Page 91 of Puck Me Secretly

Max grabbed his phone and stepped back out of the vehicle. “Give me a minute.”

What the hell?

Baffled, I watched him, as he stood in front of his SUV and laughed at somethingLolitasaid.

Who was Lolita?

I observed him. He had a gentle smile on his face. His smiles were born from amusement, playfulness or sexual heat. He didn’tgive gentle smiles. Why was he smiling a gentle smile? A burning sensation flooded my chest.

Who was she?

Was he dating her?

Why did he get out of the vehicle?

The call lasted three long minutes while terrible questions and thoughts raced through my mind. He climbed back in beside me.

“Do you want me to drop you off at the stadium?”

He wasn’t going to tell me who she was, and worse, it wasn’t any of my business.

I stared out the passenger window. “Sure.”

Was he dating someone? Was he hiding that fact from me? Why hadn’t he wanted me to hear the call? Maybe he had been thinking about her at the photo shot? Maybe she was the one he burned for? Maybe he longed for Lolita?

I tried not to feel defeated. It shouldn’t matter. It wasn’t like he and I would date. I should be happy for him. I should be happy that he had one other person in his corner.

So why did I feel sick to my stomach?

“You’re quiet.” Max interrupted my thoughts.

“I think I’m tired. Early morning.”

“Thanks for coming today.”

“I didn’t do anything.”

“You helped.”

We lapsed into another silence. When he pulled in front of the stadium and I climbed out, I felt his big hand wrap around my wrist.

I glanced over my shoulder at him.

“You okay?”

No. You’re taking private calls from someone named Lolita.

I gave him a short nod before scrambling out. I felt stupid. Why was I torturing myself with this ridiculous crush when it was so obvious that Max wasn’t interested? I vowed to steer clear of him. No matter what it cost me.

Three weeks passed,and I had almost perfected avoiding Max. I came to all meetings a few minutes late, slipping in the back and strategically chose a place in the room that was as far away from Max as possible. During our away games, I sat up front with management, getting on the plane after Max boarded and getting off before him.

This meeting was no different. It was a coaching meeting, and I was deliberately running a few minutes late. I walked towards the boardroom when an arm grabbed me, spinning me around.

“Max,” I breathed, avoiding his gaze.

“Haven’t seen you around.”

“I’ve been busy,” I stared at my shoes.

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