Page 36 of He Has Pluck
The low rumble of murmuring fills the room. I seek out and meet Juliette’s gaze. For once she’s not behind the camera. She holds my stare for a few beats and turns away without a hint at what she’s thinking, or so she thinks. But her gaze holding mine at all tells me enough. She sought me out in a room with over thirty guys, including the coaching staff and others.
“Get out of here,” Coach says. “What are you waiting for? The dinner buffet awaits. I’ll see you at six am in the locker room.”
The team starts filing out, and Coach catches up with me at the door.
“You settled in someplace, Tansem?”
“Yes, sir. I found a place within a ten-minute drive.”
“Make sure the front office has your address and any change in contact information.” He nods and turns in the opposite direction, heading back to his office.
“Guess he doesn’t take his own advice about early to bed,” I say as Finn joins me.
“No. Coach doesn’t know what rest is, though he talks a good game.”
“You staying home or going to a hotel?” I grin at him.
He snorts a laugh. “You’re the one who needs a hotel room so you don’t have to sleep with one eye open watching for rats.”
I give him the finger.
On the way to our new evening buffet ritual, I notice Juliette and Carlos following us with cameras up and on. I contemplate skipping the buffet, but I doubt I’d get away with it. The thing is, I need to escape her before she wears on my resistance. As it is, I watch her, my eyes circling the room with her as I shovel down my food.
“There’s no prize for finishing first,” Finn says.
“I was hungry.” He nods like he knows I’m full of shit and looks in Juliette’s direction. She’s packing up her camera. I scan the room and don’t see Carlos. Not surprisingly, some of my tension eases.
Standing, I say, “That was great, but I’m out of here. Can never get to bed too early.”
Finn laughs hard. “Don’t forget to get some sleep.”
“Don’t worry about me. I’m going home to an empty room. You watch out for your own energy supply.”
“See you at six,” he says and shoves a cookie in his mouth.
On my way out, I say good-night to a few of the guys, keeping track of Juliette as I go. She’s already on her way to the elevator, and I’m a fool for rushing my pace to catch up with her. She holds the door for me, and I slip inside as the door shuts behind me, cocooning us together in sudden silence.
“Leaving early to go home to your new place?” she asks idly as if I’m someone she only knows in passing, like her mailman.
“That’s right. Curious?” I’m a fucking idiot. The last thing I need to do is flirt with her now, but I can’t stop myself. I need to shake her loose, make her react to me.
“Maybe I wouldn’t mind coming over to check it out.”
“You wouldn’t like it. The vibe is early hobo meets crack addict.” She laughs and the sound snaps me, strikes a chord in me like I’m her private tuning fork.
“Don’t let my current digs fool you. I’ve stayed in all kinds of places on assignment, including tents and grass huts and once a cave.”
“That’s right. I almost forgot how badass you are.” She bats my arm in protest. The contact sets me off.
“Are you inviting me?” she asks.
“Since when do you need an invitation?”
“Since you need to save your energy, according to Coach.”
“That’s right. I need to get a good night’s sleep.”
She nods, not put off, no hurt. And I know she’s thinking of fucking me tonight as a challenge. My dick perks up, and my balls tighten because I can’t help picturing her under me, over me, sucking me, and shit.
