Total pages in book: 92
Estimated words: 85616 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 428(@200wpm)___ 342(@250wpm)___ 285(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 85616 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 428(@200wpm)___ 342(@250wpm)___ 285(@300wpm)
I pried my eyes back up to his before he could catch me checking him out.
The subtle and slanted grin he gave me made me wonder if I’d been successful.
“I’m one of the few in our Burlington pack that likes running in the rain.”
“Oh, so you’re in Emmy’s pack—oh shit.”
“What? Do I have something on my face? Is there a bee?” He started fearfully swatting at the air as if he wasn’t a magical being with the ability to heal any kind of bee sting or bug bite in mere seconds. “Fuck, I hate bees. Where is it?” He started toward me, swatting, flecks of rain flying off him like tiny diamonds glittering in whatever rays of sunlight broke through the curtain of clouds.
I chuckled and then gasped as Dyl tripped over a rock and came flying in my direction.
Instinct had me open my arms and wrap him up in them. He’d fallen with his back to me so that he was pressing against my body, my arms tight around his stomach and waist. His ass fit perfectly against my crotch. The realization of how close certain body parts were to others made me tense. We both stayed still for a moment before he tilted his head and looked up at me. Being this close to him made me realize this man wasn’t just conventionally attractive.
He was a god damn perfect specimen. Tiny freckles dotted his cheeks—one just above his eyebrow, and a smattering on and around his ear. There was some stubble on his chin and cheeks that outlined his full, pink, slightly upturned lips which sat underneath a large, rounded nose—which I tended to love in a man, since it always made me wonder if things were proportional.
“There was no bee,” I said, catching myself smiling down at him. “I was just realizing that you’re on the hockey team.”
“I am,” he said with a dash of suspicion in his tone. He didn’t move away though.
Good, because I found that I didn’t want him to.
“Well then, it’s nice to meet you. I’m the Bobcats’ new athletic trainer.”
His eyes opened wide before he straightened. I loosened my grip around him and he moved to stand in front of me.
I immediately wanted him back in my arms.
“Oh shit, really?” he asked.
“Yeah, is that a problem?”
“No, no. I just had no idea we’d be getting a hot trainer.”
Huh. He thinks I’m hot.
I tried not to let the thought catch me off guard. I always had trouble with my self-esteem, so it was nice to hear that coming from someone who I also thought was incredibly hot.
Someone who was incredibly hot and on the same team I worked for… talk about a conflict of interest.
He put a hand to the back of his neck. His bicep bulged, his sleeveless shirt showing off a dark patch of armpit hair. My instinct was to lean forward and bury my face in it before dragging my lips up his arm, licking him and sucking one of his fingers into my mouth…
Fucking hell, this guy was quickly turning me feral. I had to cut it off. What if this got back to the coach? The general manager? I could end up getting fired before my official first day. I nervously played with the bracelet around my wrist. Twirling it as if the sensation of wet gold against my skin would somehow distract me from the sensation of my briefs getting tighter.
“Well, you are,” I said, slightly colder than I intended. I had to pry myself out of this situation one way or another.
“Are what?”
I blinked a couple times. Felt my cheeks grow pink. “Getting a hot athletic trainer.” It felt weird saying it back to him. That qualifier just didn’t feel right attached to me, but whatever, who was I to argue with such a handsome and soaking wet gentleman?
“Oh, right,” he said, chuckling in a way that nearly made me melt. I could already tell Dylan had one of those laughs that bounced from person to person. He tilted his head up at the cloudy sky. Water dripped from his forehead, down his nose, over his lips.
Fuck. Why did I suddenly want to trace that path with my tongue?
Dangerous. This is very dangerous.
“Want to maybe get out of the rain?” He looked at me with a suggestive gaze that had me second-guessing all the warning signs and caution tape my brain had placed to stop me from doing anything stupid. I could easily say yes and have him lead me to his place, where we could surely keep dry together.
Well, as dry as two horny men could be.
But…
The alarm bells turned to sirens. I couldn’t lose my job. I couldn’t start off in this position by compromising my relationship with the team. I wasn’t as integral as, say, a coach or a GM, but that didn’t matter, I still had a responsibility to the people under my care. And I’d seen stories of shit happening and then going south. Of accusations being thrown around, of reputations never recovering. It could easily be deemed as predatory. And if it got out, it could make any of the other guys on the team extremely uncomfortable. My job required me to be very up close and personal with these men, moving and manipulating their bodies in ways that might make them feel vulnerable.