Her lips parted in disbelief. “You can’t be serious.”
“I’m afraid I am. So, what’ll it be? Option 1 or Option 2? Although, I must warn you, should you choose Option 2, there won’t be much timefor foreplay as it’s a short flight.” I leaned in close, dropping my voice. “And you know how much I love foreplay.”
Bristol rolled those pretty blue eyes before grumbling, “Option 1.”
“Not what I would have chosen, but I can make it work,” I teased.
“How did you know I was from Connecticut?” I simply raised an eyebrow, and she figured out the answer. “Of course. Braxton gave me up.”
“Not willingly,” I admitted. “He’s not my biggest fan at the moment.”
“Can’t say I blame him after the little pissing contest you got into with him during practice. Jealousy isn’t a good look on you, Coach Sterling.”
I groaned. “After all we’ve been through, I’m back in the ‘Coach’ zone?”
She leveled me with a glare. “So long as you call me Miss Cooper, you’re Coach Sterling.”
“That’s not exactly fair,” I protested. “Everyone in the press pack calls me Coach Sterling.”
“You just made my point for me. You maintain a formal title, but you address all of them by their first names. Except me. How long do you think that will go unnoticed?” Bristol challenged.
She had me there. “Fine. Bristol it is. But when it’s only the two of us, I fully expect the name Maddox to be rolling off your lips.”
Looking skyward, she let out a huff. “Yeah, okay. Because there will be so many times we’re alone together.”
“Say the word, and it can be arranged.” I waggled my eyebrows.
“No, thanks. I’m all set.” Her words were clipped, betraying her annoyance.
Shifting my weight, I turned in my seat so I could rub my nose along the length of her jaw. The shiver that stole down her body told me everything I needed to know. She still wanted me just as much as I wanted her.
Bringing my lips to her ear, I asked, “Are you telling me one night was enough for you? Because—confession—it wasn’t for me.”
A stuttered breath flew past her lips, and she shook her head. “We can’t.Ican’t.”
I frowned. The emphasis on herself gave me pause. There was something more going on here, but I knew if I pressed too hard, she’d shut down. I had to play this smart, gradually get her to open up to me. Barring her resignation at the end of this short road trip, we had tons of time.
Sitting back, I gave her space, returning to the aforementioned small talk. The mention of her given name, combined with where she hailed from, gave me pause. “Wait. Isn’t Bristol the city in Connecticut that houses the headquarters of the largest sports broadcasting network?”
Bristol groaned. “Yeah. My mom had to put her foot down when my dad wanted to name his only daughter the four-letter moniker of said network. I guess they went round and round over it until she agreed to the name of the city it was located in instead.”
I barked out a laugh. Never let it be said that sports fans weren’t crazy.
“Glad you’re amused.” Bristol rolled her eyes.
“Sorry.” I ran a hand over my face to calm my expression. “But that’s hilarious. Guess you were destined to go into sports media, huh?”
She shrugged. “Maybe.”
“I take it your dad’s a sports nut?”
“Comets season ticket holder, actually.” She smirked, knowing it would provoke a reaction.
“Ouch.” I winced, throwing my free hand over my heart as if I were wounded.
“You can take the girl out of Hartford, but you can’t take the Comets fan out of the girl.”
The tiniest hint of her playful side was peeking out, and I was determined to see it in its full glory.
