Page 25 of Off Season

Jacob

Curling my toes into the soft grass, I tip my head back and close my eyes behind my sunglasses.

It’s so peaceful here. There’s no traffic noise or people talking. I’ve been able to lose myself in a book or watch as a little robin runs around looking for food in the grass. The sense of tranquility makes me want to lay back and fall asleep right here to the sound of birds singing.

But I need to fight it, because even with my two-hour nap yesterday, jet lag is kicking my ass.

Last night, I swallowed my mortification over being caught staring at Ethan and how much I enjoyed him growling at me. We talked about other stuff while he cooked dinner for us, but he didn’t bring it up, so neither did I—not even when I fell asleep on the couch, only to wake up to find I was using Ethan’s broad shoulder as a pillow.

So, here I am, trying my best not to sleep during the day to get into some kind of routine.

I don’t know when I’ll get to experience England again, if ever, so I need to make the most of my time here.

I keep thinking about how much Grandma would have loved this backyard. She would be in her element. Looking at every single flower, stroking the petals between her fingers, and reciting facts about every bird she spotted in the sky.

You let her flowers die.

My chest tightens. It’s true. Over the years since she passed, all her flowers have wilted. I didn’t know how to care for them—I didn’t have time to learn how or to even think about them.

Now every time I go outside, I feel this immense guilt that I’ve let her down. That she’s watching me from wherever she is, cursing me for allowing her garden to die.

It’s my plan to learn to garden and replant them in her memory.

My phone vibrates on the blanket beside me. I take a few slow, gentle breaths to try to ease the ache in my chest. Shielding the screen with my hand, I see Alex’s name flashing, and I quickly swipe my finger across to answer his FaceTime call.

“Hey!” He says, cheerfully. I see he’s in the bakery kitchen, his phone propped up on the counter in front of him while he decorates some donuts. “Are you outside?”

“Hey! Yeah, I am. We’re having a lazy day today before going into London tomorrow, so I thought I’d come outside and read for a little while. It’s so beautiful! Look at the back yard!” I turn the camera around, showing the colorful flowers,expansive lawn, and clear blue sky before turning it back to me. “Ethan’s working out in the gym.”

After yesterday, I needed to make sure I was out of the house so I wouldn't be tempted to go and sneak a peek at him again.

Not that anyone could blame me for it.

I don’t understand how one person can be so damn hot. Seriously. His rippling muscles, sweat-soaked skin, and the way his hands gripped that metal bar?

Holy shit.

I didn’t know I had such a thing for big hands, but all I could think about was how desperately I wanted to know what his would look like wrapped around my throat as he drove inside me.

Whoa!Where the hell did that come from?

“Jake?” Alex prompts, pulling me out of my wayward thoughts.

“Sorry, what was that?”

“Where did you go just now?” He smirks, waving his finger in a circle in front of his face. “You got a dreamy look on your face.”

I’m glad it’s warm because my sun-kissed skin hides my blush. “I may have been caught watching Ethan work out last night, and I haven’t been able to think about anything else since.”

Alex barks a laugh, the noise bouncing off the kitchen walls. He leans closer to the phone, his blue eyes swimming in glee as he lowers his voice. “Tell me everything. I can only imagine he’s incredible to watch. I like watching Blaine when he works out, but there’s something about Ethan that’s so…” He snaps his fingers. “What’s the word?”

“Potent? Sexy? Commanding?”

Alex nods. “Yeah, all of that! What did he do when he caught you?”

I shiver at the memory of the carnal look in his eyes and how his shorts tightened over his groin. There was no hiding my erection either. My lacy jockstrap did nothing to disguise the swelling, and the material of my pajama shorts was so thin that I might as well have been wearing nothing.

Did I put them on in hopes he might notice them? Maybe.

---