12. Ozren

12

Ozren

T his Meggie woman has barely glanced my way the entire morning, and it makes me nervous. I don't know what to do with a woman who isn't throwing herself at me.

I was glad when Dante put her on my team for the next round of tryouts. I want to get a better idea of who's been keeping Ellis so busy lately and why. He says it's because he doesn't want his sister alone at the Olympics, but I've known Ellis for a long time. There's more to it than that.

I get the appeal. She moves through the water like she's dancing. It was difficult to take my eyes off her in the first round. And now that I'm closer to her, I'm even more intrigued. She has no scent. And no desire to flirt.

The other girls are laughing at my jokes while we put on our caps and go over our play for the first quarter. Two of them can't stop touching me every chance they get.

I like the attention, but there's nothing like a challenge. And Meggie Harper is a challenge.

"Alright," I say. "Here's how this is going to go down. I'll play goalie for our team and Nils will play point." I quickly assign the girls different positions before Dante whistles and tells everyone to get set. He and Harrison won't be playing, so they can take notes on the girls' performances.

My team spreads out in line with the goal. The whistle sounds, and we all swim full speed towards the ball in the middle of the pool. McQuinn's team does the same. Nils reaches it first, taking control of the ball, with Meggie just behind him. She's fast. Which isn't surprising, considering she almost made the Olympic swim team.

Nils grips the ball and tosses it back towards Meggie. It's not a clear shot, but to my surprise, she catches it and swims towards the other team's goal. But McQuinn's team is all over her. She makes a bad call, tries for a goal when she should have tossed it to a teammate, and McQuinn blocks the shot.

"Get your head in the game!" I yell.

Again, she surprises me. There's no glare, no yelling back, no scowl even. She just tucks her chin and swims. Entirely focused.

The game goes on, and it quickly becomes clear who the best players are. Meggie isn't one of them. Though she's better than I would have guessed.

Half way through the last period, Meggie is defending against a girl named Jackie when Jackie lifts out of the pool, throws back her elbow, and slams it into Meggie's nose.

"Foul," Harrison calls as Ellis, Nils, and I swim over to check on Meggie. She's pinching the bridge of her nose and blood is trailing down her face.

"You okay?" Ellis touches her cheek. All the time he's been spending with her suddenly makes sense. He may not realize it yet, but he's a goner. I can see it in his eyes. The last time I saw him look at someone like this, it was Dante, and we all know how that worked out.

Meggie leans into his touch, and an unfamiliar sensation lodges itself in my throat. Why the hell do I care if she looks at him like he hung the fucking moon?

Nils, our resident doctor in training, checks out her nose, declaring it's not busted, but she'll have a nasty bruise.

"Go get cleaned up," I say with a bit too much bite. "You don't have to play the rest of the game."

There's only a few minutes left, and it's already clear she's not the best player. She won't make the cut, so why not let her off the hook? She can go moon over Ellis on the bleachers for all I care.

She glares at me with a defiant little glint in her eyes. "I'm not going anywhere. I'm fine."

"No need to be a martyr, baby girl. Cut your losses and go ice your nose."

She gets right up in my face, blood dripping, eyes blazing. "I'm finishing the game."

Fuck, that fire in her is hot. The stubborn set of her chin. The firm tone of her voice. It makes me want to throw her over my knee and spank her ass red. Her leg brushes mine as she treads water, the brief touch scorching even in the pool. She glances at me and purses her lips together.

Fuck, I want to take this girl to bed. She's not good enough to make the team, but that doesn't mean I can't have her. In fact, it would be a lot better if she didn't make the team. It would just complicate things.

"She alright?" Dante yells from the side of the pool.

"Yeah," Ellis says with a smirk. "She's great."

"Let's play," Meggie wipes the blood from under her nose with the back of her hand.

I've seen grown men call it quits after getting injured during a game. This girl has more determination than any of them. I admire that.

The rest of the game goes off without a hitch. McQuinn's team wins, with eight points to our six.

As soon as the game ends, Nils has an ice pack ready for Meggie. Once he backs off, I go over to check on her. Emily and Ellis flank her on either side, talking in low whispers.

"Want to grab a drink?" I say to no one in particular, hoping Meggie says yes. Seeing how she powered through like that was a bigger turn on than any of the not-so-subtle touches from the other girls trying out.

Meggie looks up at me with a scowl. "Who are you asking?"

"You." I shrug, feigning nonchalance. "Ellis. Emily. Whoever wants to come." I glance between the three of them before my eyes return to Meggie's nose. "You earned it."

"No."

I'm instantly hard, and I don't try to hide it. Such a fucking spit fire. I smirk back at her. "Another time, then."

She's not gonna make the team, but that doesn't mean I won't see her again. She's Emily's best friend, and now that our pack bought a house in the area, we're gonna be around a lot more.

This woman will end up in my bed. It's just a matter of time.