Total pages in book: 103
Estimated words: 97875 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 489(@200wpm)___ 392(@250wpm)___ 326(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 97875 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 489(@200wpm)___ 392(@250wpm)___ 326(@300wpm)
“I hear what you’re saying, but . . .” His attention dragged along the curve of her right hip and back up her center to the notch of her throat. “I can’t pretend you’re not softer, shorter, and a hell of a lot prettier than me.”
A warm, unexpected wind wafted through her chest, but she couldn’t help but be skeptical. After all, soft and pretty were adjectives that hadn’t been used to describe her many times in her life. She wasn’t sure she totally liked them, either, despite the giddy rush currently sneaking through her bloodstream. “Is this another round of flirting practice?” she asked, suspiciously.
“Nope. Those are just facts.”
“W-well,” she said, floundering momentarily. “Keep your flirtations to yourself, unless we are actively engaged in practice, as set forth in the schedule.”
“My bad, Rocket.” A corner of his lips twitched. “Bottom line is, I would like to be blindfolded. I’m indestructible. I can tape up and play on anything short of a broken limb.”
“So can I. I have.”
“I’m not saying I don’t believe you, but . . .”
A light bulb went off in Skylar’s head. “The problem is you don’t trust me. As a teammate. Not yet.” Her attention hit a snag when Robbie stroked five fingers through his beard, as if settling in to listen to her explanation. What was the texture of that beard? What would it feel like against her cheeks and chin if—no, when they kissed? They were going to kiss, eventually. She’d blocked out a whole hour of time on Tuesday for exactly that. The fact that her blood pumped faster at the thought was alarming, to say the least. “Um. I think the best thing we can do to prepare for tomorrow is establish trust. As teammates, I mean.”
“As opposed to . . .”
“Trusting you as a man. Or a boyfriend. It would be a cold day in hell.”
He shoved off the dresser, his face a mask of disbelief. “Excuse me? Are you implying that I wouldn’t be a trustworthy boyfriend?”
“I’m not implying anything. I’m stating facts, just like you.”
“Jesus, Skylar. My facts were flattering.” He paced right, then left, spearing her with a hard look all the while. “Granted, I haven’t been in a serious relationship, but if I was, if I liked someone enough to make her my girlfriend, I’d make sure I was all in. I wouldn’t do it halfway. When I commit to something, I do it a thousand percent.”
“All right.” Guilt somersaulted into her belly. “I shouldn’t have said that.”
“Shouldn’t have said it? Or shouldn’t have assumed I’d be a ratbag boyfriend?”
A small hesitation, followed by a wince. “Said it,” she whispered.
“Wow.” He shook his head slowly. “A man recounts a hookup to his teammates one time and he’s branded for life.”
“One time or every time?”
“Semantics.”
“Semantics,” she echoed, mimicking his baritone. “Let’s table the discussion on the ethics of locker room talk for now. My point is we need to build some teammate-style trust. Otherwise, how are you going to have any confidence in my instructions tomorrow?”
A red eyebrow zipped upward. “You’re letting me do the blindfolded part?”
“Only because I feel a little bit guilty for implying that you’d be a ratbag boyfriend.” She pinched her fingers together and held them up to prove her guilt was scant, at best. “But the guilt is against my will.”
“Aha. You hurt my feelings and you get to avoid injury. This sounds abundantly fair.”
The guilt wasn’t so scant anymore. Was she being a bad teammate? Or too judgmental? Did everyone else keep the truth to themselves to be more likable and why couldn’t she seem to pull that off? “Maybe this is why I’m so bad at dating. I’m too blunt. Or honest. Or—”
“Hey, hey. No. Stop that.” Robbie clasped her shoulders in his huge hands and a weird tingle shot all the way down to her knees. “I’m only kidding around. If a guy can’t handle your bluntness, maybe that’s a good sign that he’s uncomfortable with honesty and you should run in the other direction, huh?”
The sudden wave of gratitude and belonging came as such a surprise, Skylar took a full five seconds to nod. “Okay. Thanks.”
His gaze dipped to her mouth, his bare chest expanding. “Welcome.”
Musk and cinnamon and . . . was it the taste of bare flesh coming off his torso and throat? Whatever it was, the trifecta made her eyelids feel heavy. Made her wonder again about how his beard would feel in her fingers. Or dragging sideways along her collarbone.
When his hands dropped from her shoulders, they both stepped back, visibly regrouping. After what? What had happened, exactly?
Was she attracted to Robbie?
Surely not.
Just the dry spell talking.
Skylar did her best to circle her focus back to the task at hand. Despite Robbie’s assurances, she couldn’t help wanting to make up for what she’d said. Was there a way to gain some trust in each other and smooth over the awkwardness she’d caused?