Page 16 of Necessary Roughness

“You’re almost twice his size.”

“Like that’s going to stop him,” Tanner said. “Do you have a point?”

“Of course I do,” she said. He laughed out loud. She opened her mouth to say something, nothing came out, and she stared at him for a moment. He slung his arm around the back of the bench.

“Have a seat, DP. Let’s pretend like we’re civilized adults for a while.” He nodded at the field. She sank onto the bench and stifled a long sigh.

Harrison materialized seconds later and gave them an easy grin.

“Ah. A lovers’ spat,” he said.

She and Tanner answered him at the same time.

“Oh, hell no.”

“I can’t even.”

“Try not to kill each other while I’m working with the kids,” Harrison said. He turned on one heel and jogged back to the knot of children on the field.

Jordan tried to ignore the man sitting less than three feet away from her. The slight breeze ruffled his dark hair. He smelled like he’d just gotten out of the shower as usual. He continued to watch the kids on the field, and she saw his shoulders tighten as one of the boys gave the girl on the team a shove.

“Knock it off!” Tanner shouted. “We don’t put our hands on girls!”

The kid said something in response; Jordan couldn’t hear what he said, but she watched Tanner pull his leg off the bench, grab his crutches, and balance his weight on one foot as he got up. He was teetering like he was about to fall over, and all Jordan could think of was what was going to happen if he did.

She jumped to her feet and wrapped one arm around his waist to brace him as he continued to shout at the kid who’d pushed the little girl.

“Get over here and say that to me! I’ll bet you wouldn’t. C’mon,” Tanner said.

“Careful,” she told him. “You’ll end up back in the hospital.”

His eyes were blazing with fury. “That kid just told me to F off. If I would have said that to one of my coaches, I would have been doing laps before I got benched.” He gestured at the kid in question. “Get yourself over here. Now.”

“Make me,” the kid yelled.

Seconds later, Harrison was crouched in front of the kid, and they watched as Harrison pointed at the track. The kid jogged away from him and started a slow lap around the track.

Jordan realized she still had her arm around Tanner’s waist. She dropped it like it was on fire. He gave her a long look.

“You were going to wipe out,” she said in a low voice.

“It’s so touching that you care.”

“I don’t want to spend any more time with you than I have to.”

“You keep telling yourself that.” But his voice was gentle. “Why are you here, anyway?”

“Harrison invited me.”

“Does he know this?”

“What do you mean? Do you think I just showed up here? I have other things to do.”

“Is that so?”

“Yes!” she said. “I have a life. I can take care of myself.”

“Whatever you say, DP,” he said. He turned his eyes back to the field.

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