Total pages in book: 57
Estimated words: 55599 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 278(@200wpm)___ 222(@250wpm)___ 185(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 55599 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 278(@200wpm)___ 222(@250wpm)___ 185(@300wpm)
“I don’t hate him at all. The same goes for any of my other teammates.”
Her brows shoot up in surprise and she swallows hard.
“Why?”
“Because if I can’t have you, they sure as fuck can’t.”
I lean back, moving my hand away from the door. Her hand looks shaky as she turns the handle.
I won’t cross the line with her, but I can’t help myself from getting close enough to make us both wonder if I will.
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
Josie
“I can cancel,” Dane says.
I shake my head, pretending I don’t care. “Have lunch with the girl. You need to eat anyway.”
“You should come with me.”
I laugh lightly, reaching up to fix the collar on the navy polo shirt he’s wearing. “You’d love that, wouldn’t you? A date with two women?”
His expression remains serious. I think we may have reached the point where Dane knows when I’m lying. Or at least bypassing the real issue entirely.
A perfunctory date with a fan seemed like a good idea when I came up with it. And now, I hate it. Even though my feelings for Dane are all over the place, the thought of him on a date with another woman makes me want to crawl into bed and cry.
“It’s just a quick lunch,” he says. “Sandwiches at a deli. Then I’ll head back to the arena.”
“Yeah, I know.”
We’re in our hotel room, which doesn’t help. Traveling everywhere with Dane and sharing hotel rooms with him means we’ve gotten close. We can read each other well. Whether sexually involved or not, we woke up in the same room this morning and went down to breakfast together. He went to the arena after that for pregame stuff with his team while I worked in the hotel lounge.
I’ve been thinking about what Dane said, though I haven’t said a word about it to anyone. Maybe someday I could start my own business. Since I have lots of time on my hands, I’m working on a business plan.
Though I’m trying not to think jealous thoughts, I feel stabby over how good Dane smells right now. The pine scent of his body wash wafted out of the bathroom with him after he showered.
“You could have used the soap the hotel provides,” I mutter.
He knits his brows together. “What?”
“Nothing.”
I busy myself organizing my toiletry bag, wishing I hadn’t said anything. His little hum of amusement makes me cringe.
“Are you saying I smell good?”
His tone annoys the crap out of me. Dane can’t just take a compliment; he has to toy with it. Dangle it. Stretch it out until I’m practically feral with annoyance.
He walks over and stands next to me, his closeness making me warm from head to toe. Still, I refuse to acknowledge him. I am entirely focused on making sure my eye makeup remover container is tightly closed.
“Hey,” he says softly.
I turn and look up at him, my heart racing. Why does he have to be so impossibly good-looking?
“I can cancel.”
I shake my head, not trusting my voice. He slowly runs the tip of his index finger over my jawline, from my ear to my chin.
“I’d rather stay here with you,” he says.
Tension crackles in the air between us. If he stays, there’s no doubt what will happen. I’m slowly losing my will to stay professional and not get my heart broken. It’s been so long since I’ve felt anything for a man, and I’ve never felt anything on the scale of what I feel for Dane. Even if I know there will be a massively hard crash landing at the end, the fall feels so incredibly good that it’s hard to care.
“You’ll be at my game tonight, right?”
I nod.
“I’ll see you there.”
He steps back and I exhale, able to breathe again.
I don’t know how much longer I can keep this up. Even though everything in me knows giving in to my attraction to Dane will end badly, I can only spend so many nights sleeping in the same hotel room with him before I say fuck it and do it anyway.
Dane
I roll my shoulders on the elevator ride down to the lobby, my erection going down now that I’m away from Josie.
The more she resists me, the more I want her. When I got divorced, I wondered if I’d ever be able to want just one woman again. It’s not smart. Keeping my options open means never being hurt and publicly humiliated again.
I never saw Josie coming, though. She started as my annoying overseer, and now? She’s the focus of my every dream—all sexual. I spend more time with her than anyone and I still can’t seem to get enough.
If only I could be what she needs. What she deserves. I’m a ten in the bedroom but about a three in the emotional support department. It just isn’t something I’ve ever been good at. My ex told me that was the reason she cheated with Sam—because our relationship lacked intimacy.