I give Kenzie’s hand one more squeeze before leaving, a smile on my face.
Kenzie:Do you have time for lunch today? Not sure about your schedule.
Blakely:I don’t have to go into the office today because the guys have an off/travel day. Lunch is perfect. I’ll send my address. Want me to order some pizza with sausage?
Kenzie:Just like old times. I’ll bring some cookies for dessert.
Blakely:Sounds great.
I set my phone down and slip my robe over my thin pajama set. Normally, I wouldn’t even consider putting a robe on, but given my new roommate, I figure I should respect his space and not walk around barely dressed.
Once the robe is tied, I head out into the kitchen where I can smell coffee, but instead of seeing a fully clothed Halsey in the kitchen, I’m stunned...and breathless. Halsey’s standing there in low-hanging shorts that barely hang on to his narrow hips. And that’s it. No shirt, no socks, no slippers, just his shorts.
Excuse my eyes, but they wander. They wander over the dimples right above his ass, the sinew that threads just under the surface of his skin, and the bulging muscles that climb up his back and over his shoulders, shifting and contracting with even the slightest of movements.
He’s not wearing a shirt.
That’s . . . that doesn’t seem like him.
He’s the shirt-wearing kind of guy.
I almost think he’d wear a shirt in the pool. That’s how prudish he seems.
So to see him sans shirt throws me off. Until he slowly starts to turn around, coffee mug in hand, his head bent, blowing on the hot liquid.
Holy.
Fucking.
Shit.
The man is carved from stone with divots and curves I don’t think I’ve ever seen in real life. Thick pecs, toned but boulder-like arms, and a six-pack that could do serious damage to any stain on a piece of fabric. And the V in his hips, it’s cut so deep that I truly fear his shorts may fall off if he moves too quickly. Not to mention the short stack of hair that starts under his belly button and trails down to his waistline, disappearing where my eyes travel to an obvious bulge in his pants. Not the kind of bulge that screams morning wood but the type of bulge that says he’s packing and can’t do anything about it.
“Oh shit, you scared me,” he says, startling me as well as my eyes shoot up to his.
“Sorry.” I swallow hard, trying to rid my mind of thoughts of his bulge.This is Halsey Holmes. You don’t think about him like that, and you definitely don’t think about him when you’re sharing his apartment.“I didn’t mean to startle you.”
“You’re good,” he says as he lifts himself onto the corner of the counter, his long legs hanging off the edge, his thick thighs pulling at the fabric of his shorts while his calves nearly share the same diameter as my quad.
Eyes up, Blakely.
Eyes up.
“Good game last night,” I say as I move into the kitchen for some coffee. Hopefully, that will wake me up and keep me busy so I don’t keep staring at the man in front of me.
Wait until I text Penny about this.
“Yeah, the boys played hard.”
I reach for a mug from the cabinet and say, “Your two goals didn’t hurt either.”
“That’s what happens when you have a flawless connection with your teammates on the ice.”
I glance over my shoulder at him, and the cute way his bedhead makes him look sleepy and adorable at the same time. “Can’t take a compliment, can you?”
“I can. Just put credit where credit is due.”
“Just makes you a good teammate.” I fill my coffee mug, then go to the fridge for some of the creamer I bought. I like the almond-flavored kind as it adds a nutty flavor to my morning nectar.
