crazy. “Good girl,” he whispered, and my breathing changed. I’d read those two words from book boyfriends, but it was the first time they'd been directed at me.
And even though it was in the middle of a drama, and I was about to cut my best friend out of my life, reality surpassed fiction for the first time in my life.
CHAPTER 3
RED
“Good girl.” The term of endearment slipped past my lips, but by the way her eyes seemed to darken in my office and how she pressed her chest against mine without noticing, I had a feeling she liked it. A lot.
“First off,”—my head dipped down to brush my nose against hers—“I wasn’t lying about how I feel about you.”
“Yeah, right.” When Kait rolled her eyes again, my hand itched to spank her. But Jesus, even though she was giving me attitude, I loved it. I loved everything about her. Her sassiness especially.
“You don’t believe me?”
“Red, it’s a little hard to believe that.”
“Why do you think I gave Brewer tickets?” I hissed, barely holding on.