Let Me Love You (Australian Sports Star Series Book 2) (3 page)

***

Tamara startled when she heard a voice behind her call her name. With the noise of the waves, and the people around her, she didn’t recognise it and instinctively walked faster, her eyes fixed on her path ahead. Focusing on the buildings in front of her, she quickened her steps.

“Hey!”

Heaving a big sigh, she stopped. Shoulders sagging, she knew he’d followed her. She let that thought sink in for a moment before she turned around. Had she forgotten something? Or was he following her to apologise? Her heart ached, and she thought of Jason. Although no man would ever be able to take his place, deep inside she was afraid of being alone for the rest of her life.

Tamara watched Oliver coming closer. Her gaze was drawn to his lean body, his long legs, covered by faded jeans, moving swiftly along the beach.

Only a few seconds later, Oliver was by her side. “Bout time.”

Damn, he had a way to annoy her. With her bubble burst, she put her hands on her hips. “I don’t usually respond to
hey
.”

He cocked a brow. “I did call your name first. I’ve noticed you’re a bit jumpy.”

How dare he? First, she was a challenge, now she was jumpy?

“I am not jumpy,” she replied as calmly as possible.

Meeting her gaze dead on, he let out a long breath. “Look, I’m not sure what Coach Becker’s told you about me, but I’m not a bad person.”

The fact that he’d thought her defiance was about him made her smile.

Tilting his head, he grinned. “Well, whatta ya know. You should do that more often. It suits you.”

“Oliver,” she emphasised his name. “My uncle has not said a word about you. You’re giving yourself too much credit.”

“Why the hostility? I saw it before, you can be nice.”

She looked away, trying to focus on something in the distance, anything to avoid looking into his eyes. She watched a couple taking their shoes off to dip their toes into the water. Tamara sighed, now staring at her feet, because she knew if she met his gaze, she could so easily melt into those eyes. A little chuckle escaped her. Of course, her uncle had warned her about Oliver.
Stay away from him. He’s trouble,
he’d said. Right after telling her what a great talent Oliver had and how much he wished Oliver to be less loyal to Australia so he could make it big in the States. Apparently, Oliver wanted none of it.
Why,
she’d asked. The obvious question.
Women love him and he loves them. And as soon as he’s had enough of them, he throws them away.
She’d expected an answer referring to Oliver’s loyalty to Australia and wasn’t sure what to make of her uncle’s reply.

Her scars were still fresh, but with her move to Melbourne, she had promised herself to open up again. That day she’d seen Oliver coming off the field her whole body had responded—his eyes, the muscles under his tight shirt, his smile, and the sound of his voice. She’d nearly melted away right there next to her uncle. Tamara wasn’t looking for another marriage, but she missed a man’s hand on her skin. The feeling of being touched and caressed. She missed being hugged and ached for the simple feeling of having someone around her. But how could she even have these thoughts, these cravings without cheating on Jason?

He’s trouble!

They were the last words she’d wanted to hear, especially as she’d run into Oliver twice afterwards. She tried so hard to avoid him, no wonder he thought she was a bitch.
And
a challenge.

Tamara let out a long, slow breath before she replied, “Yes, Erik warned me about you.”

His eyebrows shot up. “I’m a nice guy!” he reasoned.

Another smile tugged at her lips. “Yes, although according to my uncle, too nice at times.”

Oliver shook his head. “Wanna join me for a drink?” he asked, his voice husky. It sent shivers down her spine.

Yes!
she thought, but heard herself say,
“Thank you for the invite, but I’m honestly very tired. Everything in my life’s kinda new at the moment, and it’s a bit draining to adjust.”

His eyes searched hers. “I knew you could be nice,” he said with a big smirk on his face. “Will you take a raincheck?”

Shaking her head, she said, “No thanks. I’d rather not.”

“Because of Erik?”

“That too.”

He stepped closer, and everything inside her tensed. As much as her body had enjoyed the previous five minutes, in the end the urge to step back won. She heaved a big sigh.

“You need to give me a chance,” he whispered.

“Who said I’m interested?”

That seemed to throw him somewhat. Eyes wide open, he stared at her. It made her smile.

He raked his hand through his hair. “Sure? I could show you Melbourne’s favourite sights.”

Now she had to laugh. “I’m sure you could.”

“Damn that Erik. I need to have a good word with him on Thursday.”

“No,” she nearly screamed. “You can’t tell him.”

Trouble with her uncle was the last thing she wanted, the gossip would flow right back to her parents and then she’d be treated like a teenager being warned to stay away from the bad boys. She sighed. Her parents had let her move to Melbourne, but she knew they worried. Stories about her spending time with one of the baseball players was the last thing she needed them to hear.

Then she felt his hand under her chin, and with a soft touch of his finger, he lifted her head. Meeting his gaze, her whole body was on alert. But he didn’t say anything. Studying her face, he stood there as a long silence engulfed them both.

“You’re tense,” he said matter-of-factly.

Tense wasn’t the word for what she was. She was beyond tense. Strung like an archery bow was more like it. But he was like forbidden fruit. His touch was so gentle, so opposite of what she’d expected. His eyes were mesmerising, and after what had seemed like forever, she stepped away.

“I really need to go.”

With her heart thumping in her throat, she avoided his gaze, turned, and walked off. It took all her willpower not to look back to see whether Oliver was following or not.

Chapter Two

A few days later, Oliver made his way through the clubhouse towards the locker rooms. He’d had a few massages the past few weeks for his shoulder and had done some laps in the pool as well. His shoulder was still not a hundred percent right, but he’d been given the all clear for some plyometric exercises. And he was grateful for it. In need to burn some energy, but also a good workout for his legs, he’d enjoyed the sessions.

Oliver threw his bag into the locker before heading into the gym where he saw his coach.

He gave Erik an update on his shoulder as he started his warm-up. There’d been so much more he wanted to talk about, but he focused on his stretches and his shoulder.

It was on the tip of his tongue to ask Erik about Tamara. She’d been on his mind since that evening he’d seen her at the beach in St. Kilda. Not to mention that she’d come between him and everything he’d tried to do since. He was intrigued by her, although he couldn’t figure out why. Of course, he’d considered Markus’ words, whether it was his ego that was hurt by her resistance to his charm. But was that really it? Was it as simple as that?

Erik stopped next to him, studying his progress.

“What’s with your niece, Coach?” he asked casually before thinking twice about it.

Erik took some notes and replied nonchalantly, “None of your business.”

It’d been short and straight to the point.

Oliver chuckled.

“It’s really not that funny,” Erik said.

Oliver’s smile disappeared, and he stopped his stretches. For a brief moment, he’d considered how to walk the thin line that had just opened in front of him. He could ignore the temptation to ask the obvious, but he’d never been one to steer away from politeness.

“I have noticed,” he replied and then paused for a moment before he added. “That’s why I asked.”

With one eyebrow raised, his coach warned him again. “She’s off limits. I told you before.”

Oliver’s frustration grew. Erik had obviously not noticed how he’d basically encouraged Oliver to ask, by reacting to his chuckle. He rubbed his hands over his face before he stood.

“I know. So she told me.”

That got him an icy glare.

Oliver met the glare with some irritation of his own. Inside, he debated whether the glare was for him because he didn’t let go of the subject or Tamara for telling Oliver about his warning.

“Look, Coach. I ran into her the other day. Twice. Both times, she was tense and jumpy. I’m not a dirty player, you know that. I won’t go near her, just give me an idea what’s wrong with her.”

Erik blew out a long breath. “I know you’re not a dirty player, but you are a player.”

“On the field out there.”

“Off as well,” his coach countered.

Oliver shook his head. It wasn’t true. He wasn’t a player. There was no doubt that he liked women and they liked him; however, it was no secret that he was never in for the long haul. He turned to look at his coach, pondering whether that was the issue. Of course, he liked having a good time, but having a relationship wasn’t on his list for the near future.

Was that it?

Erik’s long, heavy sigh hauled him back to the conversation.

“Nothing’s wrong with her,” Erik said. “She’s come to Melbourne to move on. She lost her husband a year ago during a robbery gone wrong. It’s been a rough road for her since. I don’t need you to play with her emotions by taking her to bed and dropping her when you’ve had enough of her. Understood?”

The news stunned Oliver. He’d had all kinds of scenarios going through his head, but the fact that Tamara was a widow took him by surprise. Speechless, he took a step back. A thousand questions ran through his head, but he wasn’t able to formulate any of them. The words
you give yourself too much credit
bounced back at him. As much as he tried to replay the rest of their conversation, he couldn’t remember any hint of her loss. He’d behaved like an idiot. Like an arrogant idiot. Heck, he’d even had a brief conversation with Tyson’s girl, Katie, who said she might just be one of the few women who was able to resist his charm. He’d laughed at that impossible idea.

He wasn’t laughing anymore.

Tamara was a widow?

Why was it that she pushed him away?

“Understood?”

The coach’s question dragged him back from his thoughts. He nodded.

“How about a little dinner?” Oliver asked.

“Out of the question.”

Oliver raked a hand through his hair. “She might enjoy a little company. It’ll do her good to settle here in Melbourne. I’m sure Katie and Tyson would love to come along.”

Erik stepped closer. “No doubt she can make her own decisions,” he said through a clenched jaw. “But if you hurt Tamara one tiny little bit, you’re off the team. Am I making myself clear? One. Little. Bit!”

Oliver gulped. “Crystal clear!”

She was off limits more than ever before.

Yet, everything inside told him how much he wanted to know her. It was like someone had switched his body, and he had no clue how to cope with the emotions that stirred in him. It wasn’t a simple matter of lust, but a yearning of touching her.

“Fuck,” he murmured as he walked over to the punching bag to clear his mind.

Erik laughed. “I hope that’s not supposed to be me.”

“Fuck off.”

***

Tamara rushed into the house and straight to the phone. She smiled. There was an advantage to assign a certain ringtone to favourite numbers—this one was announcing a call from her mother.

“Hi Mum,” she answered, nearly out of breath.

“Hello, darling. What happened?”

“Only just come home. I stopped by the shop to grab something for dinner.”

It was good to hear her mother’s voice. She still missed her, although they talked often. The truth was she probably talked more often to her parents since she moved to Melbourne than she had before. But there was a lot to share. Her new job, new house—her new life.

As she started her weekly catch-up with her mother, she placed the phone between her shoulder and head to place the shopping bags on the kitchen table.

It was a small house, located close to the city centre. She didn’t like traffic jams to or from work, which Melbourne was notorious for. It’d been a lucky find, and as soon as she’d stepped into the house, she’d fallen in love with it.

As she placed the groceries in the fridge, she told her mother about her job and how much easier it was already after just a few weeks. She gave the fridge door a slight nudge with her bum before walking towards the back of the house. Tamara liked the open plan design with the living area leading to a terrace and a small backyard. Two bedrooms as well as a bathroom were upstairs in the loft. It had a spacious, luxurious design with a contemporary flair and a strong dedication to natural light.

It was so much like the house she’d shared with Jason.

A small sigh escaped her.

Her mother didn’t miss her momentarily grief. “What’s wrong, darling?” she asked.

“I’m just tired, Mum.”

“Dad and I were thinking about coming for a visit.”

A smile tugged at her lips. “I’d love that, Mum, but how about you give me a chance first to settle and find my feet here?”

There was a brief silence before her mother replied, “I fully understand. I’m sorry. We didn’t mean to intrude on you so—”

“Oh Mum, you’re not intruding at all. It just wouldn’t make any sense for you to come if I’m at work most of the time. As much as Erik is your brother, I doubt he’d give me a week off already.”

“I thought you weren’t working with him?”

Tamara chuckled. “Technically, I don’t. He’s the coach and has nothing to do with the administration. But you know as well as I do that he got me the job, despite denying it in every conversation we have.”

Politics always played a big role in the comings and goings of the club, but it was still confusing. Although Erik was the coach, his influence in the administration was greater than he let on. Leave after only a few weeks wouldn’t look good on her work ethics, but in a domino effect, it would also reflect back on him.

“He was never good with the truth when it came to those things,” her mother said with a laugh in her voice.

They talked a little longer before they said their goodbyes. Tamara went to the bathroom and stripped out of her clothes as the bathtub filled with water. The air was thick with a misty steam when she turned off the taps. The warm water embraced her as she slid into it and rested her head on the edge of the tub. Her muscles were tense from a hectic day at work, but also from the aftermath of her first attempt at a small jog in the morning. Closing her eyes, she let the scent of coconut and vanilla calm her into a dreamy state and her aching body started to relax.

Tamara’s thoughts drifted to a man taking her into his arms, holding her tight.

Safe.

Secure.

A man, whose gentle touch on her skin caused her to shiver. A man whose body was hard against hers. He kissed her, and when she looked into his eyes she—

Saw Oliver?

Her eyes shot open as she breathed in and out a couple of times to steady herself. Rubbing her hands over her face, Tamara sat up in the bath, not believing what just happened.

Oliver?

Instinctively, she held her arms in front of her chest, although she knew he wasn’t around. Shaking her head, she laughed at her own reaction.

Why would she think of
him
?

The words
you need to give me a chance
ran through her head and played with her mind. She could still see his mesmerising green eyes, which had held her spellbound at the beach in St. Kilda.

Then she was flooded with a sudden sadness as she thought of Jason. She tried so hard to remember the colour of his eyes. Or his smile. Tears rolled down on her cheeks when she noticed her memories of him were already fading away.

Tamara let out a long breath, grabbed her robe, and walked into her bedroom.

Suddenly her body tensed, and she stilled. Terror clutched her body.

She listened.

There was a noise coming from downstairs. Tightening the knot on her robe, she listened carefully as she stepped over to the bed and removed her baseball bat from underneath.

She jumped at the sound of a metallic click. Hardly able to breathe, images of that long ago dreadful night floated in her mind. It was impossible to steady her erratic pulse, and icy fear gripped her when she heard the sound the front door slamming closed.

“Tammy?”

Almost fainting with relief, her muscles trembled with the surge of adrenaline as she slumped into a big heap, allowing her heart to resume its natural pace. Her reaction was so powerful she didn’t have the strength to hold on to the bat and dropped it on the floor right in front of her.

“I’m upstairs,” she replied, with her voice unsteady.

A minute later, her uncle leaned against the door jamb. “You all right?”

Still breathing erratically, she did her best to hold back tears when she said, “You gave me a fright.”

He came closer and knelt in front of her, taking her into his arms. “Sorry. I rang the bell a few times and got worried.”

“I took a bath. It’s been a bit of a day with all the meetings.”

Erik nodded. “I shouldn’t have barged in like that. I’m sorry.” He met her gaze and a grin spread across his face. “I brought some pizza and a bottle of Coke.”

She wasn’t really sure why he was here. It made even less sense that he’d brought pizza along, especially with his wife always serving the best dinners. Something was up, but she was still so shaken from the fright that she didn’t care.

She took a deep breath before replying, “Sounds yum. Give me two minutes to get dressed.”

Tamara stood and walked to the bathroom when Erik suddenly said, “Oliver asked about you.”

That stopped her in her tracks, as well as got her heart racing again.

He did? She tried her hardest not show her emotions or her surprise, yet she couldn’t hide the smile that tugged at her lips.

“So?”

“I told him about Jason.”

The smile turned into a grim, thin line, and her emotions into a tangled mess.

“Why?” she whispered.

Erik sat down on her bed, resting his elbows on his knees as he stared to the ground. “I needed to tell him,” he replied, equally quiet. “Something tells me he’s hooked on you and I don’t want him to hurt you. I promised—”

“Uncle Erik. I’m in my late twenties, and as much as I appreciate your help and concern, I believe I can look after myself.”

Looking up at her, he asked, “Can you?”