Total pages in book: 129
Estimated words: 121764 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 609(@200wpm)___ 487(@250wpm)___ 406(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 121764 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 609(@200wpm)___ 487(@250wpm)___ 406(@300wpm)
It was there that things got a little fuzzy.
I blinked, and a flash of Jaxson’s crooked grin as he stared down at me knocked my next breath from my lungs. Another blink, and I could feel every smooth, hard curve of his abdomen, could remember how my fingertips had explored those muscles like uncharted territory. I blinked again, and there was no doubt in my mind that he’d shivered at my touch, that his jaw had been set like he wanted to touch me, too.
Do you ever think about that night in Austin?
That memory made me groan and cover my eyes with my hands, shaking my head in embarrassment. I was a drunk, silly girl asking a grown ass professional hockey player if he ever thought about a night that he was saddled with his teammate’s little sister unwillingly. As if that night meant anything to him, as if he hadn’t fucked at least a half-dozen women since then.
Of course, I didn’t know that for sure… but it was a pretty safe bet.
Still… I wasn’t crazy, was I? He definitely flirted with me, too. He definitely shivered under my touch last night. He definitely looked at my mouth like he wanted to do very dirty things to it.
Something like a fist around my stomach reminded me that the last time I’d trusted my instincts when it came to reading a man’s actions, I’d ended up burned.
Listen to what he says, you idiot.
And what he says is that he’s not interested.
There was a soft snick that interrupted my thoughts, and then the gym door opened, and I swiveled my head on the mat in time to see Jaxson swing through.
He stared at his phone in his hands as he entered, noise-canceling headphones covering his ears. And where I was pretty sure I looked like death warmed over, he looked like he’d had the best night’s sleep of his life, like he’d just taken pre-workout and was ready to kick some ass.
I knew from growing up around my brother how brutal hockey season was on the body. By the end of it, especially if the team had any kind of playoff run, the guys were all leaned out and exhausted. It was impossible not to lose weight with how much and how aggressively they skated each day. So, in the off-season, they ate a shit ton of food and lifted heavy to try to build their muscle back up.
Staring at Jaxson, I had a hard time imagining where he could pack on any more muscle than he already had. He was fit as hell, and my eyes were naturally drawn over every inch of him, from his stacked traps to his monster thighs.
Jaxson swiped a towel and a bottle of water from the stand near the door before looking up from his phone, and when he spotted me, a little smirk curled on his lips.
I offered a two-finger wave from my mat, and he lifted his chin in response. Then, he headed straight for leg press while I pretended to do yoga.
I used to love yoga.
It used to calm me, center me, make me feel grounded. But nowadays, I just found myself… bored when I was on the mat. But I stuck to it, pretending like it was still my whole personality.
Because if there was one thing I hated about myself, it was how I never seemed to be able to stick to anything for long.
The joke with my family was that I had a shallow knowledge of everything, but a deep understanding of nothing. The truth was that not many things could hold my interest for long. Once I mastered a physical activity or hobby, I was immediately ready to move on.
About the only constant in my life was my desire to move.
Staying in one place for too long made me feel like I was suffocating.
Ever dedicated to my façade, I rolled onto my stomach and pressed up into a downward dog, but I watched Jaxson instead of my mat.
Holy. Hell.
I was pretty sure he had every fucking plate on that leg press when he finally sat down. He placed his feet shoulder-width apart on the platform and unlocked the machine, and then easily pushed ten reps before locking it again.
No wonder he had an ass of stone and quads to match.
In one breath, I brought my left leg up by my shoulder, dropping my foot next to my hands before windmilling up into warrior two. I tried to flow, giving it all my effort for about six minutes.
But all the while, my attention was glued to my friend and the way his body rippled with every rep.
Fuck it.
Letting my hands fall against my thighs with a slap, I abandoned my mat and marched right over to him, plucking a headphone off his left ear.