Page 132 of Skate the Line

I shake my damp hair out and cross my arms. My back is to the mirror because if I look at myself, it’ll be harder to hide from what I’m really thinking about.

Like Rhodes’s husky voice in my ear or the way my toes curled less than twenty-four hours ago with the way he took my body in the palm of his hands and made it sing.

“Stop it,” I whisper-shout to myself in my empty room.

It’s after ten.

Ellie is asleep.

The house is quiet.

Rhodes is probably sleeping too, because he leaves early tomorrow for an away game.

I wonder if I imagined the look in his eye earlier when he tackled me to the ground during our snowball fight.

The light and airy moment suddenly turned hot and tense. Or did I just thinkthat?

He touches you one time, and look at you!

I spin and glare at myself in the mirror.

The hair framing my face doesn’t hide the flush against my cheeks. I look to my chest and spy two pointy buds that give my thoughts away.

And here comes the pacing.

Back and forth, back and forth, back and forth.

Maybe I should try to go out again, on an evening when Rhodes is home with Ellie.

Find another guy like Simon. Only, this time, I won’t melt into a panicky mess. If I pushed the limits with Rhodes, I can do it with someone else.

Right?

What if I don’t want to?

I flush harder.

An exasperated sigh slips from my mouth, and I flop onto my bed.

What a ridiculous thought.

My phone buzzes, and I expect it to be another text from Ruby since she is one of the only people who have my new number.

I sit up quickly.

It’s Rhodes.

Rhodes: You up?

Heart palpitations. I’m literally having heart palpitations over a text.

Me: Yes.

Is this a booty text?

Oh my god.Of course it isn’t!

Rhodes: Thank you for earlier.

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