Page 23 of Pucking Rebound
“You like art?” I ask, surprised at this revelation.
He nods shyly, then picks up a remote from the nightstand. “These shut the drapes,” he says, changing the subject. “And the buttons along the bottom control the lights.” Dropping it down on the bed, he pushes his hands into the back pockets of his jeans, making him look wider than he is.
While Wade is built like a tank, Jordy is leaner and possesses a strong upper body made for fighting for the puck and withstanding checks. I know this because I’ve watched him play. His transitions and breakaways are insanely quick. And if I had x-ray vision to see through the denim of his jeans, it would confirm how muscular his thighs are. From head to toe, he’s well-balanced with a body made for speed. He's perfect.
With no recollection of how I got here, I somehow find myself toe to toe with him.
Looking down at me, jaw tense, his hands still in his back pockets, he inhales deep, inflating his chest. His nostrils flare before he lets out a heavy sigh.
If I stretched up a little, it wouldn’t take much for him to dip down and close the height difference between us. I’m captivated by the thought of our lips touching.
“Night then,” he utters softly, before clenching his jaw so tight his muscles tic, once, then twice, as if he’s holding himself back.
“See you in the morning, Jordy.” I rise to my tiptoes and kiss his jaw because it’s as far as I can reach.
His huge hands cup my face, and when he bows his head, for one hope-filled moment, I hold my breath and close myeyes when I think he’s going to kiss me. Instead, he kisses my forehead, and I shoot my eyes open just as he turns away, telling me over his shoulder, “I’ll leave the skincare you wanted at your door.”
He shuts the door behind him, and it feels like he closed the door onus.
Disappointment washes over me.
I know it’s the right thing to do, but why do I feel sad about it?
Looking down at his tee shirt I’m holding, I lift the soft fabric to my nose, filling my nostrils with his aftershave that’s intoxicating. The strong scent igniting heat between my thighs.
It smells so good.
Like sin and bad decisions.
It’s just one night under the same roof as him, Lola.
You can do this.
CHAPTER SIX
Jordy
Yawning, I cup my junk and walk into the darkened kitchen.
I saw ten o’clock, then eleven. Now midnight, and sleep is still evading me.
I never sleep well the night before a game, but tonight it’s not pregame nerves preventing me from sleep, it’s her.
Lola.
The stunning blonde sleeping under the same roof as me this evening.
I must have lost my goddamn mind when I offered her one of my guest bedrooms. However, I couldn’t let her check into a hotel when I have three spare bedrooms. At least this way, I know she’s safe, and somewhere Graham can’t get to her.
Although maybe she would be safer at a hotel because I got a taste of her earlier when I licked her neck, and I swear to fuck, all it did was make me crave her more.
Then in the bedroom, I almost kissed her.
Glad I didn’t.
Wished I had.
Wished she didn’t work for the Eagles.
