Page 56 of Drop Shot
“Okay.”
He heads for the door, but I clear my throat, and he pauses. “Do you need your shirt?”
He looks down at his bare chest. “A shirt … yeah, that’s a good idea.” He shakes his head and moves to head toward the closet, but I shake my head.
“Turn around. I’ll hand you this one back.”
I swear I hear him audibly swallow. “That works.”
I ease the shirt off my body and toss it over his shoulder to grab. While he’s tugging the shirt on, I scurry over to the bathroom. I don’t know what makes me do it, but I peek over my shoulder and catch him looking.
He quickly looks away and ducks out the door with another, “I’m sorry.”
The embarrassment I felt earlier is gone. Instead, replaced with a feeling of power all because Elias Johnson looked at me like I’m the most gorgeous creature he’s ever seen.
When I finally get out of the bubble bath and make my way through the darkened hallway, it seems like his parents and sister have gone to bed. Though, I can hear Ebba through her door and if I had to guess she’s arguing with her boyfriend. I wish she’d end things with him. It’s obvious they’re not a good match.
Downstairs, I pad into the kitchen and pour a glass of water. I haven’t seen a sign of Elias yet, but I know he has to be around here somewhere. I peek outside and spot him lying in the grass.
I don’t have a sweater with me and it’s too chilly to go outside without one, so I swipe a blanket off the back of the couch and wrap it around me burrito style. Slipping through the French doors, I join Elias on the small patch of lawn.
“You’ll get cold,” he says, as I settle into the grass.
“I’ll be okay. What are you doing out here?”
He slowly turns his head toward me. “Looking at the stars. You don’t see them like this back home.”
I realize he’s right. “It’s beautiful.”
“Sometimes I think the world would we be a better place if we could all look up and see the stars clearly. When you look at this you can’t help but feel like the universe is far greater than we’ll ever understand.”
“You have an excellent point.” I shiver and it’s an immediate annoyance. I haven’t even been out here five minutes and I’m already cold.
“C’mere.”
He doesn’t give me a chance to respond before he’s wrapping his arms around me and pulling me against him.
“Oh,” I blurt as I settle against him, my head falling to the crook of his shoulder.
I lift my head to move, but he quickly says, “Don’t move. It’s okay.”
I settle back down and place my hand on his chest. “Is this okay, too?”
He audibly swallows, long fingers working gently through the strands of my hair. I don’t think he even realizes he’s doing it. “Yeah.”
My heart inflates ten sizes.
“What was it Jackson wants us to do?”
He groans. “Don’t ruin my good mood, Whim.”
I laugh softly. “You have to tell me eventually.”
His chest rumbles in blatant annoyance. “It’s a dinner with some of the top players, sponsors, all the big spender types. He wants us to go together. He says you humanize me.”
I stifle a laugh. “Is that so?”
“According to him, you soften me and make me more approachable. Whatever that means.”
