Page 79 of Something Like That

She nodded. He’d left the bathroom light on and now she realized why. She let go.

He gave her one last look and headed back to the bathroom. The door closed behind him. Darkness engulfed the room.

She rolled over onto her side, facing the bathroom door. The water turned on. Images of him danced through her head.

Some of them were X-rated because, well, he’d just rocked her freaking world. And the room still smelled like sex. He also looked glorious naked, especially with water cascading down his beautiful body.

But the majority of them weren’t.

They were of him just doing every day stuff. The two of them going through the workouts she’d designed for him. Him and Em talking and laughing about hockey. The three of them together at the hockey game earlier. Em really liked him. And if she was being honest, so did she. And if she was being really, really honest, her feelings had passed like a whole lot of miles ago.

Having feelings for Nick Sadler was a one-way trip to heartbreak town. And she knew better than to open herself up like that. She really did. Her parents and Kevin had taught her that painful lesson. How she’d let herself get so involved, she didn’t know. This was supposed to be a fling, a one-time thing. Yet, somehow, he’d wormed his way past her defenses and now she was in big trouble.

The water shut off. She closed her eyes. It felt safer to pretend she was sleeping.

A few moments later, the bathroom door opened and the light turned off. She tried to even her breathing, to make it seem like she was asleep. She didn’t hear him move—he was as silent as a freaking cat—but the other side of the covers lifted and the mattress dipped. His heat radiated against her back. She unconsciously shifted toward it. Toward him.

He wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her against him. He was naked, his entire body cocooning hers. It was like curling up next to a furnace.

Every muscle in her body relaxed, returning to that jellified state from earlier. Danger signs flashed in her brain but she pushed them aside. She could worry about them tomorrow. Tonight, she was going to revel in the comfort of the moment.

“Goodnight.” He whispered the word against her ear. Pressed a kiss to the space right behind it.

She made a contented hum in the back of her throat and let the perfectness of the moment carry her to sleep.

Chapter Sixteen

Nick pulled up to the curb just down the block from Alex’s townhouse and cut the engine on the brand-new SUV. While he would have preferred a spot directly in front of her place, parking in the area was at a premium. He could just see the edge of her small front porch from here.

Another sliver of doubt slid through him. Part of him wanted to hightail it back to the hotel. But, he couldn’t. It was Em’s birthday and she was expecting him.

He got out and made a dash for the house. Like usual, it was raining. And he still hadn’t gotten around to getting a waterproof coat. Or an umbrella.

In his defense, he’d been busy.

He opened the small front gate. It gave a loud, rusty squeak. The townhouse wasn’t new, probably a couple of decades old if he had to guess, but, other than the gate issue, it was immaculate. The yard was tended, the windows sparkling—or would be, if the sun ever shone. It was clear she took a great deal of pride in her home.

His steps up the walk bordered on a run that had nothing to do with the weather. He was so fucking eager, it was fucking embarrassing. It had been almost three weeks since he and Alex had spent that incredible night together in his hotel room, and to say he was looking forward to spending some more alone time with her was an understatement.

Between Em, her business, and all of her other commitments, like the PTA and the Sparkles, she’d had been super busy the last couple of weeks. Losing the clinic building complicated things further. And stressed her right the fuck out. Not that she’d admit it.

But the stress was evident in the tense lines of her body, which she thought she was hiding, but he could see every time she moved. The one time he’d tried to talk to her about it, she’d told him she was fine and dealing with it, and then changed the subject.

Since it wasn’t really his place, he’d let it drop. And refused to acknowledge the sting of her dismissal. It wasn’t like he’d told her every little thing going on with him.

Then he’d spent the last week and a half in New England, getting poked and prodded, first by his surgeon, and then by the team doctor. He’d been stressed tested to within an inch of his life. But he’d finally been cleared to return to the lineup. Which meant he’d be heading back east really soon. Like, as in tomorrow.

He pushed the doorbell and rocked back on his heels. Why was he so bloody nervous? He reached into the inside pocket of his coat. The envelopes were still there. He rolled his eyes at his stupidity. Where would they have gone between the car and the house?

The door flung open. Em stood there, dressed in a pair of jeans and a Colorado Dragons jersey.

Her face lit up. “Nick.” His name was an only-dogs-can-hear squeal. She launched herself at him, wrapping her arms around his middle and giving a squeeze.

He hugged her back. “Happy birthday, Sniper.” He patted her on the back and disentangled himself. She bounced on the balls of her feet for a second, energy radiating off her in waves, and then turned and bounded into the house.

He chuckled. Her jersey was personalized with Logan Keller’s name and number on the back. A prickle of jealousy jabbed him in the ribs. He should have bought her one of his jerseys.

“Oh, sorry.” Em yelled the apology from somewhere inside. “Come on in.”