Page 86 of Skate the Line

He squeezes his eyes shut. “Please don’t remind me. I’m trying to get the nerve to move. You’re going to get me stirred up again.”

“Sorr—” His neck cracks with how quickly he looks at me. “I mean…is there anything I can do to help?”

His jaw slacks.

I slap my hand over my mouth. “Oh my god.”

Unwilling to look at him anymore, I fall back into the couch and hope I blend in with the cushions. “Just pretend I don’t exist.”

Why does he make me stupid?

A choked noise leaves him.

“I thought you had a date last night!” I blurt. “Did I misread your innuendo there? I thought?—”

Why is he all of a sudden acting like a man without restraint?

A breath catches in my chest.

Calm down, Sunny. They’re nothing alike.

Rhodes is not crossing a line with me. It’s a physical reaction, which is normal. Just like the little tug I felt in between my legs when I accidentally pressed against him.

Attraction is natural.

It doesn’t have to be anything other than that.

“I did have a date, and no, you did not misread anything,” he stresses. “But…” his words trail.

“But what?”

I stare at the side of his face. He rubs his hand against his jaw.

“You’re not the only one who hasn’t had sex in a while, Sunny.”

I jerk upright.Wait, what?

“I left her and came home early.”

That shouldnotmake me happy.

“Why?” I ask.

He shrugs. “Between being a single father—which stemmed from a one-night stand and something I didn’t have any time to prepare for—and trying to focus on hockey and my endless nanny problems, I’ve been a little busy. Not to mention, I’ve grown skeptical of some women’s intentions. I may seem like a cocky hotshot, but it’s just as hard for me to trust someone.”

I nod. “That’s understandable.”

Silence comes between us, and as always, I attempt to lighten the mood. “Maybe you should just find someone you can trust. You know, someone other than your hand.”

An abrupt laugh leaves him.

I smile at my little joke.

“You’re not funny.”

I wink at him. “I am too.”

He rolls his eyes, but I see the little grin trying to work its way onto his stony features.

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