Page 53 of Out of Bounds
I lock eyes with her. “It’s perfect.”
The tip of her tongue darts out, tracing along her full lip, and my heart races into overdrive. I haven’t been this keyed up over a woman in a very long time—maybe ever. And the fact that the woman in question is Sloane? Yeah, that scares the hell out of me.
“You ready?” Sloane interrupts my internal mini freakout.
“As I’ll ever be.” I roll my shoulders up and back, mentally preparing for the cold.
“How long do you stay in? You want me to time you?”
“Sure—usually around seven or eight minutes.”
She pulls out her phone as I gingerly step into the pool, easing my body down into the icy water. The chill steals my breath as I sink deeper, trying to submerge the maximum amount of surface area. I lean back against the edge of the pool and focus on my breath, anything other than the pricking of the freezing water on my skin. Chunks of ice glob together and bob along the top of the pool, hitting against my bare arms and chest.
“How much time left?” I grit out the words.
She chuckles. “Seven minutes and thirty seconds, tough guy.”
I grimace. “Easy for you to say?—”
“Hey, it’s not all that great out here, either. I’m sweating.”
“I know how you could cool off.” I arch a brow, smirking.
She waves away my suggestion. “It’s okay, I’ll let you enjoy the cold plunge benefits solo.”
“Too bad. You could warm me up.” My teeth start chattering and I clamp my jaw harder, flexing and releasing my muscles. My breathing slows down as I give into the cold and relax a little.
“That’s kinda the opposite effect you’re going for, though. Think how rejuvenated you’re gonna be for practice this afternoon. It’ll be great—totally worth it!”
“Uh-huh.” I rest my head on the inflated pool edge and stare at her long, toned legs. Legs I’m itching to touch, smoothing my palms all the way up the insides of her thighs.
She checks the timer. “Three minutes left! Smile!”
I force a smile as she snaps a photo. “You should send that to your agent. He’ll be impressed with your commitment to training. He could use it in negotiations.”
“Mm-hmm. Good idea.”
It’s cute, how hard she’s working to help me feel better about my current status. She’s so optimistic, so upbeat. Her positivity almost makes me forget how dire the situation really is, that there is no back-up plan.
Something I’d rather not dwell on at the moment.
“Your dad doesn’t come home for lunch, does he?”
“No, not usually. Why?”
“Just wondering.”
“Only thirty seconds left…twenty…ten.”
I silently count down in my head and then the alarm buzzes, the sharp sound ricocheting off the wood fence.
“Time’s up! You did it!” She silences the phone, beaming at me as I sit up, concentric waves arcing out around my biceps. The rays of the sun beat down on my icy shoulders and back, the sharp contrast of sensations raising chill bumps on my skin. A shiver races down my spine, everything tingling as I stand and climb out of the pool.
“How was that? Did it help?” Tiny wrinkles furrow Sloane’s otherwise smooth brow and she’s precious as hell, the cutest amateur trainer on the damn planet.
“Pretty nice, actually.”
“I know it’s not fancy, like you’re used to?—”