“I’ll be there.”
He nods. “I’ll see you then.” I study him a moment; he’s so intense and drawn into himself. I don’t second guess my action. I step right into him and wrap my arms around his middle. His arms come around me a moment later, and I just hug him.
“You’re going to do great today.” He doesn’t say anything, and I pull back to look at him. “Hey.” He looks down at me. “You’re going to do great.”
He leans forward and kisses my forehead. “Get some sleep; I’ll see you later.” I watch him walk away and get a bad feeling about today’s game.
I make my way up to my room, ready to crash. Thankfully, the room is empty. I take a hot shower and am ready to collapse in bed. I braid my wet hair and plug my phone in so it can charge. I lay down on my bed and pull up my blanket. But before I let myself rest, I grab my phone and text Evie.
Me-hey, are you at the House of Stars?
She texts back almost immediately.
Evie-It always takes me a minute to remember that you call it that. No, I’m at the coffee shop. I’m currently on my ten-minute break.
I bite my lip and stare down at my phone.
Evie-why?
Me-I sent Slater to the house to sleep, and I wanted to know if he’s actually getting sleep. He's been up like every night, either doing security with me or watching the dorm. With hisgame tonight, I really wanted to make sure he actually gets sleep.
I stare down at my phone, waiting for her to text back. It comes a few minutes later.
Evie-yeah, he’s definitely not sleeping. Zane checked with Reid. Reid says he’s pumping iron in the basement.
Me-pumping iron?! He has a game today!
I’m on my feet throwing sweats on and Slater’s shirt, while simultaneously pulling up the Uber app. “What is wrong with him? Why can’t he just sleep like a normal person!” I grab my phone, my wallet, and my favorite pillow. “I’m going to go over there and sit on him and force him to sleep.”
By the time the Uber gets there and I make it over to the House of Stars, I am fit to be tied. “Thank you,” I call out and jump out of the car and make my way to the front door. Since it’s unlocked, I don’t bother knocking. I just open it and head inside. I walk right to the basement door. I need no guidance; I can hear and feel the music thumping from here. I open the door to the basement and make my way down the stairs. I reach the bottom step and round the corner and catch my breath. “This is why I don’t come to this stupid house,” I mutter as I take in three shirtless guys working out. But it’s not Quint or Reid that capture and hold my attention. It’s the one over in the corner that I make a beeline for. Reid and Quint both see me coming, and Quint grins like a Cheshire cat. I don’t stop until I’m right behind the man who is pumping iron like he has something to prove. I clear my throat, and he sets the weights down and turns. “Oh, good grief. Why do I do this to myself?” The words spill out of my mouth as I take in the picture of masculine perfection in front of me. He’s dripping with sweat, and that sweat is dripping over hard, firm, bronzed muscles. His tattoos are all on display, and his short shorts are show-casing his powerful thighs and calves. I remind myself that I should be sleeping right now, andthat snaps me back to reality. “You. With me.” I stride over to the stairs and wait for him.
“Busted,” Quint calls out in a sing-song voice.
I don’t watch Slater walk towards me; I need to focus on keeping a clear head right now. Taking him in as he is now will definitelynothelp me keep a clear head. Slater stops right in front of me. “Why are you here?” The words don’t sound accusatory; they sound worried.
I lift my eyes to meet his stormy gray ones. “I’m here to make sure you sleep. Now, let’s go. Shower first.”
“Wow, you’re already to the showering together stage? That was pretty fast,” Quint calls out.
“Hey, Quint,” I say patiently.
“Yes, Tessa?”
“Shut up.”
I hear his chuckle, and I motion Slater up the steps. He tugs his earbuds out of his ears, and motions me to go ahead of him. “Okay, but you’d better follow; or I’ll just come back down and drag you upstairs again.”
His lips tug up. “I’ll follow you.”
I head up the stairs and straight to his room and into his bathroom. I turn on the shower, and he follows me into the bathroom. “You are taking a shower.”
“Are you joining me?” he asks in a low voice.
I feel my face heat. “No. Definitely not. Don’t listen to Quint.”
“Don’t worry; I make that a life habit.”
“All right. Go. Sleep is calling my name, and you’re wasting time.” I put my hands on his stomach to give him a light shove towards the shower, but my hands hit his rock hard frame and just linger. I finally realize what I’m doing and drop them.
