Running into Coverage Ch. 02

"You think she needs something?"

Samantha tilted her head and closed her eyes, thinking the question over for a moment. "I think she needs to stop trying to be someone and start being herself. She hides behind walls and sometimes it's hard to break through her. Maybe by moving here, she will get a chance to see herself and really live for her."

"You don't think she was living for herself in Seattle?" Gabe was curious. From all of the conversations they had about Hadley, Sam had always been so concerned about her.

"She was, but there's always influences. Here, she's got only herself to turn to. It's going to be interesting to see how she works it. Hadley can make friends with just about anybody, but she does it in a way where she can also walk away without thinking twice. She's always been that way."

"You guys are still friends, she hasn't walked away from you."

"We are more like family, she knows I'll hunt her down."

Gabe sighed. "All you can do is sit back on the sidelines and see what happens, then."

Laughing, she twisted to look up into Gabe's face. "You would say something like that!"

His eyes twinkled, "What?"

"Don't give me that, what! Always the coach. Look at Hadley, she came here with the barest of things. I can't even go from one house to the other without our kitchen table and the picture she gave us."

His voice dropped low, tenderness radiating from every part of him. "Those things are part of our home." He dropped a feather light kiss across her pliant lips. "No matter where we go, they're coming with us."

"I love that you feel the same way I do about them."

"I'm a good guy."

Samantha squeezed him tight. "Don't get too arrogant on me."

Hearing her say that, made Gabe remember the conversation he had with Marcus. Stiffening up ever so slightly, he spoke. "Marcus seemed a little interested in Hadley today."

Samantha sat straight up and looked at Gabe in the eyes. "I knew he would. That guy, I swear he thinks about one thing only. Well, he can forget it. When we were outside she mentioned him too. I guess Marcus was trying to be his typical self in front of her. Anyway, she laughed it off and picked up on his cockiness." She took a deep breath before continuing. "I hate that she thought that about him, because he's not shallow at all. But the things he does sometimes, he's prone to come across that way."

"You know he only thinks about football, and the women throw themselves at him. They're only entertainment for him."

"I know. If Hadley ever, and this is a huge if ever, but if she ever got involved with him it would be a fast lesson to learn." Samantha noticed the hard look on Gabe's face and lifted her brow in a silent question.

"I told him she was off limits."

Laughing, she finally relaxed. "She's a grown woman, Gabe. But thank God you did say something because if he asked me I would have slugged him!"

"If she knew any of this, she'd hurt both of us. I don't care how small she is, she can hold her own."

"No, she wouldn't. She knows I love her and would always look out for her."

Pulling her closer so that she fell into his lap, he spoke against her parted lips. "You know who'll always love you?"

Smiling, she said "I do. I love you too." They lay on the couch for some time holding each other close, before Gabe carried Samantha up to their bedroom where he could love her properly. Knowing he would leave her early in the morning for the game, he wanted to spend enough hours to luxuriate in her body and stay beside her warmth.

****

Marcus stood under the shower in the Cougars' locker room, as the hot water pummeled his hair and ran down his face. The Cougars had pulled a victory against New Orleans on Sunday and Monday was the players' off day but he took advantage of the afternoon to run a few laps, something several of the other players did on their days off. Seton had thrown him several passes, and he was proud that he'd caught every single one without too much of a hassle. He winced slightly as he soaped up his side. Ruelcox from the Saints had taken him down hard and a bruise was forming, the skin tender to touch.

There were only a few other guys left in the locker room. Shutting off the shower, Marcus grabbed the towel and rubbed his hair down before wrapping the cloth around his waist. Several of the guys were blowing off steam at a local hangout and he'd said that he would meet up with them for a drink or two. After the win, he was still riding the high. His little 'hiccup' as Gabe had called it was a distant memory and he felt like celebrating.

"We're all meeting up at Bandidos, you know the place J?" Tim Mathews asked as he was leaving the locker room.

Tossing his shaving kit down on the counter, Marcus rubbed his hair. "Yeah, I know it." He knew it all too well. Many times had he gone to Bandidos to blow off steam from a shitty practice or a game gone wrong. Other times, he'd gone to confide in a coach that seemed to understand him in more ways than one.

"So we'll see you then, right?"

"I'll be right behind you guys." Marcus took his time shaving and getting ready. He hadn't planned on doing anything other than working out for a couple of hours and calling it good for the day. But who was he to say no to the guys?

By the end of the hour, he was dressed and ready to go. His body fresh from the shower, and as he did a last glance over, he sprayed himself with the cologne someone sent his agent. Apparently some fragrance merchant had wanted him to represent them, so they'd sent samples. The stuff smelled good enough so he sprayed himself a few times. If it smelled expensive, it drew people in.

Parking in Chicago was accessible, but not always easy to come by. He'd gotten comfortable with parking his SUV on a side street, but seeing as there were more cars on the street and the spots were dismal, he ended up using the valet at the lot. Unless he was dining in the Loop, he hated doing this and would rather park his SUV himself, but tonight seemed necessary. There must have been something going on in the city that he didn't know about.

Upon walking into Bandidos he immediately saw his group. If it weren't for the swarming mass of ladies that surrounded his teammates, he might have had a harder time locating them. Drawing in a deep breath, Marcus decided to put on the 'Marcus show.' All of his life, he had never had troubles with meeting people, so tonight would be no different. As he walked to the group, several people in the bar started shouting out at him. He waved as a courtesy and offered little nothings, but never let anyone in.

As he dropped an elbow onto the bar, he looked down for the bartender. He really didn't want to be there that evening, and would rather be studying game film and practice patterns, but that was the least of his problems. He didn't want to ward off women for the night or drink beers that would only make him run that many more laps around the field. Craning his head, he peered down and sure enough not five seats down from where he was, he saw a petite blonde woman hunched over the bar. There were several women scattered in the bar, but this one happened to be alone. He would much rather be sitting near someone on their own and wouldn't have to worry if they were going to drape an arm around his shoulder or thrust their tongue down his throat. If he wanted it there, he damn well would get it there.

A sly smile curled from the corner of his mouth as he watched her. She was thumbing through something on her telephone and writing notes on a napkin. Her hair was as straight at a board and her presence quiet. It was as if she had a sign that said, 'If you come on to me, I will gut you like a fish.' Marcus saw something else in her attitude, and decided to walk over to her, forgetting the bartender in the process.

Seating himself in the empty seat next to her, he spoke casually. "What's a pretty lady like you sitting by yourself in a happening bar?"

Slowly, Hadley's head lifted, taking in the unwanted interruption. "I'm sorry, what?"

"It's not very often someone sees a lonely woman sitting at the bar by herself, unless of course she's looking for trouble."

Cocking her eyebrow at him, Hadley wasn't falling for his cocky jargon. "First of all, I'm not lonely. Second of all, I could make you cry in three seconds."

"Three seconds?"

"Yup." Hadley took a sip of the beer in front of her.

Shaking his head, Marcus spoke condescendingly. "Yeah, somehow I don't really think so."

Never skipping a beat, Hadley reached over and grabbed his hand. She held it loosely but put a grip on a pressure point that caused him to jerk. His eyes snapped and a queer sound pulsed from his lips. With a sinister laugh, Hadley let go. "You're a sissy."

Marcus rubbed his hand and gaped at her. "Are you sure you're a woman in that body?"

Laughing, Hadley sipped her beer. "I'm all woman, or can't you tell?"

"I'm having a hard time with that one." They both laughed. The bartender came over and took Marcus' order, and Marcus gestured to refill Hadley's drink.

Waiving her hands, she signaled that she didn't want another but he denied her the chance. The luck of having her drawn into the bar was one thing, but the fact that she was still sitting next to him was something else entirely.

Tossing her hair over her shoulder, she leaned her cheek against her palm. "What makes you think I'm taking a single sip from that beer?"

"The fact that you even feel the need to ask me that, is just flat out stupid. Nobody turns down a beer."

"What if I didn't like it?"

Marcus took her bottle that had very little left and took a sip. Licking his lips, his eyes squinted while looking at her. "It's an all right beer, but you'd be better off with a 312."

"A freeway?"

"No. It's local, but seeing as you aren't from here, you wouldn't know that, would you?"

"Listen, I don't have to take this kind of crap from anybody."

Marcus laid the barest of touches on her wrist, quieting any words that were forming in Hadley's throat. Something inside sparked at his touch, causing her temperature to rise and heat to spread up her chest. "I'm not trying to piss you off, I'm only trying to be friendly."

Sitting back in the bar stool, Hadley readjusted herself. "Seeing as you just got my drink, I'm going to use the washroom until it gets here."

Marcus watched her as she stood up and started to walk to the back of the bar. She was all confidence and swagger that made him smile. He'd never met a girl that seemed so sure of herself, and yet wasn't revealing anything. All of the women he'd gone to bed with or at least had pushed themselves upon him, revealed everything. And it wasn't much. This one kept him guessing.

While she was gone, he took the time to send a few messages out that had been left on his phone. One to his agent, the others to a few friends that were wanting to meet up if he had time free in between practices and games.

As Hadley made her way back to the bar, she made up her mind to play around with Mr. Hotshot Football Player. He was cocky, she'd give him that, but he had probably worked it out in his mind that he would take her home and she wouldn't give him the satisfaction of that. Instead, she might as well have fun with him. The bar was playing some fun flashy song that had her dancing through the sea of bodies in the bar until she sat down. She was wearing frayed cut off shorts and a billowy top, and instead of following everyone else by wearing flip-flops, she wore ankle booties. Every article was carefully chosen from her tops to her hair, a perfect definition of someone selectively constructed.

Marcus watched her as she sang along with the song being played overhead. It was as if she forgot that there were people all around them. He liked that she was so carefree.

"You never answered what you were doing in a place like this."

Hadley hooked her heel on the rung of the barstool. "A friend of mine told me about it, she said it was a fun bar to relax at."

"If you didn't notice, it's pretty packed in here. Kind of makes it hard to relax."

The ocean blue of her eyes twinkled. "I was doing just fine sitting right here until you decided to drop your dirty mouth on my bottle."

There was something about her that was familiar, but he couldn't place it. Marcus tried to think back to charities and nights out, somewhere he had met this woman. "If you say so." Hadley took a sip from the large glass of the wheat ale and looked up at Marcus. "You're welcome."

"I never said thank you, but that is pretty good beer. Do you come here often?"

He shrugged his shoulders and looked at the screens behind her where clips from Sunday's game were replaying, wincing at a replay. "Sometimes, it depends on the night. It's usually a good place though, people don't really bother you."

Hadley propped her elbows on the bar and leaned into him. "People bother you often?"

"More or less, again, it depends on the night." Marcus watched as Hadley ran a finger along the rim of her glass, before licking it. That little something in the back of his mind told him to probe her more. "So is your friend going to meet up with you tonight, or are you just hanging out by yourself?"

It didn't really bother her that he hadn't remembered who she was, actually she wasn't surprised. He was a professional athlete, people probably came up to him at the most inopportune times. The price of fame. "You don't remember me, do you?"

Marcus' eyes stilled on her, and for a fleeting moment he wasn't sure how to respond. Hadley sat staring at him, and then shook her head. "It's okay, I wouldn't remember me either. We met the other day, you're actually friends with a good friend of mine. Samantha Morrison."

The attractive blonde. The party. It all came back to him. How could he have forgotten who she was, let alone her sassy mouth that seemed destined to wreak havoc on anyone? "I'm sorry, I didn't realize."

"I know you didn't, that's okay. I'm sure women are hanging off you half of the time."

Marcus laughed, the sound deep and hearty and sexy as hell. Hadley sat up straighter in her seat. "Well, that's something else. I'm—"

"Marcus, I remember." She looked at him, her eyes wide and non-expectant. "Hadley." She brought out her hand and brought it forward for a simple handshake.

Tilting his head to the side, he wasn't used to a woman that was offering this type of gesture without flinging themselves at him. He accepted it and folded his large hand around her much smaller one, taking in her soft skin. "How long have you known Sam?"

"A while. We went to high school together, she was a couple of years ahead of me but we still had a few classes together. I can't remember how we started talking, but we did and we've been friends ever since."

"What brought you to Chicago? It's a pretty good ways from home."

"Not really, home is wherever you make it. It doesn't have to be one place, or at least I don't think so." Hadley smiled at the way Marcus was thinking about what she had just said. "Several pieces of my artwork are being displayed in New York. Being someone from a smaller city, I wasn't ready to make a move to a city that big so I chose the mid-way point."

"Chicago."

"Exactly. So I packed a bag and drove out. What about you, how long have you been playing for Gabe?"

"The Cougars, you mean?"

Hadley laughed, "Sorry. I'm terrible with sports and you'd think I'd know the name of the team by now, but it never stuck."

"Don't apologize to me, it's the people in this city you've got to look out for. You'd think football was a religion here." Marcus took a second to take a sip from the beer before continuing. "This is my second season here."

"So where does the mysterious man behind the gridiron come from?"

He couldn't hold back the snort that erupted from his mouth. "The Bay Area."

"Really? Huh, I'm actually kind of surprised."

"Because I'm not wearing Birkenstocks and listening to Green Day?"

"I wouldn't have judged you if you had been." Hadley laughed. "That was a horrible representation of the fine people of Northern California, by the way."

"Yeah, it was. I have no idea where that came from."

A large hand smacked the back of Marcus' shoulder drawing his attention to the man behind him. Hadley noticed that Marcus appeared calm and must know the man who had patted him down. That man couldn't have been much older than herself but had about one hundred pounds and a foot on her. It was times like these where she loved being small, or hated it. Seeing how the men were reacting, she was okay with it.

"Jennings, you gonna sit and talk with this chick all night? Or are you gonna hang out?"

Hadley interrupted before Marcus could say anything. "Unless you're talking about some other girl, this woman can hear you loud and clear."

The gorilla seemed at a loss from her remark. Marcus shook his head and chuckled. "Don't take offense Fabian, I'm thinking this is how she is all of the time. Hadley, meet one of my teammates Fabian Velesquez."

In a voice as sweet as pie Hadley turned and smiled. "It's nice to meet you, Fabian."

"I'm almost scared to be standing over here." They all laughed, and before long several of Marcus' teammates made their way over to their now growing group. Tables were brought up and Hadley found that she was the only girl in the group.

"So how do you know Jennings?" Fabian asked, his voice booming over the crowd behind him.

"Technically, I kind of know you too." All four of the men instantly looked at her, their eyes widening at her declaration. Hadley waved her hands and smiled at the look of shock in their faces. "I'm not a groupie. Give me more credit than that. My friend is engaged to one of the coaches on your team."

The men relaxed, a smile spread across Fabian's face as he took in Hadley's current attire. "You certainly don't act like some of the girls that hang around."

Without thinking, Hadley started laughing. Marcus was watching the guys move in on her and decided to drop his arm on the counter so it draped lightly behind her. They had moved their seats closer to allow the group to stand close while they were talking. Hadley turned with his movement and smiled at him, as a tender twisting in his gut kept him interested.

"I'm not really sure if that's a compliment, but I guess I'll take it. Speaking of girls that hang around, you seem to have lucked out tonight. Nobody's coming up to you; when does that ever happen?"

Marcus cocked his head, "it's why we come here. It's about the only place where we can actually enjoy a night out, without being hounded."

Jamal piped up from the side. "Some of us like being hounded."

"Yeah right, your girl would have your ass if she heard you say that." Until then, Devon Grant had been quiet.

"She probably would."

A smile had been plastered to Hadley's face as the guys started going off about their latest conquests, the women they were dating and weren't dating. For a bunch of burly guys, they talked just like schoolgirls, and she was enjoying every second of their debate.

With the sight of her curious eyes, Marcus turned and whispered into her ear. "Hard to believe these guys play a violent game for a living, isn't it?" He lingered for a minute as the scent of her shampoo drifted into his nose. It was soft and airy, like honeysuckle in the spring.

While the men argued about one of the rushing plays during the game on Sunday, Hadley turned to whisper back to Marcus. She didn't want to interrupt the moaning and groaning of the group. "Yes, it is. I think I'm more curious that you're all still standing here."

"Why wouldn't we be?"

"I don't know. You all came to do whatever it is that you do, I don't want to be in your way."