Thirty minutes later, she snaps shut her notebook, drops it into her bag, and plucks out another book.
“What’s that?”
“A book. Ever read one?”
My chuckle comes naturally. “Yes, many, in fact. I just wasn’t sure if it was something to do with your interview.”
“Nope, we’re all done. You can go to sleep now.” She flips it open to her bookmark and starts reading.
Well, okay, then. Guess that’s my cue to leave her alone. I hunker down in my seat, crossing my arms over my chest and my ankles in the aisle. And I may have intentionally nudged her arm as I did this—perhaps my way of settling the score between us.
And she may have pushed back, biting her bottom lip as she did and appearing more impish than my senses can take, so I close my eyes.
But it’s the warmth of her arm against mine that sends me over the edge into a peaceful sleep.
The lurch of the bus stopping and the sounds of shuffling feet bring me to the first level of awareness. Next comes Coach’s instructions about taking the evening to relax, curfew, and pregame practice in the morning.
Then, I notice a warm pressure against my left arm. I glance over to see Sophie’s book lying open in her lap and her head snuggled against me. And she’s still asleep.
I should shift so she knows we’re here, but I can’t stop studying how her dark lashes rest on her cheek and the way the sunlight streaming through the window makes her hair glossy all over like black silk.
The guys are ready to file off the bus, so I slide my ankles in and bend my knees, careful not to disturb her. Ethan stops next to me and places a hand on my shoulder.
I look up and raise my brows in question.
He points to Sophie and raises his.
Not entirely sure what he’s asking, I gesture with my right hand to point out the obvious more so—she’s asleep against me, and I’m trying not to wake her yet.
My movement stirs her, but instead of sitting up, she snuggles in more, rubbing her face against my sleeve. I try not to smile, but I think I’m failing.
Ethan snorts and keeps going. I bite down on my bottom lip to stop the laugh building in my gut. Not at her, per se, but more like delight in how adorable she looks.
And how nice she feels against me.
I may need to do those breathing exercises again.
Her eyelashes flutter just before she jerks away from me. “What…” She grabs her book before it tumbles to the floor of the bus. “Are we there yet?”
I slide upright in my seat, still taking in every bit of her as she tries to wake up and fighting my wandering thoughts. Is this what she looks like in the morning? And why does that question ignite a longing inside of me to see this every single day?
I stand up so she can get out of the aisle. “Justarrived.”
She blinks up at me and points to my arm. “Sorry about that.”
I track where she’s pointing and find two black smudges on my sleeve. Mascara, I’m guessing.
“It’s an old shirt.” One of my favorites, too, but I secretly hope the stains don’t wash out.
“That’s good, I guess.” Still sleepy, she stuffs her book into her bag and slings it over her shoulder. I continue to block the aisle so she can get out, ignoring Jayce’s impatient sigh coming from behind us.
We spend the next few minutes grabbing our bags and duffels as they’re unloaded from the bus while Gabe and Derek check us all in.
Once inside, the coaches reiterate their instructions and hand out our room key cards. Judging by the way Ethan and Payton stepped back from the group with their heads tipped toward each other and their voices at whisper level, they’re definitely up to something.
They stare at me and grin.
Time to make a run for it. I head toward the elevators just as the doors close on several of my teammates and Sophie. She really did look like an imp standing among a bunch of giants. My impatience for the next elevator doubles. I have no intention of starting anything with her, but the idea of one of them hitting on her makes me see a red that has nothing to do with our jerseys.
