Page 35 of Off Pitch

“It’s not bad to be that way, you know.”

“Yeah. It does show that I’m completely opposite of you, though, even if we already knew that.”

“Well, they do say opposites attract,” I say, giving him a soft smile.

Knox scoots closer to me on the couch. “You saying you’re attracted to me?”

“Oh, I just mean for our fake relationship,” I say with a faux smile. “I would never insinuate that I’m actually attracted to you. I’m not even sure how I could be.”

“And yet,” he says, leaning in closer and nearly brushing his lips against my cheek. “You are.”

Yes, I am,I think to myself. I’ve always been attracted to Knox, but it was in a physical way. Now that I’m getting to know him, I’m unsure where that’s leaving me. I really enjoy being around him. And as surprising as it is, he’s easy to talk to. We’re very different, but it’s undeniable that we have some sort of chemistry between us, even if it is just platonic.

“It’s getting late,” I say, eager to change the subject. “I should probably head to the subway station so I can get home.”

Knox grabs his phone to look at it. “Lo, it’s almost midnight. You know I can’t let you take the damn subway right now.”

“What do you suggest I do then?”

He smiles. “Stay here tonight. I have a guest bedroom with clothing in the closet you can use to wear to sleep. I’ll drive you to your apartment in the morning.”

I like the idea of seeing how Knox looks first thing in the morning, so my answer is easy. “Okay,” I say.

The sun peeks in through the curtains of Knox’s guest bedroom. Last night was the best night’s sleep I’ve had in months. The plush mattress and soft sheets were impossible not to sink into. And the Huntington Devils—the Stars triple-A team—T-shirt of his I wore to sleep in is worn out enough to be almost threadbare in spots but the perfect softness in others.

With my messy hair pulled into a bun, I tiptoe into the kitchen in case Knox is still sleeping. But he isn’t. No, when I get to the kitchen, I find an unexpected butverywelcome sight—Knox shirtless while fixing a cup of coffee.

He’s turned away from me so he can’t watch me as I check out every muscle and ridge on his back leading down to the athletic shorts hanging low on his hips. Beneath that is the ass I’ve been staring at for three years now. Goddamn, he looks even better than I imagined.

“I know you’re there, Lo,” Knox says, back still turned as he breaks me out of my trance. “You checking me out?”

“What? No!” I stammer as he turns to face me, chuckling and bringing his coffee cup to his lips. And now that he’s turned toward me, I can see all of the definition in his chest and abs that he’s earned from years of lifting weights and pitching on the baseball field.

“You’re still staring, you know.”

I quickly avert my eyes, trying to play it off and failing miserably. “I-I just wasn’t expecting to find you shirtless, that’s all,” I mumble as I slide past him, reaching for a mug to grab a cup of coffee for myself. “You think too highly of yourself, Slick.”

I fix my coffee while Knox remains eerily silent. Afraid that I may have offended him, I turn to apologize only to find him slack-jawed. “You okay, Knox?” I ask, slightly concerned.

“Oh, um… yeah. All good.” He runs a hand through that luscious, deep brown hair. “I just didn’t think I’d be seeing you in my old shirt, that’s all.”

Ah. Looks like I can fluster him as much as he flusters me.

sixteen

Knox

My shirt. Harlow’s wearingmy fucking shirt. It hits her almost at her knees and doesn’t give anything about her body away… except that she’s not wearing a bra.In my shirt. Her nipples are peaked in my goddamn shirt.

God help me. The more I get to know Harlow, the harder it is to resist her. Her freckles are on display, and her hair is still messed up from sleep. The sleek legs under the fabric of the tee are tempting me to run a hand up her thigh and find out if she wants me like I want her because seeing her in my shirt was enough to make all the blood rush straight to my dick. I had to tuck it into the fucking waistband of my boxers while her back was still turned to me.

But as tempting as this beauty in front of me is, I have to remember that this is all fake. I can’t blur lines by telling her what I’m thinking right now. Especially when doing something about it would be a terrible fucking idea.

“So, uh… I don’t have practice today,” I say, trying to turn this into a normal conversation.

“Yes, that’s usually what an off day means.” She fucking smirks as she sips her coffee. I had fun when she was flustered over me being shirtless. Now, she seems to be having fun with me being flustered over her wearing my shirt.

I sigh. “It would be a good day to get out around the city. You know, to really sell this whole relationship thing.”

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