Once Upon A Half-Time: A Sports Romance - Sosie Frost Page 0,12

a little incident on the field,” I said.

“Is anyone left alive?”

“It was touch and go for a while. I gotta…shower.” I faked a smile. “Hi, Sammy.”

Even the baby kept his distance. Leah let me pass as Sammy attempted one of his daddy’s quarterback sneaks out of her arms.

“We can…” She grimaced. “Meet up for the pictures later.”

Yeah. Lachlan’s pictures. Leah’s PR firm could spin the hell out of a handsome, first-round draft choice signed to a championship team. That was easy. But I didn’t want to think what would happen if I gave her the other photographs, the ones so burned into my skull the league would subpoena my head for evidence. Leah was good, but even she couldn’t silence that potential scandal.

Despite the eye-candy that filled the locker room, both the toweled and non-toweled varieties, I usually avoided the space. Muscles were nice. The occasional peek even better. But fifty-three alpha-male, testosterone-fueled, sweaty men did not make for a great picture.

Or smell.

Though I wasn’t exactly a bouquet of spring flowers myself.

Thankfully, I was alone. The only other silver lining? A change of clothes in my office.

I stripped off the shirt and shorts and plopped the soggy mess into the garbage can.

Soap. I needed a cauldron of it. And shampoo. Hopefully conditioner.

I didn’t have any toiletries…but Lachlan had plenty. My turn to haze the rookie, but at least when I stole his stuff, I wouldn’t refill it with mustard or hot sauce. I grabbed the soaps and took a step further into the locker room than I had ever gone.

Until today, the showers were a No-Elle land—especially when it was my butt that was bare.

I clutched a towel and crossed the tiled floor, past the first two dozen shower heads and behind the partial wall that offered another row of showers. Good enough to hide in. I hunkered down, turned on the water, and used half of Lachlan’s soap to lather up.

Dumb move.

Scent was a strong memory, and I had a lot to remember from my weekend with Lachlan. His spicy, regal tease was just as potent out of the bottle as it was blended with his skin.

I should have stolen Jack’s stuff.

Within seconds, I immersed myself with Lachlan. The bubbles were a poor substitute for his hands, mouth, and other parts of him that I’d fantasized about ever since that incredible weekend.

So not the thoughts to have naked in the middle of the Rivets’ locker room.

Especially as the second shampooing dripped soap into my eyes just as the doors opened.

Uh-oh. Someone banged through the lockers.

I wasn’t alone or nearly sanitized enough.

I rinsed the soap off, but my hair transformed into one big tangle of suds. I spun and hid against the wall. The damn shampoo stung my eyes. I couldn’t see which player headed straight for the showers.

I groped for my towel and shouted into the steam.

“Hey…could I have another minute? I’m…kinda a walking horror show right now.”

That laugh.

Of course it’d be him.

I didn’t need the cat-call whistle. Lachlan’s amused chuckle echoed off the walls. I might have flailed and attempted to smack him, but missing would have entertained him too much.

“So you’re the one who took my stuff…”

I peeked open my eyes just as Lachlan tossed his towel away.

Holy shit.

He grinned at me. I was lucky my gaze stayed on his dimples.

“I never thought I’d be jealous of soap,” he said. “I’d trade places with those bubbles any day.”

He flipped on the water beside me, winked, and ducked under the stream.

Naked.

He was naked.

And I struggled to catch my breath in the sudden heat.

Impressive didn’t begin to describe his body. Muscle on top of muscle. Lachlan decorated his perfect form with tattoos on his biceps and one very sneaky, very sexy tribal pattern that curled below his belt and twisted around the part of him that didn’t need any more attention.

That tattoo had been a surprise when I’d found it. The team probably gave him hell for it, but I assumed Lachlan’s only fear in the locker room was tripping over his massive cock. It defied gravity. He glanced at me, enjoyed what he saw, and somehow moved heaven and earth to raise that monstrosity until it nearly hit his bellybutton.

Staring was bad, but so was guiltily twisting away for peeking.

I didn’t bother reaching for my towel. If he wasn’t covering up, then I wasn’t hiding.

“What the hell are you doing in here?” My demands still sounded shocked. “Shouldn’t you be on the field?”

Lachlan winked. “I’ll get your back