Page 94 of Pitcher Perfect
Skylar decided to let that mystery go unsolved for now. Her knees were still weak from what they’d done in the forest. Maybe when an orgasm was so intense it rendered a woman punch-drunk, she deserved a certain leniency. “You better answer the call.”
“Yeah.” He cleared his throat, brought the phone to his ear. “Hey, Hauer.”
Skylar studied Robbie while he listened intently to whatever was being said on the other end of the line. Whatever it was, he didn’t seem happy about it, although his body language was more resigned than angry. Then and there, she decided that whatever the call was about, she wouldn’t let it disrupt this perfect stateof... togetherness. Perhaps words spoken in the heat of the moment couldn’t be deemed official, but it seemed like they were really doing this. They were on their way to being a couple, an outcome she couldn’t have foreseen in her wildest imagination.
Robbie and Skylar.
Skylar and Robbie.
Together for real?
Yes, it seemed so, but... theywerefar removed from Boston this week. She couldn’t help but hold on to some trepidation that they could make this work once they returned to real life, but she was there to try, dammit. She was there to give it her everything, because she couldn’t envision a world where they went back to Boston and didn’t see each other. Being near Robbie, talking to him, feeling his skin on her skin had fast become a given. He was well worth fighting the doubt.Theywere worth it. The thought of living a totally separate life from him after this week made her wet clothes feel colder. Icier.
Can’t do it.
Even with the newfound confidence she’d earned this week throughout the Page Stakes, their family breakthrough, and her private lessons in love with Robbie, there was still the tiniest voice in the back of her head making her question how long she would be enough. Old hang-ups were hard to break.
Skylar shook herself free of the conflicting thoughts when Robbie hung up the phone. “Bad news. Coach called a last-minute practice tonight. Apparently, he’s been living in the offices watching game tapes on the Oilers and he’s mounting a new strategy. He wants us on the ice by seven.”
“Meaning you’d need to leave...” She went up on her toes to read the time off the screen of Robbie’s phone. “Like, now.”
“Like, now.” He let his head fall back. “No, Rocket. The talent show.”
Having seen these regrets coming, she was already shaking her head. “Stop. We’ll reschedule it or compete another time. You can’t miss practice. Not right before playoffs.” Ignoring the useless disappointment in her middle, she hooked her arm through the crook of his elbow and tugged him toward the house. “Come on, you can borrow my car again. I’ll put together some snacks for the drive while you pack up.”
“Who knows me like you?” She tossed him up a smile, but it dimmed when she found him looking down at her with unfiltered intensity. “You’re not even going to make me feel guilty about leaving, are you?”
Surprise slowed her steps. “What? No. Of course not.” Following instinct, she leaned in and kissed the valley between his pecs, which, thanks to his sodden clothing, were prominently displayed. If only the talent show were a wet T-shirt contest. They’d win by a landslide. “You play a sport. Competitively. Inconvenience... and FOMO is part of the deal. That’s how we got to where we are. We missed stuff in order to practice.”
“Missing stuff that involves you is different.”
“I’m not going anywhere, Redbeard.” Ignoring the subtle weight of uncertainty on her chest, Skylar continued. “If we’re going to... to do this... us...”
Robbie’s jaw flexed. “Oh, we’re doing us.”
“Okay, well, we’re going to have scheduling conflicts. Probably a lot of them. Let’s start being understanding about it now.”
“Skylar.” He seemed at a loss for words, tucking the same strands of hair behind her ear over and over, even when they had been well and truly tucked. “I don’t know if I’ve mentioned that I’m fucking crazy about you.”
“You have—”
He cut her off with a hard kiss. “It bears repeating,” he said against her mouth.
“Could you two kindly stop Frenching in the driveway?” Elton complained on his way down the front steps, doing a double take when he saw their disheveled state. “How did you guys spend the day? Re-creating scenes fromThe Notebook?”
“Shut up, Elton,” Robbie and Skylar said simultaneously.
Her brother only laughed. “Who’s ready to get their asses handed to them in the family talent show? You won’t see mine coming.”
“Magic tricks?” Skylar drawled.
Elton gave her a death stare. “You ruined it. Happy now?”
“Obscenely.” She could still feel Robbie staring at her profile. “Robbie got called back to Boston for a late practice, so we’ll have to postpone.”
“Oh shit.” Despite the rocky start he’d gotten off to with Robbie, her brother couldn’t hide his disappointment. “Sorry, man, that sucks.” He looked at his watch. “Traffic gets heavy around... never mind, it’s always heavy in Boston.”
“Truth.” Robbie reached out and slapped Elton on the shoulder. “Sorry to leave when the competition is heating up. On the bright side, this gives you an extra day to work on your magic tricks.”
