The look in his eye every time his gaze found me was heart-stopping. It was making it really hard to think clearly. I felt like I was slipping whenever I was alone with Theo. Between his innuendo comments, deep smirks, and casual touches to my body, I felt myself changing and falling for something that wasn’t even there.
I was still wounded and hurt, and my self-confidence was skewed from Chad. Just one look from Theo seemed to repair my self-worth, and although I denied his half-joke earlier, I wasn’t sure my answer would be the same if he were to ask me again.
I felt dizzy as I put my back to the shower doors, just in case he came in again. Although the water was only lukewarm and not my usual scorching temperature, it felt nice compared to the ice bath that I had been submerged in just moments before. I was completely shocked that Theo had noticed there was something wrong with my ankle, and the fact that he went out of his way to have it checked out for me was so genuine. Truthfully, Theo Brooks made it painfully hard not to fall for him.
There was a knock on the door that echoed through the empty showers, and my hand slapped on the nozzle to turn it off.
“Stay where you are, and don’t turn around.”
My palm stayed put as my head snapped up. My wet hair trailed down my back as water droplets continued to pelt me from overhead. “What?”
“Coach is here. There’s nowhere for you to hide, and I’m not about to get chewed out for letting you use our ice bath and showers.”
“And you don’t think he’s going to chew you out for being in the showers with me?! Don’t you remember how angry he was when he found out I was your roommate?” My heart began to race as I kept my spine straight underneath the stream of the shower. Oh my God, is he looking at me? I was completely naked and too afraid to look back to see what he thought of my backside. I knew it didn’t matter, but my heart and body were not on the same playing field at the moment.
“He isn’t going to know you’re in the showers with me.” My eyes widened when Theo’s breath mixed with the water against my shoulder.
“Theo, what the hell are you doing?” I asked, hyperaware of every single breath he took. His presence behind me was imperative to how I acted next.
“Hiding you,” he whispered, voice suddenly husky and strained. Heat raced down the front of my stomach and landed in the center of my legs. I sucked in a breath and told myself not to turn around, but instead of listening to that wise voice in the back of my head that was trying to shield me from mortification and another heartbreak, I slowly peeled around and peered into Theo’s hooded gaze.
Water cascaded off the front of his forehead at the same time his jaw flexed. I blinked before romanticizing the situation we were in, pretending that Theo Brooks, the hot hockey jock of Bexley U, actually felt something real for me that wasn’t skewed by the perception of a fake relationship.
There was nothing more than a breath of air that stood between us, and when I slowly slipped my gaze down the front of his bare chest and landed on what he was sporting, I gasped loudly and flung my attention back to him.
“Make sure you stay where you are.” Theo swallowed, and I swore his jaw grew more angular. “If Coach walks in here, which he will, he won’t see you in front of me.”
All I could manage was a nod, but there was so much I wanted to say and do, which was a scary thought because there was no way that either of us could blame our behavior on a ruse in front of campus or my ex. Theo and I were alone. Not a single person was watching us. Yet, I wanted him to grip me and tell me pretty lies because the way Theo Brooks made me feel, even while pretending, was something I craved.
“Are you okay?”
I shook the water out of my face and glanced up at his question. He wasn’t looking at me, though. All I could see was his strong, defined profile with his straight nose and hollow cheeks. “Yeah, are you?”
I was surprised he could hear me over the stream of the shower, but when his gaze cut to mine, I jumped and ended up closer to him.
“No.” The tiny word sent goosebumps flying down my spine until my toes flexed against the tiled floor.
“No?” I dropped my attention to his chest, and it was moving just as fast as mine. Raising my hand, I put it against his wet skin and quickly gasped. “Theo. It feels like you’re having a heart attack. What’s wrong?” Is he nervous that his coach is going to find me here?
“What’s wrong?” A tiny crevice appeared in between his eyebrows, and I followed the small bead of water that trailed over his nose, landing in between us. “This. This is what’s wrong!” Theo moved closer to me, and I gingerly took a step back, knowing that if he touched me, it was game over. His closed fist banged against the tile behind me, and he leaned in close, careful not to let our bodies touch. “Claire, since the first time I kissed you, I’ve had a really hard time thinking of anything but your mouth.” Theo’s admittance stole the last bit of self-control I had. “And your laugh. And…” Theo’s free hand suddenly landed on my naked waist, and I stared down at his large palm covering my torso with a stealth I wasn’t sure he knew he possessed. I’m a goner. “And this body.”
“Th–Theo.”
“I know it’s not a good idea,” he repeated my words from earlier, and I wanted nothing more than to take them back. “But I’m not sure I can help myself.” Theo’s eyes shut, and that was when I took my opportunity and glanced at the dips and valleys of his muscles, relishing in the way my body responded by just looking. Knowing he wanted to touch me and was holding back gave me a newfound sense of confidence. I wanted him to touch me. Everywhere.
My hand hovered above him as he gritted out his next words. “Honestly.” His head dropped low, and I hoped his eyes were still closed. “I would rather get caught by Coach than stand here any longer because it’s fucking painful not to touch you, Claire. Fuck.”
I couldn’t help but wonder if it was just attraction or if it was something more. I knew it was dangerous to think that way, but I would rather see Chad cheating on me again versus asking Theo that simple question, which was a deadly thought.
Right when Theo went to step away from me, I slapped my hand on his wrist and pulled him in. Our bodies meshed together, and my back was suddenly against the wet tile behind us. His bare chest was racing against mine, and the steely look in his gaze was fierce before his lips captured mine, and he let out a throaty noise. His tongue moved quickly, and I had never felt more desirable as his hands roamed over my naked body, palming me from behind.
Theo pulled back, and his hand went beside my head, resting on the tile. “Fuck, fuck, fuck.”
Without thinking too much, I gently placed my hand on his hard length, and his sharp inhale fed me like I was deprived of food. I moved up and down, watching as he grew even harder beneath my small palm. I bit my lip and continued to milk him, even when his hand landed on my chin and he angled my face to look at him instead of his dick. “What am I going to do with you, Bryant?”
“What do you mean?” I whispered, tugging on him harder. He scanned me from my head to my toes, and then stunned me with a look that I felt in between my legs and behind my ribs.
His mouth opened, but nothing came out as the door to the showers slammed open. I dropped my hand, freezing like someone had a gun pointing at my head.
“Wolf!” His coach’s gruff voice sent a shiver through my body, and I quickly made sure Theo’s large frame was hiding every part of mine. “Jesus! I could have gone without seeing your ass this morning.”
Theo’s face was steady and his voice even smoother. “Well, did you expect that I showered with clothes on?”
Oh shit, my clothes. I hoped Theo had moved them before coming in here so his coach didn’t see. The thought of Theo getting in trouble by his coach for helping me didn’t sit well.
“What the fuck is this news I’m hearing?”
Coach Lennon’s voice was a little more distant, so I hoped he’d turned around to block out the view of Theo’s naked backside. I was pretty certain that he couldn’t see me in front of Theo, but it wouldn’t be hard for him to move slightly to one side and see my legs.
“What news?” Theo asked. The way his eyes were peering down at me felt like I was stuck in a trap.
“The news of you and that girl! Your roommate!” His gaze sliced away at the last second, and I knew that his coach was referring to me, and by the bite in his tone, I felt a little slice to my skin from the disapproval.
“What about her?” I gave props to Theo. He was as nonchalant as they came.
“You’re dating? I saw the paper. Do you boys actually think I don’t look at it when my players are often the ones talked about?” Coach Lennon mumbled something. “What’s up with that? Is that why you’ve been rushing out of practice this week? In fact, I’m surprised to see you here so early. You usually show up at the last minute nowadays. And I know you haven’t been hitting your usual run in the morning before training.”
“Coach.”
I felt defeated standing there because I knew that, on more than one occasion, Theo had skipped out on his morning run because I was sleeping. In my foggy sleep-deprived state, I’d hear him turn his alarm off and roll back over, and that was definitely a noticeable change because, before, he’d purposefully wake me up by being loud and slamming our door.
“Theo. I’ve given you the space, and I know you are more determined than most, but I’ve noticed something has been off.” Theo’s brows crowded, but he still didn’t look at me.
“Nothing has been off, Coach. We’re still winning, aren’t we? Tom Gardini is still sending scouts to watch me, isn’t he? Just because I’ve missed a couple morning runs doesn’t mean I’m distracted.”
“I knew this would happen with her being your roommate!” Theo’s coach seemed to be spiraling, and I couldn’t help but feel awful, especially since I was standing there completely naked in front of him. “You’re going to get all wrapped up in a girl and then blow your chances.”
“Coach!” Theo’s voice vibrated around us. “She’s my fake girlfriend. Our relationship isn’t real, so you’re incorrect in assuming she’s a distraction.”
Theo was correct, and his argument was completely validated. It was true. I was his fake girlfriend, and our relationship wasn’t real. And I was fine with that until I realized that there was a heaviness inside my chest from his admittance.
“What? Fake girlfriend? Why would you need a fake girlfriend?”
Theo slowly brought his eyes to mine, and although they were soft around the edges, his words stung. “To fend off the puck bunnies. They kept coming to my room naked and showing up after the games. If Tom Gardini’s scouts showed up, I didn’t want him to think I was some washed-up, selfish jock who had a line of half-naked girls waiting for him after the games.” There was a quick, jutting shake of Theo’s head that caught my attention, but I was too stuck to make any sense of it because the reality was…Theo’s words hurt.
And they shouldn’t have.
