Page 75 of Play Along

“I’m a doctor, Rhodes. Aced anatomy, in fact. I know where your eyes are located. I just don’t care right now.”

I keep my attention on the lines in his stomach, the way they coil and move with his laughter. I want to touch them. My fingers are itching to make contact, to test the warmth of his skin, to splay out against the tan and toned planes of his stomach.

But I don’t do anything because I’m a coward.

Isaiah reaches out for me, his hands gently gripping my wrists. Looking up, I visually check in with him to find him carefully watching me.

He brings my hands to his body, pressing my palms to his stomach, and as soon as we make contact, he sucks in a sharp inhale.

“Sorry, cold hands.” I attempt to pull away, but he keeps me connected to him.

“Perfect hands.”

Oh.

His skin is warm, his stomach is taut. He’s big, towering over me, and my hands seem comically small in comparison to his body. These are things I don’t notice at work because why would I? I’ve never noticed the way his breath hitches when I spread my fingers over him or how pleasingly his tan skin contrasts against my fair complexion.

I slowly run my palms over his abs, curving over his obliques.

His breaths grow ragged as he steps into me.

Slipping my hands around to his back, Isaiah wraps his arms over my shoulders in a hug.

“That feels good,” he says quietly, his cheek curved into mine.

“Yeah?” I slowly move my palms up and down the length of his spine, rubbing his back.

“Mm-hmm. You don’t have to wait for me, Kenny. You can touch me whenever you want, okay? Don’t overthink it.”

I nod against him.

His hold on me doesn’t loosen to let go. Instead, he closes me tighter in a hug.

I don’t remember the last time someone hugged me. Maybe last season when Miller threw her arms around me in the training room. That was nice. Unexpected, but nice.

This is different from that hug. That felt like I was someone’s friend. This feels like I’m someone’s everything.

Keeping his arms folded over my shoulders, he moves his lips by my ear. “I’m glad you’re coming out with us tonight.”

“You might change your mind about that when you realize having your wife around is probably going to be a total cockblock for you.”

He doesn’t laugh at my joke. “That’s perfectly fine by me. I’d rather be hanging out with you all night, anyway.” Isaiah presses his lips to the top of my head. “But now I need to go take a very long and very cold shower after having your hands all over me, so thanks for that.”

With that, he releases me from his hug and heads into the bathroom.

I don’t know how true that statement really is that he’d rather be hanging out with me, but I like the possibility that it could be. Because, admittedly and shockingly, Isaiah Rhodes is far from my least favorite person to be around.

I wait until I hear the water running before I take the navy-blue sock from the pile of clothes on the bed and search for its partner in Isaiah’s suitcase, folding them together. Then I grab the rogue black one and place it on the bed for him to wear tonight.

Chapter 15

Isaiah

The blues club in the Delmar Loop hosts a contemporary R&B night once a week. It just so happens to fall on Cody’s birthday, and of course the birthday boy knew all about it when planning his own night.

Travis and I attempted to take over coordinating, but Cody insisted, not trusting either of us with the job. I don’t blame him. He is our team planner after all, always having something fun for the boys to do on our days off.

The dark and moody club is packed, but thankfully there’s a roped-off corner for us to have our own space.

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