Total pages in book: 54
Estimated words: 52975 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 265(@200wpm)___ 212(@250wpm)___ 177(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 52975 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 265(@200wpm)___ 212(@250wpm)___ 177(@300wpm)
“You ready?” Caroline asks me a few minutes later.
My eyebrow is gone and my teammates are back in the locker room celebrating the win. I’m in a side room, and Carter and Leo come in together.
“You okay, man?” Carter asks.
“Yeah, the doc’s about to stitch me up.”
“Are we waiting until she’s done to comment on the eyebrow?” Leo asks.
I sigh heavily. “I don’t give a fuck.”
“At least it wasn’t a tooth,” Carter says. “Eyebrows grow back.”
“You’ll still be able to give half-dirty looks,” Leo quips.
“Okay, here comes the numbing shot,” Caroline says.
“I told you I don’t need it.”
“You do, though. This cut is deep. The good news is your eyebrow will cover most of the scar—when it grows back.”
Carter puts a hand on my shoulder. “Relax, man. I’ll tell Suki to let Lainey know you’re gonna live.”
Lainey. I didn’t even think about her watching this game and seeing me taken away bleeding. She said she was planning to watch the game with Bruce tonight.
“Yeah, thanks,” I say.
“Can you feel this?” Caroline asks.
“Nope.”
“Okay then. Close your eyes and keep your face completely relaxed. If you feel any pain or pulling, let me know.”
“Okay.” I close my eyes, then open them again. “This won’t keep me out for the next game, will it?”
“It shouldn’t. As long as the swelling goes down, and it should with ice and an anti-inflammatory, and this cut stays clean, you’ll be fine to play the next game.”
I close my eyes, better now that I know that. Nothing’s keeping me from the opening game of the season with my team. I could have one eye and I’d be out there with an eye patch.
We all worked hard in the offseason, and we’re ready to give our fans the season of a lifetime.
Chapter Eighteen
Lainey
* * *
“Dang. My boobs look amazing in this dress.”
I turn slightly in front of Mara’s full-length bedroom mirror, admiring the fit of the fitted, floor-length sapphire gown I’m wearing. There are sparkly little crystals sewn into the bodice, trailing away past my waistline. The strapless cut emphasizes my full breasts, as does the hundred-and-ten-dollar bra I bought. I didn’t own a strapless one, and this one pushes my breasts up perfectly.
“You just have amazing boobs,” Mara says. “That dress is lucky to be touching them, and Bash will be, too.”
I laugh, giving myself one more appreciative look before I turn to face her and Suki. “This must be what a wedding day is like. Where everyone knows you’re having sex that night.”
“Not my wedding day,” Suki quips.
“Really?”
“Long story, but we hardly knew each other. I fell for my husband after we were already married.”
“I want to hear that story at some point if you’re okay sharing it.”
“Of course.”
Suki looks like a goddess in a red halter-cut gown that hugs her curves just right. Her long hair is styled in big waves and she’s waiting for Mara to do her makeup. We decided to go full high school and get ready together at Mara’s apartment.
Mara is wearing a short, black-sequined dress. Her dark hair, which she usually wears flowing down her back, is straightened and styled in a French knot at her neckline. She’s a walking thirst trap, and I don’t know how she’s still single.
I didn’t know what to do with my hair, so I let Mara decide. She put loose curls in it and then did a half-down, half-up style I love, with loose pieces framing my face. I don’t think I’ve ever looked so elegant.
Mara has a two-bedroom apartment, and she has a lighted vanity for hair and makeup in one room. She works on her own makeup while Suki and I slow dance.
“I’d dip you, but I’m not very coordinated,” I say.
“I’m saving all my fanciness for tonight. Carter and I have been practicing the Dirty Dancing lift.”
Mara gasps, meeting Suki’s gaze in the mirror. “You whore! You already married a pro athlete and got three beautiful girls with zero vaginal stretching, and now you’re doing the Dirty Dancing lift?”
“Nobody puts Suki in a corner.” She grins and twirls me beneath her arm.
“At least I can dance with Dex,” Mara murmurs. “Harry’s going to be all wrapped up in his boyfriend all night.”
“I can’t wait to meet him,” I say.
“Same.” Suki does a sexy pose in front of the mirror. “You guys, I’m wearing crotchless undies for the first time. I sent my husband a photo of the bra and panties lying on the bed before I got dressed and he responded with a GIF of a cartoon dog with its tongue rolling across the floor.”
Mara groans. “Just keep rubbing the salt in. You guys are both getting railed tonight and I’ll be alone with my overworked vibe.”
I laugh. “You’re gorgeous. If you’re not getting any, that’s a choice.”
“Right?” Suki says. “Carter has single teammates.”