Kick (Completion Series) (5 page)

Like that would ever happen. I don’t know where my snappy comeback came from
; it just fell out of my lips. “I take it rugby players do a lot of mauling?” I saved myself by pointing to his t-shirt.

He laughed that low sexy chuckle of his and
casually put his arm over my shoulder, steering me out of the locker room back to the front doors of the stadium. “You have no idea, baby.”

Van w
as so smooth, but, yuck, my father called me baby.

With his arm around me,
I could smell him again and I didn’t want to like it. But I did—too much. Surely he had women at his feet daily. Walking next to me, I judged him at a little over six foot. His muscular arm was bigger than my thigh. And that made me think of other bigger things. God, I was hopeless. A week ago I’d have bet good money that my wild side was gone forever. Now, I couldn’t think straight with his scent and the warmth of his arm wrapped around me. I had no idea how to wiggle away gracefully as he walked me clear to my car.

For all my
shyness and pride in appreciating a good mind, I was a sucker for the Van Stelsons of the world. Though really it wasn’t me, it was wild Cami and I needed to lock her away and throw out the key. I couldn’t handle another heartbreak at the hands of a jock.

When we got to my car,
Van gave me a final squeeze, like he had the right to do it—releasing me with a, “See you at practice, baby.” He walked away.

Crap, crap, crap
.
I should know how to handle these situations. I jumped in the car and locked the door like he would turn around and attack me. I looked over my shoulder to check behind me before pulling out. A huge man leaned against the tailgate of a lifted smoke gray truck. Arms crossed, muscles bulging beneath a plain white t-shirt, he stared at me with an unpleasant expression. It took a moment before I realized it was Joel Stelson. His head turned slightly as I backed up, and the scar on his face showed prominently. It was almost scary. A shiver of awareness ran across my skin. I turned the steering wheel to pull forward. Joel was now even with my window, his gaze still locked on me. I gave a tentative smile. His expression never changed, and the look in his eyes told me to get away as quickly as possible.

What the hell?

I drove through the parking area and pulled onto the main street before taking a slow, deep breath of relief. I’d noticed Joel’s large size in the picture when he stood beside his brother, but the real life version was bigger and scarier. Eventually I needed to interview him and the thought wasn’t pleasing. If this was a typical adventure in sports journalism, I needed to request a series of articles on knitting. Large pointy needles were much less terrifying.

I had a
half day to myself, though I needed to interview some rugby fans. I decided to eat lunch at The Slam Tavern and see if anyone would talk to me. Getting through the meeting with Van gave me added courage for some reason. I knew the more people I spoke with and the longer I didn’t let my shyness control me, the easier this would be. Estella greeted me as soon as I walked in, her genuine smile putting me at ease.

“You’re back for more. Please tell me we can set you up with something more substantial than a salad.”

“Sorry, salad only. I have a dinner meeting and promise to eat something with more consistency then. Actually, I’ll order half the salad I had last night if it’s possible.”

“This younger generation needs to learn to enjoy food more
, but I can get you whatever you want, hun.”

“Thank you
. I was also hoping you could help me out a little.”

“Sure
. Whacha need?”

“
My name is Cami Avesque, but please call me Cami. I’m writing a series of articles for the
Cleveland News and Journal
about the growing popularity of rugby in the U.S. and your very own hometown team that has a shot at the championship. I interviewed Van Stelson this morning and I’d like to get some insight from fans outside the sports arena if possible.”

“Well I’ll be. You look too young to be a professional writer for a newspaper
, or is it one of those online fancy things that most older folks don’t read?”

I liked Estella and couldn’t agree with her more. There was just something about spreading out a newspaper that would be completely lost in another decade. I grinned
. “It’s a real life, honest newspaper, nothing fancy about it.”

“If you promise to send me a copy of your articles, I’ll help with
anything I can.”

I was so glad I
met her last night. “They’re yours.”

Estella’s face turned serious. “I don’t exactly have a job where keeping my mouth shut is an asset
, but in regard to certain people I bite my tongue. This time I just can’t. You are too sweet, young, and innocent.” She continued before I could object. “You be careful around Van. That boy is bad news, so I’m giving you fair warning… keep your nickers up.”

Heat filled my cheeks.

“Exactly what I thought.” She leaned in closer. “Van is trouble and should come with a sign that reads, ‘Going straight to hell.’ Don’t get caught in his web.”

“I, um…” I wasn’t sure what to say. “Thanks for the warning
,” I half squeaked.

She pulled away
, giving me a satisfied nod. “Now let me get your salad order in, grab you a glass of water, unless you want some more wine, and then I’ll hustle you up some Slam fans.”

“Water
, please. Thank you, Estella.”

She walked away while I looked out the window thinking about her warning.
I didn’t know if Van was going straight to hell, but he knew exactly what to do to get inside a girl’s panties. I had to find a way to resist his hot body and smooth moves.

A minute later,
Estella walked a middle-aged man up to the table and introduced us.

“Charlie
Waters meet Cami. The two of you have a lot in common. I’ll leave you to get acquainted and bring back your usual,” she said to Charlie as she walked away.

He sat down
opposite me and gave me a large toothy grin. “I own the
Colt Sentinel
, and Estella tells me you work for a large paper out of Cleveland.”

“Yes,
Cami Avesque., I’m with the
Cleveland News and Journal
.” I put my hand out across the table. Charlie had to be in his sixties, and he reminded me of my father, which put me at ease instantly.

“And
our local scrum is bringing you way out here?”

From my internet searches I knew what scrum meant
, but he could easily throw out something I didn’t know. He deserved my honesty. “I was assigned here after one of our sports reporters took maternity leave. I work in classifieds, but have dreams of breaking a big story someday. I’m not exactly sure why I was the best fit for this series because sports aren’t my thing, but I’ll try hard to do a good job. I need to get a feel for the game, players, and fans. I take it you’re a fan?” I know I rushed the words, but it was one of the longest statements I’d made in my short journalist career.

H
e gave me a large genuine smile. “I played my first match when I was twelve and never looked back. Rugby gets in your blood, melds with your cells, and doesn’t let go.”

I reached in my bag
, pulled out my recorder, and turned it on. “I interviewed Van Stelson earlier and he said the same thing about it getting in your blood. I’ll be completely honest… I’ve never seen a game and all I know is what I’ve learned from the internet. I plan on bringing the newbie perspective to my series of articles and show readers the ins and outs of the sport along with its growing popularity.”

“Well then I’ll start with a
minor correction. In rugby you play a match not a game.” He smiled again with the gentle admonishment. “If you’ve met Van, you’ve talked to one of the best players in the league. Only his brother is a rival for the title. Those boys have shed more blood on that field than anyone I’ve seen play. If you’re coming to the match on Saturday, you’re in for a real treat.”

“I’ll be
there. I’m assigned to the team as long as they stay in the running for the championship.”

“That’s the next three matches. If we can’t turn you into a fan by then,
I’ll eat my match hat. I would suggest you come in here before the match and talk to some of the townspeople. It’ll be quite eye-opening.”

“Estella says it gets crowded
in here after the game.” I smiled, “I mean match.”

“Before and after. The fans love their beer.”

Disgust must have shown on my face because he laughed. “We’ll get you into the beer too. It’s a tradition, a pint before the game and as many as you can handle afterward.”

I remembered the wine and figured the beer couldn’t be much worse. “So tell me something about the Stelson brothers.”

Charlie’s grin widened. “Their mother’s family is from here. Tally, their mom, had dreams of making it big in Hollywood. She moved there directly out of high school and got her wish in a slightly different way than she imagined. She wound up married to Leo Stelson a year after she moved there. She had the boys a year apart and moved back here when they were little more than toddlers. She wasn’t getting along with Leo and decided to come home to raise her sons.”

“Does Tally still live here?”

I watched Charlie’s smile fade. “You never met a nicer woman or a better mother. She died in a car accident about ten years back. Real shame those boys lost her. Without Leo in town, they needed their mom’s influence.”

“How old were they when their mom died?”

“Around sixteen and seventeen I think.”

So young. “
Did they go and live with their father?”

“No
, though he tried persuading them to move. Couldn’t stop those boys from playing for the college team. They gave the college three championships in five years and started their league team as soon as Van graduated. Got it too and gave this town a huge boost.”

“Is Van
older or younger than Joel?”

Charlie assessed me closely. “Van’s the younger brother. That boy’s always had a wild streak.
” Charlie’s eyes zeroed in on me further. “Did he behave himself when you interviewed him this morning?”

Dammit, heat warmed
my cheeks.

Charlie
groaned slightly. “Watch that one. When the right woman comes along he’ll fall hard and settle down, but all others before her are only toys. Van always had to have the best toys and he was never very careful with them.”

“Thanks for the warning.” What else could I say? Two admonishments in less than an hour. That was glowing praise if I ever heard it
. Not! I had to change the subject. “Tell me about your paper.”

He smiled again and talked about
the
Colt Sentinel
. “I’ve owned it for a little more than thirty years.”

“You don’t look old enough,” I said in all honest
y. I had Charlie pegged for mid-fifties.

“Turned sixty-four a few months ago. Bought the paper at thirty. I see some of me in you. I had big dreams—making it big overseas, writing a book or two about my adventures, winning a Pulitzer.
Though I never got that far, I had some wild days until finally a good woman had me proposing and doing all the things I swore weren’t for me.” His eyes softened at the mention of his good woman. “You’ll meet Stub at the game on Saturday.”

“Stub?”

“I’ll let her tell you the story. She doesn’t like my version and I’m sure hers is actually more accurate. I’ve been embellishing it for years because it irritates the pants off her. Of course that’s my goal every time. Don’t think it isn’t.”

My cheeks pinkened again and Charlie roared with laughter.

“Come by my office next week and I’ll introduce you to my setup. It’s nothing compared to what you’re accustomed to, but I’m proud of it.”

“Deal.”

Our lunch arrived and we continued talking. My half salad was perfect. As soon as I finished, Charlie waved his hand toward the front door.

“Sherry and John Stewart just walked in. Let me introduce you and they can tell you a bit about rugby
from a fan perspective. John coaches a youth team. He and his wife are die-hard Slam fans.”

John and Sherry were wonderful and introduced me to more people who came in
as the lunch rush started. When they began talking about matches they spoke a foreign language, but I managed to pick up a few things here and there. I checked my watch and it was one-thirty. Time to head back to the stadium.

I went by my room first
and checked my email. I had an interesting email waiting from Skylar Larke.

Hi,

This is Skylar the bedridden momma. They told me the rugby story’s been turned over to you. Just a heads up… very strange. Me getting it in the first place was strange. I’m usually assigned to local
girls’ events. I know they pulled you from classifieds, so it just makes me wonder what’s up. Not that I don’t think you can do the job, Ted raves about you. If you have any questions, I’m here in my lonely room bored to death. Don’t be a stranger.