“No, but I’ve been evaluated for concussions enough times to know what to do. Maybe I should take you to the hospital.”
“I’m not going to the hospital. I’m fine.”
She doesn’t look fine. She looks shook up. I tell her as much. I try to look at her pupils. I’m not sure what I’m looking for. They look large in the middle of her ice-blue eyes, but otherwise normal.
She rests her head against the back of the couch, cupping her face in her hands. She has angry red scratches on her elbow and on both her knees. “I could use some ice.”
I jump up and head to the kitchen. My freezer is stocked with ice packs of all shapes and sizes. “For what part?”
There’s silence for a moment. “Um, my whole body?”
I close the door without grabbing one. “Hang on, be right back. Don’t fall asleep.”
I dash out the side door to where my chiller is nestled under the side eave of the house. I’d planned on using it after Andi left, so I’d already put several frozen 2-liter water bottles in it to lower the temperature. I take the cover off and check the temp. Fifty-five degrees. Not bad for July.
I head back into the house. Andi’s still on the couch. Her color looks okay. She’s still awake. Her scraped arms and legs aren’t bleeding. She doesn’t look like anything’s broken.
“Give me your phone.” I stick my hand out.
“No. Why?”
“Trust me.”
“The last thing I do is trust you.” She hands me the phone as she says this. I kneel down in front of her and take off her sneakers. Then I scoop her up once more and carry her out the side door.
She must be hurt because she doesn’t scream or yell or pound me into oblivion, like I expect her to do. I look at her face to see her watching me with curiosity.
“Aren’t you going to ask me what I’m doing with you?”
Andi shakes her head ever so slightly. “I’d fight you if I had the strength. I feel like shit. That really hurt. And it’s going to be worse in the morning. Are you just going to deposit my body in my car and roll it into the lake? It might solve a lot of problems for me. Actually, that might be the best solution at this point.”
I smile. “I hadn’t thought of it, but I’ll keep that idea on retainer. It’s usually what I do with all the referees who kick me out of games.”
She sighs. “It feels like USSLRA is always hiring. Now I know why.”
I can’t believe she can make a joke at a time like this. I have a feeling she’s not going to be laughing when I put her in a vat of ice water. Her eyes grow wide as she spies the ice bath. Her grip tightens on me.
It looks like a cross between a miniature jacuzzi and an oversized cooler that you’d see full of beers in a convenience store. “It’s a little bit of an eyesore, but it gets the job done.” I look into her blue eyes. They’re bright, staring back at me. It feels as if she’s staring into my soul. Why have I never seen her look at me like this before? Maybe because there’s usually fire pouring out of them. “You ready?”
She nods slightly, and I take that as my cue to lower her in. I feel her tense as her body hits the frigid water. She’s submerged to about mid-chest when I hear her swear.
I start to pull her back up a little. “What’s wrong?”
She lifts up her arms, scooping her hair up so it doesn’t get wet. “I washed it today and actually dried it. It’s a good hair day. I don’t want it to get wet.”
That’s what she’s worried about?
Without much thought, I extract my hands from around her, pull my favorite red patterned hair tie out of my pocket, and hand it to her. It’s one of my favorites, but I don’t care. Andi takes it, securing her hair in a loose bun on the top of her head. She still has her earbuds in. I reach forward, gently plucking them from her ears so they don’t fall in. As I do, my right hand grazes the side of her jaw.
I freeze, her skin soft under my touch. I don’t know why I didn’t expect her to be soft. Maybe because she’s tough as nails and as physically fit as any professional athlete.
Shaken, I take a step back. “You’ll only need a few minutes. Let me go get some towels. I’ll be right back.” I start to walk away. “Don’t drown while I’m gone.”
Just inside the door, I stop and let out my breath. I need to put some distance between us if only to calm the boner that’s suddenly made an appearance. What the hell? This is Andi Nichols.Andrew. She’s the ball-busting referee who may have started the end of my career.
As I grab some towels, I try to remember everything I hate about this woman. It’s notherwho’s turning me on. It’s just that under all that muscle, she’s still a woman.
I’m having a natural reaction to an attractive member of the opposite sex. I’ve been in a dry spell, and my dick is reminding me of that. I grab the fluffy white robe hanging on the back of my door and make my way down to her.
