Page 31 of Skate the Line

Not to mention, I’m lying through my teeth.

I’d have to be blind not to be attracted to him. His green eyes rimmed with dark lashes alone are enough to lure anyone into his bed.

I’m notanyone,though.

Rhodes grumbles under his breath. I stand completely still while he rounds the side of the counter. He’s so close I can feel his warmth. I stop breathing when he leans down beside me.

I’m not afraid of him.

Though, it surprises me.

With any other guy, boss or not, I felt the need to run.

With Rhodes? There’s a strong compulsion to turn my head and face him.

“Good.” The word is no louder than a breath. “I was only asking because tomorrow is the first game you’ll be attending with my daughter.” He pauses, and I have no idea where he’s going with this. “And once my teammates see you, they’re going to advance.”

I blink with surprise but keep my features intact otherwise.

“That means they’re going to make lewd comments and try to fuck you, Sunny.”

My lips part with a soft gasp.

I’m not sure how he made such a racy statement sound ordinary, but he did.

“You’re not to fraternize with my teammates,Ms. Edwards.”

There’s a very child-like response on the tip of my tongue, but I have enough maturity to bypass it. I turn my head slightly and am smacked right in the face with his hot mouth no more than a few inches from mine. I pull my attention to his eyes, and he lifts an eyebrow.

Unfortunately, I see it as a challenge, and I yield too much clout, preventing me from being able to keep my mouth shut.

“What about with the other team?” I ask, testing my limits.What am I doing?

His green eyes light up, but before he can do anything, the door swings open, and he steps away.

“Are you ready, Sunny?” Marco asks, shutting the door behind him.

Ellie comes bouncing through the kitchen with her messy braids swinging behind her shoulders. “Hi, Daddy!”

Rhodes sighs before bending down to get on her level. Ellie’s bottom lip plops out, and her eyebrows scrunch.

Rhodes has obviously clicked intodadmode, which is…sort of adorable. With me, he’s stony-faced and somber. From the few clips I’ve seen of him playing hockey, he’s even more intense on the ice. But with his daughter, he’s gentle.

“Do you know what I’m going to say?” he asks softly. His eyebrow hitches, and I rest against the counter, watching the interaction play out.

Ellie drops her head slightly and looks off to the right. “No.”

Rhodes sighs again. “Don’t make it worse by lying to me, Printsessa.”

A gush of something warm swoops through me. I know that Rhodes is Russian, but according to the media, he came to the United States at such a young age that he hardly speaks the language anymore. The only tellwashis last name before he added an A to it in his early twenties for some reason. He doesn’t even talk with an accentunlesshe’s using the language. Even then, it’s minimal. Those snippets, though? They snag my attention.

Ellie blows a big breath out of her mouth. Her forehead puckers with big emotions before she explodes. “Ugh!” sheshouts. “It’s not my fault that I don’t want to playfamilyon the playground with the other girls! It’s stupid!”

Ellie runs past Rhodes and disappears somewhere throughout the house.

Part of me wants to go after her, but I know better. She left because she doesn’t want to be bothered, not because she wants us to chase her. Ellie isn’t like most little girls I know. She’s different.

Marco and I catch each other’s attention before we both turn and glance at Rhodes. He’s abandoned his kneeling position and is standing with his head hung low, with his hands bracing himself against the counter.

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