I nod to the paperback book on her coffee table. It’s calledFight for Meand features a very muscular—and shirtless—man wearing boxing gloves on the cover.
Her cheeks flush an adorable shade of pink when she spies the nearly naked–man cover. “Oh. Uh, no. I’ve never seen it.”
“What aboutThe Fighter?”
“Nope.”
“Field of Dreams?Remember the Titans?The Mighty Ducks?”
“No, nope, and definitely not. Haveyouever seenShe’s the Man?”
Now it’s my turn to frown. “I don’t think so.”
She wiggles, her face lit in a grin. “Well, then, Cole Berrett, I’m happy to tell you all about it, because it’s the greatest sports movie of all time.”
I tuck a pillow behind my head and listen as she launches into a play-by-play of her version of the greatest sports movie of all time. And for once, I’m not stressing out about a practice or a teammate’s injury. I’m not making a mental to-do list of all the shit that needs to be accomplished before our next game. I’m simply enjoying myself. And it has nothing to do withShe’s the Man, and everything to do with her.
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
maya
A cold,wet nudge to my cheek wakes me from a delicious dream where Cole and I?—
Oh shit.
Breath held, I take in the warm arm banded around my waist, the hard chest pressed to my back, and the scratchy stubble brushing against my shoulder.Okaaay.So apparently my comfy, cozy dream, where the two of us were snuggling on my couch, wasn’t exactly a dream.
I force my eyes open, finding Goose’s nose an inch from my face. He practically smiles when he notices that he’s gained my attention and lets out a little yip, his wagging tail knocking a book off my coffee table. The thump of the hardcover hitting the floor paired with thewhooshof my upstairs neighbor’s vacuum rouses Cole from sleep. He grumbles into my neck, his hot breath hitting my skin, causing a wave of goose bumps to rise along my spine.
“What time is it?” he mumbles, his voice scratchy from sleep. Because he definitely needs one more thing to add to his insane sex appeal.
Without looking at my phone, I confidently answer. “A minute or two after nine.”
Cole grunts. “Can you tell time using the sun’s placement in the sky or something? How do you know that without looking at a clock?”
I point toward the ceiling, and as if on cue, a loud thump and bang fill the relative quiet of my apartment. “My upstairs neighbor vacuums every Sunday morning from 9:02 to 9:54 on the dot.”
“That’s annoying.”
“Trust me, I know. Mary Poppins makes it very difficult to sleep in.”
“I’m usually up by now to take Goose out and—fuck.” He sits straight up, and my body immediately misses the heat of his. Noticing Goose beside me, he relaxes. “You okay, buddy? We usually don’t sleep this late.”
“He woke me up by rubbing his nose against my cheek,” I say. “So I think he slept in, too.”
Cole releases a deep breath. “Yeah, that’s how he wakes me up when he has to go outside.”
At the wordoutside, Goose’s ears perk up and he wags his tail again, batting another book and the remote off the coffee table.
Cole rubs a hand over his face and clambers off the couch. It’s the first time I’ve seen him be anything but graceful.
Figuring this position can’t be flattering, I sit up, only to come eye-to-eye with his crotch. I usually need a minimum of one cup of coffee to wake up in the morning, but I suppose an eyeful of Cole’s prominently outlined cock will have to do.
“Um, Cole…” I chuckle, trying not to look directly at the very impressive dick in his pants. “You may want to take care of that before heading outside. Or at least charge my neighbors for the show.”
He tucks his chin, frowning, as if noticing his morning wood for the first time.
How could he have missed it? Though we’re still struggling to rouse ourselves, his dick is already out and about this morning. So many romances I read glorify the image of men in gray sweatpants, but damn, there’s no way even the hottest of book boyfriends has anything on Cole Berrett in black joggers.
