Page 112 of Scoring the Player
I didn’t think anything could top the sexiness of The Silenceruntil now. Lines of concentration, delicate touch carving grooves into the bird to create feathers.
Baker Salem. Nah, that doesn’t sound right.
Baker Bae is hands down the hottest guy I’ve ever seen.
A few days later,I muster the courage again and shoot him a text.
Me
Next Tuesday? You have a break.
I paste the link to the rental cabin and then hit send.
Stowing my phone on my shelf, I’m halfway to the weight room when I turn back for my gloves and see my phone lit up.
Salem
Hell yes
CHAPTER 28
SALEM
“Hey, if you’re not gonna pick up, you could at least text me back so I know you’re alive. Come on, Denzel—Shit.” I turn sharply, almost missing the dirt road I’ve been looking for.
The windows of my car are ingested into a dense stretch of towering trees as I end the call. A few minutes later, GPS tells me I’ve arrived.
The“secluded mid-century cabin with private riverfront”listingdescriptionwasn’t an exaggeration. Looks like nothing but forest and river for—I scan the listing—eight-and-a-half acres.
Pocketing my phone, I slip out of the rental and blow on my hands as I peer up at the two-story, A-frame cabin with a slightly menacing façade and large, inviting glass doors and rectangular windows.
Unlit string lights hang across the expansive deck.
If Blue were a cabin…
I unload the bags and follow the lockbox instructions to retrieve the key.
Placing my bags down inside the door, I peel off my shoes and search for the thermostat. A suspended, bright-red fireplacewith a cone-shaped head and a tulip-style bottom steals my attention. Moving closer, I tilt my head for a full view of the interior. A wooden block hangs from a metal chain on the exterior with an inscription that reads:Original 1970s fireplace. A little wood goes a long way. Enjoy!
Stepping back, I snap a picture of it, then grab wood and kindling from the log rack to get a fire going.
I turn and sweep my gaze over the space. Bracketed between two camel-colored leather couches, I stare up at the bohemian wall hangings. I spot a projector up there, and I turn to see a retracted screen hanging from the ceiling directly across from it.
I pad over to the wall of windows to take in the dense forest and grin. Of course someone wild like Blue would choose a place like this to disappear.
I continue checking the place out, pausing to peel a vinyl out of its sleeve, dust off the record, slide it on the player, and lower the needle.
A distorted rustle leads to a crisp flow of piano emanating from the speakers.
Fighting the pull toward the kitchen, I’m headed upstairs to the open second level when my phone vibrates.
“Hey, Ma.”
“Sorry I missed your call. Did you make it in alright?”
“Yes. Just now.”
“Is Arnaz there?”
