Underneath It All (Storm Series) by Cassandra Carr Read Free Book Online

killing me. Does he even realize the effect he has? Surely he must.
    Rob picked up a lock of her hair and sniffed. “What kind of shampoo is that?”
    “A dollar-store brand.”
    “Hmmm. What scent? I can’t place it.”
    “ Strawberry.” The conversation was getting weirder and weirder, and she fought not to squirm.
    “Huh . Smells great, not so perfume-y like some of those more expensive shampoos. Suits you.”
    His long, blunt fingers were still caressing that one piece, his gaze not leaving hers. Alaina swallowed past the lump in her throat, and he tracked the movement before slowly moving his gaze back to her face, briefly caressing her lips before meeting her gaze once more and holding it.
    Her heart stuttered. Is he going to kiss me? A door slammed somewhere out in the hall, and Alaina scurried away then busied herself straightening some papers on her desk, turning her back to him. She needed to collect herself—pronto. Her face flooded with embarrassment as she considered what would’ve happened if they’d been caught cuddling in her classroom. The door was open—anyone could’ve seen and gotten the wrong idea.
    What wrong idea? They’d have gotten exactly the right idea. I want him to kiss me. I shouldn’t, but I do.
    “I should let you go. I’m sure you’re busy.” She glanced over her shoulder, finding him still rooted to the spot and staring at her with an unreadable expression. Alaina took a deep breath, wiping her damp palms on her brown skirt, and then started. “Oh crap.”
    “What?” His voice didn’t sound entirely steady .
    Was it possible he actually was attracted to her?
    A few weeks ago she would’ve laughed in someone’s face at the very thought , but now? Now she didn’t know.
    “I got glue on my skirt. One of my only unstained items of clothing. Well, it was one of my only clean outfits. Ugh.”
    He approached, reaching out a hand before pulling it back, his fist clenching at his side. “Will it come clean?”
    “Elmer’s. Happens all the time. Occupational hazard. It’s just annoying every now and then to know that everything I own ends up like this….”
    You’re rambling.
    At least she hadn’t mentioned she’d specifically worn this outfit because the style looked nice on her. That would’ve been admitting she cared about how he perceived her appearance. She shuddered at the thought.
    “I’ll get out of your hair, er, out of your way. See you next week.” He’d hardly finished the sentence before he was running out the door.
    Disappointment flooded her. She shook her head. Yeah, a guy like that is really gonna want to get with you…
     
    ~ * ~

     
    THREE
     
     
     
    When the regular season began, Rob was in high spirits. Getting back into the swing of things, the routine of games and practices, plane rides and hotels, always soothed his restlessness. That the Storm won their first three games, all against division rivals, also contributed to his good mood.
    The only thing marring his sense of contentment was how long it had been since he’d seen Alaina. He hadn’t been able to make it to the classroom to read to the kids that week and felt badly. Even worse , though he truly looked forward to seeing the students, he was more interested in spending a little time in Alaina’s company, despite it not being the quality alone time he was beginning to yearn for.
    Some of his teammates hated bus sing to Toronto for games, especially so this time because it was the fourth game in five nights, but Rob looked at it as a way to hang out with all the guys. The games against Toronto were always emotionally charged, since Toronto and Buffalo had a long-standing, nasty rivalry. The atmosphere in the Air Canada Centre couldn’t be beat, no matter where else they played throughout the season. Obviously storied places like Madison Square Garden were cool, but the level of animosity, both between the players and the fans, wasn’t present. Toronto was the perfect situation