Part 1Seducing The Grumpy Campus Coach

"Now you’re scared?" The campus jock had me pinned against the wall, his body close, his voice a low, gravelly rasp against my ear.

"You were so eager to flirt. Didn't you think about the consequences?"

"I wasn’t flirting." I denied it, straining to breathe, my heart hammering a chaotic rhythm.

"No?" He clearly didn't believe me. "We're adults, Calla. You own your actions."

Oh god, what was I supposed to do?

* * *

"Strike three, Calla Jansen. How many times is this now?"

He grabbed me by the collar of my jersey, lifting me like a kitten, choking the life out of my impending freedom. The exit gate was just a single, agonizing step away, but I couldn't reach it.

I flailed, desperately trying to twist out of his iron grip.

I was going crazy. Why did Lachlan Shaw always manage to catch me every single time I tried to sneak off campus?

It baffled me. I couldn't figure out the surveillance setup, but if I didn't get out soon, the boredom of this intense pre-season soccer camp would actually kill me.

Why were we locked down for a whole month just for training? It was archaic.

"Lachlan…" I turned my most pathetic gaze on the man behind me, clasping my hands together in a plea. "Just this once? I swear, it’s the last time!"

Lachlan wasn’t buying it. He let out a dry, dismissive scoff. "Calla, that's what you said last time."

"I mean it! If there’s a next time, you can call me Shirley." I thumped my chest dramatically, raising a hand in a solemn oath, trying to look trustworthy.

The corner of his mouth curved up, crinkling the skin at the edge of his eyes. His face—already unfairly handsome—looked even more devastating with the hint of a smile. But right now, it just terrified me. I swallowed hard.

Lachlan bent closer, and I instinctively leaned back.

"That's a weak promise, Calla," he murmured. "Why would I ever call you Shirley?"

I paused. He had a point. My pathetic little promise had no teeth.

Just as I was scrambling for a better guarantee, Lachlan cut me off, his resolve clear. "Rules are rules. Once the camp is over, you can spend a whole day off campus. I won't stop you."

I refused to accept defeat and tried one last, dying gasp of a negotiation. But before I could get a word out, he shut me down with another threat. "Maybe the drills aren't intense enough. You still have the energy to try and run away."

"If they're too easy, I can always double the running for your entire squad tomorrow."

Seriously? The man was completely unreasonable.

I immediately snapped my head up. I was not going to be the reason my teammates had to do suicide sprints. I bowed a full ninety degrees. "Coach! I was wrong! I'm heading back to the dorm now. See you around!"

With that, I bolted, terrified that even a moment longer in his presence would lead to consequences for my friends.

This pre-season camp was mandatory, a brutal month of daily drills and lectures. The main rule was no unauthorized leave. Lachlan, a graduate student and former star player, was the assistant coach assigned to my team.

Which is why the entire campus seemed to be under his personal jurisdiction.

But I strongly suspected Lachlan was deliberately targeting me.

Every time I tried to slip away, he’d materialize like an angry spirit, a personalized surveillance system attached to my back.

What made it worse? He even policed my love life.

A cute guy from the track team asked for my Instagram handle the other day. I instantly lit up. Handsome strangers are a rarity around here. I was about to open my profile for him when Lachlan appeared out of nowhere and yanked me away.

When I demanded to know what he was doing, he actually said, "Time for training. Get back to the field."

I checked my watch, furious. We still had an hour before the next session! What were we supposed to be doing so early? Sunbathing?

I glared at him, then whipped my head around to find the track guy, but he was gone.

"Lachlan Shaw! You owe me a dating prospect!" I yelled, stomping my foot. I didn't even care that he was my coach; I used his full name.

He just smiled. "Fine."

The next morning, I found a hideous, obviously fake bouquet of plastic roses taped to my dorm door.

I was so angry I tossed them directly into the nearest trash can.

Lachlan, your love life is a pathetic imitation of the real thing! May all your future relationships be as fake as these roses!