Page 2 of Resilient Love

The wind is knocked from my lungs, a rebuttal on the tip of my tongue, but it never makes its way out of my mouth.

Coach Auclair relaxes back into his seat, crossing his arms over his chest. "I don't do ultimatums, so the job is yours regardless of whether you accept the position or not, but I really hope you will. I plan to retire in the next two years, and I don't want to have to worry about what I plan to do with this team."

I can barely think past the throb of my heartbeat against all of my pulse points as my mind works to figure out what his intentions are. "What's so special about this women's football team that I,of all people, am being requested as their interim coach? And why would you suggestmein the first place? I haven't competed in a football match in years."

Coach Auclair knows all about my painful past with football, and if that wasn’t reason enough not to include me in whatever plan he has, I’m not sure what is.This isn't adding up.

He lets out a sigh, placing his hands on the desk in front of him. He squeezes his eyes shut and pinches the bridge of his nose, steadying himself.

"It's my daughter's team."

My brows scrunch together. "I'm still not understanding," I answer plainly.

His eyes finally open, and the pained expression chiselled into his features has my heart clenching in my chest. I know desperation when I see it—it’s an emotion I’ve grown entirely too familiar with.

"My daughter's team has won the National Championship the last two years. Elise plans to make it onto the Olympic team, and that can't happen without a coach. Her previous one was caught in a scandal, and no one wants to take the team on right now because they don't want their name involved."

Shaking my head, I ask, "What kind of scandal would deter potentially hundreds of available coaches, especially if the team is as good as you're suggesting?"

"It was with the players,” he reluctantly admits, rubbing the space between his brows where the skin is wrinkled, his lips pulling taut. “The coach was sleeping with the players."

A chill runs down my spine as his words sink in. I blink, the weight of them pressing against my chest, and slowly nod, my mind racing as I trace the quiet tension in the air. My fingers curl into a fist at my side, but I don’t move, standing here, assessing the shift in the space between us. "And you think it's a good idea to send one of your players, who hasn't played football in years and has definitely never coached, to act as interim coach, in the middle of the season? I'm genuinely curious where the hell this idea came from."

"I can't say I trust you to keep it in your pants, okay?” He rolls his eyes. “But at least you aren’t old enough to be one of these girls’ fathers. That said, I'd really prefer it if you kept your dick to yourself."

"Okay," I answer slowly, "let's say I agree to this, how do we plan to make this work with my practice and game schedule?"

"I'll rework practice times to be immediately before or after the Blaze’s practices, and I've already arranged to have all of ours on their campus so you don't have to travel between locations. They're a sport-oriented school with a lot of money. Their facility is as nice, if not nicer, than ours. It won't be a downgrade. Besides, their season is nearly halfway through."

Shaking my head, I release a grunt. "Fine," I tell him, turning to leave.

"Wait! ‘Fine’? You're saying yes?" he asks, dumbstruck as his hands grip the armrests of his wooden desk chair, his ass halfway out of the seat as he stares at me with wide eyes.

"Sounds like it," I say, calling over my shoulder as I stride out the door.

This is a terrible idea.

CHAPTER TWO

FRIDAY, MARCH 21

"Elise,"the massive Brit purrs as he swipes the head of his engorged cock through my slick heat, "will you be a good girl and accommodate us both at the same time?"

"Yes," I moan.

Leo chuckles, lining his swollen tip up with my mouth. "It's really poetic, isn't it, mate?" He pauses, laughing again. "The good little French girl is about to do her first Eiffel Tower."

A laugh squawks out of me, hiding my disdain for the ignorant comment. Leo is often brash, leaning into certain stereotypes about Australians, never one to hold his thoughts in, which is something I usually enjoy about him, so I brush the comment off. "When did I say it was my first?" I challenge.

Noah smacks my ass from his position behind me. “He should’ve known better.”

The sting sends a zap of electricity down my spine, and a moan slips past my lips. “Shut up and fuck me already,” I instruct, letting the sass seep into my voice.

“Don’t have to tell me twice,” Leo responds before plunging his cock into my mouth.

“Oh, we’ve already started, huh?” Noah comments from behind, pushing into me, causing my mouth to drive forward, meeting Leo’s hips.

Noah’s pounding thrusts and the slap of his pelvis against my ass causes heat to pool in my core. My eyes are watering with the effort to remain on all fours with Leo’s length threatening to suffocate me.

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