Page 46 of Pitcher Perfect
“Yeah, but where is your mom? I’m terrified.”
“She slipped in some mud.”
“Oh shit. Does she need help?”
“Hell no! It could be a trap! Just keep running.”
Robbie and Skylar won the first Page Stakes event.
On the other side of the finish line, Robbie doubled over with his hands on his knees, judging he’d have a bruise on his side the size of Atlanta by evening. The pain was well worth it when he tore off his blindfold to find Skylar running in his direction, laughing, her braid bouncing side to side on her shoulders.
“You were amazing! We won!”
Time moved in slow motion as she jumped into his arms, her warm laugh bubbling in his ear. And eventually sighing into his neck when he banded both arms around her and held, locking her curves tight to his frame, his eyes rolling blissfully into theback of his head over the way she fit him, absorbing the perfect feeling of the girl who was going to get away.
“Hey,” Robbie murmured into her hair, allowing his fingertips to travel down the length of her braid and tug lightly. “That wasn’t so bad at all.”
She leaned away to meet his eyes. “It’ll get harder as we go.”
Robbie tucked her face back into his neck, not ready to put her down yet. Or ever. “Yeah. I know it will.”
They were slowly flanked by a muddy Vivica and a disappointed-looking Doug and Elton. Madden stood at the edge of the group.
“I suppose congratulations are in order.” Doug sniffed, shaking Robbie’s hand. “Bear in mind, the first challenge is the easiest.”
“That’s right.” Vivica wiped off her face with a moist towelette, somehow collecting all the mud in a single pass. “Tomorrow is rock climbing!”
Robbie waited for the others to wander off and lick their wounds before looking Skylar in the eye. “Is now a good time to tell you I’m deathly afraid of heights?”
Chapter Fourteen
Women really,reallyliked her fake boyfriend.
On some level, Skylar had assumed this to be the case. Robbie Corrigan was a professional athlete, which automatically gave him a certain mystique. Not to mention, he had the physique to show for bashing bodies on the ice for over a decade. Throw in his good-time grin and the uniquely messy coiffure of red hair—beard to match—and the guy turned heads. A lot of them.
Pretty much every single one in this Cheesecake Factory.
Which didn’t make Skylaruncomfortable. Not one bit. If she didn’tlovethinking about how the same thing must happen every time Robbie walked into a bar or nightclub or, hell, even the supermarket, that was purely her amused exasperation talking. What he did back in Boston didn’t concern her.
If that were true, though, then why did the queasy weight in her stomach grow more intense every time a woman smiled at him?
Probably because Robbie’s easy confidence in himself as a catch only drew attention to the fact that she was not. What did they even look like together? In her hoodie and sneakers, she probably didn’t resemble the kind of woman he normally dated... sorry,took home. She’d taken out her wet braid earlier and her hair was wavy, complete with requisite flyaways. Her makeup consisted of Chapstick and a sunburn.
She probably needed way more help than this man could give her.
Skylar and Robbie approached the hostess station and two more sets of female eyes widened. “Oh. Um. Welcome to the Cheesecake Factory.” One of the young women gathered two menus in her visibly unsteady hands. “Two for dinner?”
“Yup.” Robbie slung a casual arm across Skylar’s shoulders. “Just me and my girl.”
“That’s so cute,” breathed the menu carrier.
“Hear that, Rocket? We’re cute together.” He pulled her closer while addressing the hostess. “Could you seat us somewhere with a big table? I’m going to be ordering more than one entrée. We’ll need space.”
“And an extra chair for his ego, please,” Skylar added.
The hostess’s lips twitched. “I’m sure that won’t be a problem. Follow me.”
They were led to a booth that could easily fit six people. “This ought to do,” Robbie said, tossing the hostess a wink that sent a blush to the roots of her hair. And he didn’t even seem to notice. “After you,” he said to Skylar, gesturing for her to slide into the booth.
