Playing for Kicks (Play Makers Book 5) (54 page)

“You guys talked?” she asked hopefully. “And
he told you
you’re
his Juliet? Not Kerrie?”

“What? No, no.” Tess’s eyes clouded for a
moment. Then she explained. “He made me feel special in a much
cooler way. So we’re good.” She hugged her tight. “I was lost, now
I’m me again. Thanks to you and Sean.”

As though hearing his name, he joined them,
and while his expression was casual, Erica suspected he too was
worried about this overly effervescent Tess. Still, he seemed
sincere when he said, “Hey, Erica, Tess told me she had a meltdown
yesterday. I’m glad she was with you, since we all know that’s your
specialty. Thanks for being there.”

Erica’s eyes filled with tears. “If only you
knew. I said all the wrong things—”

“Huh?” Sean pulled her into an embrace.
“Geezus, honey. Are you okay? Is it the baby?”

Johnny had joined them and growled, “She’s
been on her feet all week. So give her a break.” He turned Erica to
face him. “If we need to go—”

“Don’t be silly. I’m fine.”

Tess squeezed her arm. “You don’t want Coach
R seeing you cry. Because wow, you’re a knockout in that dress.
Right, Sean?”

Sean dutifully eyed Erica’s gauzy, skimpy
dress—a sleeveless black outer layer over silvery underskirts that
swirled around her legs. “Yeah, babe, you look awesome. But if
you’re upset—”

“I’m not upset. Just hormonal. And guess
what, Tess? Noelle Sharpe isn’t here, but there’s a silent auction.
And one of the items is an advanced copy of her next book.”

Tess squealed in delight. “For real?”

Johnny flashed a smile. “You guys don’t need
to bid on it. We already did, so obviously, you can borrow it from
us.”

“Or you could borrow it from
us,”
Sean
said with a chuckle. “Because we’re
definitely
bidding on
it.”

“So are we,” Bam chimed in from a few feet
away. “Right, teach?”

Rachel sighed. “I’m fine with just borrowing
it, but you just waved a red flag in front of my bull.”

Tess laughed. “He just wants to shower you
with gifts. Because you’re
rocking
that fancy gown.”

Sean took the cue quickly. “Yeah, Rachel.
It’s like a Bond-girl dress, right?”

“
That’s
what she looks like,” Bam
confirmed, looking relieved someone had finally figured it out. “I
couldn’t put my finger on it, but yeah. She’s Tatiana. Damn, I
knew
you were hot, teach.”

Rachel glared at Sean.
“Really,
Sean?
You’re ruining
this
dress too?” To Tess she explained, “He’s
the one who started the mermaid thing at the wedding. What did he
call
yours?”

“Gangster-girlfriend attire. What else?”

They all laughed. Then Tess glanced around.
“I’m dying for a glimpse of Riga the Terrible.”

“He’s not here yet,” Johnny told her. “But
he’s definitely coming.”

“Let’s go place that bid,” Sean suggested,
wrapping his arm around Tess’s waist.

Erica sighed. He was so hopelessly in love.
So oblivious to the fact he had almost lost her. But at least they
seemed good now.

“Hey,” Tess murmured, touching her arm. “Are
you okay?”

She nodded, forcing a smile. “Go and have
fun. We’ll catch up with you in a few minutes.”

Tess gave Johnny a meaningful look, and he
promised immediately, “I’ve got this.” Then he took Erica’s hand,
leading her onto the dance floor.

When he pulled her close she sighed. If only
she could confide in him. He was a problem solver who had won the
Super Bowl from the sheer force of his will coupled with awesome
athleticism. And Sean was his best friend. No way would he allow
the guy’s heart to be crushed without trying to stop it.

And so if Johnny told her not to worry. If he
insisted the couple looked blissful tonight. Pointed to the horse
necklace as proof they were soul mates.

Maybe then Erica could believe the crisis had
ended.

“Talk to me, Erica.”

“There’s nothing to say. So just dance with
me. Please?” Caressing his strong jaw, she told him, “You’re my
Romeo. And I’m your Juliet.”

“Didn’t they both die?” he said teasingly.
Then he nuzzled her neck and said, “Yeah, we’re Romeo and Juliet
for sure. Just with a
much
happier ending.”

• • •

Holding hands, Tess and Sean found the
display for the silent auction and put in their bid on Noelle
Sharpe’s next book. According to the sign, the release date was
still two months away but the winner would receive an advance copy
in less than a week.

“We’re gonna win,” Sean assured her.

“I love your confidence.” She brushed her
lips across his, still giddy over the things he had said. Not just
about freedom, but about choices. Endless choices, but only one
that really mattered. At least to them.

Noticing a gargantuan young stud hovering
nearby, she asked with a giggle, “Friend of yours?”

Sean glanced over and scowled. “What the
hell, Jordy?”

“Is this your girlfriend?” the giant
demanded. “She looks like an angel. Only smokin’.”

Tess laughed again and extended her hand.
“I’m Tess Colby. And you’re Jordy Jordan? I remember you from the
Cotton Bowl. Welcome to the Lancers.”

“You’re so pretty,” he replied solemnly.

“Geezus, bro,” Sean said, clearly struggling
not to laugh. “Back off, will you?”

Tess smiled. “Are you superstitious, Jordy?
Because I’m writing an article about superstitious athletes and I’d
love to interview you for it.”

“I don’t think I’m superstitious.”

“No lucky rabbit’s foot? No pre-game rituals?
Like listening to particular music?”

“I like getting laid before a game. Does that
count?”

She bit back a laugh. “That’s a whole
different
kind
of getting lucky.”

He grinned. “You should talk to Wish. He has
this pillow he brought down to Eugene. Says he can’t sleep without
it. Remember, Deck?”

“Somehow I missed that,” Sean drawled.

Oblivious to the sarcasm, Jordy explained to
Tess, “It’s from LSU. All beat up but he’s
gotta
sleep with
it. Even if there’s a girl in the room. So that counts, right?”

Bam strode up at the moment and said sternly,
“Hey, loser. Didn’t I warn you about talking to our women?”

Sean cracked up but the rookie seemed
completely cowed, murmuring, “Sorry, Mr. Bannerman.”

“Just go find a corner, will ya?”

“Sure, right away.” Jordy gave Tess an
apologetic look then hurried away.

Tess glared. “Seriously?”

“You should try it,” Bam said with a laugh.
“It’s hecka fun. Anyway, the big dog wants you. Because Riga’s
here. And who knows how long he’ll stay.”

“Is he in a good mood?” Sean asked.

“Who can tell? But he wants to meet the
babes, so that’s a good sign. The teach is nervous, but I’ll bet
Bammie isn’t. Right, Bammie?”

“My plan was to tell him to stop bullying my
friends. But since
you
bully the poor rookies, I guess fair
is fair.”

“Just make him laugh, okay? I’ve got a bet
going with the big dog.”

“I’ll do my best,” she promised, taking
Sean’s arm and trailing Bam across the ballroom. She wasn’t exactly
nervous, but also didn’t expect a warm reception given Riga’s
reputation. She only hoped that between Erica and Rachel, the
spotlight would be firmly drawn away from her.

“It’s like a receiving line at a wedding
reception,” she whispered to Sean when they arrived at the
appointed spot.

“Or a firing squad,” he agreed.

Johnny and Erica were at the head of the
queue, Bam and Rachel next, and Tess and Sean at the end. It made
sense, since that was more or less the group’s pecking order, and
it gave Tess an advantage since she could watch how Riga interacted
with others first.

When he finally strode over to them, she
studied him warily. There was something familiar about him. She had
noticed it a couple of times in press conferences, but could never
put her finger on it and always decided it was because he looked so
much like a beast.

A gorgeous beast to be sure, but so huge and
no-nonsense, from his shaggy black hair to his long limbs and rangy
body, it was hard to think of him in romantic terms, especially
since he had told the guys that women were an unnecessary
distraction during football season and should be avoided at all
costs. Supposedly he had just been talking about casual dating, but
still it didn’t bode well.

To his credit, he adopted a civilized
demeanor when he approached Erica and took her hand. “Now I see why
my QB is always so happy,” he told her with a wry smile. “You’re a
legend, Ms. McCall.”

Erica blushed. “I’ve been dying to meet you,
Coach Riga. Please call me Erica. And should I call you
Daniel?”

“What?”

“She’s kidding, Coach,” Johnny assured him
quickly.

“Yeah,” Bam insisted. “She’s just joking
around.”

Overcome with giggles, Tess buried her face
in Sean’s chest. “Oh, God, it’s so hilarious.”

Sean chuckled under his breath. “Cut it out,
Tess. He’ll think you’re laughing at
him.”

“I
am.”
She smiled up into his green
eyes. “Sorry, I’ll be good.”

“Not
too
good, though. Right?”

“Right.”

Riga had moved on to Rachel, and as expected,
seemed momentarily flustered by her fairy-tale beauty.

Bam made the introduction. “Coach, this is
Rachel Gillette. Rachel, this is the coach. You can call him
Coach.”

Rachel smiled and said, “It’s so nice to meet
you, Daniel,” emphasizing the “Daniel” in solidarity with Erica.
“Vince has told me so much about you.”

Riga’s eyes twinkled. “I’ve heard about you,
too. A kindergarten teacher, right? That must come in handy at the
dinner table.”

They all laughed. Or almost all of them,
since Riga settled for a wry smile.

Wow, he really is a tough nut,
Tess
decided. Not that she planned on trying to crack it, not even to
help Bam win the bet. In the old days, Colbee could have done it.
But Colbee was semi-retired, and at the moment, that felt like a
blessing.

Finally it was her turn, so she advised
herself to just go with the flow. He would say he had heard about
her—maybe even say he had heard she was “cool”—and she would smile
graciously, call him by his proper title, and hope for the
best.

When he walked over, Sean said proudly,
“Coach? This is my girlfriend, Tess. Tess, this is Coach Riga.”

She wanted to say something intelligent,
especially since he was openly gawking at her. Unfortunately, his
weird reaction made her throat dry, so she settled for offering her
hand and a simple, “Hi.”

He took her hand, stared for another long
moment then demanded, “Do I know you?”

“That depends,” she quipped. “Do you drink
beer in Seattle?”

“What?” His eyes widened and then to
everyone’s shock, his face broke into a grin. “Zone D, right? But
you had a ponytail. And your name wasn’t Tess. Something else
. . .”

“Colbee.”

His grin widened.
“That’s
it. Damn, I
always wanted to see you again. You probably don’t remember
me—”

“Actually, I do,” she assured him as the
memory rushed back. “You came in during March Madness. With your
mom, right? And she was yelling at you for not making your
bed?”

Throwing his head back, he roared with
laughter, and Tess giggled too. They really had had fun that night.
He hadn’t been clean shaven like tonight, but rather had looked
like a caricature of a lumberjack with a wild beard and plaid
flannel shirt. Possibly a Mets cap as well.

No wonder she didn’t recognize him. Not that
she was complaining. Because this clean-shaven guy looked
amazing
in a tux.

“Nice job, Bammie,” Bam crowed. “I
knew
you could do it.”

Riga cut him off, insisting to Sean, “Your
girlfriend turned a bad night into the best night of my life.”

“Huh?”

The coach chuckled. “I was in Seattle for a
funeral, met a hot woman, and took her to Zone D, where she turned
into the date from freaking
hell.
All she did was bitch and
complain. And there was Colbee, making faces and imitating her
behind her back. It was
classic
. I couldn’t get enough of
it.”

“That’s what Decker always says about Tess,”
Bam joked.

“Quiet,” Riga warned him. Then he told Tess
in a warm voice, “Damn, it’s good to see you again.”

“Settle down, handsome. They’re getting the
wrong idea.”

To her delight, he roared again, a huge,
booming laugh that virtually shook the ballroom. Then he composed
himself and told Sean, “Dance with your girlfriend.”

“Sure thing, Coach.” He grinned. “Remember
how I told you she was cool?”

Riga glared. “Just dance with her, will
you?”

“I’m on it.” He gave Tess a teasing smile.
“Wanna dance?”

She nodded and took his hand, then told Riga
playfully, “Don’t go away. I’m not done with you yet.”

• • •

Daniel Riga chatted with the two remaining
couples, which Erica knew was a rare opportunity, but the knot in
her stomach wouldn’t let her enjoy it. For one thing, he was mostly
talking about Tess. And while he was ten years older and a total
hard-ass, Erica had the sinking feeling Tess was his Juliet—the
great, star-crossed love of his life.

What a burn!

When Sean and Tess returned from dancing, she
flirted once again with the coach, mostly to amuse Bam and Johnny.
Everyone laughed, including Erica, although her heart wasn’t in
it.

Finally, Riga made his escape from the gala,
leaving Bam and Tess to make further hilarious observations about
the rangy giant.

Then Bam asked Erica to dance. Not an unusual
move, but she felt sorry for him, knowing she was bad company.
Still, she had to smile when Sean paired up with Rachel and Tess
with Johnny, both couples looking adorable.