Page 87 of Skate the Line

A few seconds pass, and he sighs. “I’m sorry if I made you uncomfortable.” His glance is fleeting. “With my…current situation.”

“Current situation?” I raise my brows and try to hide a laugh.

“You’re fired,” he grumbles.

I laugh. “Oscar is joking now? Wow.”

He scoffs, and I’m certain a comeback is about to fly out of his mouth, but little footsteps catch our attention. Rhodes panics and grabs the pillow, putting it over his lap.

“Printsessa,” he says. “Imagine that. You’re up with the sun.”

“So are you,” she argues, rubbing the sleep from her eye. “Hi, Sunny.” She turns to her dad. “Can I snuggle?”

A laugh leaves me when I see the unease on Rhodes’s face. His arms flex over the pillow. I pop up quickly and come to his rescue–despite the fact that I have no pants on. Ellie and I both stand in nothing but oversized shirts that belong to her father. Me in his jersey, and her in his Chicago Blue Devils tee.

“I have a great idea,” I say.

Ellie’s eyes light up.

“You know what Sundays are for, right?”

Ellie and Rhodes answer at the same time. “Football.”

I place my hands on my hips. “What? No!”

“Says who?” Rhodes mumbles.

Ignoring him, I grab onto Ellie’s hand. “Sundays are for breakfasts that arenotcereal.”

She pouts for a second until I bend down and whisper in her ear. “Wanna help me make chocolate chip pancakes?”

Her pretty eyes light up. “Yes!”

“Let’s go!” I pull her toward the kitchen.

Rhodes stares after us with an unreadable expression on his face.

I drop Ellie’s hand and let her go ahead of me.

“You just go…shower,” I say to her dad.

I roll my lips to hide my amusement.

His mouth forms a straight line, and he looks just like Oscar the Grouch.

AhotOscar the Grouch.

“You’re welcome,” I mouth, shooting him a wink.

He stands and adjusts himself.

The action is too hot for its own good. A thrill skips down my spine and lands at the soles of my bare feet.

Rhodes surprises me when he heads in my direction. I should move, but I don’t. My breath seizes when he stops beside me and bends so his mouth isrightover my ear.

“Go put pants on, Sunshine.”

Oh. Right.

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