Win Me Over Read online

  She now realized that Coach Clark was not the type to be handled and spending the next few weeks doing the vertical nasty with him would only lead to trouble. Not to mention that he looked ready to knock someone into next week after hearing her announcement.

  Here it was, fate was about to intervene—and yet, being the competitive spirit she was, it suddenly irked her to no end that he would be the one to reject her.

  “You’re pissed, right? I knew it.” She dropped her shoulders. “We could basically shut this down right now if you just march down to the office and tell him it’s not gonna happen. Because to be honest with you … I have a lot going on this season. I run my own business as well as coach, and I’d just as soon not have to worry about helping you win.”

  As soon as the words left her lips she saw the kink in her plan. Callie knew a challenge when she heard one and that was just what she’d done. She’d just challenged the big, hot, brooding man. Stupid.

  “Helping me, huh? You sound pretty sure you’d win,” he finally said, and yep, there was definitely the trace of an adorable twang to his speech. He stuffed his hands in his pockets and she jerked her eyes away from his pants, tough as it was.

  “Oh, I know I’d win.” She gave him a wink. “Winning is what I do. And a dancing competition? Yeah, no-brainer.”

  He leveled his gaze on her. “But you don’t want to dance with me, apparently.”

  Her mouth dropped open. “Okay, now you’re just putting words in my mouth; I never said that. You obviously didn’t want to dance with me, since you immediately got all pissed.”

  “I never said I was pissed.”

  Callie yanked her head back with a scoff. “Like you had to. That whole breath sucking in and death stare were all I needed.” She did a quick impersonation of him, puffing up her chest, glaring at him.

  He shook his head a little and she was almost sure that he wanted to laugh. He pulled himself together. “But I’m right. You were doing this out of obligation for some reason, but the truth is you don’t want to dance with me.”

  Was he for real? Were they arguing about this? And how did he keep managing to throw her off her game? “Why are you making this about me? Principal Jensen told me you said no from the beginning, I’m just trying to do you a favor, but by all means, if you want to dance, then we’ll dance.” She threw her arms up in frustration, annoyed that she’d just fallen for his challenge this time.

  “No. I won’t be dancing.”

  “It sounds like you want to.”

  “I don’t. I was just trying to point out that you sounded very opposed to the idea of dancing with me.”

  “Nope,” she said matter-of-factly, shaking her head. “No I didn’t.”

  “Hmm,” he said, continuing to stare at her.

  Callie crossed her arms and scrunched up her face for a minute. “You’re making this kind of complicated. Sort of unusual for a man.”

  The expression on his face made her want to laugh. She’d pushed his buttons all right; he looked completely baffled and offended. “This is not complicated. At all.” He was starting to sound very flustered.

  She could only shrug. “You want to; you don’t want to; you’re mad; you’re not mad.” She put her hands up surrender-style, trying desperately to make it appear that she wasn’t getting as amped up as he appeared to be. She hoped it was working. “Just saying, usually a man knows what he wants and doesn’t want.”

  “Unbelievable.” He ran his hand through his hair, his gaze going serious on her. “Let me make myself very clear then. I’m not participating in any dance competition and I will be having a talk with Jensen for going behind my back.”

  “Okay, I’ll let you deal with it from here on. But you know Jensen is hoping this will be your ticket to winning some coaching award. Apparently, it would be good for the entire school.”

  Why was she still talking? He’d said no and that he was going to talk with the principal. It could be done and done. She should walk out of there, go to the gym, and forget about this mess. So why was she still goading him?

  His face changed slightly, tensed. “I don’t coach for my own recognition and no award given to me will change anything about my process or how I feel about what I do here. So that has no bearing on my decision.”

  “So you don’t think that all those young men that look up to you would be proud and excited if their coach was given a huge award? Not only that, but think of what you’d be teaching them about hard work and being willing to put yourself out there. Don’t you want them to see that even big strong manly men can have fun, do something for a good cause? Give back to the community?” Apparently she was incapable of shutting her mouth or not thinking about how lickable his neck looked in that dress shirt.

  “Are you trying to shame me into saying yes?”

  She shrugged. “Not at all. Like I said, it would be best for me if we didn’t do this.”

  “Look who’s being complicated now.”

  “I’m always complicated. No objections there,” she said straight faced.

  “Well then, it’s a good thing we won’t be partnering, because I only like easy women.”

  “Classy, Coach Clark,” she said, loving the wince on his face the minute he’d said those unfortunate words.

  “You know damn well what I meant.”

  “It’s settled then. We won’t be partners. So I guess we’re done here.”

  “I guess we are.”

  She stood there a minute longer, his eyes never leaving hers. Unable to stop herself, she licked her lips and watched his gaze follow the movement. He reached out and rested his hand on a soapstone counter, almost as if catching himself from falling. Interesting. And what the hell was she doing playing with him like this?

  And was he playing with her? None of this was normal conversation. It all felt … heated. Intense. Crazy. Their eyes met again, his darkening. In what … fury? Surely not desire after they’d just gotten each other so worked up and frustrated.

  She picked up her dance bag, hefted it over her shoulder, and turned to go. But because she was Callie Daniels, daughter of Her Hines, she couldn’t leave well enough alone. “Well, I’d say it was nice to meet you, Bennett … but nope. I don’t think I will.” And she walked out just as the bell rang, her heels clacking against the linoleum.

  Three

  Railroaded.

  There was no other way for Bennett to explain what he’d just been through. He couldn’t make sense of the encounter if he tried. Callie Daniels had walked into his classroom, hot-as-you-damn-please, and completely knocked the wind out of him. And then after challenging him, taunting him, and confusing the living hell out of him, she’d turned and walked out in the sexiest little huff he’d ever seen.

  Neither of them had so much as raised their voice, but he felt exhausted. The woman was more than a handful not only physically but also emotionally.

  As much as the thought of dancing in front of a crowd, or even at all, horrified him, he was almost shocked that he’d managed not to say yes. As ridiculous as the past five minutes had been … he hadn’t wanted them to end. It was insane. He could have gone on bantering with her for the rest of the afternoon.

  Never mind that the thought of spending hours of practice time with his arms full of her lush little body had made him want to agree to whatever she demanded. A thought that irritated him even more, because if anyone knew how much trouble a woman like that could be it was him. Mouthy, gorgeous, and smart. The kind that was looking for a man to give her exactly what she wanted: everything.

  Bennett pulled himself together and went back to his desk to shove some papers that needed grading over the weekend into his bag before he headed down to the assembly. He was certain he’d see her there. Would she look at him? Pretend nothing had happened? Nope, he was certain she wouldn’t be able to forget because she’d made certain that he wouldn’t with that little tease of her tongue. Right before she stormed out. Damn, it shouldn’t have worked the way
it did.

  He groaned and paused at the classroom door, willing his body to get its shit together before he walked into the hall. Thinking about how mad he was at Principal Jensen did the trick. What a slimy bastard, sending a woman like that down to do his dirty work.

  Bennett had made it beyond clear to the man that he wasn’t interested in doing the country club fund-raiser. Not only because he didn’t pander to the town’s rich families, but mostly because he didn’t fucking dance. He barely walked some days with his bad leg. He couldn’t even imagine what he’d look like trying to be graceful in front of an audience.

  He shook off thoughts of humiliation and tried to focus on dodging the masses of students idling in the hallway. He urged them toward the gym, convincing himself he didn’t catch the scent of weed on one kid’s hoodie.

  The band was already playing, the reverberation of the drums bouncing off the lockers that lined the hallway. Game days during school hours had an energy all their own, and he never knew if he loved it or hated it. It was good for the students, however, and got the team in the right frame of mind, but for him it was stressful. He couldn’t help thinking about the coming game while he was trying to teach, which was why he was watching a few last-minute play videos during his plan period when Callie Daniels had come in and blown his concentration to pieces.

  Damn, she was still doing a number on his thoughts, because he kept imagining golden-toned legs, little high-heeled shoes, and those blond curls that had framed her face. The majority of her big hair had been pulled back, just like it had been the first time he saw her in the gym. He couldn’t stop thinking how much he’d like to see it loose and wild.

  He turned down the hall that ran along the back of the gym near the locker rooms. The football team congregated there, waiting for the moment when they’d be announced to an adoring crowd. A few guys called out to Bennett as he approached, and he found himself smiling, finally able to get his thoughts in check.

  “Coach, it’s packed in there,” Jason said, his grin wide and his eyes sparkling from the adrenaline rush.

  Unlike Bennett, the boys loved the pep rallies. It was a thrill to get so much attention, and while he didn’t begrudge them their time in the spotlight, he was always there to knock them down a few pegs when it was over. Nobody got far with too big of an ego, how well he knew.

  “Better make sure your fly’s zipped.” Both Jason and Tate instantly lifted their jerseys and looked down at their jeans. Bennett laughed and ran his hands through his hair.

  The part about these assemblies he hated most was speaking in front of the crowd. Students, parents, aunts, uncles, staff. It made his insides twist. But they all expected a few words from him, especially the first game of the season.

  At least the local news media had stopped coming like they had his first couple of years of coaching. Everybody wanted to get a look at what Bennett Clark had done with himself after he came out of hiding and took a high school coaching job in a small Missouri town. A few videos and stories had even shown up on Sports Illustrated online, exactly what he’d wanted to avoid. What was worse were the few brave reporters who had sought him out, wanting interviews. Bennett would do just about anything for his players, but it didn’t take a psychic to see that the reporters weren’t interested in hearing about the team, and he refused to talk about the accident and his recovery. Not an option.

  The bleachers in the gym began to vibrate with stomping of students as the assembly got under way. Bennett stepped around some of the players and peeked into the gym. It was standing room only in the corners, but he just barely caught sight of the Pantherettes’ double kick line forming. The boys would be announced one at a time and run through, a tradition at Preston High.

  A large hand clapped onto Bennett’s shoulder. He turned to find Reggie grinning at him. “You ready for this, my man?”

  Bennett nodded and some of the tension drained from his body. Reggie’s good-natured outlook and laid-back style always helped Bennett’s stress level. He said to his friend, “Can you believe this will be our sixth season coaching together?”

  “Crazy, isn’t it? And you still single.” Reggie laughed and shook his head. Bennett’s chuckle died in his throat when he caught sight of Principal Jensen from the corner of his eye. The man was standing off to the side in the gym, clapping along with the music. Bennett knew the idiot meant well, but his tactics pissed him off. He’d be having a long talk with the man very shortly.

  Before the coach knew it, only Tate and another senior boy were left to be called, and once again Bennett’s nerves were humming. When Tate’s name was finally called the crowd went nuts.

  Reggie chuckled. “That kid. His ego’s gonna be insane by the time this season’s out.”

  “Yep. Can’t say he hasn’t earned it, though.”

  “For sure,” Reggie replied. A minute later he was jogging out as his name was called.

  Bennett took a deep breath, his heart hammering. Just another part of the job. He swallowed hard as he heard the announcing cheerleader’s voice begin again.

  “And now make some noise everybody for Preston’s favorite coach. Coach Bennett Claaaarrrrrrkkkkk.”

  * * *

  Callie watched in wide-eyed wonderment as the hot-as-sin Bennett Clark sauntered down the center of the kick line. His face looked a little smug and a lot overwhelmed at the incredible reception he was receiving. The students stomped on the bleachers and hollered, like he was a wrestler entering the arena. It was outrageous, and she found herself smiling in spite of herself.

  How did a small-town coach become such a celebrity? She recalled Principal Jensen saying Bennett had been in the NFL, so that had to be part of it. It wasn’t a surprise she’d never heard of him; she was completely ignorant when it came to professional sports. Even when she was on the dance team in college she didn’t keep up with any of the sports beyond her own school, and even then she wouldn’t have wanted to be quizzed on it.

  Bennett made his way over to his team in the center of the gym floor, who instantly met him with back pats and fist bumps. What did it feel like to be so beloved, and how had she not known that this was happening in the small town she’d called home for nearly two years? All this time, this man was breathing in the same air that she’d been. Had he ever entered her shop? She didn’t think so; Eric would have known if this level of sexy had been under his nose.

  Speaking of which. Callie sucked in a hard breath as the yelling began to die down and turned to find Eric’s head in the crowd. Luckily, he’d been looking at her, too, and instantly he mouthed, Wow. Wow was an understatement.

  She turned back to the gym floor just as the head cheerleader—also the announcer—handed Bennett the microphone. He put up his hands in a shushing gesture and then lifted the mic to his lips. Before he could get a word out a trio of female voices yelled out from the student section behind Callie’s head, “We love you, Coach Clark!”

  The crowd laughed and cheered and Callie had to stop her mouth from dropping open in shock. Three teenage girls had just inappropriately declared love for their teacher, and the crowd had laughed.

  And they thought the female dance team coaches were the problem.

  Bennett’s face turned an adorable light shade of pink and he smiled down at the gym floor, the round top of the microphone rested against his lips, close enough so that his breathy chuckle could be heard huffing through the speakers. The sound sent warmth straight to Callie’s toes.

  When he finally looked up, his eyes instantly met hers and held for just a second. His lips pursed just the slightest bit before he finally looked away.

  What was that about, and why had that warmth inside her body suddenly turned to a low simmer?

  “Y’all are too good to me, Preston,” Bennett said. His slight accent rippled through the loudspeaker, making everyone quiet down.

  There was no denying that he commanded attention, and here she’d planned to go into his classroom and tell him how it was. That w
as laughable. And yet … as she watched him shift his weight onto the other leg carefully, she sensed there was a subtle vulnerability to him. She couldn’t quite place it, but she knew it was in there. Something in his eyes, which landed on her once more.

  Callie couldn’t help her lips’ inching up just a fraction. She was pretty damn sure he reciprocated, as if they’d just passed a secret message, which was bizarre, because they’d just been at each other’s throats a few minutes ago in his classroom.

  “It sure is good to see y’all here,” he said, his eyes still on her. Finally he turned around and took in the bleachers from all four sides. They were packed to the rafters; apparently this was the place to be on a Friday afternoon in Preston, Missouri. “Before we get any further, I need to acknowledge a few people standing here with me.”

  He looked behind him and then to the other direction behind the players. “My assistant coaches, Reggie, John, Will, Jim. We wouldn’t be the team we are if it weren’t for these guys.”

  Another round of applause radiated through the crowd and Bennett waited for it to quiet down once more before going on. “And also to the parents of these fine, fine young men, I thank you for your continued support and dedication.”

  More cheers. Bennett waited, stuffing one hand in his pant pocket. It was such a simple movement, but Callie couldn’t help thinking that every little gesture he did came off as more manly than the average guy. She noticed that he’d rolled up the sleeves of his shirt, his forearms tanned and lightly covered in dark hair.

  Holy shit, she needed to look away, if for no other reason then her own sanity. He lifted the mic again.

  “It’s time for another year of football. I’m ready, the guys are ready, we had an amazing spring ball program, these boys look fantastic, and y’all know me, I’m not an eloquent speaker. In fact, my team knows that I’m not a complicated man.”