Page 25 of Hot for the Jerk

“Try not to commit murder, and hopefully we’ll see you in the next twenty-four hours or so.”

“Thanks,” I croaked.

Then we disconnected the call just as the bathroom door opened, and exactly like last night, the bearded snack that was also my adversary, stepped out of the steamed-up room with the towel slung even lower on his hips than before.And I only know this because last night I didn’t get to see those V-lines at his hipbones disappearing beneath the terrycloth.Today, they were most definitely out to play.

I swallowed and did a shit job of not following him with my eyes as he made his way across the room to the bed where his packs of boxers, socks, and the T-shirt he bought were in a heap.He tugged them all on, while still in his towel, which he only removed once he had on the boxer briefs—the motherfucking painted-on-him-they-were-so-tight boxer briefs—then he grabbed the dark-gray sweatpants from earlier and tugged those on too.

“You gonna have a shower too?”he asked, grabbing the towel to give his hair a quick scrub to dry it.

“I, uh …”

Reaching into his duffel bag, he pulled out a little tub of something, opened it, then stepped to the vanity mirror where he proceeded to apply what must have been beard balm to his luscious facial hair.

Our eyes locked, his in the mirror back at me, and he gave me a curious look.“Shower?”

“Right!”I yelled, cringing at my unnecessary volume.An involuntary shiver tore through me and I beelined it for the bathroom, slamming the door and plastering my back to it where I asked myself in a breathless whisper, “What the hell have I done?”

CHAPTER SEVEN

Jagger

WhileElsawasinthe shower, I headed downstairs to where a stack of books, board games, and puzzles sat on a bookshelf in the lobby.It wasn’t even noon yet.We had all day to get through and needed something to help pass the time, otherwise, we could end up killing each other.

“Hello, Jagger,” Lenora greeted from her spot behind the check-in desk.“Your laundry just went into the washing machine.It should be ready in a few hours.”

I smiled at the older woman who wore another floral blouse, this one in hues of pinks, purples, and yellows—as opposed to her blue and green one of yesterday.“Thank you so much, Lenora.We really appreciate it.”

“I take it you and Ms.Aaronson are getting along better now?”

I crouched down in front of the squat bookshelf with the neatly stacked puzzles and board games.“We’re making the best of a less-than-ideal situation.While I can’t say we’ll declare ourselves BFFs after this, I think there is an agreed upon truce for the time being.”

Her pale-blue eyes crinkled behind her cat eye glasses.“A truce is better than a war.”

“I will definitely agree with that.”Running my finger along the board games and puzzle boxes, I paused on a thousand-piece monster of a realistic jungle scene, complete with a black panther, a spotted jaguar, various monkeys, and way too many birds to count.I was sure as we got going on it, we’d find other animals and hidden wonders.“Is it okay if I take this?”I asked.

“Of course.That’s a guest favorite.Though, I don’t know of anyone that has actually finished it.All the pieces are there, I know that.”

Moving the box out from beneath the others, I put it on the floor at my feet, then grabbed a deck of cards, a cribbage board, a pad of paper, and a pencil.Lenora was prepared for everything.I loved it.We definitely needed to add some board games, books, and puzzles to our office for the cabins at the restaurant property.It was something I’d been harping on Bennett about for a while now and he just kept telling me it was pointless, because people were too busy going to the beach.But we still had guests coming to the cabins in this terrible weather.They would need something to pass the time.

Standing up to my full height, I winced a little at the expected twinge in my knee.I tore my ACL my sophomore year of college, which ultimately ended my football career.I’d been good too.But that injury ruined any chance of going pro.And while I healed well enough to not walk with a limp after my surgery, I wasn’t able to play on the college team again.So I got a psychology degree.

However, when I bent down, or sat on my knees too long, that angry twinge reminded me of a past I’d rather forget.A dark time in my life where I sucked it up “for the team,” filling my knee with cortisone shots, and popping Advil like it was PEZ to numb the pain and play on the injury until the tear got even worse—I swear to god they heard the last tear in the stands during a game one day.I had to be carried off the field on a stretcher, and not even the cortisone would work anymore.By that time, I’d injured it so severely, there was no going back.

“Thanks, Lenora.”My first step was as stiff as I knew it would be and I compensated more on my left leg as I headed to the stairs, climbing them carefully.I should do some stretches and some of my physio exercises, not that there was much floor space in the room for that.

Back in the bedroom, the shower still ran.The lights flickered a few times, and I noticed Raina’s phone plugged into the charger on the nightstand.Not a bad idea.I did the same, then grabbed my book, turned on the lamp on the nightstand, and read on the bed while trying very hard not to imagine what Raina might look like all naked and soaped up under the warm spray of the water.

I read the same paragraph of my book six times by the time the water finally shut off.But she didn’t come out right away, and for some reason, hearing her rattling around in there made me hard.

What the fuck?

Eventually, the door opened, and out stepped a bundled up, rosy faced, glaring, little thundercloud.She had a towel around her body, and one twisted up around her hair.Her eyes searched the room.When they landed on her stuff, she shot me a quick, surly look, like something was my fault.Then she snatched her bag in a huff and disappeared back into the bathroom.

What.The.Fuck?

Ignoring the mood swing princess, I went back to my book, but the boner in my sweatpants made ignoring her in there basically impossible.When the door opened again, I was no longer reading.My eyes were closed, and my head was against the headboard as I pictured men in tight football pants to try to get the boner to go down.

“Are you asleep?”she asked.

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