Page 72 of Catch Me
No other words existed because he was still holding onto my biceps and his thumbs had begun to move back and forth. In my short-sleeved shirt, they were on my bare skin. It was fucking torture.
I grabbed onto his forearms and pushed them down to remove his hands from me. “I’m not angry,” I repeated. “I need to sleep, though. Gonna spend all of tomorrow working on the team pictures.”
“Yeah, I should probably get to bed too.”
He looked down at where I was still holding his arms. I released him and immediately headed down the hall, trying to ignore my racing heart. Pausing at the door, I looked at Travis, who was in front of his own.
“Goodnight.”
He smiled in the same lighthearted way he always did. “Night, Roman.”
After I closed the door behind me, I turned and leaned my forehead against it. There was no point denying that things in my head were getting out of hand.
Chapter 24
Travis
As I made a knot at my back, or tried to, I chuckled to myself. There was something about this part that gave me a childish sort of amusement.
I didn’t need to wear the apron, but the ladies here seemed to get a kick out of it, and it made me feel official. Most of the other guys refused, so it also made me stand out. I’d never claimed not to enjoy the occasional spotlight.
“Let me do that,” Barbara said, swatting my hands away.
“I’m doing just fine.”
“You’re makin’ a mess of it. Then, when you try to get it untied, you’ll come crying to me because your knot’s stuck.”
Hiding my smile, I let her take over. “It’s impossible to make a good one when I can’t see it.”
She snorted. “Women have been doing it for thousands of years. Try braiding your own hair.”
“Maybe it’ll get long enough. I’ll have to call you before every game and beg for your help.”
She finished the knot and came around to stand in front of me. There was a soft look in her eyes despite her scolding. I’d never met my grandma, but from the stories my grandpa used to tell me, I thought she would’ve been like this—stern but highly capable and full of love that she showed in her own way.
The team volunteered here once a year during the holidays, but I’d been doing it on my own since I moved here. I only talked to Barbara and the other volunteers when I came by, but there was a comfortable familiarity between us. If I ever saw them out in the wild, I’d invite them to have a coffee or lunch with me, then we’d go our separate ways until the next time we came here at the same time.
Barbara and her husband ran this place, but he’d been battling cancer for the past six months, and I could see that she was tired.
“Let me do that,” I said before she could pick up a pot of chili.
She tried to argue, but I ignored her. I knew that she was capable. It didn’t matter, though. She had an entire team here to help her today, so she was going to take a step back whether she liked it or not.
“Luis!” I called. “Tell the guys to get their asses in here. We have things to set up.”
Some of them grumbled, but most of them didn’t mind the work. It wasn’tmandatory, but management didn’t like if anyone didn’t show up. It looked good for us to be in the community, giving back to those who supported us. The suits were probably only concerned with the good press, but that was okay. We were still doing something good.
I settled the pot into its place and lifted the lid to get a whiff. Summer cleared her throat, shooting me a look.
“I’m not gonna eat it all,” I said. “Just making sure it’s not toxic.”
“And how would you know?”
“I have a good sniffer.”
She smiled and shook her head. “Mom always says to keep an eye on you so you don’t get into trouble.”
“Trouble? I’m an angel.”
