Cam

 

What the fuck?

Who the hell was this chick? And why the shit was she in our locker room? Then realization dawned.

Oh, you have got to be kidding me.

She must have followed me in here or something. A stalker maybe? Trying to get a glimpse of Cam Donovan in his skivvies? Maybe she had some type of weird obsession. I didn’t have the patience to deal with this bullshit today. I was late getting to practice because of a stupid interview for a TV spot that the university insisted I do. So, I had already been in a piss-poor mood before I walked in here.

This just pushed my rage over the edge.

“Look, I don’t know what your deal is,” I bit out, “but you’re not allowed to be in here. You need to leave now.”

She’d been standing there stock-still, mouth ajar, like a deer in headlights. But at my curt command, she finally snapped out of her trance and shook her head.

Then she blushed. Hard.

“No, sorry—I’m actually…um.” She closed her eyes and took a deep breath before opening them again, addressing me with more certainty. “I’m the team’s new student trainer. My name’s Reese.”

My mind screeched to a halt. Now that was interesting.

“Trainer, huh?”

She nodded. “Yeah. I just needed to use the restroom, and I didn’t think anyone was in here. I’m sorry.”

I noticed she went back and forth between making eye contact and looking over my head, obviously trying to avoid lowering her gaze to, well…the rest of me. I’d almost forgotten I was naked and covering my junk with a T-shirt. Not that it bothered me, but she was clearly uncomfortable.

I was becoming more intrigued by the second.

That’s when I really took her in from head to toe. She didn’t look much like a trainer. Probably because I was so used to old Gus and the rest of my doctors, who were all over the age of fifty. She looked to be about my age, though. And the fact that she was wearing tight ripped jeans and a faded “Middle Earth’s Annual Mordor Fun Run” T-shirt added to my curiosity.

But one thing was certain after barely glancing at her.

Our new trainer was hot.

Long chestnut hair fell around her shoulders in loose waves. Dark eyelashes highlighted what looked to be hazel eyes. Nice curves wrapped up in a tight, petite frame covered in flawless creamy skin. And damn, was that a nose ring? Yep. There was a small diamond stud in the middle of her cute button nose, and I swear I almost groaned out loud.

I was a sucker for an attractive piercing or a hot tat on a girl.

I was surprised she hadn’t left yet. Considering how hard she was blushing, I expected her to run out of there like the room was on fire. But she hadn’t, and I wasn’t sure what that meant. So, I decided to mess with her. Because I’d been having a shitty day and this was the most excitement I’d had all week.

I flashed her my signature grin—the one that always sent all my female fans into giggling fits—and relaxed my stance. “No apologies necessary, Reese.” Her eyes flew to mine when I said her name. “I’m Cam Donovan.”

I figured she already knew that. But something inside me really liked the fact that she responded with, “Nice to meet you,” instead of “I know, I’m a big fan.”

She still hadn’t moved. And I was becoming more and more tempted to remove my hand and really let her take in her fill. That might finally send her sprinting out the door.

Or maybe not. What a lovely thought that was.

“So, you’re a grad student?” I asked.

I was curious how long we could hold a conversation until she remembered she was standing in the men’s locker room.

And I was still naked.

“Yeah, in the physical therapy program,” she answered. “This trainer position is an internship for my degree.”

If she was in NCU’s PT program, she was one smart cookie. They didn’t accept just anyone. Unless she had rich alumni parents who’d negotiated her way in for her. I’d met too many spoiled trust fund kids like that at this school, and I couldn’t stand them. But Reese wasn’t striking me as that type. She appeared to actually have a brain, something I could appreciate.

“And you’ll be with us all season?”

The prospect of being around her for the next four months suddenly sounded very appealing.

She tucked her hair behind her ear, once again avoiding eye contact. “Until your season ends, yes. Whether that’s in March or before, I’ll be here until the team is done.”

I laughed, the sound coming out both sarcastic and maybe a little arrogant. That got her attention.

“We’ll be done after we win the championship, sweetheart.”

Her spine stiffened, and I bit back a smirk. Little Miss Reese seemed to have some feistiness in her. I liked that.

“That’s what they’re all saying, aren’t they?” she asked, tilting her head, her eyes turning skeptical. “That the NCU Thunder is going all the way.”

I narrowed my eyes. “You don’t think we will?”

She shrugged nonchalantly. “Time will tell.”

Her vagueness rankled my nerves, though I couldn’t explain why. Except that I could tell there was more she wanted to say, and for some odd reason, I wanted to hear her honest opinion. What the hell was that about?

“Go ahead,” I encouraged. “Say whatever you’re thinking, sweetheart.”

She hesitated for only a second. “The team’s man defense could use some work. And frankly, you could be a little more selfish with the ball.”

Um. What?

My face went slack, unsure if I should be offended or not. “Excuse me? More selfish?”

Never in my entire life had a girl told me how to play ball, or even offered advice on my game. I didn’t need it and I didn’t ask for it. So, who the hell did this girl think she was, throwing out her uneducated opinions like that? I may have wanted to know what she thought, but I didn’t think she was going to criticize my game specifically.

Why wasn’t I more upset about it?

Sure, I was slightly annoyed. But it was more like annoyance borne of curiosity. I should have been angry with her. Not interested in what she was going to say next. Unfettered honesty wasn’t something I was used to. Most people only ever told me things they thought I wanted to hear, especially women. Whatever they thought would please me. As sad as it was, I wasn’t accustomed to people telling me the honest to God truth.

But it was…refreshing.

If not a little unnerving.

I was suddenly feeling put on the spot. And possibly for the very first time in my life, I cared about what someone else saw when they looked at me.

This was getting weird.

She didn’t falter or even blanch at my heated tone. Apparently, her uncertainty from earlier had been long forgotten.

“You give the ball up too much,” she stated matter-of-factly. “You had one of the highest shooting percentages in the NACA last year, yet you still didn’t take enough shots. When you drive the ball, you’re unstoppable. But when you hold back, you play sort of…timid.”

I ground my back molars together. A very small, microscopic part of me knew she made a good point. But despite everything I just thought regarding honesty, I didn’t like having to own up to my weaknesses. My father always used to tell me I never took criticism well, and I’d have to agree. Especially not when it came from a hot stranger like Reese.

“It’s called being a team player,” I said in a low voice.

“And part of being a team player is holding your team up, even when you have to do more of the work yourself,” she said pointedly. “Take advantage when you know you’re on your game, because the rest of the team will benefit from it.”

Okay, seriously. Who was this girl?

Did she realize she was essentially trying to coach the best player in the country? And that wasn’t arrogance. That was fact. I knew what the hell I was doing. If I didn’t, I wouldn’t be the fucking King of the Court.

But instead of throwing her a bone and conceding that she made sense, I did what I usually did when I didn’t want to address a question or statement. I turned on the charm. Though in this case, I probably came off as more of an asshole than a charmer. Which was my goal, anyway.

She’d thrown me off my game, so I wanted to throw her off hers.

I gave her another cock-eyed grin, and struck a pose that couldn’t be ignored in my clothes-less state. I raised my leg and rested my foot on a nearby bench, further spreading my legs. I kept the T-shirt over my dick in place, but at this point, it was doing very little in the way of hiding much.

Reese’s eyes zoned in on my barely-covered package and immediately darted away, her blush returning.

I curled my lip over my teeth. “Well, well,” I purred. “Trainer and new member of the coaching staff. Exactly how many hats do you wear, Reese?”

Her jaw muscles ticked as she glared.

Definitely not a wilting flower, this one. Good.

“I know what you’re doing,” she said, her voice turning husky.

Fuck. The sound shot straight to my dick.

Had she meant to do that? If so, I hadn’t given her enough credit. I made more of an effort to keep the thin material of the shirt over my growing erection. I didn’t want to give her the satisfaction of knowing how turned on I was.

“Do you?” I asked, goading her. “What’s that, sweetheart?”

She swallowed. “You’re trying to make me uncomfortable. Is this the point where I’m supposed to swoon from your irresistible charm? Or fall at Your Majesty’s feet because I’m a mere peasant who’s unworthy of standing in the great King’s presence?”

My laugh was full of genuine amusement. She was a complete contradiction. She wouldn’t let her eyes drift southward, yet she seemed completely fine with some verbal sparring with a naked stranger.

“You’re standing in the men’s locker room,” I pointed out. “You walked in on me changing, and I haven’t even been able to get dressed. Then you lecture me on my game.” I quirked an eyebrow. “If anyone should be uncomfortable here, it’s me. However, if you want to kneel before me, I’m certainly not going to stop you.”

That seemed to knock her back a step, literally. Her eyes widened—as if she only just realized our situation—and she stumbled backwards, catching herself on a stool, almost tripping and landing on her ass. And damn if it wasn’t a fine ass. For such a petite girl, she filled out her jeans very nicely, and then some. My eyes were glued to that ass as she awkwardly turned for the door.

“Right, yeah, I shouldn’t have been in here,” she said, talking fast. “I’ll let you get back to putting clothes on. I mean, doing your thing.” She waved her hand, as if trying to erase her words. “Oh, you know what I’m saying. I have to get out on the court, anyway. I’m on the cock.”

I choked on my own breath.

She might as well have been the puppeteer to my dick. She said on the cock and mine sprang up as if attached to a string. A string controlled by her voice.

She looked mortified. Times ten. “Clock!” she blurted out. “I’m on the clock. I didn’t say co—Oh, my God.” She bolted for the door, and then spun back around to me. “I’m not—I wasn’t. Okay, bye.”

And she was out the door.

“I’ll see you out there, Reese!” I shouted through my laughter, knowing she heard me.

It was weird how long it took me to catch my breath after laughing so hard at her fumble. Even stranger was how many times I’d smiled during our conversation. Girls never made me laugh. Not like that. And if they made me smile, it was either forced or it was more of a satisfied grin during sex.

But I’d talked to Reese for several minutes and hadn’t once gotten the slightest bit bored. Any girls I ever hung around were exactly that: hang-arounds. They weren’t my friends and they definitely weren’t my girlfriends. All I had were hook-ups for two reasons. One, I didn’t have time for anything else, what with basketball taking up my entire life. And two, I had never met a girl who I could stand for longer than five minutes.

That sounded bad, but it was true.

Ditzy, slutty, clingy, narcissistic, selfish, gold-digging, spoiled, bratty, dramatic, and just plain boring. Apparently, these were the only qualities I could attract from the female population. And I had long grown out of the phase in my life where I ignored all of that simply to get laid. The more successful and well-known I’d become in the basketball world, the more annoying—and more persistent—the women had become.

Reese wasn’t any of those things.

To be honest, I didn’t really know what she was. Yet.

But I was damn sure going to run out there right now and find out.