His calm demeanor is pissing me off even more, causing me to finally open my eyes.
Big mistake.
Bigfuckingmistake.
Connor runs a hand through his dark hair, which is slick with sweat, and his chest is even broader without a shirt on to keep all his mass contained. The veins on his biceps are popping thanks to the heat, and his workout shorts are riding so high there’s a distinct possibility I might see the head of his dick lying against his thigh if I squint really hard.
I’m not really concerned about making him uncomfortable with my perusal. After all,hefollowedmein here, and since our sport is outdoors in the winter, I don’t expect I’ll have many chances to see him in all his bare-chested glory.
“Right. The NDA,” I say, finally bringing my eyes to his, giving him a delayed answer.
He sighs and then coughs because the air is so hot it burns when you inhale.
“Besides that, it’s not professional to bring my personal matters to the job.”
Something pinches in my chest at the realization that I’m just a ‘job’ to him. But honestly, what did I expect? I’ve given him nothing to work with. I’ve been a dick for the few weeks he’s been here, goading him and taunting him at every turn. And while I know my attitude has partly been in an effort to hide my lust,hedoesn’t know that.
Which makes it really hard to explain why I’ve barely heard anything he’s said in the last few minutes, since I can’t stop tracing the path of his sweat with my eyes.
Chapter 6
Connor
If Vox doesn’t stop looking at me like that, we’re going to have a problem. A very big, verynoticeableproblem.
I don’t know what possessed me to follow him in here. Obviously, I’m still trying to get to know him, and I’m holding on to the hope that we can develop trust and a working relationship, but when he looks at me like he’s looking at me now, I want to say, ‘to hell with it all’ and slide my sweat-slicked body along his.
I don’t know if he’s doing it on purpose, or if I’m projecting my own lust onto him, imagining that I see it in his eyes, but it’s making my heart race.
“Vox?”
His eyes finally snap to mine the second time I say his name. Thankfully, the steam makes everything a little hazy, and although I can see details, I can’t see them sharply. I can only imagine that seeing Vox shirtless in high definition would short-circuit my brain.
“Yeah?”
“I’d tell you if I could.”
“If you trusted me, you mean,” he says.
It’s more than just trusting him…knowing he idolized me while he was growing up makes me extra anxious. If Vox finds out what I did—that I lost control—maybe he won’t look at me like this anymore, and I don’t think I could handle that because no one has looked at me like this in averylong time. I’m getting a little drunk off it.
“I just mean if I could, I would.” Vox eyes me like he doesn’t believe a word I’m saying, but the way he’s studying me makes me think hewantsto believe me, so I try to capitalize on that. “Sometimes I think it would be nice to share the burden, but it’s also the worst part of myself, so some sick piece of me is happy to hide behind the NDA.”
Well, fuck.
That’s not what I meant to say.
But the way Vox relaxes a fraction and turns toward me instead of away makes me not regret saying the words, even if they leave me a little raw.
He blows out a breath and shifts, his knee knocking into mine. Whatever Vox’s heritage, it allows him to stay tan year-round, and the blond leg hair on his golden knees and thighs is more than a little distracting. It’s just a knee, for fuck’s sake, but it’s the knee of the best snowboarder in the world right now. Quite possibly the only athlete who could actually pose a threat to my record, and it sends a jolt of desire through me so strong I’m surprised I haven’t combusted. I’m sure Vox is just as unhinged in the bedroom as he is on the slopes and I?—
Nope. Do not finish that thought.
“All right, why you disappeared is off limits,” he starts, calling my eyes back to his face. “How about your injury? Can you tell me what’s messed up? Or how you did it? Were you boarding?”
“My injury?” My brows pull together in confusion, and immediately Vox’s look mirrors mine.
“Uh, yeah? Grey said you’re still recovering from some injury and that’s why you’ve been riding the snowmobile around.” He pauses, and then a scowl darkens his features. “Unless that’s a lie, too?”
