The way she didn’t pull away.
The way she leaned into the kiss.
The faint stickiness of worn-off lip gloss.
If I’m being honest, the fact she kissed me back is the most dangerous part.
Because if Annika had shoved me away, slapped me, or—her hallmark move—launched into a lecture about professional ethics, my brain could have compartmentalized the whole thing as a bad decision while I was emotionally compromised.
Instead, she kissed me like she meant it.
And now, I can’t stop thinking about it. About her.
Her mouth.
Her hands gripping my shirt.
The little mewl she let out when I?—
“Parker!” Greyson’s voice snaps across the field like a slingshot.
I blink, unaware the ball is coming. It smacks into my chest. Hard, bouncing onto the field.
Hooking his fingers into the V-neck of his jersey, Greyson stares at me, odds are he’s considering begging Sutton to trade me for nothing to a Canadian curling team.
“You good?” he calls out.
“Yeah.” But everyone knows I’m not, especially Greyson. He’s introspective. A listener. We’re somewhat alike except before he met Sutton, when he was the playboy of the league.
He jogs closer, shaking his head. “You sure?”
I nod and pick up the ball and flip it to him.
“You look like a guy who left his brain somewhere else.”
“I’m fine.”
“Uh-huh.” He leans in, glancing left then right, and lowers his voice. “Not to be nosy, but have you gotten laid lately? A little lovin’ cures most ailments,” he jokes or maybe he’s not.
“You’re unbelievable. How does Sutton live with you?”
He slaps my back, harder than necessary, a total big brother move. “Because we give each other what we need, mentally and physically,” he says, raising his brows up and down.
I look down at the grass, thinking about how I want what he has.
“Parker, you’ve been staring at the grass for ten seconds. You need to get out of your head.”
“I wonder how many blades of grass are on this field?”
“That’s a Witt question. I’m sure he knows,” Greyson says as he backs up, spinning the oblong ball in his hands. “Ready this time?”
“Yep.”
“Because your hands work and your brain works. Do you remember?”
“I remember.”
“Great, let’s prove it. Go route.”