Off the Field: Bad Boy Sports Romance by Heidi Hunter, Bad Boy Team Page B

was Cass.
     

 
     
     
    Cass
     
     
     
    Gunner stopped rowing about ten feet away, but the boat had enough momentum to keep going and slam into the side of the dock with a thud.
    “Hey, you.” I said.
    “Hey. What’s up? Didn’t you go to that party?”
    “Missy is staying with her new friend tonight.”
    “Wow. They just met.” He didn’t make a move to get out of the boat.
    “Right?” I paused. “What are you doing? Smoking again?”
    “I was, but some kid started drowning and I had to save him.”
    “Oh,” I chuckled nervously. “You say that so casually.”
    “I just reacted. I’m not a hero.”
    “I didn’t say you were, but…” I smiled. “If you take me out on the lake and smoke me out you’ll be my hero. I don’t think I can make it through Uno night with mom and dad.
    He cracked a slight smile. “Get in.”
    I climbed into the boat. Instantly, I was transported back four years to the last time we’d been in the boat together.
    “The sunset is amazing,” I said.
    “I agree. I love it out here.”
    When we got to the middle of the lake, he stopped rowing. The boat rocked and swayed from side to side gently. He pulled a crumpled joint out of his cigarette pack. I almost laughed when I saw it.
    “Mind if we lay down on the bottom of the boat?” he asked.
    “No, that’s great. We don’t want the night-vision ninjas to see what we’re doing,” I teased.
    “Okay, that’s enough. I’m not that fucking crazy.”
    I smiled as we laid side by side on the bottom of the boat. It was a tight fight. His bare legs brushed against mine, making me excited as he lit the joint. After taking a hit himself, he passed it to me. I inhaled deeply. Smoking so much pot was out of character for me, but I wanted to be in the same place as my stepbrother. I needed to explain to him what had happened earlier at the library.
    While babysitting Missy at the party for a few hours, I realized that it was just the heat. If it wasn’t for us being so dehydrated, we would have never been holding hands and about to kiss. The ridiculousness of my argument fell apart as we got stoned in silence. Above us, the stars burst into life against a deep black backdrop. So far away from the city, the sky was amazing.
    “You remember last time we did this?” I asked.
    He handed the joint to me. “Yeah. I do.”
    Another hit turned the joint into a roach. “You want to save this?”
    “Yeah, I do,” he said again then actually laughed.
    I turned to him with a surprised look on my face. He didn’t break eye contact. The boat continued to sway gently, riding the water, protecting us from its depths. As I looked into his eyes, I saw something even more mysterious than the universe up in the sky. A sigh escaped my lips as his hand moved to my waist before slipping to my hips. He pulled me even closer.
    Our faces were mere inches apart. My pot soaked brain got lost in the moment. Time stretched out into infinity as the silly laughter faded away. We continued to stare at each other. My breathing slowed and synched with his. I concentrated on each and every time our chests rose and fell. Without saying a single word we were both saying a lot.
    He craned his head forward slightly first, but I followed. When our lips met in the middle, I melted. My body felt weak as he squeezed my ass cheek and kissed me softly. His tongue slid against my lips then pushed its way into my mouth. The rest of the universe didn’t matter anymore. The kiss was a cosmic event, and I had a front row seat.
    Instead of fizzling out, the kiss became more intense. I pushed him on his back and crawled over him, straddling his body. We continued kissing as the moon slowly rose in the sky above us. I undid the button on his pants. He pushed my hand away. I looked into his eyes, tilting my head to the side slightly. Doesn’t he want me?
    “Let’s go slow,” he whispered, his voice a song.
    I bent down, my breasts pressed against his chest, and kissed