I stand and walk to Luke. His face is so full of guilt, it nearly kills me. What the hell could be wrong? When the silence stretches longer than I can handle, I blurt out, “What’s wrong?”
“Uh…” he hesitates then continues, “that was Tanya on the phone, the head of PR for the Rainier Renegades. Apparently, we’ve made the news.”
I groan at the audacity of it all but thank God he already knows. “Uh… I know. Stacey just called.”
With that, his face perks up, slightly. But not nearly enough for me to feel comfortable about what comes next. Did he not want it to be known that we’re dating? Damn. I shouldn’t have outed us publicly.
“I’m so sorry, Dani,” he says in a blur. “I didn’t mean for this to happen.”
Shit. I shouldn’t have let him come to my book signing. This is all my fault. “It was bound to happen eventually.” I bow my head, waiting for the worst to happen.
When he’s quiet for way too long, I glance up to meet his eyes. They’re scrutinizing my every move. “What do you mean?” he questions.
“I shouldn’t have had you come to the signing. You’re a bigger deal than you let on.” I shrug as if it should be self-explanatory. I mean, come on, look at him. And even me, who knows nothing about football, knows the head coach is still a big deal. I pace in front of him as I try to figure out what to say to make him realize I didn’t intend to out us like I did.
“Uh… you didn’t let me do anything.” He steps closer to me, placing a hand on my shoulder to get me to stop. “I chose to be there with you, Dani.”
“I know, but I let the green-eyed monster loose and was the one who outed us publicly.”
“Green-eyed monster?” he asks, confusion clearly written across his face.
I let out a huff of air more forcefully than I intend. “Luke, I’m the one who couldn’t let that woman even think you were available.”
He laughs. He fucking laughs. What the fuck is he laughing about? This isn’t funny.
“Danika, that was one of the sexiest things I’ve ever seen. You’d better damn well be staking claim because you can bet your ass I’d do the same, if the situation was reversed.”
I hear his words, but it still doesn’t explain why he was so grief stricken when he entered the room. “Then… what are you so upset about? Why did you apologize?”
“Tanya says there’s a good chance your real name will get leaked if the press stays on this story for long. They’re relentless when they think there’s a story. If I hadn’t been so careless today, by trying to prove I wasn’t on the cover of your book, there likely never would have been a story.”
“Uh… according to Stacey, you’re a pretty big deal on your own, Luke. I don’t think flashing your sexy abs had anything to do with it. Though, I’m sure it didn’t help. I apparently have been living under a rock because I was one of the only people on the planet who didn’t know who you were.”
“Jesus, Dani. I swear, I’m not that big of a deal. The press hardly has anything to do with me. Their attention goes to the players. Not me.”
“Oh, Luke. Stacey isn’t even a sports fan. But she assures me you’re the sexiest coach in the league.” I smirk. Even a blind person would see the sexiness Luke exudes. It’s in both his looks and actions. Who else would volunteer on one of his few days off in the entire season to go to a book signing and be ogled by women without complaint. “There’s no point in denying it.”
Rolling his eyes. “If you say so…” It’s obvious he disagrees, but he continues, “But that’s not the point. Anonymity is important to you, and I just fucking blew your cover.”
Could this man be any sexier? Here he is, being mocked all over the media and he’s worried about me. I don’t think I could’ve fallen harder for him than in this very instant. “Luke… the minute our photos went viral, I knew it was a possibility.”
“But are you okay with it?” His deep-blue eyes pierce through to my heart.
“Let’s take it a day at a time. I don’t think I could have stopped myself from claiming you, if I’d tried. Besides, according to Stacey, the sheer act of you being at the signing with me, was enough cause for speculation about your intentions.”
“Let’s be clear right now. I have every intention of being with you,” he boldly states as he brushes a piece of hair from my face. “I don’t give a fuck what the media or my PR team says. I wouldn’t have traded today with you, for anything.”
I cock my head to the side, wondering if I’ve heard him correctly. Did he just say his PR team would be on this? Thank God, he can read me like a book, because I don’t have to prompt him before he continues, “About that… I have a meeting with the owner and general manager of the franchise first thing Monday morning. They want to get behind the story and control it the best they can. Apparently, they don’t think this is a story that will blow over on its own. Since this has everything to do with you, I think it might be a good idea you attend it with me.”
“They want me at this meeting?” Why? I’m nobody in comparison to him, and I have nothing to do with the team.
“I want you at this meeting. I’m not making any decisions that concern you without your voice being heard.”
“Okay then,” I agree since he’s left little room for argument. Luke’s relief flows through him, and I instantly relax. Whatever will be, will be. No sense in worrying about it now.
Luke reaches for my hand and pulls me in the direction of the bedroom. “Now that that’s settled, what do you say we spend the rest of our time here in this bubble of bliss, forgetting about the world beyond us?”
“I can’t think of anything better.”
Our blissful bubble lasts until we enter the lobby to exit the hotel. Hand in hand, we exit the lobby to a commotion outside the main entrance. Someone screams Luke’s name and immediately I’m aware of the mass of people that have gathered not far from the entrance. Security is keeping them at bay, but it doesn’t keep them from noticing our presence.
A man in a suit steps close to get our attention. “If you’ll excuse me, Mr. Leighton. I’m Darren Markus, head of security. I think it might be best if you follow me.”
Wide eyed, I look to Luke for guidance. He nods, and we follow Darren through a set of double doors and away from the mass of people waiting outside. Once we’re alone in a hallway with Darren, Luke speaks. “I’m sorry. I had no idea this would happen.”
“It’s quite fine, Mr. Leighton. We respect the privacy of our guests and took the proper precautions when your situation was brought to our attention. As a rule, we keep the press and any loitering fans out of the lobby when instances like this occur. I assume your car is with the valet service? If you’ll come right this way, we can bring your car here to avoid anyone noticing you. If you’ll give me your ticket, I’ll be happy to get it for you.
“Thanks. I appreciate your help. I’ve never had the press bother me before. I had no idea this would happen.”
“I’m a huge fan of the Rainier Renegades, and I’m happy to assist you in any way I can,” Darren offers.
Luke gives him his ticket, and the car is brought to us in minutes. This must be a shortcut to the parking garage because our things are loaded into the trunk, and we are on our way before anyone has the faintest idea we’ve even left the building. We take a side-street exit from the parking garage and are on in the hustle and bustle of Seattle city traffic within minutes.
As we make our way to the freeway, my mind reels with what we’ve just experienced. Having read too many books, I also suggest, “You may want to take the scenic route to your loft. God forbid someone follow us.” Though I’m joking, Luke can sense the hint of truth.
“No kidding.” Luke reaches his hand to mine and holds it on his lap. “I have the perfect place in mind.”
It turns out, Luke knows every back road from Seattle to Tacoma. We zoom down side streets, zigging and zagging our way to his loft. We opt not to stop anywhere, in fear of being recognized, and we make our way into his home within the hour. He points out some of his favorite places as we get closer to his home. It sheds a light on who Luke is, when he’s not coaching. It’s obvious he loves local businesses and does his best to support them when he can. He mentions that he’ll send Darren some tickets to a game as a personal thank you for helping us avoid the crowds, and my heart soars. Luke is possibly one of the kindest people I know. I open up to him and let him know I am nervous about going with him to the meeting tomorrow. I don’t want to be a burden to him or the franchise, and Luke being Luke, assures me everything will be okay. I just hope he’s right.