Page 96 of Down & Dirty

Sky’s expression was still creased with worry. “Hey handsome.”

My mouth dropped open, all pain momentarily forgotten. “NowI get a nickname? It took me breaking in two to finally get one?”

She exhaled harshly, looking to the sky in exasperation. “How do you know I haven’t called you all sorts of things in my head?”

I reached up, stroking my thumb across her cheek. “I’m quite sure you have. And I bet they’d make a sailor blush.” She turned, kissing my palm, and my back suddenly wasn’t the only thing that ached. “But I like this one, so feel free to use it anytime.”

“I think I can do that,” she said, combing her fingers through my hair again.

When she licked her lips and looked down my body, I knew she was still worried. I wanted to put her mind at ease, but the truth was I was nervous myself. My back had been healing and getting stronger, but that hit had landed me wrong, and even though I didn’t think a trip to the ER was necessary, I was a little scared to get up.

“Ready to try and stand?”

I closed my eyes, taking an unsteady breath. “Sure.”

She rubbed my chest, bringing me back to her. “Let me help, okay?”

I outweighed Sky by almost a hundred pounds, but her simple request rushed through me like a wave of hopeful adrenaline, and I nodded.

Together we got me sitting upright and the daggers in my back started to fade as soon as I wasn’t flat on the ground. A minute laterI was standing, working to catch my breath again, as she draped my arm across her shoulders.

“You’re not seriously thinking about playing more?” she asked, looking up at me incredulously. No need to ask her if she thought that was a good idea or not.

“I think I can deal with Mack being pissed at me more than I can if you are. So, no. I’ll bow out and let them decide who wins this round.”

I didn’t like to lose, but I had other things on my mind. The most pressing of which was staring up at me with an appreciative grin and her hand slipping under the hem of my shirt.

“I’m okay,” I reassured her as she started to come around the car to help me back at the house. The pain had dulled considerably, thanks to the heated seats warming up the muscles. “I think a heating pad and you playing with my hair some more will do the trick. Fix me right up.”

I winked at her, but from the top of the porch steps, she glared down at me, unamused. “While I do think I have magic hands, you need more than that. You could hardly breathe back there.”

I’d hoped she hadn’t seen how bad it was. I trusted Sky, but any comment about my back around the team or coaches could start a ball rolling downhill I wasn’t going to be able to stop. I considered telling her that I needed to keep this under wraps, but pointing that out would only send up a flare, drawing her attention—and curiosity—to my busted body even faster.

I started up the stairs slower than normal just to be careful. “I promise, it was just a rough hit. I’m fine.”

“You look it,” she muttered with a smirk.

I handed her the house keys, and leaned against the rough log siding while she opened the door, thankful Mack would be taking Jake back to his place to watch the game once they were done at the field.

“Is this the first time you’ve hurt it?” she asked as we stepped into the warm house, the fire in need of a fresh log.

I considered my answer carefully, trying to find the best way to be honest without giving too much away. “No, but it’s already feeling better.”

She nodded, her expression earnest. “Okay, so what do you usually do?”

“Sky, it’s fine.”

“I saw the look on your face, it wasn’t fine,” she said, her eyes wide with concern.

I rubbed my hands down her arms, trying to ease her fear. “I promise you, it’s nothing. You don’t have to worry about me.”

“You promise?” she asked, bargaining in her tone.

“I promise,” I repeated, feeling a sharp jab of guilt. My busted back wasn’t nothing. But it was nothing she needed to worry about.

“How about I run you a bath, and then we put you on a heating pad.”

I sighed, considering that a win. “Sure. And the hair playing?” I asked, flattening the humor out of my expression as best I could.

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