Free Catching the Pass (Football Fantasies) by Alexandra O'Hurley Page A

gotten.  What had happened had pissed him off, but it hadn’t dampened the feelings he had for her—not one bit.  Yesterday, he’d struggled to keep himself from heading into her room and holding her in his arms, which is exactly what he should’ve done.  Pride and anger had made him stop. 
    Maggie had been hurting, and he’d left her to suffer alone.  She was right.  He was as big an asshole as her ex.
    He dragged himself off the massage table and gingerly pushed his sore body up the stairs.  When he got to her room, he saw her packing.
    “What’re you doing?” he asked.
    Maggie looked over her shoulder.  “It was a mistake coming here.  We were a mistake, too.  So, it’s time to start cleaning up after myself.  I’ll get out of your hair and let you focus on what you need to do.”
    “You can’t go,” he said.  “We’ve got training to do.”
    “You already know the drills.  I’ll see if I can drum up someone else locally to finish what we started.”
    “So you’re going to run again?” he asked.  “Brian embarrassed you, so you ran here.  I was an asshole, so you’re going to run from me, too.”
    Maggie stopped what she was doing and turned to look at him, frowning.  “What is it you want from me?  I told you to let me walk away before we went down this road and you wouldn’t let me.  I’ve apologized for Brian, even though I really shouldn’t have to apologize for his stupidity.  I might’ve ignored him, but I sure as hell didn’t invite him here to wreak havoc on your front lawn.  Then I try to do the right thing and leave—and that’s not right either?”  She spun and started shoving more of her stuff in her duffel.  “I’ve never crossed the line before with a client.  I’ve always been a professional.  But I couldn’t ignore whatever it was between us and now I’m paying for it.  Fine.  I’ll leave before I ruin your chances of making it.  It is the right thing to do.”
    Jennings walked over and gripped her shoulder, turning her to face him.  “The right thing to do is finish the job you started, not run away when things get hard.”
    “I’m not running away.  I’m allowing you to focus.  There’s a difference,” she said, her gray eyes sparkling with emotion.
    Why did she have to be so damned tempting?  Even upset and angry she was gorgeous and made his heart stutter.  He leaned down and took her lips with his and kissed the words from her.  At first, she pushed him away, but he wouldn’t let her.  After a few more minutes, she softened in his arms, kissing him back.
    Then she broke the kiss.
    “Five minutes ago, you said we needed to be professional.  This isn’t professional.”
    Jennings looked down at her, knowing she was right, but he couldn’t help himself.  “Will you shut up?”
    A shocked look crossed her face, and her lips parted.  He took the advantage and swallowed her surprise, pressing his tongue inside her mouth and tasting her sweetness.
     
    * * * *
     
    Maggie softened in his arms.  He was the most confusing man she’d ever met.  But right now, he felt too good kissing her.  She needed to get away from him, but she couldn’t. 
    She needed to be stronger.
    Maggie wrenched away from him and moved to the other side of the bed, putting some distance between them.  The news Taylor shared came back to her.  “I came here to get you ready for the NFL.  Taylor has the Houston coaches willing to give you a look in a month.”
    “She already told me,” Jennings said. 
    “I should leave and let you train.  I’m sure I can find someone to work with you in Houston.”
    “But I want you.”
    A shiver raced up her spine.  “I won’t be the reason you fail.”
    “If you’re not here, I won’t stop thinking about you.  I’ll just worry where you are and what’s going on in your life.”
    “I’m more than capable of taking care of myself without you.  You don’t need to worry about me,” she