Total pages in book: 53
Estimated words: 51902 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 260(@200wpm)___ 208(@250wpm)___ 173(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 51902 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 260(@200wpm)___ 208(@250wpm)___ 173(@300wpm)
“That monster,” Jett deadpanned.
“I sense sarcasm, but I assure you it was a nightmare come true.” I took another gulp of water, and proceeded to overshare with aplomb. “My final class of the day in eighth grade was biology. It was my favorite, even though the curriculum was more of a hodgepodge of all things science—anatomy on Tuesdays, physiology and behaviorism on Thursdays. You never knew what you were going to get, but I enjoyed the snappy pace and my lab partner was always…”
“Always what?”
“Um…nice,” I hedged. “But once a week, without fail, I’d turn up to class attempting to hide a musky scent under copious layers of Axe’s bergamot and juniper essential oils deodorant. It was embarrassing. I manufactured reasons to extend lunch and either be late or miss PE all together—doctor appointments, visits to the dentist, whatever necessary. I didn’t want to miss that last class of the day, though. If my mother suspected foul play, she never let on.”
Jett snort-laughed. “So if I’m hearing you correctly, PE interfered with your adolescent love life.”
“My…what?” I sputtered while Jett chuckled like a loon. “No! I—well…no. I didn’t say that.”
“You didn’t have to. I used Axe in junior high, too. What was her name?”
“Jason Harney.”
Jett didn’t bat an eyelash. If my candor surprised him, he hid it well. Good. I hadn’t intended to come out, but if the hockey player was a bigot, this wasn’t going to work, so perhaps it was best to know now.
“You’re gay,” he stated.
I pushed away from the tree with a brusque nod. “I am.”
“Cool. I’m—” He paused, then shrugged. “That’s cool.”
We shared a look I couldn’t quantify, but the message was one of easy acceptance. So I smiled, hooking a thumb toward the path.
“Shall we sally forth?”
He tipped his chin. “We should, but…your shoe is untied.”
I glanced down and groaned. “I don’t have the strength to deal with it, and we must be close to the finish line, anyway.”
“Tie your shoe, Maloney.”
I met his amused gaze. “No.”
“Oh, for fuck’s sake,” Jett grumbled and dropped to one knee to manhandle my loose shoestrings into submission.
He wasn’t gentle in the slightest, but his gruffness hardly disguised his chivalry. I stared at the top of his head in wonder and confusion. Jett Erickson was proving to be a hard egg to crack. The second I’d pegged him for being obstinate and unreasonable, he’d gone and done something utterly…sweet.
“Um…thank you.”
He nodded sharply, turning away. “Don’t mention it. Let’s get you back to civilization. It’s getting dark, and I’m hungry.”
I lost all concept of time on the return journey. My focus was alternately consumed by my aches and pains and the giant presence of the man jogging beside me. My knees hurt, my shoes were too snug, and the business of breathing while briskly shuffling my feet was more challenging than I’d imagined. But Jett was my real distraction.
I’d never spent this much time with an athlete. We simply didn’t travel in the same circles. I didn’t go to games, I could barely tell the difference between a soccer and football field, and I didn’t know the names of any teams in correlation to the cities they represented. Sure, I knew there were Eagles out there, but that could have been a baseball, hockey, or basketball organization. From where? Don’t ask me.
Other than attending the same college, we had zero, nil, naught in common. I was a grad student and physicist in training, Jett was a…
“What’s your major?” I panted, inwardly rejoicing as campus lights came into view.
“Business.”
See? Nothing in common.
Yet I felt oddly comfortable with him.
I stopped at the end of the path and braced my hands on my knees.
“That…was…fun.”
Jett snickered. “Yeah. Do you live nearby?”
I straightened, flailing my right arm meaningfully. “That way. S’walkable.”
“No, hang tight. I’ll give you a ride. I just have to grab my keys from the locker and—”
“Don’t. It’s okay. I’m perfectly capable of walking home,” I assured him.
“All right, then.” Jett slipped my backpack off and gently set it on my shoulders. “You’re all set. Have a good one.”
I waved, catching myself before he disappeared into the shadows. “Wait! Did you agree to my experiment? I can’t remember.”
Jett pivoted, the lamplight shining on him like a spotlight. “No.”
I hung my head in defeat. “Oh. Drats.”
He chuckled. “Drats? I like you, Maloney.”
“Then do the darned experiment. Please.” Was I begging? Maybe. Pride be damned.
Jett walked toward me again, his eyes narrowed menacingly—and grinned.
My, oh my…he was beautiful.
“Okay…fine. I’ll do it.”
I gasped in delight and relief. “Thank you! You won’t regret this. I promise to—”
“One time only.”
“That won’t be sufficient, but you know what? I’m not going to look a gift horse in the mouth. I accept your generous assistance. When can we begin? Tuesdays and Thursdays aren’t—”
“I remember,” he intercepted. “How about Wednesday before practice? I can meet you at the rink at two.”