Page 22 of Read With Your Heart

The heat of his body radiates toward me. Is he even closer to me? A trickle of sweat rolls down his neck. He licks his lower lip like he did the other night, and I tremble. It’s been a long time since I’ve been close to a man without feeling threatened. I miss the comfort, as sick as that sounds. Trent was both sides of the coin, and I was just stupid.

“Deal,” he says, holding out his hand in the small space between us. He holds it level with my small breasts, and if I were to lean forward, I’d swipe against his fingertips. Don’t be ridiculous. When my hand meets his palm, the tremble turns to a full quake. I’m not nervous. I’m on fire.

Leon lowers his head, his mouth nearing my ear. “Too bad it isn’t a game of one-on-one, though. We could play shirts and skins, and I’d vote you be skin.”

A shiver ripples up my spine at the thought, but I shift the basketball from my hip to my palm and shove it into his gut.

“I’ll let you go first since you’re new here,” I tease.

“I’m still going to request shirts and skins,” he says. And like the sexy beast he is, he tugs off his T-shirt and tosses it to the edge of the court.

Holy . . . wow.

Up close and personal, his muscular definition has definition. Every muscle bulges, from his pecs down his abs to that v-dip just above his waistband. A scripted tattoo covers his left pec, but I can’t make out the words. He also has no hair there and I wonder if he shaves like models do. Personally, I like a little hint of treasure trail, and my eyes drop lower before quickly looking away. Is that…? He can’t be as large down there as he appears to be. He takes the ball and dribbles to the free throw line. With his first shot, he easily scores.

I notice a giant tattoo covering his back, and the raised skin which looks like a nasty scar under the ink. I want to ask about it, but at the same time, I don’t want to be rude. I fight the pull of my eyes to inspect it when he tosses me the ball

I shoot and miss on my first shot. Dammit.

This might be a quick game and a lost cause. He’s going to wipe the floor with me. I’ll owe him dinner, and I still won’t be further ahead with his sister.

“Tell me something,” he says, stepping up to the line. “How’d you end up with a bastard like that Trent guy?”

I stare after his shot, which he makes, and then take my place. I miss again as my thoughts drift to my future ex-husband.

“College girl comes home for the summer and fools around with someone from her hometown. He’s a few years younger than me. I’d never really noticed him before, but he saw me as a woman. I’d always been a tomboy, and that kind of threatened the guys from my class. They saw me as one of them instead of a female.”

“Fucking idiots,” Leon mutters, taking his turn.

“I wanted to be one of them. I wanted to be both. Seen as tough but also feminine. I thought Trent saw that, but it turns out, he didn’t.”

I don’t wish to go into the details of how feminine I wanted to be.

“A baby? What the fuck do you want a baby for?”

My thoughts flip to Levi. We’d hung out this past weekend, playing basketball just like Leon and I are doing now. He never brought up Trent, and I didn’t want to ask. I was worried about Levi, but he wanted to spend time with me to forget his brother, not discuss him.

“What happened?” Leon asks, tossing me the ball, and I step to the line.

“He just didn’t see me anymore.” It’s the most I’ll give him, and his eyes bore into me, but the pressure gives me focus, and I score on my next shot. Finally.

“And you’re divorcing him?” It’s strange the way his voice shifts, asking for clarification of my marital status.

“Lawyers have presented him with the papers. I’m just waiting on a signature.”

Leon nods, his lips pursing, and it looks almost like a grin. But why would he smile about my pending divorce?

“Tell me something,” I say, mimicking him as he steps up to take his turn. “How did you end up in Elk Lake City? It’s obvious you aren’t from here.”

“Because I’m Latino?” he snaps with a smirky smile on his lips, accusing me of a prejudice I don’t have.

“Because you just aren’t from here. I’ve lived here my whole life, and no one in my family remembers you.”

“You been inquiring about me?” he teases. That damn dimple peeks out as my supposed inquiry pleases Leon. He shoots and misses.

“Just curious.” I shrug. He hands off the ball by walking up to me instead of bounce-passing it. Once the ball is in my hands, he walks around my back.

He remains close, whispering in my ear, “I was in prison.”