Falling for You: A Forbidden Office Romance (Annapolis Harbor Book 5) Read online

  Falling for You

  He's off-limits, continually underestimates me, and yet… I can't ignore the attraction between us.

  Callie

  When I landed my dream job, I didn’t realize I’d be working with the one guy I’ve always avoided.

  Jonah.

  Caught off guard with a career-ending injury; he is the life and soul of every party, a likable, sociable guy on all accounts. His future relies on the success of the sports complex I’ve been hired to manage.

  But…he doubts my capabilities from the get-go.

  I’m tired of being underestimated, of having my capabilities judged by just my pretty face. This is my opportunity to prove everyone wrong, including Jonah.

  I just never expected to fall for him, or to learn that Jonah isn’t the man he pretends to be.

  Now I’m not sure if I can handle the truth.

  Jonah

  It only takes one injury to ruin your career and I’m not even sure I still have one. Investing in a sports complex made sense, until I realized that Callie was hired to manage it.

  She’s young, beautiful and has an alluring innocence I have to remind myself to ignore. As my teammate’s personal assistant, Callie is off limits in more ways than one. She’s straight out of college, has no experience and now my future lies in her hands.

  The closer we work together, the more I become captivated by her. She’s nothing like I expected her to be, but then we all hide behind masks.

  Especially me.

  If Callie learns the truth, both my future and my heart could be shattered.

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  Falling for You

  Copyright © 2021 by Lea Meyer

  All Rights Reserved.

  This book contains material protected under International and Federal Copyright Laws and Treaties. Any unauthorized reprint or use of this material is prohibited. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by an information and retrieval system without express written permission from the author.

  All characters and storylines are the property of the author and your support and respect is greatly appreciated.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

  Editing by Olivia Kalb Editing Service

  Editing by The Ryter’s Proof

  Proofreading by My Brother’s Editor

  Cover Design by Okay Creations

  Photography by Wander Aguiar

  Created with Vellum

  Table of Contents

  Books by Lea Coll

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Chapter 28

  Chapter 29

  Chapter 30

  Epilogue

  About the Author

  Books by Lea Coll

  Books by Lea Coll

  All I Want Series

  Choose Me

  Be with Me

  Burn for Me

  Trust in Me

  Stay with Me

  Take a Chance on Me

  Annapolis Harbor Series

  Hooked on You (previously titled Easy Moves)

  Only with You

  Lost without You

  Perfect for You

  Crazy for You

  Falling for You

  Waiting for You

  Mountain Haven Series

  Infamous Love

  Adventurous Love

  Impulsive Love

  Quick Snap Novellas

  Lucky Catch

  Trick Play

  Download two free novellas, Swept Away and Worth the Risk, when you sign up for her newsletter.

  To learn more about her books, please visit her website.

  Chapter One

  CALLIE

  I pulled open the wooden door to the Horse You Came In On Saloon for Reid and Dylan’s engagement party. They’d gotten engaged around Christmas but waited to hold the party for their friends until after the playoffs. I hadn’t planned on attending, but Reid insisted.

  Stepping inside, I let my eyes adjust to the dim lighting. A motorcycle hung over the lit fireplace. Sports highlights played on TVs mounted above the bar. The saddle-shaped barstools were empty because the saloon had been reserved for the party. Reid stood at the head of a long table where everyone was gathered, one arm around his fiancée, the other raised a champagne glass in a toast.

  Not wanting to disturb the big moment, I slid into the only available empty chair next to Reid’s teammate, Jonah Templeton.

  I smiled at him before turning my attention to Reid. Dylan looked up at him, a large smile on her face, her eyes full of love.

  “Thank you all for coming here tonight to celebrate our engagement. Not only do I love Dylan with all of my heart, but she pushed me to be a better person.”

  In the past, Reid avoided publicity outside of postgame press conferences. He’d hid a speech impediment for years before Dylan met him on a blind date and asked him to work with her law firm partner, Hadley’s charity, Kids Speak. The organization brought speech therapists into schools to help kids. Over the years, I’d encouraged Reid to be up front about his speech issues, but it was Dylan who convinced him.

  “Tonight wouldn’t have been possible without Callie’s help.” He tipped his head toward me.

  I flushed, not wanting to be the center of attention in front of his teammates and friends.

  “Thank you for coming out tonight.” Reid drank his champagne.

  Silverware clinked on glasses around the room.

  Dylan’s cheeks flushed pink as Reid kissed her.

  Cheers erupted around the room. Several of Reid’s friends clapped him on his back while Dylan hugged her friends. I was so happy for them.

  Jonah leaned over, his jaw sporting days-old scruff. “You’re late.”

  Dark circles ringed his eyes. I wondered if he was sleeping okay. He wore a Baltimore team polo shirt and khaki shorts. He’d taken a hard tackle in the last playoff game, tearing his ACL and MCL. His return was questionable.

  “I didn’t want to come. Reid insisted.” As Reid’s personal assistant, I didn’t think it was necessary for me to attend. I felt out of place among his teammates, their girlfriends, and their wives.

  “You’re his friend.” Jonah’s voice was low.

  I could barely hear him over the conversation carrying on around us.

  “I’m his employee.” I helped him when he needed me. He was a conscientious boss, willing to work around my class schedule.

  “He doesn’t see you as just an employee.” Jonah’s gaze was locked on mine.

  His focus was unn
erving. He was always the life of the locker room, cracking jokes and quick to help a teammate, but he’d never singled me out before.

  Conversation carried on around the table, but it was like we were alone—in our own bubble. I took a drink of the water the waitress poured for me. “What do you mean?”

  “He said you were off-limits.”

  I choked on the water, coughing, and clearing my throat until I could breathe again. Was he saying Reid told his teammates not to date me? I’d never considered the possibility.

  “Are you okay?” Jonah leaned over, his large hand spread across my back. His touch was solid, comforting.

  I wiped my mouth with a napkin. “I’m okay now. What did you say?”

  Removing his hand, he settled back into his chair. “He said you were off-limits.”

  “Why would he say that to you?”

  “You know.” Jonah tipped his bottle back, taking a long swig. He wiped off the moisture on his mouth with the back of his hand.

  I wondered if he was drunk.

  “No. I don’t know.” I wanted to ask if he should be drinking if he was on pain medication, but I was more curious about what he was going to say next.

  “You’re gorgeous.” He flipped a hand at me in a way that made me think he’d had more than a few drinks. “You know you are.”

  Glancing at the table, there were several empty shot glasses. Were they his? “Thanks.”

  I glanced at Reid, but he was laughing with some of his teammates.

  “He warned us off you,” he repeated as if that explained everything.

  I shifted in my chair. “I didn’t know anyone was interested.”

  I’d kept my distance from the players because I liked my job. It paid well, and Reid was a great boss.

  Dylan stopped by our table. “Callie. You made it.”

  I stood, thankful for the disruption, allowing Dylan to pull me into a hug. Reid stood next to her.

  “Congratulations,” I said to them when I pulled back.

  Dylan smiled wide. “Thank you for organizing everything! I’m so glad we were finally able to get everyone together.”

  It wasn’t the fancy party Dylan usually planned for Kids Speak’s nonprofit galas, but it was the low-key event Reid requested.

  “You deserved a celebration.”

  Dylan smiled at me before her gaze landed on Jonah, turning concerned.

  “Do you have a minute to talk?” Reid asked me.

  “Hey, Jonah, how are you feeling?” Dylan asked him, slipping into the seat I’d vacated.

  I followed Reid away from the table. “Of course. What do you need?”

  “I have a proposition for you.”

  “Oh?” I wondered if Reid would let me go after I graduated. He’d hired me to deal with Baltimore’s PR team, the fans, and anyone who wanted to talk to him. Now that he was dating Dylan, he didn’t need me anymore. The problem was I didn’t have anything lined up in my field.

  “I don’t know what you have planned now that you’ve graduated, but I need a manager at Rebel Sports.”

  Rebel Sports was the athletic complex Reid and his teammates, Jonah and Chase, built to accommodate more youth sports programs in the community.

  “Absolutely. I can draft an ad, help you interview possible candidates, and narrow down your choices.” I reached into my purse to start a to-do list on my phone.

  “Callie.” Something in Reid’s voice made me pause my search, looking up at him.

  “I want you.” His tone was serious.

  “I’m sorry?” I shifted the strap of my purse on my shoulder.

  “I want you to be the manager.”

  My heart sped up. “But—I don’t—” I don’t have any experience. That probably wasn’t the best thing to tell your employer who was offering you an amazing promotion. “I don’t know what to say.”

  I looked over at Jonah who was watching our exchange with interest over Dylan’s shoulder.

  “Say yes,” Reid pleaded. “I need you.”

  I couldn’t pass it up. “It’s an amazing opportunity. I’d be crazy to say no.”

  “That’s what I was hoping you’d say.” Reid grinned.

  “That’s it? I’m hired. Just like that?” It wasn’t on a probationary basis or until he could find someone more qualified?

  He lowered his voice. “I need someone I can trust. In season, I’m not going to have time to field questions or deal with employees.”

  “Thanks. I’m flattered you’re trusting me with such a huge responsibility.” I’d only ever been his personal assistant. It wasn’t exactly on the same career path as a manager.

  Reid’s hand closed over my shoulder. “You can handle it.”

  “Do Jonah and Chase have any say in the matter?” I wondered if they agreed.

  “They’re silent investors. They won’t be involved in the day-to-day operations.”

  “Okay.” I couldn’t believe this was happening. Majoring in sports management, this was my dream job. I hadn’t expected to be offered a management position straight out of college. When I saw Reid’s advertisement in the university’s student center my sophomore year for a part-time personal assistant, I thought it was a way to make money and be near the sport I loved—football.

  A smile spread over his face as he shook my hand. “Welcome on board.”

  I smiled to cover my uncertainty. Could I handle such an important job straight out of school?

  Reid walked away, grabbing Dylan’s hand to continue mingling with the guests.

  I returned to my seat, still a little stunned by the job offer.

  Jonah’s legs were spread wide. He looked rougher, more rugged than usual. Even with his injured leg propped on a chair, he was sexy.

  He cocked his head. “You take the job?”

  I sat, surprised by his question. “You knew he was going to offer me the manager position?”

  “I did.” His words were clipped.

  I studied his face. “You don’t approve.”

  “You just graduated. You don’t have any experience running a business.”

  Even though I’d had the same thoughts, irritation shot through me. I was already planning lists in my head, plans for the sports complex, things to do, things that needed to be done. My stomach sank as I realized I’d need to move or commute all the way from Baltimore.

  “What are you worried about?” Jonah shifted his elbows to his thighs.

  “Rebel Sports is forty-five minutes south from here. My grandfather lives thirty minutes north of the city. I’m not sure it makes sense to move, but I’ll have a commute.” My mind was whirring with the possibilities. I’d applied for the MBA program at the University of Baltimore for the fall. Could I handle all of it?

  Jonah’s face softened. “Your grandfather, is that Frank? The man Reid visits in the nursing home.”

  I relaxed thinking of my grandfather, the one who took me in after my parents died in a car crash. “Yeah. They’re close.”

  “You’re close to Reid.” His muscles tensed as if the answer mattered to him on some level.

  Was he trying to figure out whether we’d ever dated? It had to be the alcohol talking because he’d never expressed any interest in me before. “He’s a great boss.”

  Jonah fell silent, taking another sip of his beer, his Adam’s apple working up and down. I moved my gaze away from the sexy image.

  Determined to get his focus off of me, I changed the subject, “How are you doing with everything?”

  His face tightened. “In pain from PT. Tired of the restrictions.”

  “It’ll get better.” I leaned over, patting his good leg; the warmth seeped through his shorts, sending tingles through my arm. My gaze lifted to his wondering if he’d felt it too.

  “I hope so.”

  I moved my hand away. I’d never touched Reid like that. Why was I touching Jonah? Why was my heart racing?

  “No one asks how I’m doing. They ask me if I’ll play again, not when.�
�

  “I’m sorry. What about your family?”

  “They were here for the surgery, but I sent them home. They were driving me crazy.”

  “Your parents came?” I couldn’t remember what his family situation was but having a hovering one sounded pretty good.

  “My mom and my sister. My dad stayed in West Virginia to work.”

  “That’s nice they were able to come.” I got that familiar pang in my heart whenever anyone talked about their parents.

  “What about you? You have family in the area?” His expression was thoughtful as if he was sifting through his memories trying to remember if he’d heard something before.

  “It’s just my grandfather and me.”

  “That’s why you’re so worried about living close to him.” The deep, steady drawl of Jonah’s words soothed me.

  “Yeah. I visit as often as I can and pick up whatever he needs. I’m all he has.” The words I’d left unsaid ran on repeat through my head. He was all I had.

  I waited for the inevitable question, what happened to your parents? But it didn’t come. Either he remembered someone else talking about it, or he had the good grace not to pry. Either way, I appreciated it.

  As the evening wore on, Jonah ordered more beer and appetizers, offering them to me.

  I drank one beer, refusing any more. I went a little wild when my parents died, but after my grandfather helped me pull myself together, I was careful not to drink too much. Even if I was walking home or could get a car, I didn’t like that out-of-control feeling it gave me.

  Jonah had no such issues. With each glass, he loosened up even more, eventually throwing an arm around the back of my chair.

  “Don’t judge. It helps with all of this.” He gestured down at his injured leg.