Page 74 of We'll Meet Again
Ethan struggled against Jordan, but unfortunately, the goalkeeper had a grip like iron. Which was probably for the best since all Ethan could think about now was punching the smug little smile off Peter’s stupid face.
“Awfully rich coming from you,” Ethan said. “You’re the one who cheated on her.”
“Only because I knew what was coming,” Peter said. “I never took Billie seriously. And neither should you. Shag and bag is practically her life’s motto. Tell me, how soon did she try to sleep with you?”
Ethan didn’t answer, his mouth turning into an impossibly deeper frown.
“First date, wasn’t it?” Peter guessed, and it made Ethan’s chest clamp like a vice grip to know he was right. “She was the same with me. So I knew right away the kind of woman she was. I heard about the poor bloke that came after me who made the fucking mental mistake of falling in love with her.” He paused to finish off his drink. “My problem with you, Knight, isn’t that you’re taking your turn with her. You should enjoy it. My issue is that you got signed before anyone else even got a chance at the number nine spot.” He looked meaningfully at Coach Warren then. “And there were - thereare- people who could have done it.”
Jordan dropped his arms from their place around Ethan’s middle. Ethan stood rooted to the spot. Coach blinked and shook his head, taken aback. He started to open his mouth to reply, but Peter didn’t give him the time. He put his empty glass back on the bar and started to walk away, headed for the exit. Ethan willed Coach Warren to speak up, to put his foot down, and set Peter straight about speaking that way about a staff member, or anyone for that matter. But he didn’t. He just watched Peter walk away. At the last moment, Peter turned around again, a wicked gleam in his eye as he met Ethan’s gaze.
“If I see Billie on her knees out there, I’ll tell her to crack on.”
Ethan lunged toward him again, but was stopped once more by Jordan. Peter walked out with a cruel laugh.
“It won’t make you feel any better,” Jordan said.
“Wanna bet?” Ethan grumbled, straightening his shirt.
“I had no idea…” Coach Warren said, looking at the floor. “He never said he wanted to play center forward.”
“How much say do you have over signings, though?” Ethan asked.
Coach shrugged. “Not much, but I’d have happily given him an opportunity to…I wish he’d spoken up sooner.”
“He’s always been comfortable and successful on the wing,” Jordan said. “Scored goals from there too. Why would you move him if what he’s doing has been working?”
Had Peter not just said all those awful things about Billie, Ethan would have gladly suggested playing a false nine, and just giving Peter the opportunity he was so desperate for. As it was, Ethan was no longer interested in being polite or generous to that asshole. So he held his tongue. If Peter wanted the chance, he was going to have to pry it from Ethan’s cold, dead hands.
Chapter 20
“Mustbedoin’somethin’right, I just heard you sigh, you lean into my kiss and close those deep blue, need you eyes,” Ethan crooned along to the Billy Currington song playing from his phone.
Billie emerged from the bedroom with a smile, coaxed out of slumber by the smell of pancakes, and Ethan’s heart jumped at the sight of her with her hair all mussed and wearing nothing but his jersey, boyshort panties, and some fuzzy socks. Unable to help himself, he spun her into his arms, earning a sweet giggle, and began to sway to the beat of the music. Her head rested on his bare chest. She was still warm from sleep, so it was optimal cuddling time.
Moments like this helped him forget the things Peter said at the baby shower. Not that he set much store by Peter’s opinion. Ethan didn’t even tell Billie about it, instead letting her vent to him about Tony, who was worrying Ethan more and more by the minute. Men like that, who enjoyed backing people into corners, were dangerous. Part of him hoped Billie would go ahead and seek employment elsewhere, as much as he would miss seeing her every day. She seemed to consider the suggestion, but hadn’t said anything else about it.
And as far as Peter, Ethan was almost certain the guy was just jealous. Ethan already knew that Billie had never really been in love before, and the number of partners she had before him (and when she slept with them) was none of his business. He kept telling himself that those men just hadn’t done enough to earn Billie’s love. For her to be standing there in his arms, laughing with him, and letting him lead her…it all meant that he was different. It had to.
“You are going to have to let me go at some point,” she said softly. “Or your pancakes are going to burn.”
“So they burn,” he said with a shrug, and captured her lips in a kiss.
She broke it off, which only stung a little bit. “I also want coffee.”
“Well, sit down, I’ll get you some,” he told her.
“I’ve got it,” she insisted, detaching herself from him. “Seriously, you’ve got to flip those.”
He moved over to the skillet. She was right of course, the pancakes were a touch too brown on the side that had been cooking, but still edible. The skillet fit four, and he flipped them all while Billie helped herself to the coffee he’d already made. She had teased him once about using a percolator, but he argued that since it was electric, it wasn’t totally outdated. And once she tasted the coffee it made, she didn’t complain again.
“Are you ready for tomorrow?” she asked after taking her first sip.
“I think we are,” he said. “We’ve been working really hard.”
The day of the FA Cup semi-final had come quicker than he anticipated. They would be playing Arsenal, a club they had ended in a draw with earlier this season. He wasn’t terribly concerned. If it went to a penalty shootout, he was confident in Jordan’s goalkeeping abilities.
“Who’re you hoping wins the other semi-final?” Billie asked, as if reading his mind. “Chelsea or Liverpool?”