Page 46 of Skate the Line

I peer at him. “Knock what off?”

Rhodes stares at me. “It’s pretty standard for a man to carry your luggage, Ms. Edwards. It’s called being a gentleman.” He shakes his head. “It’s clear you’ve never been with one.”

His eyes drop to my mouth when I stick my bottom lip out with a pout. “I have too,” I lie.

The only true gentleman I’ve known was Gramps.

Rhodes slips past me. I wait until he’s halfway up the stairs to say, “I just wasn’t awareyouwere a gentleman.”

He stops immediately, and a loud snicker erupts from his mouth. He glances over his shoulder at me, and I lose my footing—but only for a brief second. Admitting to myself that he’s attractive is fine. I can’t expect myself to ignore the elephant in the room.

Rhodes is dreamy. His soft, effortlessly tousled hair flings onto his forehead as he peers down from the steps. It pairs nicely with his olive skin tone and dark-rimmed green eyes. But he has a dangerous vibe to him. He’s confident and a bit callous. The scruff on his face doesn’t help either.

But just because he’s good-looking doesn’t mean he’s going to pursue me or expect me to fall at his feet like most. He’s made itveryclear that he isn’t the least bit interested in me—or anyone, for that matter—and he has no idea how much that calms me.

Rhodes shakes his head and continues up the stairs, releasing me from the spell he didn’t even know he casted.

I hear Ellie fake coughing. I glance at her on the couch, and she’s still wrapped up in the blanket.

“A little help?” she squeaks.

I laugh and unwrap her before heading upstairs with her on my back.

Rhodes walks out of a room and pauses at the sight of me huffing. “Do you need me to put an elevator in?”

I roll my lips together. “No, Mr. Plays-Pro-Hockey-For-A-Living. I’m just not used to carrying a human on my back.”

He quietly chuckles and flicks his head to the bedroom, expecting me to follow him.

Ellie runs off to her room, leaving me alone with her dad.

A tight knot clogs my throat as I stand outside of the threshold.

“I’ll get you a real bed,” he says. “I didn’t bother furnishing the room because—” He turns and stops talking when he sees me standing in the hall. “You can come in, you know.”

My gaze skitters away.

Stop it, Sunny.

Rationally, I know I’m being ridiculous. I’m on edge because deciding to live at his house brings up an uneasy memory that still has me reeling with nerves.

I dig the heels of my feet into the floor and eventually step into the room. Rhodes looks at me incredulously but ignores my behavior and continues going on about the room.

“There’s a loft-type room above us on the third floor, but it doesn’t have its own bathroom, so I assumed you’d want this one.”

I nod. He assumed right.

“What do you use the loft for?” I ask curiously. It’d make a nice area to store some canvas and maybe an easel. If there’s a window, sunlight could stream in and make way for the natural light needed to see the true richness of paint colors.

“Oh.” Rhodes puts his hands in his pockets. “That’s where I store all the other nannies. I chain ‘em up.”

My mouth opens.

Then closes.

Then it opens again.

He snorts before laughing loudly. “Jeez, I’m kidding.”

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