Intercepting Love (Second Chances #5)(7)
I had the sudden urge to fan myself, but the last thing I wanted was for Cooper to think I was going to fawn all over him. That wasn’t going to happen … ever. Thankfully, I wasn’t alone with him since Joel stood off to the side of the room; at least, until his phone rang and he excused himself. Once he left, an awkward silence filled the room, and all I could hear was the pounding in my ears as I slowly walked up behind Cooper.
I usually didn’t get nervous being around men, but unfortunately, there was something about the tall, dark, and handsome quarterback that lit my body on fire. Licking my lips, I was about to ask him questions about his medical history when Joel came back into the room.
Glancing at both of us, he held up his phone and said, “I’m sorry you two, but I need to get out of here. Something’s come up.” Then he looked specifically at me. “Kate, do you mind giving Cooper a ride home? He moved two houses down from you, so it shouldn’t be an inconvenience.” He smiled quickly and waved good-bye. “Thank you and I’ll see you both tomorrow.”
Before I could even protest, he disappeared around the corner, his footsteps racing down the hallway. What the hell? Since when was chauffeur added to my job description? Not that I wouldn’t help out someone on the team, it’s just I didn’t want to help the man sitting in front of me. He already made me feel uncomfortable. When we could no longer hear Joel’s voice echoing down the hallway, Cooper spoke.
“Dr. Townsend, don’t worry about taking me home. I can call a cab once we’re done here. I don’t want to cause any problems with your husband,” he stated, sounding tired … almost weary.
Mouth gaping open, I froze in place and tried to hold back my snicker. The husband part was kind of funny, and I was pretty sure my brother would get a kick out of that … especially when Cooper found out that my protector was really my brother. However, I had to hand it to him, he actually sounded sincere. I knew for a fact that a lot of the guys on the team wouldn’t have cared if I was married.
“Actually, Cooper, I’m a PA, not a doctor, so you don’t have to call me Dr. Townsend. Andrew Sawyer is the real team physician, but he’s on vacation right now. You’ll see him around in a couple of weeks.”
“I see,” he replied.
“Also, just so you know,” I added, “I don’t mind taking you home. It wouldn’t make any sense for you to call a cab when you live two houses down from me.”
He peered at me over his shoulder. “Thank you, I appreciate it. The last thing I want is there to be more tension when I know no one wants me here.”
Setting down his chart, I circled around the chair and faced him, gently taking his elbow and lifting his arm so I could check his mobility. He winced just a tiny bit when I raised his arm higher, his muscles tensing.
“Do you really think that? That no one wants you here?”
It was sort of true, but we were only worried that he would screw up and bring bad publicity to our team. Shrugging his shoulders, he smiled even though I could see the sadness in his gaze. “Hey, it wouldn’t be the first time no one wanted me. You get used to it after a while.”
When he averted his gaze, I moved behind him and kept my hand on his shoulder while I rotated his arm in a circle. He must’ve been talking about his old team. I hadn’t realized what kind of impact that would have on him.
“It’s not that we don’t want you, Cooper. I think we’ve all seen the newspaper articles on your … issues. It’s just we don’t want to be in the crossfire of bad publicity. I’m assuming you’ve given up your bad habits?” I asked, trying not to sound like an accusatory mother.
With my hand on his warm skin, I could feel his chuckle through my fingertips. “And what exactly would those bad habits be, Kate? There are too many to count.”
Rolling my eyes, I snapped, “Do you still do drugs? Drink heavily? Those kinds of bad habits.” Done with his evaluation, I faced him head on with my arms crossed over my chest, waiting on him to reply.
Cooper got to his feet and smiled while slowly reaching over my body—brushing his own against mine—so he could retrieve his red T-shirt that was draped over the table. Breathing in deeply, he slowly rubbed his arm against mine, making my skin tingle with the contact. He was pushing my buttons, and I didn’t know if I should be pissed off or enjoy those forbidden moments.
Leaning down toward my ear, he murmured, “You don’t have anything to worry about. I’m perfectly fine. I know what’s at stake if I f*ck up.”
For some reason, I wasn’t sure if I believed that or not. I did know that Joel wouldn’t put up with him if he messed up, and if he did it’d be game over. There was nothing I could do about that, but deep down I really did pray he would be what we needed to win.
Putting his file back in the cabinet, I took a deep breath and turned back to him. “All right, I believe you,” I claimed halfheartedly. “I have faith that you’ll do your best. Now let’s get you home so you can rest up before tomorrow. Just because you’re new to the team doesn’t mean the guys are going to go easy on you.”
He grinned and started toward the door. “I wouldn’t expect anything less.”
It was a fifteen minute drive from the stadium to my neighborhood, and I had a feeling it was going to be one of the most awkward rides of my life, but Cooper surprised me by talking nonstop. At first, it was just questions about Charlotte and about the team, but then it moved on to questions about me. I was afraid to get too personal for fear it would cause problems. I needed to make sure I kept my distance.