Redemption (6 page)

Oliver’s teammates all rallied to support him, and so did most of the press and public. After all, he had many more World Cups ahead of him and England would have never gotten to the final at all if it weren’t for him.

He came back from Paris the next day in a furious temper, and it never went away. He spent the last week of my trip either ignoring me or telling me that my presence at his house had been a distraction and that was why he’d missed the kick. 

By the time I made it back home, I had convinced myself that I hated him. I tried to make Maisie hate him too, but after some counseling for the attack and her scars, she decided that she wanted to be just like Oliver and play rugby. She hero worshiped him and there was nothing I could do or say to make her see otherwise. 

As all sisters do, we argued occasionally, but she never once blamed me for what happened to her. I wouldn’t have been able to live with myself if she had. Maisie had enough strength and bravery for the two of us, and when I’d seen her with Oliver over dinner I realized where she’d gotten that from. Certainly not from me. 

I still didn’t know whether I should—or could—forgive him for the way he acted, but he seemed determined to seek forgiveness and who was I to stand in his way. Let him try and make it up to me. What was the worst that could happen?

I much preferred coaching the girls’ teams. Whenever I tried to coach the boys’ teams, there would always be a few cocky sods who would insist that I couldn’t teach them anything because of that one ‘mistake’ I made in the World Cup Final back in 2007. If they knew the full story, they wouldn’t be quite so quick to judge my ability on the pitch.

England Rugby had taken over a huge training centre with eight different rugby pitches and some football pitches that we took over for training drills. There was more than enough room for the different age groups of both the boys and the girls. 

Fortunately, I didn’t have to deal with the boys’ teams all that much, because my role was to help promote the game among girls. It would be better if there were some prominent female role models to do the job, but there weren’t any famous female rugby players; hence we put this training camp together. 

I’d managed to convince England Rugby that the experience would be better for everyone if some of the girls were from countries outside of England because “the girls will learn from each other.” That was just a ruse to bring Maisie here, of course, but it had worked. 

I’d kept an eye on the car park from the second the first player arrived, and had seen Michelle park her rental car and walk over to the field for the under-fifteen girls team. The temptation to go over there immediately and spend the day with Michelle was almost too strong, but I resisted and started with the under-eighteen’s team.

My appearance was immediately greeted by a series of wolf whistles as the players stopped talking and all turned to face me. I introduced myself, although they clearly knew who I was.

“I need to practice my tackling, sir,” Jackie said. I recognized her from the training videos I’d watched a few months ago. This girl was as good as they came and could give some men a run for their money. 

“I’m not actually leading the session,” I explained. “I’m just here to oversee everything. But I’ll make sure your coach gives you tackling practice.”

“Actually, sir, I really think I should practice on you. I reckon I could bring you down on top of me.”

The girls all laughed and I caught more than one of them mentally undressing me. “I think you should stick to tackling those of your own age,” I replied. 

“I’ve tackled men of your age before, sir,” Jackie said, biting her lip and doing her best to look seductive. “Although never one as big as you.” The girls all burst into laughter and I considered whether coaching the boys might be easier after all.

“Alright, ladies, enough of that, or I’m going to get in trouble. I’ll make sure to pop by a few times a day to see how you’re all getting on.”

“Pop by any time, sir,” Jackie yelled out as I walked away.

I walked over to Michelle where she stood by the touchline watching the under-fifteens warm up. They already looked far more disciplined than the older age group, but that was likely down to the coach. 

I’d assigned them to be under the watchful eye of Terry who had been the one to whip me into shape when I was about Maisie’s age. At fifteen, rugby had ended up dropping down to second in my list of priorities, and Terry helped me remember that rugby might provide more long-lasting pleasure than just trying to get my end away at parties.

“Sounds like you have quite the fan club over there,” Michelle remarked. “I’m surprised you managed to tear yourself away.”

“You don’t need to be jealous. They’re far too young for me. I prefer my women to about… How old are you now?”

“Twenty-four.”

“About twenty-four.” 

Although the weather was supposed to hit the mid-twenties today, the mornings still tended to be cold, so Michelle had put on jeans and another cardigan on top. At some point, I’d have to find an excuse for her to wear a skirt again. She always used to show off her legs, so it should only be a matter of time. For now, I would just have to use my imagination. Besides, seeing her in the flesh was more than enough for the time being.

It was still hard to believe she was standing here in front of me. Apart from the odd photo, I hadn’t seen anything of her in eight years. She’d changed a lot in that time. She stood with more confidence. The sixteen-year-old Michelle I’d met had hanged off my every word, and couldn’t maintain eye contact with me. This Michelle stood up straight and had an air of confidence about her. She also projected a “don’t fuck with me” vibe, but then I always enjoyed a challenge.

“I’m not jealous of those girls,” Michelle said. “I just feel bad for them. They should set their sights higher.”

“Some people consider me quite the catch, you know. You used to, not that long ago.”

“Eight years is a long time,” she said.

“So you did think I was a catch back then?” 

There were a few seconds of silence before she spoke. “Is that what this whole thing is about?”

“What do you mean?”

“This training camp. Is it just some pathetic attempt to get back in my good books after all these years?”

“You have quite the ego on you, don’t you? Do you really think I’d arrange all this just to spend time with you?” I would have done all that and more to spend a minute with her, but she didn’t need to know that. 

“Well, no, but what about Maisie being here? Is she just here because of me?”

“No, she’s here because she’s one of the best young rugby players I know of. I sent a scout to watch her, and he had nothing but good things to say. Sure, I wouldn’t have known about her if it weren’t for your dad being married to my mum, but that doesn’t change anything.”

“Good,” she said. “So you’re not going to spend the entire summer trying to get into my pants?” 

“I’m not promising anything of the sort,” I replied with a grin. Her mouth twitched slightly, but she didn’t look entirely displeased at the revelation. I hadn’t intended to chase after Michelle, but the second I laid eyes on her again, I knew it was inevitable. I only had a few months to get her, so I wasn’t about to waste time I didn’t have. 

“You might be used to having your way with any woman you set your sights on, but I’m not available.” 

“Yes, you are,” I replied. “Maisie told me you were single at the moment.”

“That doesn’t mean I’m available to you. We are related, or had you forgotten?”

“You never used to look at me like a brother, so I don’t see why I should look at you like a sister.” 

I’d immediately accepted Maisie as a sister, but never Michelle. From the moment we were introduced, I saw her as someone I wanted to devour. I’d never been so captivated by one woman before, but her messy brown hair and nervous glances had driven me crazy. 

That messy brown hair had been replaced by wavy hair that cried out for me to weave my fingers through it as I kissed her. The nervous glances were now angry stares. Both were equally sexy. 

“Just how much has Maisie been telling you about me?” Michelle asked. 

Too much; more than I wanted to know. “She tells me when you have a new boyfriend on the go, and likes to gossip about when you don’t come home.” 

“Oh.”

“No need to be embarrassed,” I said. “We’re both adults. I do the same.” I’d eventually told Maisie it wasn’t polite to talk about her sister like that just so she would stop telling me all the details I didn’t want to hear. 

“Unlike you, I don’t take pride in screwing anything that walks,” Michelle said. 

“There’s nothing wrong with enjoying sex,” I said. “I happen to be rather good at it, so if that hotel room ever feels a little lonely—”

“I’ll pop down to the bar and finish the conversation I started with the good-looking barman last night.”

I’d known Michelle would be mad at me for the way I’d acted before, but I hadn’t expected the anger to burn quite so intensely. Obtaining her forgiveness wasn’t going to be easy. 

“About what I did back in—” I began, as Maisie ran up to us with perfect timing. 

“Coach says you need to come over and introduce yourself to the girls,” Maisie said, slightly out of breath from the warm up. “I warn you, they’re all going to perv over you a bit.”

“Of course they are,” Michelle muttered, before bending over and grabbing a bottle of water from her bag. I took the chance to admire her arse in those tight jeans. The denim clung to her body, but to me it was crying out to be peeled off. I’d never seen anyone look so damn appealing in a pair of jeans and a cardigan. 

I reluctantly looked away from Michelle and ran over to say hello and explain the basics of what they could expect over the next few weeks. The girls were all gossiping about me as I walked up, but unlike the older girls, they didn’t make any inappropriate jokes. Not in front of me, at least. I dreaded to think what Maisie would overhear in the changing rooms later.

Terry and I put the girls through a few basic drills, and Maisie continued to excel. I looked back over my shoulder to Michelle and saw her looking in my direction, not at Maisie. That was a good start at least. I knew I’d worn these tight shorts for a reason and it wasn’t to impress the girls. 

I had my eyes set on a woman, and when I set my sight on something I didn’t give up without a fight. I made that mistake eight years ago, but I wasn’t going to make it again.