Aced (Blocked #2) by Jennifer Lane Page B

couldn’t leave him hanging.
    China grinned. “I’ve been dying to castrate that jerk for how he treats these women.”
    “I just kept thinking about how he told Lucia to lose weight last fall—and he dared to eject Maddie from practice? But I should never disrespect a coach like that.” I shook my head.
    Allison’s eyebrows pulled together. “Coach Holter hasn’t exactly earned our respect. Maybe you could’ve been more tactful…”
    “You think?” I clasped my head in my hands again.
    “But he’s had that coming for a long time, like you said.” Allison smiled. “We’re just jealous you got to say it, not us.” She glanced at China. “We should head back up for Lucia. You coming?”
    China’s smile actually looked shy. She pushed off the wall and walked to the stairs, drawing close to Allison’s side.
    Watching two women together still jarred me. When I’d fallen under China and Brad’s protection the day after the election, Lucia had told me about China’s secret relationship with Allison. “It was different for me at first,” she’d said, “just because I didn’t know any lesbian couples. But now I think they’re cute together.”
    Cute together? Nothing about China was cute. I still felt uncomfortable around her, and not just due to her overbearing nature. It was strange to me that she had zero use for men in her life. She certainly didn’t need a man’s protection, nor did she need a man for sex. And how did sex actually work without…? Chin. I sounded as naïve as Mateo.
    Would Maddie want to be protected by a man? I sure hoped so, because I felt drawn to do just that. I couldn’t get the image of her facing off against Nina out of my mind. She’d stormed toward Nina like she’d wanted to flatten her, but I’d worried Maddie would be the one to get hurt. We’d both lost our cool.
    I wondered how Maddie felt about me yelling at her coach. She probably wouldn’t want anything to do with a hothead like me.
    “Alejandro,” Brad said, and I looked up. “Want to wait here at the gym for Luce, or head to the greenhouse?”
    I glanced at my watch. “She has a half hour left of practice?”
    “About that,” Frank said.
    “Uh, how about…” My voice faded when Maddie rounded the corner. She stopped short once she saw me, and her rapid blinks couldn’t hide her tears. Damn, she’s beautiful.
    She threw her hand in the air as she shook her head. “Great! You catch me crying once again. You must think that’s all I do.”
    I wished she didn’t feel embarrassed. Her tears didn’t make me judge her—they made me want her. The contrast between her emotional softness and her athletic toughness allured me.
    I noticed Frank and Brad slinking away, giving us some privacy. I looked back at Maddie. “Of course you’re crying—that was a rough one out there. It’s not every day you get thrown out of practice.”
    She winced. “That’s my first time ever.”
    I took that in and considered all the practices of my baseball career. “Me too, actually.”
    A smile appeared, then a giggle leaked out. “What the hell got into you, boy?”
    “I bought a one-way ticket to loco, I guess.” Her smirk captivated me, and pretty soon I laughed too. “I don’t know what came over me.” I straightened. “Are you upset with me?”
    “ What? You’re like the team’s hero now. Everyone loved how you went off on Coach.” She tensed, then turned to look down the hallway, but all was clear. “Everyone besides Nina, that is.”
    “That girl’s got problems.” My vision narrowed. “What did she say to my sister? Lucy looked really hurt.”
    Maddie bit her full bottom lip. “Definitely not worth repeating.” Her hand fluttered away from her body like she was nervous.
    I noticed she clutched a business card in that hand. “What’s that?”
    “Nothing.” She swept the card inside her Spandex shorts. I saw a patch of toned abs when she hiked up her shirt, and I kept staring at the