Page 81 of Pitcher Perfect
These feelings were coming on so fast and furious, she couldn’t tell if they were a product of her and Robbie’s close and continual proximity or if this glorious wrenching in her chest was authentic. If it was? God, that made her so vulnerable. Primed to havethe rug pulled out from beneath her as soon as she let her guard down.
That startling train of thought was interrupted because she found herself limp, draped in Robbie’s strong arms, being carried to her bed. He laid her down naked on top of the comforter and covered her in a throw blanket.
Then he stared down at her, brow creased.
“What are you thinking about?” she murmured, snuggling into the blanket, admiring his body that was still covered in a mixture of shower steam and sweat.
“A lot of things.” He sounded dazed. “All at the same time.”
“Hmmm?”
“Skylar, you’re...” He trailed off with a swallow, raking a hand through his hair. “I’ve never seen or touched or tasted anything better than you. I want to go back and erase everything but you. That’s mainly what I’m thinking.” He paused. “The other is I want to get in that bed with you and sleep, because somehow, I know I’ll sleep even better holding you than I would after a doubleheader. But I’m afraid you’re not going to let me do it forever. I’m afraid to get used to it.”
He’s as defenseless as I am.“Get in here, Redbeard.”
He laughed, pained. “Not this time. I’m feeling all vulnerable and shit.”
It hurt not giving him the answer he wanted in that moment. To erase all doubt. But she wasn’t ready to take that leap yet and taking back any promises later would be worse than leaving him hanging now, wouldn’t it? “What are you going to do?”
Robbie traced the outline of Skylar’s body with a conflicted gaze. “Jesus. I don’t know. You look so soft in there.”
“I am.”
“Baby.” He raked his hands down his face. “No. I’m playing the long game. So, yeah. Guess what? You rest. I’m going to work onmaking your family fall in love with me while you decide what you want. While youconsiderme.”
“I will,” she said, her heart pumping even as her body continued to come down from its climax. “I am.”
Did she really mean what she was saying, though? Or was she just shaken from what they’d experienced together?
No.
No, she was grappling with feelings for this man, but logic was the issue. Knowing his history. Still not quite ready to trust him with her heart, the way she could obviously trust him with her body. Even if she was beginning to wish she could. Beginning to wonder.
“Do you have a game plan to make them fall in love with you?” she managed, heart lodged in her throat.
“Not yet, but there will be alcohol involved.” He raised an eyebrow at her. “Is your dad going to take one look at me and know I just blew his daughter’s mind?”
Where was the lie? “You might want to put on a shirt, at least.” Her face heated. “There are handprints on your shoulders.”
Robbie looked at the prints in question and waggled his eyebrows. “My goal is to have some identical ones on my ass by tomorrow.”
“The schedule says maybe.”
“Right,” he said dryly, pulling on a shirt and finger combing his hair. When he seemed prepared to leave the room, he just looked at her, his smile fading. “Are you sure you’re feeling okay after what happened at the lake?”
“After you... did that to me on the bathroom floor?” Skylar buried her face in the blanket, a little giddy from the drop of adrenaline and the freedom to be so honest with him. “I don’t even remember what happened at the lake.”
“That’s nice.” Robbie shivered as he backed toward the door.“Meanwhile, I’ll have nightmares about it for the next five decades.”
Halfway out into the hallway, he stopped.
Strode back to the bed and leaned down, drugging her with a kiss. A long, soul-searing kiss that closed her eyes involuntarily and squeezed the region south of her throat.
Oh dear.
“Considerme, Skylar.”
Chapter Twenty-Three
