Total pages in book: 16
Estimated words: 14775 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 74(@200wpm)___ 59(@250wpm)___ 49(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 14775 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 74(@200wpm)___ 59(@250wpm)___ 49(@300wpm)
“You’re late,” I say, keeping my tone even and bland in an attempt to hide the reaction I’m having to her. In all my life, I’ve never had such a visceral reaction to someone before. It’s like my entire world is tilting on its axis.
“Only by five minutes,” she argues with a shrug, as though it doesn’t matter.
That won’t fly with me. “What’s your name and position?” I snap, crossing my arms over my chest. The rest of the team shuffles on their feet, sensing the frustration in my voice, but this girl doesn’t so much as drop her grin.
“Iris,” she introduces, her deep blue eyes sparkling as she meets my stare head-on. “Iris Reed. I’m a forward, and team captain.”
I raise a brow. “Captain, and yet you lack the basic discipline to turn up on time?” I ask, hearing a few of the other women murmur under their breath as the tension between Iris and me ramps up. She opens her full lips, likely to give me more of the back talk she’s clearly unafraid to dish out, but I stop her, addressing the whole team.
“This lack of discipline and commitment won’t cut it now that I’m here,” I tell them all, pleased when many of them nod their heads respectfully. “If you want to win this season, you need to work hard and prove you’ve got what it takes. Do you think championship winners turn up late to the game, huh? Do you think their captain shows their team such little respect to not even bother to show true commitment?”
I see Iris bristle, her smile finally fading as her gaze hardens. I once again focus on her, staring her down. “You’ll stay back after practice and run extra drills as punishment.”
“But—”
“Unless you’re admitting to your lack of commitment to the team and want to hand over your captain title to another player?” I ask. Normally, I wouldn’t push a new team this much on the first day. But there’s something about this girl that makes me want to play with her. The way she’s unafraid to talk back to me, the sass in her voice, the defiance in her blue eyes. I’m drawn to it on instinct, some dark part of myself rising in response.
“No, Coach,” Iris responds, the words clearly ground out between clenched teeth. There’s a spark in her eyes, like she’s challenging me. Like she’s sure she’ll win. The competitive side of me responds eagerly, and fuck, I have the sudden need to see this woman give in to me. On her knees.
Fuck! I shouldn’t be thinking like that. I’m sure there’s some sort of rule about not fantasizing about the woman I’ve been hired to coach. But staring her down, I find that I don’t give a single fucking shit about any of those rules.
“Good,” I say, having to physically stop myself from saying the full phrase good girl. I rip my eyes away from her, realizing I’ve been ignoring the rest of the team while caught up in the haze Iris clouds around me. “Now, if your captain is finished wasting all our time, let’s get started. Five laps of the field!”
2
IRIS
When we were told we were getting a new coach, I never imagined someone like Coach Thomson. And by that I mean someone so fucking hot. Seriously, this man is cover-model attractive, boasting the kind of rough and rugged appearance that I can’t help but drool over.
He’s tall, over six foot for sure, and as fit as if he’s the player here. I can see his stomach muscles flexing through the t-shirt he wears, and when he crosses his arms, his biceps bulge. He’s wearing sweatpants but I know without a doubt his legs have to be as toned as the rest of him. Combine the perfect physique with a sharp-as-hell jawline, bright blue eyes, short brown hair, and a hint of stubble and he’s practically my dream man.
Despite the attitude and clear dislike he has for me, I’m no less attracted to him for it. In fact, winding him up is my new favorite game. He’s obviously a hard ass and holds high standards, but if he expects me to fall in line and bow to his power, then he’s got another thing coming. I grin at the thought, feeling his eyes on me as we run through the drills he’s barking at us. He might question my abilities to be the captain because of the fact I was a few measly minutes late, but I’m going to prove him wrong. I care about this team more than I care about anything else, and I’m going to make him see that.
By the time we’re finished running drills, we’re all sweaty and panting, but I plaster a grin on my face as we line back up in front of the coach as though none of this bothers me. The tick of his jaw while his eyes skim over me is oh-so-satisfying.