Page 6 of Overtime with Orion
From the way Larkin’s cheeks flushed, she wanted it to be one too.
“I should get this back to Cassie,” I said, picking up the box I’d completely forgotten about.
“Right. And I should…” She gestured vaguely at the library booth.
“Seven o’clock? I can pick you up, or if you’d rather drive yourself…”
“I’ll drive myself,” she said quickly, then looked almost embarrassed by how fast she’d answered. “I mean, I like having my own car. Just in case.”
“Just in case I turn out to be a terrible teacher?”
“Just in case you turn out to be better at it than I expect.”
The way she said it, with that hint of breathiness in her voice, made it clear we weren’t just talking about football anymore.
“Seven o’clock at the lake, then.”
“Seven o’clock.”
I started to walk away, then turned back. “Larkin?”
“Yeah?”
“Bring comfortable shoes. And maybe a jacket. It gets cool by the water after sunset.”
Her smile could have powered the entire festival. “I can’t wait.”
As I walked back toward Cassie’s booth, box in hand, I realized something had shifted inside me. For the first time since my injury, since my career ended, since my entire world got turned upside down, I was looking forward to something.
And it was all because of a curvy brunette librarian who organized books and didn’t know the first thing about football.
Maybe not knowing what came next wasn’t so scary after all.
3
LARKIN
Iarrived at Osprey Lake with my heart hammering against my ribs. The drive out had given me too much time to think and second-guess myself, wondering what exactly I was doing meeting a man I’d known for less than twelve hours at a secluded lake in the dark.
But when I saw his truck already parked in the gravel lot, relief washed over me. He’d come. He’d actually come.
The lake lay still under the moon, the maples dark against the shoreline. It was quiet and peaceful, the rest of the world fading away. Moonlight lit the way, and all that could be heard was the soft lap of the water and a distant bird call.
I grabbed the football I’d borrowed from the library’s lost-and-found box and climbed out of my SUV. Orion was walking toward me, and the sight of him made my mouth go dry. Jeans that fit him perfectly, a dark shirt that showed off those incredible shoulders, and a smile that made my knees weak.
“Wow,” I said, trying to sound normal while my pulse raced. “This is beautiful. And so quiet.”
“Most people don’t know about it.” He took the football from me, and when our fingers brushed, heat shot up my arm. “Ready for your first lesson?”
“Absolutely.” I grinned up at him, probably too enthusiastically. “Where do we start?”
“Grip.” He held up the ball, his hands sure and confident. “Fingers on the laces, thumb underneath. Like this.”
I nodded seriously, trying to memorize every detail. When he passed me the ball, I fumbled it completely, and suddenly he was right behind me, his chest brushing my back as he guided my hands into position.
“Like this?” I managed to ask, hyperaware of his warmth surrounding me.
“Perfect.” His voice was rougher than before, and I felt something flutter low in my stomach. He smelled incredible—something woodsy and warm and completely masculine. “Now when you throw, step into it—left foot first.”
