Total pages in book: 85
Estimated words: 79850 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 399(@200wpm)___ 319(@250wpm)___ 266(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 79850 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 399(@200wpm)___ 319(@250wpm)___ 266(@300wpm)
When we pull into Brooke’s driveway, she yawns before turning tired eyes to me. “Are you going to stay tonight?”
I turn off the car and shake my head, twisting my neck to look at her. “I think I’m going to stay at my place tonight. I have some laundry that I need to do and we’ve got a morning practice. It’s just really hectic on game day, you know.”
As excuses go, this one is pretty lame. It’s true that we have a home game tonight and it’s also true that I have laundry and a morning practice. One could even argue that I need to go home just so I can get some good rest rather than spending time inside of Brooke’s body. Tomorrow’s game is going to be brutal given we are coming right off a two-game road trip.
Despite all of that, my excuse is lame because Brooke and I live fairly close together. Staying here tonight would not throw me off my schedule at all.
But I have been thinking about it on the drive from the airport to her house. While I am fucking stunned over how much I enjoyed these last few days with Brooke, I’m also freaked out over how much I enjoyed these last few days with Brooke. It felt a little too good sleeping with her at night, and it felt a little too fantastic having her watch me while I play. If anything, I just want to prove to myself that I can go a night without her.
Brooke smiles at me and nods. “You really should get some good rest tonight, Bishop. I’m sure you’re exhausted.”
Not so exhausted that if Brooke were to tell me right now that she wants me to take her in the house and fuck her all night long, I would absolutely be all over that. But lucky for me, she just gives another tiny yawn and pushes open the passenger door.
She waits for me while I grab her suitcase from the trunk of my car and carry it for her up to her front porch. When we get there, we can see that there is a note taped to her door, illuminated by the glow of the porch light.
I set the suitcase down as Brooke reaches for the piece of paper and pulls it off. She unfolds it and I watch as her eyes move back and forth as she reads the words.
“Huh?” she says in a bewildered sort of way.
“What is it?” I ask her.
Her eyes come up and meet mine. “It’s from a friend back in New York City that I worked with at the magazine. She took an impromptu vacation and decided to come visit me.”
I cross my arms over my chest and lean against her door. “She didn’t call you first?”
Brooke shrugs. “Nanette is more of a spontaneous type of girl.”
“You don’t seem overly excited by having a friend drop in to visit you.”
The guilty expression on her face tells me all I need to know. I don’t think this Nanette is a very close friend of Brooke’s at all.
“It’s just…I don’t know, it’s really kind of weird. I have no clue why she would do this.”
I can tell that Brooke is troubled by this, but it’s not like this is a stalker ex-boyfriend leaving a note at her home. There’s nothing about this situation that would warrant me staying with her tonight.
Although I would, if she asked.
Fuck. No, I wouldn’t.
I am going to prove to myself that my balls belong to me solely.
“Are you going to go to the game tonight?” I ask her, and then mentally kick my own ass for that. I have no business asking the question when the answer is suddenly very fucking important to me.
“I was,” Brooke starts, off but her voice trails a bit. “But now that Nanette is in town, I guess I need to visit with her. The note says she’s staying at a hotel close by.”
“You can have my two season tickets so you can sit together if you want,” I blurt out.
Fuck. Now why did I just offer that? There would be absolutely nothing wrong with Brooke not coming to the game tonight to hang out with her friend.
My mouth is open and yapping with absolutely no control “Maybe we can go out after the game.”
I feel like my body has been possessed by a demon who is offering things that I don’t want to happen. It clearly wants to be near Brooke despite my logic and reasoning telling me to cool this a bit.
But it’s good we take a break, right? I need to get refocused on…um…life. Or hockey. Or whatever. Just something other than incessant thoughts about Brooke and how well we seem to fit together in all ways.
Brooke pulls her keys out of her pocket and unlocks the door. She turns to me with a soft smile and says, “I think that sounds awesome if you’re sure you don’t mind giving us the tickets. And going out after sounds great as well.”