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The second the sentence left my mouth, I knew I’d fucked up. Theo’s smirk confirmed it.

“And we know I enjoy every minute of those kinds of cardio workouts.” Why’d he have to make everything sound so damn dirty?

“Do the damn exercise, Theo,” I snapped.

“You got it, Coach.”

Thankfully, Theo moved into position and started the drill while I turned toward Wyatt before I made another professionally catastrophic decision.

“You know,” Wyatt began, his gaze trailing after Theo, “I don’t need to do the exercise, Coach.”

I bit back a laugh. I understood the lack of appeal there was in resistance weight training.

“Yes, you do,” I said.

“I don’t need it,” he attempted again. He held still while I wrapped the belt around his waist, though the expression on his face suggested I was personally betraying him. “I’m fast enough. I’m not Theo fast—”

“Then we’ll make you as fast as Theo.” I doubted it. Theo was a goddamn speed demon. Some athletes trained themselves into speed. Theo seemed to be built for it. But we could still improve on Wyatt’s speed.

“No.” He shook his head. “I think I’m good with being second fastest.”

“Nice try, Wyatt.” I chuckled. The least I could do was respect the attempt. “You have it in you to be faster. I’m going to tap into that. No reason we can’t have two damn impressive running backs.”

“Can we run math drills instead?”

“No.” Though if he’d asked me literally anywhere else, I probably would’ve said yes. Wyatt’s math ability was absurd. Not good at math for a football player absurd. Actually exceptional. I’d already started thinking about people I could contact, programs he might qualify for, and internships that could put him in rooms with people who could recognize exactly what his brain could do. The kid had options. He just didn’t seem to know it yet. If he wanted more than Everdale, I could help him find it.

“Fine.” He sighed a little too dramatically before grinning. “Bet me I can beat his weight resistance?”

“I don’t bet on my players,” I told him. ”Get on it, Wyatt. I’ll be watching.”

And I did. Sort of. My attention stayed where it belonged for approximately thirty seconds before drifting across the field again. Theo leaned forward against the resistance, every step fighting the weight dragging behind him. His face tightened with concentration as he pushed through another pass.

I increased the resistance the next time. He struggled, adjusted, and pushed harder exactly like I knew he would. I should’ve been watching his mechanics throughout the whole exercise. Instead, some traitorous part of my mind kept getting hung up on the way he moved.

And every time he glanced back toward me, sweaty and breathing hard with that stubborn challenge still burning in his eyes, one thought became painfully clear: coaching Theo was going to test a hell of a lot more than his speed.

“I know you’re tired,” I began as I crossed my arms. That was putting it mildly. After a full day of pushing them to see what they were capable of, most of the team had dissolved into a scattered mess across the field. Honestly, they looked terrible, which meant the day had probably gone well. “But you did well today.”

A weak, collective groan rolled over them, making me chuckle. Admittedly, I felt their pain. I’d spent most of the day right there with them—demonstrating drills, correcting form, and jumping into conditioning when somebody needed an example. Every muscle in my body ached, but it’d been worth it. I’d learned more about them in one day than any file could’ve told me.

“Make sure you take care of yourselves tonight,” I continued. “Ice baths and relax. You’ll be just fine.”

“Debatable!” one of them shouted—couldn’t see who. That bothered me more than it probably should have. I hated not knowing all their names yet, but with this many players, that would take time. I’d get there.

“We’re all going to die!” someone else chimed in.

“You’re not going to die,” I assured them. “Believe me. You’ll hurt, you’ll heal, and you’ll do it all over again.”

“No,” Wyatt whined.

“Yes,” I retorted, matching his tone. That earned a few tired laughs. “Now, up. Get out of here. I’ll see you bright and early tomorrow.”

The groans and moans were excessive as they dragged themselves to their feet. I stayed where I was as they filed past, offering encouragement where I could. They were a good group. Messy and undisciplined in places, but they were good guys. They just needed direction. I could give them that.

“Later, Coach,” Theo said.

And Lord fucking help me, he winked as he passed. I sighed. Theo’s persistence was going to be the end of me. The worst part was, I wasn’t sure if I could outlast him.