Page 19 of Bad Teammate
But the kiss never arrived.
I cracked my eyes open just in time to see Derek’s shoulders droop as he shied away from the moment.
“Well—ah—” he said, clearing his throat, “you and Niko don’t look alike, that’s all.”
That’s all?
That’s where all our flirting led?
At first, I was disappointed.
But then I realized how close we’d come to disaster. I was only teasingSasha about his roommate—thelastthing I wanted to do was actually fool around with Derek.
Anyway, it was getting late—and I was clearlynotin the right state of mind.
I yawned, my limbs trembling as I fully stretched out on the big leather couch.
Derek hungrily eyed the bare sliver of midriff that showed below my camisole. He stood, as if he needed to extricate himself from the situation immediately, before he did something we’d both regret.
“Well, it’s getting late,” he said. “You’re staying with us, right?”
“Oh, no. I don’t want to be a burden. I wanted to ask you which hotel I should stay at, actually?”
“Hotel?” Derek looked at me like I was crazy. “No way. You’re family. Please, stay with us.”
“But then you’ll be living with two Russians,” I teased, quoting his rambling from earlier.
“Yeah, but at least one of ’em talks English.” He smiled. “I’ll sleep on the couch. You can have my bed.”
“What?” My eyes widened. “No, that’s crazy. You’re a pro athlete; you need your rest more than I do. I’ll sleep on the couch.”
“Nope, sorry. I won’t let you.” He slapped a couch cushion, fluffing it up. “Besides, I love this couch.”
I grumbled unhappily. I hated this. I’d surprised my brother with a visit, and now it was Derek who lost his bed.
“Come with me,” he said, scooping up my suitcase with one hand as if it were weightless. “I’ll show you to your room.”
He motioned for me to join him, but I didn’t dare move.
Derek didn’t care for my silent protest, though. He grabbed my hand and pulled me off the couch.
“Come,” he insisted. “It’s at the opposite end of the condo.”
The opposite end of the condo?
Why did that matter?
Unless …
My heart thumped in my chest as Derek led me by the hand to his bedroom.
7
Derek
She’s Niko’s sister. She’s Niko’s sister,I repeated in my head, as if it were a divine mantra that could ward off impure thoughts.
God, it was totally inappropriate for me to even grab Katerina by the hand—but she hadn’t left me any choice.
