Page 22 of Rowdy Hearts

“I guess that’s good to know.”

His voice had an amused edge that tweaked at my conscience.

“Look, I know I owe you more?—”

“You don’t owe me anything.”

Yes, I did. And I hated that. I hated owing anyone anything. I’d spent so much of my life being told I owed my family everything.

“I do. I owe you my thanks.”

“You’ve already thanked me.”

“Well, let me say it again. Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.”

I wished I felt better for saying it. And I wished I didn’t feel like I wanted to tell him more. Something about him made me want to keep talking.

He’s definitely going to be a hazard to my well-being.

Dropping my gaze to my plate, I continued to eat, breathing a sigh of relief when he let the subject drop. When he turned to the sink and started to wash the dishes, I thought I’d be able to catchmy breath. For some reason, though, I couldn’t. Probably because my gaze got stuck on him.

Jesus, when did backs become sexy.

Maybe because it’s his.

His t-shirt was tight enough that I could see the play of muscles beneath. The man had a body I wanted to touch. And that was something new and different for me. I hadn’t dated in a really long time, mainly because I hadn’t met anyone I remotely wanted to date. That didn’t mean I didn’t notice men. Especially nice-looking ones. In my world, those men were either married and out of bounds or they knew just how good looking they were and used it to their advantage.

I’d never met a man with a body like Rowdy’s. When I did date, those men usually wore expensive suits, kept their bodies in shape with cycling classes, and loved a good brunch.

I wasn’t sure Rowdy had ever been to brunch. Or a cycling class. And he probably didn’t own a suit. But, damn, the man could cook. The last bite of pancake was on its way to my stomach when he turned from the sink. Since I had nothing more to eat, I couldn’t ignore him. And honestly, I wasn’t sure I wanted to. He was hard to look away from, making my blood tingle and my stomach flutter.

The feelings made me short of breath, as well, and that was?—

“So, what do you want to do today? After we drop your car off at Donny’s.”

I wanted to forget that last night had happened. I wanted to forget I’d run away from my problems like a child. Wanted to forget that my mom had ambushed me and that my sister had once again nearly gotten her way without any thought for anyone else.

“I think I’d like to sit in a corner and breathe.”

The way he looked at me made me feel like he could see straight into my soul. It was weird and oddly comforting.

No, no. It was just weird.

“I can arrange that,” he said, “if you don’t mind sitting in the corner of a cold ice rink and watching a bunch of guys be idiots.”

Without trying to be, I was curious. And amused.

“Aren’t you being a little harsh on your teammates?”

“You wouldn’t think that if you knew them.”

“Do you count yourself among the idiots?”

I hadn’t meant to sound catty, and I immediately opened my mouth to apologize, but he started to laugh. The sound curled down into my core and made it clench.

What a god-awful time for my body to decide to be attracted to a man, which meant I really shouldn’t go with him.

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