A little under two hours later, parents and supporters were hugging each other in the stands. The Hurricanes remained undefeated, beating their opponents in a nail-biting game won by a field goal with two minutes remaining. Dominique was just as excited as the rest of the onlookers, not only because her son’s team had won, but also because she’d actually been able to follow the game. Six short weeks ago, she wouldn’t have been able to tell a touchdown from a touchback but, thanks to Jake’s patient tutoring, could now spout football jargon with the best of them. She turned toward the field to look for Justin and encountered two dark chocolate-brown eyes staring at her. She still had a bone or two to pick with Jake McDonald, but Dominique’s heart skipped a beat as she nodded in acknowledgement and he motioned for her to join him on the field.

“Great game, Coach,” she said, once she’d worked her way through the throng of people surrounding him. The warm words were paired with a cold stare.

“Glad you enjoyed,” Jake responded, ignoring her demeanor while lazily running his eyes along Dominique’s ample frame. “I see you’re getting into the groove, wearing the colors and what not.”

Noting the listening ears around them, Dominique smiled as she straightened the purple and gold scarf loosely tied around her neck. “What else would you expect from the proud mother of your star tight end?”

Both Jake and Dominique burst out laughing, remembering when she’d first talked about her son and his position at right end. Their camaraderie was interrupted, however, when a television reporter wrangled her way into the mix.

“Can we get a quick interview, Coach?”

“Sure, Madison,” Jake said, with a wink to the reporter and a nod to the cameraman. The reporter stepped between Jake and Dominique and began firing appropriately honed questions at the man who led one of only two undefeated teams in the league.

Dominique took in the attractive blonde, from her skintight jeans to her low-cut top exposing large boobs on a slender frame, and backed away. She tried not to feel the quick stab of jealousy that shot through her heart, tried not to analyze why Jake smiling at the reporter had affected her the way it had. She’d never given much thought to the type of woman Jake liked, or if he were dating anyone but her. They’d never had the conversation about exclusivity and why would they? Dominique wasn’t even ready to acknowledge that they were in a relationship, especially now. She’d referred to their being together as “scratching an itch.” But was that really all she wanted and if so, when would this itch go away?

“Mom!” Justin ran up to her, followed by another football player and a haggard-looking mom. “Travis’s mom is taking us out for pizza. Can I go?”