Sporting (Unleashed Romance #3) - Kylie Gilmore Page 0,27

my parents’ divorce. God, I even deny myself the company of a dog because of what they did. I have to stop punishing myself.

I’m punishing myself.

The thought makes me suddenly unsteady, and I grip the bathroom counter, staring at my pale reflection in the mirror. I never thought about it that way. Punishment for something I logically know isn’t my fault, but some part of me—some deep down angry little-girl part—believes it is.

I splash water on my face. That’s it. I’m getting a dog. Not the kind I had growing up. Something completely different. Maybe I’ll get a pit bull like Lucy, and then they could play together. My heart races at the thought. A future with Eli and Lucy in my life.

Two days. That’s all this is. Eli is not thinking like that. Don’t be foolish.

Tomorrow I go home, back to my real life with my friends, my shop, and my cozy apartment. It’ll be like this trip never happened. Except I find myself wanting to hang onto every moment with both hands. To have memories to look back on during lonely times.

I finish up in the bathroom and go to my black wheeled suitcase for my pajamas. Audrey didn’t pack any lingerie for me. It’s my usual girls’ night in outfit of a navy Yankees T-shirt with matching plaid flannel pants. Guess Audrey wants me to focus on getting to know Eli, or maybe she knew he was a big Yankees fan and hoped it would entice him. Sex is easy; sharing intimacies is hard.

The only people who know my deep dark self are my closest friends. I’ve never shared anything like that with a guy. Mostly because nothing with a guy ever lasts long. It’s not that I always choose the wrong guy, it’s that after accidentally breaking hearts, I’ve learned to tell guys up front I only want casual. That way no one gets hurt. Most guys are relieved. With Eli, it was reversed. He told me how it would be after kidnapping me. I find myself smiling. I still can’t believe he did that.

I walk out to the living room and take a seat on a small maroon floral sofa. There’s a TV on the wall across from me. I guess we could always watch TV if we run out of things to say.

Eli arrives a short while later. Lucy bounds toward me, and I tell her to sit so she doesn’t leap at me. She does, and I pet her. She pants happily. What a good dog.

Eli slowly removes his jacket, checking me out. “Those pajamas are hot. I don’t think Audrey could’ve picked a better outfit.”

I laugh. “Right. I’m sure the flannel pants really do it for you.”

“You’re a Yankees fan. That does it for me. Score one for Audrey.”

I shake my head, smiling. “Ridiculous.”

“Hold on.” He goes into his room and returns with a deck of cards. “Here, shuffle these while I get changed.”

“Okay.” I shuffle a few times, my mind wandering to how tonight will go. Will he grill me for all my secrets? I’ve never had a slumber party with a guy before.

A few minutes later, Lucy leaps to her feet and rushes forward to Eli.

He commands her to sit. My mouth gapes. He’s wearing a gray T-shirt and the exact same plaid Yankees sleep pants as me. He gives his pants’ leg a tug. “Looks like we’re a matching pair.”

I groan. “Too weird.”

He sits next to me, puts an arm around my shoulders, and gives me a squeeze. I flush hot, but he doesn’t do anything more, just grabs the cards and deals them. He holds his cards close to his chest. “How’re your cards?”

I scoot back. “Terrible.” I’ve got a great hand, but I can’t let him know. That’s like poker rule numero uno.

One corner of his mouth lifts. “I’m glad you have a bad poker face. That means you’re honest to a fault.”

“And you’re not honest?”

“I am, but I can be completely expressionless if needed. See?”

He looks completely blank. It’s his cop face when he’s looking into a situation—professional, calm, and neutral. “You know, I thought for sure you’d pull me over for speeding at some point.”

“You speed but not as much as some people.” He smiles, his hazel eyes dancing with amusement. “I once had to give General Joan a ticket for driving too slow. She was holding up a huge line of traffic.”

I laugh. “I can totally picture that. All right, let’s play.”

We played three