Page 12 of Big Balls
I whip my head around. And there’s Big Balls, leaning up against the doorway, watching me and his daughter clean up with a tight set to his mouth and a pinched look about his eyes.
Then his attention shifts back to Katy, and he grabs her up and swings her around. I wish he was even a little tiny bit as nice to me as he is to her, but I’ve obviously done something to irritate him, even though I can’t for the life of me figure out what.
“Daddy, let’s play together.”
He rubs his face against her tummy, making her erupt into giggles. “Okay, Katydid. Are we playing Barbies?”
I pause and wait for my heart to restart. The fastest hands in the League plays Barbies with his little girl? I don’t think he could get any dreamier, and then he somehow levels up.
She shakes her head. “If we’ve got you here and Zoe, then we’re going to play wedding.”
I nod. “You got it, sugar. Am I the minister?”
She frowns at me. “No way. You and Daddy do the marrying. I’ll be in charge.”
“Oh,” I gasp out, my hand flying up to my suddenly overheated face. “No, that’s okay. It’s probably time for me to go.”
Her frown deepens, and she actually stomps her foot. “You promised.”
Well, crap. I did just say yes to playing wedding, didn’t I?
I glance over at Big Balls, but he’s giving me an extra scary glower now that I’ve gotten Katy all worked up. Guess I won’t be getting out of this after all.
I take a deep breath. “Okay Super Spy Katy. Yep. Let’s do this.”
Ethan Alexander slides into the room like he owns every inch of space between himself and me. One side of his mouth quirks up, and he shifts his attention back to his daughter. “What do we do first, Katy?”
She folds her arms and pushes out her lips into a little thinking pout. Then she nods. “First you hold hands.”
Well crap. I hurriedly wipe my sweaty palms on the back of my skirt, and hold my hands out for the man across from me.
His eyes rove over my face, and then he takes both of my hands into his.
I feel absolutely tiny wrapped up in his huge, heavily calloused hands. Coupled with my extensive knowledge about his athletic skills, the very act of touching his statistically amazing hands has my pulse racing.
It doesn’t have anything to do with Ethan Alexander being unbearably attractive. He’s so rude that he’s practically half feral. A woman would have to be crazy to be looking at him with sex on the brain once she’s spent more than sixty seconds with a man like that.
Yep. Crazy and really, really into hand holding. That’s me.
I take another breath, forcing oxygen into my lungs and hopefully my brain as well. “Okay. I think it’s your turn to say some magic words, Katy. Since you’re in charge of the wedding.”
She nods and stares off and up to the left. I can practically see the little cogs spinning inside her skull. She’s coming up with some sort of epic wedding speech, and it’s going to be either hysterical or quite touching. Possibly both.
“Quit squirming,” Big Balls grumbles at me.
“I’m not squirming,” I murmur, pitching my voice low, so as to not distract our little director. “You’re holding my hands too tightly.”
He’s not, though. He’s actually being extremely gentle, despite all his prickly overtures toward me. I can only assume he’s like this with everyone, because it really doesn’t seem to be personal, even if it hits me right in the feelings whenever he snaps or acts surly.
Aren’t athletes supposed to be gracious to their fans? Especially the fans who go on little girl rescue missions for them? Obviously, yes. So why is he always grumpy with me?
He huffs out a breath, then loosens his grip, until there’s nothing left but the heat of his palms against my skin.
And I can’t seem to shut off that little internal voice that’s screaming about how gently he’s touching me. Freaking Big Balls Alexander is touching me with his magic hands. I shift restlessly again.
“Quit it,” he growls.
I sigh, and finally Katy turns to us, ready to take charge of our pretend wedding.
