“Looks like you’ll be the only man in my bed this trip,” she said to the teddy bear, and Kylo Ren lifted his head and narrowed his eyes at the new addition. “Come on, you can share for a week, can’t you?”
Her kitty stood, stretched at the leisurely pace of watching paint dry, and jumped off the bed, tail in the air. Julie climbed out of bed, slipped into her worn yoga pants and a T-shirt, and threw her hair into a messy bun.
Last second, she picked up the bear and kissed his fuzzy snout. “There. Now I won’t be tempted to kiss another guy today.”
Doubtful, but hey, she was going for optimism. After taking a moment to steel herself and demand the butterflies in her tummy remain dormant or else, she pocketed her phone. Then she headed downstairs to see what exciting adventure was on the schedule for the day.
…
Gavin wiped the sweat from his brow with his forearm and blew out one last puff of cloudy air before heading inside the house.
Around seven in the morning, he’d woken up, watched game film, did his physical therapy exercises, and then found himself pacing past the office door. Then back to his room.
Then suddenly he’d be standing outside the door again, fist raised and ready to knock.
He’d thought up all manner of excuses to go in and wake Julie up. They didn’t have much time; could she work out his shoulder again; and did she still have on the tiny panties he could barely make out underneath her tights before he freed her skirt last night?
That last one propelled him to layer up and go for a run. It’d been refreshing, the cold nipping at his exposed skin and his lungs burning with each inhale of frigid air. Better yet, it’d helped clear his head of improper thoughts about his best friend.
But after he stripped off his beanie, gloves, and sweatshirt, and made his way to the kitchen, there she was. Stretched onto her tiptoes, reaching for the coffee beans.
Gavin walked up behind her, gently placed his hand on the small of her back to warn her he was there, and then reached over the top of her and grabbed the bag of roasted beans.
She spun around, and her chest bumped into his.
He should step back. Give her room to make her coffee. Do anything but gape at her like a man who hadn’t had a decent meal in weeks.
“Mornin’,” he said, and while he’d stuck to the one-word greeting to be safe, it’d come out husky, with the hint of longing that watching her body stretch had provoked. That perfume was doing a real number on him, too, demanding he lean in and sniff her neck.
Hell, might as well lick it while he was there.
Julie ran her gaze over him. “Wow. I felt like enough of a slacker before, but you went for a run already? In the cold?”
Since his focus had snagged on the pulse point beating away at the base of her neck, it took him a moment to put her words together. “No rest for the wicked and all that. And it’s not that cold. It’s a sunny thirty-five and getting warmer by the minute. During last week’s game against Green Bay, the high of the night was two degrees—they don’t call that stadium the Frozen Tundra for nothing.”
Julie shivered, as though speaking the temperature had made it drop inside the kitchen. “That sounds like torture.”
“It was actually pretty fun. Until…you know.”
Her features softened, so much concern rushing forward that his chest tightened. Before he could insist he was fine, she placed her hand on his arm and swiped her thumb across his biceps. Even through the long sleeves of his compression shirt, the touch burned in the best possible way. “How’s the shoulder doing today?”
Gavin automatically rolled it. “Better, actually. That magic you worked on it the other night helped a ton.”
Genuine happiness shone in her features, and his insides went mushy. How lucky was he to have someone who cared about his well-being so much? “That settles it. I’ll work out the knots in your muscles every night, and by the time you head to Jacksonville on Friday, you’ll be amazed at how much better your shoulder will be.”
“Every night? What about your fling?” Dammit, why had that slipped out? Self-sabotage? Or was his brain intervening on his carnal side’s behalf in order to keep him from ruining his longest friendship?
Julie glanced down, and just like that, whatever spell they’d been under broke, the intimate bubble popping and splatting against the tile floor. She darted around him, coffee bag in hand, and poured the ground beans into a filter. “Did you want coffee? I can make extra if you do.”
What he wanted was to rewind the last few minutes. Not that it would do any good. He’d still have to make the same decision, only the next time it’d be that much harder. “Nah. I’m just gonna hop in the shower.”
If you’d like to conserve water, you’re free to join me. Gavin cleared his throat, muttered he’d be back down in a few, and then rushed upstairs, hitting a faster pace than he had during his earlier run.
…
Julie was doing a whole lot of nothing on the couch when Gavin stormed into the room and opened the laptop on the coffee table. “Is everything okay?” she asked.
The only answer she got was a sigh. He opened his email, and not that she was trying to be nosy, but with the tension wafting off him, her own nerves stretched too tight.
“I thought they were all being assholes, but…” He pivoted the computer screen to her. She lowered her eyebrows as she studied the Christmas e-card she’d also received in her email this morning.
“Who’s being assholes? Your parents? Because I’m pretty sure sending out electronic cards is quite considerate. Think of the trees they saved.”
“They sent this to my whole team, including the coaches and Lance Quaid.” Gavin rubbed his hands over his face, as if the image were something he could wipe away.
“Is it the matching outfits thing? Because I thought you were over being embarrassed about that.” Not only was it unlike Gavin to care, back in high school, he’d decided he couldn’t care. Mostly due to his parents’ assertion they weren’t planning on changing for anyone, so he could get onboard or shut up about it.
Since he hadn’t wanted to join in on the matching outfits—another threat they’d thrown out—he’d never mentioned the way they dressed again. In fact, last year around the holidays, he, Julie, and Niki had discussed how both sets of their parents, for all their quirks and meddling, were totally #CoupleGoals.
“Our little town has gotten better at accepting people from various backgrounds—a lot in part due to your parents—but you’ve heard the stories. It wasn’t easy for them when they moved here. For most of the townsfolk, your dad was the first Black guy they ever met. Now they all know him as the gentle giant who ensures their kids make it across the road to school safely, but it took time for people to listen and learn. Dressing alike was their way of dealing and having fun with it. And honestly, people in Hawaii dress in the same floral-patterned shirts for pictures all the time.”