Page 66 of Summer Affair
“Don’t forget the assist.”
“I could never forget the assist.” He found himself grinning. “Look at you, throwing out football terms.”
“I am a coach, you know.”
“Oh, I know. On game days, I watch you walk around in those short leggings while blowing your whistle. I am very aware of your coaching prowess.”
“I’m becoming a good coach.”
“You’re becoming a great coach.”
“Since our genuine rule still applies, I still don’t like football. But it’s fun to watch you and Sammy throw the ball and try to outmaneuver each other.”
He ran his fingers lightly down her spine, to the lower curve of her back. Back and forth, they skated over all that silky skin. Even with her pressed flush against him, he couldn’t seem to stop touching her. Or kissing her. Or looking at her.
The last was his favorite. He could watch her all night long. She was as comfortable to him as she was a mystery.
“Tell me about grad school.”
She blinked. “Grad school?”
“I want to know what College Jillian was like.”
Clay had partied hard in college. Football, girls, the life of a player who was destined for the NFL. He’d also hit the books pretty hard. His dad had stressed the importance of higher education, saying everyone needed something to fall back on. Clay loved taking things apart and putting them back together, so he’d majored in mechanical engineering. Not that he’d considered it his fallback. Clay didn’t do fallbacks. He decided a direction and went after it without deviation.
Someone who wanted to go all the way in sports doesn’t have the luxury of detours. Yet there Clay was, spending a day when he should be training taking a sexy woman to check something off a decade’s old bucket list.
“Undergrad Jillian was loud and outspoken but a bit shy with guys.”
“I like that you’re outspoken, and I love your shy side. Almost as much as your backside.” To prove his he rested his hand on her cheek. “Where did you go?”
“I got my undergrad at Oregon State.”
He made a big show of grimacing. “I’m sleeping with the enemy.”
Oregon State and the University of Oregon had a long-standing rivalry called the Civil War. It dated back to 1894 when the two football teams first met on the field. The rivalry had only strengthened over the years, evenly dividing the state right down the middle.
“There’s more. I went to the University of Oregon for grad school.”
He gave her butt a gentle pat. “A fellow Duck. I knew I liked you. What was your major?”
She rolled over and rested her chin on his chest. “I was getting my MBA in entrepreneurship.”
“Why am I not surprised?”
She blinked. “Really? Most people take one look at me and assume I’m an interior designer.”
“Then they’re clearly not seeing what I see. To me, your degree suits you. You run a cake empire out of your kitchen, handle all the finances, while single-handedly raising an amazing son. You’re managing your business better than Owen.” And that was saying a lot. His brother was business savvy, knew his customer base, and had turned what was a bar with live music into one of the most frequented spots by politicians, businessmen, and musicians alike.
He’d also turned a struggling establishment into a gastropub that had been written up in everything fromSunsetmagazine toRolling Stone.
“I have a long way to go before I hit Owen status. I can’t even imagine hitting Stout’s level of success. But if I can manage to get my tasting room up and running, I’ll be a happy camper.”
“Owen might bring in serious cash, but at least you love what you do.”
Her brows furrowed. “Owen isn’t happy?”
Clay wasn’t sure what his brother was, but he was in a bad place. “While you were running the bar, and forced me to rest my knee—”
