Win Me Over (13 page)

Bennett was nodding his head in remembrance. “I'll never forget that moment for as long as I live.”

“How did I not know you were coaching up here?”

“I kind of fell off the radar not long after my accident. And if you don't have kids in high school…”

Mike laughed. “Definitely not. Not yet anyway.”

Callie was stunned as she watched the two men talk for a few minutes about Bennett's time at Texas and in the pros. Within three minutes Mike managed to learn more about the man than she had in three hours. Maybe she should have just asked him. She couldn't believe that Bennett could become so animated, his face smiling naturally and so expressive. He definitely had some confidence when it came to his time playing ball. She found herself slack-jawed as she took it all in.

“Well, shit, it's good to meet you,” Mike said. “If I'd have known I was feeding a celebrity I might have been a little more particular about grilling these burgers.”

Bennett just smiled. “I'm sure they'll be great.”

“You want a beer?” Mike asked as he walked to the back door with a tray full of meat.

“No thanks, man.”

Mike nodded and went into the kitchen, leaving Bennett and Callie alone. She turned to Bennett, grinning.

“What?” he asked.

“You didn't expect to come here and have a fanboy, did you?”

He shrugged. “It happens occasionally. Not in a while, though, I admit.”

“I've never seen Mike get that excited over anything except an old car. Or Anne of course, but that no longer counts.”

“The more time goes by the more people don't know who I am.”

There was something about the way he'd said that. “Is that how you want it?”

“It's easier, that's for sure.”

“Why?”

“Nothing to explain, no awkward questions. No pity.”

She paused for a minute, looking into his eyes. “I guess I won't ask any questions then. Even though I'd really like to know more about you.”

She almost swore when she said it his expression fell a little. The only reason she knew about his accident was because she'd been nosey; they'd never spoken about it with each other and she was kind of surprised he'd mentioned it so casually to Mike. If Bennett wanted to tell her his secrets, then he'd just have to offer them up; she wasn't going to beg or disrespect the wishes he'd just made clear.

“Okay, I lied. One question.”

He grinned, a look so effortless and handsome it nearly melted her. “That does not surprise me one bit. What do you want to know?”

“Did the players walk around naked in the locker room?”

He laughed softly. “Seriously?”

Callie motioned to her face. “Does this look like I'm kidding? Give a girl some details? That is the thing fantasies are made of.”

Bennett ran a hand down his face and then whispered, “Yes. Of course there were guys walking around naked. But don't ask for details because I was never looking at the
details
.”

Callie let out a little sigh of pleasure. “That is so awesome. I'm jealous.
Details
are one of my favorite things.”

“Good lord, woman.” He laughed. “No topic is off-limits for you, is it?”

“Mmmm, not really,” she teased.

She realized they were much closer together now than they'd been a few minutes ago. His face was angled down to hers, his gaze taking in her face, passing over her lips a long moment. He shook his head and then said quietly, “I'm trying to figure out why you think I would purposely want to fill your head with images of other men naked?”

Callie's breath tripped over her racing heartbeat. “Well, who else should I imagine naked? A girl has to have something to think about when she's lonely.”

She didn't miss the way Bennett's throat worked as he swallowed, his eyes briefly traveling over her once more. “Maybe a girl should do something about her loneliness.”

“Easier said than done, Coach Clark.”

Just then the screen door shot open and Claire's shrill voice rang out, “Time to eat, Callie.”

“Okay, sweetie, thank you,” Callie squeaked.

Bennett was still watching Callie when she turned back to him. “I guess we should go in,” he said.

“Yes, we should. I'm starving and you'll want to be sure to stock up on more burgers and football talk so you balance out the fact that you'll be watching men dancing in tight pants for an hour.”

 

Seven

Every available seating space in Anne's small living room—including the floor—was full. Callie was next to Bennett on the sofa. Lindsey was on the other side of Callie. Eric and Claire were on the floor, while Anne sat in Mike's lap in an oversized chair. Despite the fact that it was crowded, they were watching an overwhelmingly girl-friendly show, and Bennett was stuffed from dinner, he was enjoying himself. A lot.

He liked the atmosphere here. The house felt like a home, even more so than the house he'd lived in for six years. Anne was a really nice woman, attractive and sweet. He knew why Mike was so into her; she was quite a catch, making everyone feel at home and welcome so easily. The two of them were openly affectionate with each other, and it made the nearness of Callie on the couch next to Bennett all the more frustrating. She was of course the biggest reason why he was enjoying himself here. Every time she moved in her seat he felt it, the fruity scent of her hair, and the warmth of her side against his.

Even the show was
okay,
despite that fact that she hadn't been kidding about the men in tight pants. The females in the room went on and on about every dancer and every celebrity. Several times he and Mike had shared looks of disbelief and confusion when the women—and one man—freaked out over something or someone. But secretly Bennett had to admit, some of it was pretty hot. There were a few moves he wouldn't mind trying out with Callie in his arms, although if his limited experience was any indication that would never happen. He'd definitely like to see her in one of those little skirts some of the females were wearing while they moved their bodies so sensually.

It was somewhat helpful, though. He now understood a little better what Callie had been saying about it being more than the dance steps. The connection between the partners was important, and even the judges commented on their chemistry or lack thereof. He was pretty damn sure he and Callie had some serious chemistry going on. He also appreciated that they showed clips of their practice time, and it was nice to see that even the best couples got irritated with each other and struggled to learn the routine. He'd been beginning to think that he was just an idiot for not being able to get it right away.

“Okay, here we go.” Callie managed to scoot even closer and patted his leg. He shifted, realizing that her touch could make things very uncomfortable for him if he wasn't careful. “This is the best guy, Bax Kotze. He's from South Africa, totally hot. He's on after the commercial break.”

“He really is so handsome and very talented,” Lindsey said.

Bennett had learned quickly that Lindsey was the soft-spoken yet sweet voice of reason. Anne was the mother figure, naturally, and Eric and Callie bantered like brother and sister. They had fun together, and she touched Eric affectionately, rubbed his back. Clearly it was completely platonic, but it was an intimacy nonetheless, which Bennett found made him slightly jealous. It was also a stark reminder that he had nothing similar in his life. With anyone.

He was nowhere near as close to his parents, or his brother, as he used to be. His dad called a few times during the season to check in, and Bennett called them on holidays if he didn't go home—which he usually chose not to do. He'd become a different person eight years ago, and not for the better where personal relationships were concerned. For the first time in a long while, he ached for something more. A connection.

“We can only pray that Bax does this performance shirtless,” Eric said, interrupting Bennett's depressing thoughts. “When that man's abs constrict I nearly lose my mind.”

“That's it; I'm getting another beer. Anyone else?” Mike carefully slid from under Anne and glanced around. Everyone else declined.

Bennett felt Callie turn and he looked over at her. He'd been leaning against the arm of the couch so as not to get too close … although he would have liked to pull her onto his lap. She smiled when their eyes met.

“You are so hating me for this, aren't you,” she whispered.

“No, of course not. But I can promise you that I won't lose my mind if this Bax guy is shirtless.”

She giggled, the sound resonating low in Bennett's gut. God, she was so beautiful. Flirting with her was a terrible idea, but he couldn't seem to help himself. Her beauty and grace seemed effortless; her humor and charm were always on. She was confident, but only because she took pride in her accomplishments. She was an amazing woman and it was getting harder and harder not to touch her when they were together.

“Has it inspired you even a little?” she asked. Her eyes were hopeful and he sat up straight, their sides brushing. She pulled her legs up under her on the cushion and faced him, her right arm on the back of the sofa. How he wished they weren't in a room full of people.

He cleared his throat and spoke quietly amidst the conversations that surrounded them. “Sure, it's inspired me. But I'll never look like one of those guys. You know that.”

“First of all, don't be so hard on yourself. And for the record, no way in hell I'll ever look like one of those girls.”

“Ah, that's debatable. I've seen you move.”

“Was that a compliment, Coach Clark?” she asked, a flirty smile playing at her mouth.

“Back on. Shhhhh,” Eric interrupted everyone.

They proceeded to watch Bax, the girls going nuts as they did. The guy was good, Bennett had to admit. Bax somehow managed to be masculine yet graceful at the same time. Seemed impossible. Or like a rare gift, something you either had or didn't. Bennett definitely didn't and never would. He was big and felt clumsy. His muscles came from weights, not from jumping and lifting women over his head. Trying to teach him to dance almost seemed a fool's errand on Callie's part.

He didn't want that. If for nothing else but to make her happy, he wanted to get this right.

Finally the show was over. It wasn't nearly as bad as he thought it would be, and it was entertaining to listen to everyone talk about it and get excited. He wasn't ready to DVR the season or anything, but it wasn't horrible. He was sure the woman next to him had a lot to do with that.

The girls went to the kitchen to clean up and he talked some more with Mike, who Bennett was finding was a really cool guy, easygoing. It had been weird to be recognized. It happened occasionally, but as the years went by it happened less and less. Usually that was exactly how he wanted it. Being reminded of what could have been was painful, but this time he'd sort of enjoyed having Callie know that he'd been good at something. Been somebody.

After a while Anne walked with Mike to his car; Eric and Lindsey both said good-bye and left. Bennett wasn't sure if Callie was going to stay and therefore he should just go … but he was itching to talk to her alone. She'd disappeared into the kitchen once again, so he waited awkwardly on the couch, surprised when Claire came down the stairs in pajamas and walked toward him.

“Hi there,” he said.

“Hi.” She made her way to his side and curled up on the couch, her little pink toes peeking from her pajama pants. The material was dotted with fluffy white sheep. She angled her head to the side. “I get to be a dancer with Callie in a few weeks. At a football game.”

“You do? That's exciting.” Bennett assumed she was talking about the clinic that the dance team held every year for little girls. He knew about it but had never seen the performance since it happened during halftime when he and the team were in the locker room. It also coincided with the football team's Punt, Pass, Kick fund-raiser. “Callie's a good dance teacher.”

Claire gave him an awkward look. “Do you like Callie?”

His eyebrows rose and an awkward laugh escaped. “Uh, sure I do.”

“She's pretty.”

“She's very pretty.”

“And funny.”

“Yes, she's very funny.”

“Callie usually makes fun of boys, but she doesn't make fun of you.”

Bennett laughed. “That's nice to hear.”

“Claire,” Callie called from the small hallway that led to the kitchen, jerking Bennett's attention from the little girl. “Have you brushed your teeth?”

Claire stood up from the couch with a sigh. “No.”

“Well, get to it, missy.”

“It's official. Next time I'm locking her in a closet,” Callie said when Claire was back up the stairs.

“She's cute,” he said.

“Yes, she is.”

Bennett stood up, realizing that things would get awkward if he didn't go. “I think I'm gonna head out. This was…”

Callie laughed. “A blast, right? I'm quite certain you will be tuning into the show from now on in secret.”

“I don't know about that, but yeah, this was … good.”

They stared at each other for a moment before Anne came in the front door. “Oh, sorry,” she said. “I'll just go get Claire into bed. Bennett, it was so nice to meet you. I'll see you at Friday's game. Mike's excited about it.”

Bennett smiled, gave her a wave, and then turned back to Callie.

“I'll walk you out,” she said.

It was dark outside, the air chilly and scented with hickory smoke from a neighbor's fireplace.

“I love the start of fall.” Callie hugged her arms to her chest. She was in a short-sleeved top and jeans, looking as lovely as ever with her curls down. He'd been right: she looked amazing like that. “Changing leaves, jeans, and everything pumpkin-flavored.”