I nod, humming quietly. “Yeah. Practice has been so much… better.”
The guys have started to incorporate Cillian more, making passes, talking to him as if he’s their friend and not just the unwanted new guy, and it makes me happy to see them making progress.
“Wanna help me coordinate dinner? You know they’re all going to ask for those damn cookies you spoil them with.” Dad chuckles as he runs his hand over his salt-and-pepper beard and shakes his head.
He loves those cookies just as much as the boys do, but I stopped making them as frequently since his doctor said his cholesterol was higher than the safe range for his age. Someone’s got to take care of him.
“Of course,” I reply, a sudden pang of guilt rising inside me when I think of how much I’ve been absent recently. “How about we do a movie night this weekend and hang out? I’m sorry things have been crazy lately, but I miss you.”
His eyes soften, crinkling slightly in the corners as he lovingly bumps his shoulder into mine. “I’d never turn down a movie night, sweetheart. I’m going to get back out there and wrap up practice, but I’ll see you this weekend?”
His arm slides around my shoulder. He pulls me against him, and I feel his lips press against my hair softly.
“Sounds good, Dad. I love you.”
“Love you too, sweetheart.”
After he leaves, I reopen my anatomy textbook and attempt to resume studying, but I don’t get very far—I still can’t focus. When practice ends and the guys head toward the locker room, I slam the book shut and gather all my things, shoving them into my backpack.
I guess this means I’ll be up late studying since I got absolutely nothing done and this test is worth way too much of my grade for me to fail.
But… so worth it.
I make my way off the training pitch and inside the athletic building. Inside I see Cillian walk out of the locker room.
His hair is wet and pushed back off his forehead from his shower, and he’s wearing a fresh, sweat-free Prescott Rugby T-shirtwith a pair of athletic shorts that hug his thick thighs. The ink on his arms seems even darker with his skin flushed from the hot shower he just took.
When he spots me, a lazy grin overtakes his face and his eyes move over me, making my skin hum from the attention.
I swear, I can almostfeelthe warmth of his gaze as it travels down my body, caressing each inch of me unabashedly.
I glance around, checking that we’re still alone, and then I walk the length of the hallway in a few strides until I stop short in front of him.
He lifts a brow in surprise when I grab his hand, yanking him into the closest room I can find and slamming the door shut behind us.
Coincidentally, the equipment room.
A room I’m technically familiar with but couldn’t tell him the first thing about.
Like where thelighteven is.
It’s dark, but not entirely. There’s a dim glow shining in from the sliver of space between the threshold and door that offers some light. It’s a pretty small space, lined with shelves for equipment and little room for anything else, which means Cillian’s almost pressed against my front.
I can feel the heat radiating off his massive body and smell the clean, masculine scent of his bodywash, and it makes me nearly dizzy.
Especially after I’ve spent the last hour practically panting as I spectated.
“Hi,” I breathe, my gaze traveling up to his face.
He chuckles, amusement dancing in his hazel eyes as hetakes a single step closer. “St. James. Any reason we’re hiding in the… closet?”
I step back slightly, dropping my backpack to the floor somewhere near my feet and my back hits the shelf behind me, noisily jostling the equipment on it.
“Equipment room. Not a closet.”
Cillian laughs, the delicious sound washing over me. He reaches for a lock of my hair, casually twirling a strand around his finger. “Yeah? Why are we hiding in theequipmentroom then, baby?”
Baby?
