Probably both.
With a sigh, I plucked the clean L.A. Stars jersey from the dryer, shed the robe, and put it on. I’d have to sleep in this, although at least now I’d be wearing underwear underneath. I slipped my arms back into the soft and cozy robe and brought the edges over my chest. I wondered if Cameron wore this around the house. Maybe right out of bed. Or maybe while he lounged around the place. What did he wear underneath? His sleeping clothes? Or was he one of those men who slept in his underwear? An image of him in nothing but boxers assaulted me, bringing heat to my skin. I thought back to the other morning. His bare chest. The indent of his hips. The ink on his thigh. I wished I could have gotten a closer look. I…
A knock on the door of the laundry room startled me right out of those dangerous, dangerous thoughts. When I turned, it was none other than the man I had just been picturing almost naked in my head.
Cameron stood tall under the doorframe, in workout clothes and with his hair a little wet. I wondered if it was raining or if practice had been that intense.
“Hi,” I croaked.
“Hi,” he said back.
We stared at each other, and there was something passing between us. I could tell. The last time we’d talked I’d said some things that should have probably remained thoughts. He was looking at me like that again. And it made my chest hurt with… something that felt a lot like longing.
“Darling?”
I cleared my throat. “How was practice?”
The corners of his lips twitched at my question. “The girls made you a get well soon card.”
A spot in my chest warmed. “That’s so nice of them,” I admitted. Genuinely. But then… “I hope María didn’t bully them into signing it.”
“Believe me, they were all quite concerned. You did a number on all of us on Saturday. Even Diane asked if you were okay.” Cameron took a small step forward. “I left the card on your bedside table.” My bedside table. “You got everything washed?”
“Yes,” I answered with a nod. “I… I hate to ask but did you happen to get me pajamas with everything else? Mine are nowhere to be found.”
His expression turned rock solid. “No.”
“Oh, okay. That’s fine.” I scratched the side of my head, feeling a little shifty under his gaze. “I sound like a jerk, don’t I? Here you are doing all these things for me and I’m demanding more and more. I’m so sorry. I’ll sleep in something else.”
“You can borrow a shirt.”
I opened the robe at the chest. “I already have this on.”
The green in Cameron’s eyes changed. “That’s…” He trailed off with a strange breath. He frowned. “That’s perfect. You’re heading to bed?”
“Not yet?” I fumbled with the edges of the robe. “I’m actually a little hungry. And not sleepy at all after napping most of the day away.”
Cameron stalked in my direction, and in two determined strides he was in front of me. The scent of him hit me right in the chest. Clean, woodsy, a hint of sweat. My stomach dropped with awareness. My heart sped up. “I’m damp and sweaty,” he said, his words falling on my temple. “But I’d really like to carry you to the couch. Can I?”
I stared up at him, caught off guard by his question. The urge to lift my hand and reach for those dark locks of wet hair overwhelmed me.
“I know you hate it,” he explained. “But if the sweat bothers you—”
“Please,” I whispered. Just that. Because he couldn’t have been any more wrong.
In a heartbeat, his arms were moving around me and he was picking me up. My cheek fell onto his chest. Cameron smelled like rain. Hard work. I closed my eyes. “I could get used to this.”
I felt more than heard the sound that made his rib cage vibrate, and in what felt like not enough time, we were in the living room and he was depositing me onto the couch. His arms remained around my body for a moment longer than necessary, making me open my eyes.
I forced myself to speak, to drive my attention away from the face that was hovering too close. “Josie left mashed potatoes and a chicken casserole in the fridge,” I said, my voice coming out all wrong. “I’ll—”
His hand fell on my thigh, warm and heavy and solid. I looked down, wishing the thick fabric of the robe wasn’t there. “Let me,” Cameron said. And when I didn’t complain, he stood up. His eyes went up and down my body. “I’m starving.”