Page 82 of The Keeper and I
She giggled, and he thanked the heavens for the sound. It meant things could go back to normal after the ordeal with Dane. They would find joy together. And maybe if he distracted her enough, she could get some rest.
“Can I come with you to training tomorrow?” she asked, looking sheepish.
“Of course,” he said, and he kissed the top of her head.
So much for going back to normal. But if she needed to be close for a few days, he could give her that. He hoped the police found Dane quickly, so the only things left to sort out were her trip to America and how they would make it work.Ifshe still wanted to make it work by then.
At that thought, Jordan picked up the book he’d abandoned on his nightstand. Laci asked him to read it aloud, and he obliged. He read until the first light of dawn peered through the curtains.
Chapter 21
“Whatareyoudoing?”
Laci peeked out from between her fingers to meet Jordan’s eyes.
“I’ve never been inside a locker room before. If films and telly have taught me anything it’s that there’s rogue man bits behind that door, and I’m not eager to see them.”
“You don’t have to cover your eyes while you’re walking,” he said through a chuckle. “You don’t even have to go inside if you don’t want to.”
She stole a nervous glance at the door. A shirtless Israel walked by, and she averted her gaze. “Yeah, I’d rather not.”
She knew she was being ridiculous. She’d seen countless male models in far less than that, but standing next to Jordan, her cheeks warmed at seeing another man without a top on. Jordan, thankfully, only appeared amused, a smirk tugging at the corner of his mouth.
“Are you embarrassed?”
“I’m sorry, would you rather I looked at your half-dressed teammates? Maybe see if I chose the right one?”
His jaw tightened.
“That’s what I thought,” she said, folding her arms over her chest.
“I’ll let Coach know you’re here,” he said.
He pecked her on the lips and opened the door. The chatter behind it floated out into the corridor before dying down again as it fell closed. Guilt tugged at her gut when she heard Luka asking Jordan why he looked so tired.
She turned, letting her back hit the wall as she squeezed her eyes shut. She wished with all her might that they would hear the news of Dane’s arrest as soon as possible. She briefly imagined getting a call from the police today and the relief it would bring. Maybe then she and Jordan could move forward normally. It wasn’t likely given Dane’s track record, but a girl could dream.
“Are you alright?”
Laci opened her eyes at the sound of a feminine voice with an eastern European accent. A tall, stunning blonde stood in front of her with a cheerful baby on her hip, but her gray eyes were clouded with concern. Laci remembered that she was Artem’s wife, Larysa.
“Yeah, I’m good,” Laci said, righting herself. “Just…came to see Jordan at training today.”
“Oh, good, we will have company then,” Larysa said, giving her son a little bounce that made him grin, wide and adorable with his three teeth. “This is Yuri.”
“Lovely to meet you, Yuri.” Laci took his hand and shook it playfully.
Larysa smiled, but it faded. “Are you sure you’re alright?”
“Yeah, it’s been a long night, that’s all,” Laci said with a sigh. “Someone broke into my house last night.”
“Oh my God, really?” Larysa’s eyes went wide. “Are you okay?”
“Yeah, nothing happened beyond getting scared. Jordan was there, thank goodness.”
“I am sure whoever did that was sorry when they saw him.”
Laci tried to smile, but it didn’t reach her eyes. She still couldn’t rid her mind of the image of Dane standing over her bed, knife brandished before he dropped it. The sound of it landing kept echoing in her ears regardless of how hard she tried to hold Jordan’s voice as he read to her instead. She was worried about the coming evening as well and whether or not she would be able to sleep without dreaming of it. Larysa looked at her and swallowed.