Misadventures of a Rookie Read online

  But the thing was, I didn’t want him to.

  I wanted to be the one to take Gus home.

  Man… What the hell was I doing?

  Exhaling hard after choking a bit more, I looked over at him and shrugged. “I have no secrets.”

  He laughed out loud. “You’re a liar.”

  “I am not.”

  “You are,” he said simply, reaching for his pop. He took a long swig and then pointed it toward me. “You have to tell me, I told you mine.”

  I set him with a look. “So no one knows that about your parents?”

  He shrugged. “I mean, my whole town does, but that’s only because they talk too damn much.”

  I wanted to laugh, but I didn’t. I knew all about small towns, I’d been the high topic around mine. Which was the main reason I’d wanted to leave so bad. Shrugging, I picked up a discarded crust out of the box and moved my fingers along the dry edges, pricking myself with the hard parts. “So it isn’t a secret.”

  “Sure it is. I don’t tell everyone.”

  I glanced over at him, and he was watching me with those deep-green eyes, a grin playing on his lips. I liked when he smiled like that. It was a little quirk that gave him a small dimple right by his lips. It was adorable and breathtaking.

  Stupid dimple.

  I looked away, shrugging hard as I blew out a breath. “I really don’t know what you want to know.”

  “Everything,” he said without even holding back.

  I looked up quickly, a tremor in my chest at the word. “Everything?”

  “Everything,” he said simply. “But a deep dark secret is a good start. I mean, we got nothing but time, Bocephus, so hit me with it.”

  “Can you please stop calling me that?”

  He shook his head. “No way. It’s growing on me.” He flashed me a big grin, and I couldn’t help it. I smiled back. “Plus, I like the flush that fills your cheeks and the annoying little twitch you get in your nose.”

  I felt the blush fill my face as I held his gaze. “You annoy me.”

  He chuckled. “Ah, you like it.”

  I did. A lot.

  Crap.

  “No, I don’t,” I said defensively.

  He gave me a look that meant he didn’t believe me one bit. “Stop stalling. Tell me something, BJSJ.”

  “Jesus, you and all these names for me.”

  He shrugged. “You give me a lot to work with.”

  My heart was pounding, and sweat was gathering at the base of my neck and along my ears. Oh my God! “I sweat behind my ears!”

  One brow rose. “Huh?”

  “That’s my secret. I sweat behind my ears.”

  “You sweat behind your ears?”

  “Yes, in gross amounts when I’m nervous.” I almost stopped sweating I was so relieved I’d come up with something—anything—that might fill the expectation between us.

  He eyed me. “Are you sweating now?”

  “Yes.”

  “I don’t believe you.”

  I leaned toward him, moving my hair. “Feel.”

  He looked a little too happy about testing my secret. He leaned toward me, running his fingers along the back of my ear. His face was closer than it needed to be, but I didn’t mind. Especially when his eyes met mine. “That is disgusting.”

  “I know!” I went to move away, but then his hand gathered my hair and pulled me closer.

  “But having you this close, I don’t care.”

  His eyes were dark and reflected my own naughty thoughts. Swallowing hard, I looked at his lips. He smelled like a dream, and this close, I could see that he hadn’t shaved. God, he was gorgeous. “I don’t hate it.”

  His lips quirked as his nose moved along mine, his gaze meeting mine. “But, Bo…”

  Getting lost in his eyes, I whispered, “Yeah?”

  “I know damn well that the sweat behind your ears isn’t your secret. So you should just come out with the real stuff.”

  He pulled back, and I glared, my heart in my throat as I gasped for breath. I was hot all over, and damn it, I wanted those lips on mine! They were so scrumptious, so thick, and ugh! “You are mean.”

  He shrugged. “Some would agree, but that doesn’t matter at this moment. All that matters is your secret.”

  “There is nothing to tell,” I tried again, but he was already shaking his head.

  “Are you really gonna go back on your promise?”

  He crossed his arms and, to my surprise, pouted. I couldn’t help myself. I giggled. He looked so pathetic, his face all scrunched up and his eyes holding mine in complete frustration. “I thought we were getting to know each other. Guess you are just using me for sex.”

  There was no holding in my laughter that time. I almost fell out of my chair. I was laughing so hard as I shook my head. “I’m sorry, you got that all wrong. You’re using me.”

  He feigned a pain in his heart. “Never.”

  I sputtered with more laughter as I leaned back in my seat, crossing my legs as I watched him pout some more. “How do you even know I have a secret?”

  “’Cause I heard you,” he shot back to me, though he wouldn’t look at me.

  My brows pulled together. “Huh?”

  He looked over at me then. “That night at the box, the chicks you were with, they asked you about college, and you deflected. I knew there was more there, and I want to know about it.”

  My face scrunched up in disbelief. “You were listening?”

  He scoffed. “Duh.” Again my heart was doing a wild jig in my chest as he held my gaze, waiting for the truth. “Why didn’t you go to college when you got that full ride?”

  I felt like something was in my throat, lodged so I couldn’t speak. Nothing was working. I was almost frozen.

  When he reached out, taking my hand in his, he laced our fingers together. His eyes burned into mine. “I would never tell anyone.”

  I swallowed hard, gazing into his emerald depth as he whispered, “I know you’d kill me if I did.”

  I smiled, laughter bubbling in my chest as I looked down at our hands. “It doesn’t matter. It’s all in the past.”

  He shrugged. “Sure. But I want to know.”

  “Why?”

  “I think it’s gonna open up who you are.”

  Glancing down at our hands, I covered them with my other and inhaled hard. Did I want him to know who I was? Why did he want to know? Why was this so damn hard? I was supposed to have wild sex and leave…yet, here I was…not wanting to leave. And seriously considering opening up to the one guy I swore I’d never get involved with.

  Before I could even mutter a word, the curtain opened and a guy dressed in a Suns T-shirt and jeans came in. It was Chet McPherance, the team doctor. With his lips pursed, Chet rolled his eyes. “Really, Persson?”

  Gus laughed as he let go of my hand. “What? I’m good.”

  He came toward the bed, and I cleared away the pizza box, my heart still pounding in my chest. I had worked a bit with Chet—not much, but I’d seen him enough in passing to know his face.

  He unwrapped Gus’s hand and examined the stitches and wounds. “You could have lost your hand.”

  “I’m fine.”

  “Was the dog worth it?”

  He nodded proudly, and my heart may have skipped a beat. “She’s a beauty for sure.”

  “Well, there is that. You know I love dogs.”

  “I do too,” he said, flinching a bit while Chet put the bandages back on.

  “Everything looks fine, but you can’t play tomorrow.”

  Pure rage filled Gus’s features. I was so used to his playful way that his angry side scared the shit out of me. “What the hell do you mean? I’m fine! Dude, come on, I can’t sit out.”

  “Persson, I can’t let this get infected being in your gloves. At least if you sit out a night, you have four days of healing.”

  “I’ll get a new pair!”

  “It doesn’t matter. You sweat in your gloves. T