Total pages in book: 66
Estimated words: 62362 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 312(@200wpm)___ 249(@250wpm)___ 208(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 62362 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 312(@200wpm)___ 249(@250wpm)___ 208(@300wpm)
* * *
Jade’s eyes opened as she awakened from a drugged sleep. She was cocooned in warmth, with Knox’s large body wrapped around her. She couldn’t deny how much she enjoyed being with him or how much her growing feelings for him scared her. But that didn’t stop her from cuddling into him.
“You’re awake.” His morning-roughened voice sounded deep and sexy in her ear.
“Mmm. I am.”
“How are you feeling? Because if anything we did brought your headache back, I won’t be happy.”
“Everything we did was worth it,” she assured him. Mostly because she hadn’t been in terrible pain at the time.
“Good.” He snuggled his chin into her shoulder. “And now?”
She blinked, testing her eyes, aware of a dull throb behind them, but nothing terrible. “It’s manageable,” she murmured. “It’ll take some time to work its way out of my system, but all you did was make me feel better.” No man had ever made her feel as good.
Out of necessity, she rolled out of his embrace. “I need the bathroom.” She rose and ran into the washroom, shutting the door behind her. After taking care of business, she brushed her teeth, washed her face, and took a quick shower. After drying off, she slipped out of the bathroom and found a large T-shirt that covered her to her knees. She’d swiped it from one of her brothers when they’d been at her parents’ pool.
She pulled on a pair of underwear beneath and turned to Knox. He sat up in bed, one arm behind his head, the comforter covering him to the waist.
His tanned, bare chest tempted her to join him, but he tossed the covers off. “Don’t look at me like that. I need to shower, too.”
She grinned. “Tell that to your…” She gestured to his thickening erection.
He laughed. “If I didn’t have to get going, I would drag you into the shower along with me.” He winked and strode to the bathroom. The shower water turned on soon after.
She groaned and turned, intending to make the bed, when her doorbell rang.
She walked out of her room and went to answer the door. Nobody from the front desk had called, so she assumed one of her family members or Lauren had come to see her. No one else had permission to come up.
She swung her door open and came face-to-face with her ex-fiancé. His eyes were bloodshot, his dark hair a mess, he had a bruise on his cheek, and his clothes were disheveled. The man she knew never went out looking less than perfect. Even if he’d been hurt in a game, his appearance was always model perfect.
“Theo. What are you doing here? Better yet, how did you get past the doorman?” Aware she wasn’t wearing a bra, she folded her arms across her chest, protecting herself from his prying eyes.
“I waited for the old man to take a break, then slipped past him. I practically lived here. I know the routine, remember?”
“Don’t remind me.” She wrinkled her nose. “What do you want?”
He leaned his shoulder against the doorframe. “My life is a mess. It’s been going downhill since we broke up—”
“Since I found out you were cheating,” she corrected him.
He let out a groan. “It was a mistake, okay? Knox always knew how to push my buttons, and I wanted to get back at him. If you think about it, it had nothing to do with you. Not directly.” He pushed past her until he was inside her apartment.
Some things never changed… especially his inability to accept responsibility or take a hint. She rubbed her palms against her burning eyes. “Get out.”
“Just listen. Last night I was given a match penalty, game misconduct, and a four-game suspension.”
“For doing what?” She forced herself to focus on him despite the sudden return of her headache.
He glanced down, avoiding her gaze. “High-sticked Daniel Cooke and injured him,” he muttered. “I took out my frustration about you and Knox on a guy I can’t stand. I couldn’t concentrate on the game. But I can fix things. I just need you back. Then everything will get better. For both of us. I swear.”
Her mouth opened wide as shock reverberated through her. “No, no, and no!” she said.
“In case you didn’t understand her, that was a hell no! Not happening.” Knox strode up beside her and looped an arm around her shoulders.
He was still warm from the shower, his hair was damp, he smelled good… and his chest was bare. He had one towel wrapped around his waist and another one hung over his shoulder.
She glanced at Theo and saw a vein pulsing in his temple. And his jaw was clenched tight. “What the fuck? You’re here?”
Knox read the room and pulled her closer to him.
Which meant things were about to explode.
* * *
When Knox stepped out of the shower and opened the door to clear the mirror, he heard voices. Wrapping the towel tighter around his waist, he edged closer to the doorway to find out who was visiting. When he heard Theo’s voice, he just reacted, coming to Jade’s rescue, with or without clothes.