He swept into the room with purpose, talking to our new assistant coach whom he’d brought with him. I watched the two of them conversing as they moved toward the center of the locker room.

That was, until she walked in.

I almost thought it was Riley at first — because she and Giana Jones were the girls we ever really saw in the locker room. But the girl who swung through the door behind Coach was no one I’d ever seen before.

Her long, leather-brown hair flowed over her shoulders like chocolate waves — and that was the only thing soft about her. Every inch of her face was etched into severe precision, her jaw set, bow-shaped lips flattened into a tight line. In a red crop tank top and black track pants, I could tell she was fit, her toned, golden stomach peeking through the gap between the two. She was slight, narrow hips and lean arms, which made her ample bust stand out even more.

In every possible way, she was a complete knockout.

But it wasn’t her body that held me captive.

It wasn’t her hair, or the graceful line of her neck, or the arrogant indifference with which she strode into the room.

It was her eyes.

Warm, endlessly deep brown, framed by thick lashes that swept across her cheeks with every blink.

“At ease, gentlemen,” Coach Lee said with a smirk, holding out his hands and signaling us to sit once he was in the center of the room. “And lady,” he added with a pointed look at Riley.

The rest of the coaches lined the wall behind him, giving him our full attention.

“I know I’ve already met a few of you during my tours here, but I’m excited to finally get real time with each and every one of you. I won’t pretend like I’m blind to how uncomfortable and uneasy this all must be for you. I’m not just a new player, I’m a new coach — and I know how that can shake things up more than anything else.”

I swallowed.

“But I want you to know, I’m not here to change everything. Obviously, a lot of what you have going here has been working. It’s an honor to be walking onto this team.” He paused, hanging his hands on his hips. “It’ll be even more of an honor to give you the last push to the finish line, to be there when they crown us champs at the end of the season.”

That made several players exchange looks of determination and delight, that fire that I’d stoked at the end of last season just one good poke away from roaring again.