“You’re not raffling off an engagement ring. This isn’tPounders: Bachelor Edition. And you can have it be a hang-out sesh and let dudes enter too.”
“I’m paying for your breakfast and we’re leaving and never talking about this again.”
“It’s a good idea.”
“For someone who’s never been bought by a woman old enough to be her mother who wanted to talk about spankings during thathang-out sesh.”
Oh. Huh.
Okay then.
So that’s why he’s not throwing a more off-the-wall idea right back at me and making it bigger.
Sore spot.
Poor Fletcher.
I take pity on him and drop my idea. We spend the rest of breakfast chatting about the Pounders.
Training. Locker room pranks. How Silas is putting in extra effort, and Fletcher thinks he’ll play cleaner when the season starts.
The two of them not arguing about me anymore.
Silas even texted that he won’t fly to London to kick anyone’s ass if I decide to date while I’m there.
I told him I won’t have time to date.
And the full truth of why I won’t be dating is a lot more complicated than that.
It involves the man who pays for my breakfast and accompanies me on the walk back from breakfast to my apartment.
While I’m bundled up in snow boots and a thick winter coat, he’s in a light jacket—Pounders, of course—and work boots. We’re both wearing jeans, but I doubt he put long underwear on under his.
It’s not that cold out.
I’mcold today.
Much as I love how pretty the snow is, the white stuff on the ground telegraphsfreezing cold! Stay inside!and always has. My hip isn’t aching anymore, but I still could go for a hot chocolate and a roaring fire.
That’s what I’m thinking as we’re quietly walking side-by-side through a small park to my apartment building when I’m suddenly slapped straight-on in the face.
My body jolts.
I gasp and fling my arms up, bracing myself against another hit.
I try to see who’s attacking, but there are white dots dripping off my eyelashes and into my eyes.
And then I feel the sting.
The cold.
And Fletcher shoving me behind him. “Who did that?” he growls to the world. “Show yourself. Now.”
All is silent for a moment.
And then?—
“I didn’t mean to,” a little voice says.
