Page 3 of The Coach

I grasp her hand. It’s soft in my calloused hand. “Tanner.”

She gives me a wide smile and gestures for the bartender.

“So, what’s a girl like you doing in a bar like this?” I ask, accepting the menu the bartender hands over.

“Ugh,” Mick groans, letting her head fall forward, her long hair covering her face for a moment before she looks back over at me. “You did not just use that line.”

“I did.” I smile without regret. “I find it hard to believe that someone as gorgeous as you would be stuck here with all of us middle-agers.”

She bites her lip, her eyes moving from mine to her menu. “I don’t really frequent the campus bars. Too many college kids.”

“Fair enough,” I quip, thinking about the local college bar that I frequented regularly. They opened it with the sole intention of bringing in the local sports fans, and it worked. Whether it be hockey, football, baseball, basketball—you name it, Rose Hill had it, and they catered to it.

A groan goes through the bar when the goalie misses another goal.

“So, let’s hear it.”

I finish my sip of beer and set the bottle on the bar, turning to face her. “Hear what?”

She waves her hand in my general direction as if just looking at me will tell you anything you need to know about me. “You know, the lines you use to pick up women.”

“The lines.” I clear my throat. “How do you know I have lines?”

“Oh, come on.” She rolls her eyes under her ball cap and smirks. “A guy like you always has the lines. Hell, you just said one.” Her lips pucker slightly, drawing my attention. “Let me guess, something like, Do you know CPR? Because you just took my breath away.”

“Ooh, that’s good.”

She raises a brow, smiling at me. “You like that one?”

“I do.” I feign looking around the bar and say, “Let me go try it out, see if it wins her over.”

Her brows furrow under the brim of her ball cap, and she glances around. “Now?”

“Yeah, now.”

I hop off the stool, taking a few steps away, and glance back to see her watching, that adorable crinkle still nestled between her brows. I turn away, standing up straight and shaking out my hands for exaggerated effect.

Then I turn and march back to our seats. “Excuse me, miss?”

I see her lips twitch as she tries to contain her smile.

“Do you know CPR? Because, wow.” I place a hand on my chest and give her as serious of a face as I can manage. “You just took my breath away.”

Mick laughs at me, making my smile spread across my face, and I take a deep breath at how that laughter makes me feel.

I have a feeling that my lucky night is only just beginning.

Mick’s back hits the wall by my door, and I fumble for the keys in my pocket. Her panting breath hits my cheek, and I abandon the search for my keys and take her face in my hands, cupping her jaw and taking her mouth with mine. Her lips are soft and plump against mine. She moans into the kiss.

After hours of banter and back and forth, I’d been about to leave when she asked where I was going. I told her home, about to ask for her number when she quirked a brow at me. I took the subtle opening and invited her back to my place.

The car ride over had been torturous. This woman was not afraid to be bold about what she wanted.

Her hand had ridden on my thigh, rubbing up and down until I was too hard to focus on driving, and I thanked the stars that the drive wasn’t long.

“Tanner,” she gasps into my mouth, still pressed against my front door. “Take me inside.”

“I plan to,” I reply, finally grasping my keys and jamming the key into the lock, turning it, and letting the keys fall to the floor while slamming the front door shut.

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