Page 7 of The Flight Risk

“Would I be a good guardian if I subjected her to this type of torment? She’s already been through enough.”

“You are the most dramatic person I know.”

“All jokes aside, she had to stay and practice her clarinet. She’s been struggling with a new piece her band director just gave them, so I thought it would be best to let her practice alone and just have some solo time in the apartment. This whole thing has been a fast transition for her.”

“You are a saint for giving her your bed. Maybe yoga was the best thing for you, since you have been sleeping on the couch.”

She’s not wrong. I honestly haven’t gotten a good night of sleep since Lottie moved in. The first night I woke up with a kink in my neck and my back definitely feels out of alignment. I wince at the thought of my destiny of sleeping on the couch for the foreseeable future. Still, I am not one to admit defeat so quickly. “Oh no, don’t try to sugar-coat this hot yoga situation. There is nothing beneficial about me gasping for my life. The only plus side to all of this is that there were no hot guys in hot yoga to witness this sweaty mess.” I turn to Brooke and gesture all up and down my body. As I turn back around and start walking out the door, I bump into what I think is a brick wall.

But it’s not a brick wall. It’s a 6’7” hockey goalie who is apparently made of stone. My heart beats abnormally fast. I blame the hot yoga.

“Hi, Tess.”

The deep yet soft rumble of his voice causes my pulse to quicken again. Okay…maybe half of what is happening to my body is a reaction to this man who is standing in front of me. “You okay?” he says.

I want to form some sort of quippy response. Am I okay? Hmm, I don’t know. I can’t stop thinking about how you turned me down when I was half-naked in front of you. Maybe he’s gay? Yes, that’s it. I don’t want to consider the alternative: that he doesn’t think I am pretty enough or enough in general. I’d rather him not be attracted to me because he prefers to sleep with the opposite sex. I hate that my thoughts are consumed by him, no matter how hard I try to keep them at bay. We are just friends.

“Yes, why wouldn’t I be?” It comes out saltier than I had it mapped out in my head.

His eyes squint out of possible hurt. “It looks like you are about to pass out. That’s why I am asking. Plus,” he looks down at my arm that I have been subconsciously rubbing since I ran into him, “you ran into me.” He reaches out and brushes his thumb against my bare arm, which is still dripping with sweat, and caresses all the way down to my hand. That small touch sends mini jolts throughout my body and suddenly, I am getting hot again. Why does my body want a man who clearly has no interest? I thought hot yoga was torture. This is a thousand times worse.

I hastily drop my arm. “I’m fine.”

He grins, then his eyes dart over to Brooke, who is standing there smirking and clearly enjoying whatever show Oakley and I are putting on for her. “Hey Brooke, it’s great to see you.” He wraps his giant arms around her, giving one of those bat boys from those widely popular romantasy series a run for their money. It is the most platonic hug known to man, but why does a sharp ping of jealousy infiltrate my stomach? I’m convinced I’m matching my water bottle and mat right now with the shade of green my skin is turning. My body is aching for his touch at an alarmingly high level and it’s so unfair.

“So, since when have you done yoga?” I tease him.

“It’s been a part of my routine for as long as I can remember. I have to bend my body in all types of ways so it’s important to be as flexible as possible.” My face flushes at the words bend and flexible. I’ve seen him play and he is insanely limber for such a bulky man. I bite my bottom lip as an image flashes in my mind of him bending me over and fucking me from behind or even him on his knees eating me out like a ravenous man, pinning my thighs down wider with his muscular arms and his tongue licking my hot skin…

“Tess!”

I snap out of it and both Brooke and Oakley are looking at me with a hint of concern.

“Yeah? What are we talking about?”

“We were just talking about the home game the Storm has tomorrow.”

“And I asked Brooke if you all were going to make it.” Oakley’s green eyes have a touch of hope in them. He is wearing a sleeveless black loose tank showcasing his absurdly large arms and at this angle I see a black outline gracing his inner bicep. Of course he has a tattoo. And as overkill, he is wearing basketball shorts, leaving his bulky calves out on display. Dammit, why does that make him infinitely hotter? I slowly glide my gaze back up to his gorgeous face. His hair has gotten a little longer than when we were in Telluride and I don’t hate how his light brown soft waves are peeking out the sides of the hat, upping the hot-o-meter a couple of notches.

“And I called your name like five times. Are you okay? You look really flushed,” Brooke adds.

It’s an effort to peel my eyes off of Oakley and direct them toward my best friend. “Yeah, totally fine. Just the temperature of that class really got to me. I really need to eat something soon or I might pass out.” I press my palm to my forehead which is unfortunately still coated in sweat. Gross.

“Here.” Oakley hands me a peanut butter chocolate chip protein bar. “I always have some on hand. For emergencies. Don’t want you passing out on me.”

Is he a wizard? How did he know that chocolate and peanut butter is my favorite flavor combination? And how did he pull it out of his duffle bag so fast?

I take the bar out of his hand. “Thanks.” This guy is so sweet. How is he still single? I know that whoever he does end up with is going to be one lucky lady. There is a gentle, yet protective nature that gravitates me to him. He is not an extrovert like me and I find that so intriguing. He is so different from the guys I am usually attracted to, but maybe that’s why I’m so attracted to him in the first place. I have a gut feeling that he is not one to break hearts. My insides warm at the thought because for all my life, that’s what I’ve been trying to avoid—having my heart broken.

“The next class is starting soon. I better head in before everyone else gets here. I need to stay incognito.” I doubt that. No matter how hard he tries to blend in, people will still recognize him. Just like Tristan, his face is plastered all across the metroplex. Everyone knows who he is.

“So, the game? Will you be there?” He looks directly at me when he asks.

“Um, I don’t know. My niece is staying with me and she has school the next day and…”

Brooke chimes in before I have the chance to finish my sentence, “They both will be there!” I shoot daggers in her direction. “They’ll be sitting next to me.” Brooke interlocks her less sweaty arm with mine and bumps my hips with hers, a large smile gracing her face.

“I guess I’ll see you there,” I concede. There is no use fighting Brooke on this one. She is so stubborn and she knows how much I have been crushing on this man since I met him. She means well, but honestly, what’s the point if he has no romantic interest in me? It’s never going further than friendship and as much as I want him to have his head in between my thighs, I know that he doesn’t want to. He deserves a softer girl, one who doesn’t fantasize about him railing her every time he’s in her vicinity.