Page 21 of Drop Shot (On the Court #2)

WHIMSY

I’m tired from a day spent playing the part of dutiful girlfriend.

Jackson forced me to start an Instagram so I can post photos of Elias and me being “a real couple.” I’m not a social media kind of girl, but at least there’s Ebba to help me out, though I hope she doesn’t think I’m using her brother for some sort of clout when that’s the furthest thing from the truth.

Before I start up the steps, I slip my heels off and hook the backs around my finger.

We were at the courts early—which meant I had to get up even earlier to do my hair, makeup, and pick out a dress. I might be a fashion girly, but I also like my sleep.

It’ll be a bit before Elias is home since he has a few interviews so I plan on taking full advantage of his massive bathtub.

Reaching the top of the stairs, I head down the hall to my room.

To my old room.

I’ve already started to open the door when a voice says from behind me, “Whimsy, honey, you’re not staying in that room anymore.”

I ease the door shut and turn around to face Elias’s mom who came back to his house with me.

“Sorry.” I force a smile, hoping my cheeks aren’t red with embarrassment over my blunder. “Habit.”

“Of course,” she says, patting my shoulder and bypasses me since that’s the room her and her husband are using this time.

I know it was an innocent flub, but I feel bad that his mom witnessed it.

Letting myself in the primary room, I shut the door behind me and head into the closet to return my heels to their rightful spot.

“So stupid, Whimsy,” I mutter, undoing the buttons on my blouse.

“Trying to go in the wrong room like a damn amateur.” I lay the shirt aside to add it to the pile that needs to be picked up for dry cleaning.

“You’re supposed to be madly in love and that means you wouldn’t go in the wrong room.

” I know I’m being unnecessarily hard on myself, but I can’t help it.

I want to pull this whole thing off flawlessly.

My skirt is added to the pile and then I reach behind me to unclasp my bra. I might not have the biggest breasts, but does anyone enjoy wearing a bra all day? Slipping my panties off, I put them with my other delicates and step out of the closet only to find I’m not alone.

Elias gapes at me, eyes wide and mouth open. I scream, throwing my arms around myself because I don’t have anything else to cover myself with.

“What are you doing here?” I shriek, looking around for anything I can grab nearby. “Turn around,” I scold with a hiss when he keeps staring.

My panicked words finally spur him into action, and he flips around to face the other wall.

“Why are you naked?” he asks and for some reason starts taking off his own shirt.

“Because I thought I was alone.” I resist the urge to stomp my foot. “I was going to take a bubble bath. We have seriously got to stop running into each other naked,” I groan.

I realize what he’s doing when he holds the t-shirt behind himself for me to grab. I snatch the top and quickly pull it over my body. It barely covers my ass, but it’s certainly better than the state I was in before.

“You can turn back around. I’m covered.” I sigh, trying not to think about the fact that my former boss just saw my nipples.

Fuck, I’m thinking about it again.

He turns hesitantly, his eyes flicking over my body that’s now hidden by his shirt.

He swallows, his Adam’s apple bobbing. “I … uh … got out early.”

I cross my arms beneath my breasts, leaning toward him. “I can tell.”

He scratches the back of his head. “I did … um … text you.”

“My phone died.”

Wetting his lips, his eyes drop to his feet. “Look, I’m sorry. I didn’t even know you were in here and I’m sorry you feel uncomfortable. I didn’t hear you until just now and…” He gestures at me. “Well, it was too late.”

“It’s okay.” I know he didn’t do it on purpose. “This is karmic payback for me walking into the bathroom on you.”

He grins at that, brown eyes crinkling at the corners. “That’s right. Just let me grab my book and the bath is all yours.”

“You read?” I ask sarcastically.

He rolls his eyes as he heads to his nightstand. “Smartass. You’ve had to buy me enough books on the road to know the answer to that question.”

He’s right. I have.

It was one of the things that shocked me most about working for Elias. He reads a lot, and he reads quickly. I tried to convince him to get a kindle, but he wasn’t having it. He wants to hold the real thing.

He taps the spine of his book against his opposite palm. “When you’re done, we need to talk. Jackson wants us to go to this dinner thing. I’ll explain more later.”

“Okay.”

He heads for the door, but I clear my throat, and he pauses. “Do you need your shirt?”

He looks down at his bare chest. “A shirt … yeah, that’s a good idea.” He shakes his head and moves to head toward the closet, but I shake my head.

“Turn around. I’ll hand you this one back.”

I swear I hear him audibly swallow. “That works.”

I ease the shirt off my body and toss it over his shoulder to grab. While he’s tugging the shirt on, I scurry over to the bathroom. I don’t know what makes me do it, but I peek over my shoulder and catch him looking.

He quickly looks away and ducks out the door with another, “I’m sorry.”

The embarrassment I felt earlier is gone. Instead, replaced with a feeling of power all because Elias Johnson looked at me like I’m the most gorgeous creature he’s ever seen.

When I finally get out of the bubble bath and make my way through the darkened hallway, it seems like his parents and sister have gone to bed.

Though, I can hear Ebba through her door and if I had to guess she’s arguing with her boyfriend.

I wish she’d end things with him. It’s obvious they’re not a good match.

Downstairs, I pad into the kitchen and pour a glass of water. I haven’t seen a sign of Elias yet, but I know he has to be around here somewhere. I peek outside and spot him lying in the grass.

I don’t have a sweater with me and it’s too chilly to go outside without one, so I swipe a blanket off the back of the couch and wrap it around me burrito style. Slipping through the French doors, I join Elias on the small patch of lawn.

“You’ll get cold,” he says, as I settle into the grass.

“I’ll be okay. What are you doing out here?”

He slowly turns his head toward me. “Looking at the stars. You don’t see them like this back home.”

I realize he’s right. “It’s beautiful.”

“Sometimes I think the world would we be a better place if we could all look up and see the stars clearly. When you look at this you can’t help but feel like the universe is far greater than we’ll ever understand.”

“You have an excellent point.” I shiver and it’s an immediate annoyance. I haven’t even been out here five minutes and I’m already cold.

“C’mere.”

He doesn’t give me a chance to respond before he’s wrapping his arms around me and pulling me against him.

“Oh,” I blurt as I settle against him, my head falling to the crook of his shoulder.

I lift my head to move, but he quickly says, “Don’t move. It’s okay.”

I settle back down and place my hand on his chest. “Is this okay, too?”

He audibly swallows, long fingers working gently through the strands of my hair. I don’t think he even realizes he’s doing it. “Yeah.”

My heart inflates ten sizes.

“What was it Jackson wants us to do?”

He groans. “Don’t ruin my good mood, Whim.”

I laugh softly. “You have to tell me eventually.”

His chest rumbles in blatant annoyance. “It’s a dinner with some of the top players, sponsors, all the big spender types. He wants us to go together. He says you humanize me.”

I stifle a laugh. “Is that so?”

“According to him, you soften me and make me more approachable. Whatever that means.”

His tone tells me he knows exactly what his manager is saying. “I hate this shit. I just want to play my sport—not deal with the politics of men too rich for their own good.”

I snicker again. “ You’re too rich for your own good.”

His chest shakes and the hand that was stroking my hair pinches my side. “Smart ass.”

“But did I lie?”

After a moment, he sighs and says, “No, but at least I’m not rich and bored and meddling in players lives because I have nothing better to do.”

“Tell me how you really feel.”

A noise from above has me looking up and realize that Ebba is above us on her balcony now.

My heart that soared only moments ago deflates.

That’s why he pulled me so close. He knew she was up there.

I don’t pull away, though, even though I want to now.

“When’s this dinner?”

A sigh rattles through his chest. “Tomorrow.”

“Tomorrow?” I squeak, already running through a mental checklist of things I need to do to be prepared.

“I think Jackson was afraid if he told me sooner, I’d find a way out of it.”

“He’s probably not wrong.”

“How dressed up do I need to be?” I ask, already sorting through the clothes I packed.

Another heavy sigh leaves him. “Black tie.”

I freeze. “You’re kidding.”

I don’t know why it didn’t occur to me that some of the events I would need to attend with him would be black tie affairs.

I’ve had to prep him numerous times for these kinds of events, but I guess when I was packing it didn’t cross my mind to have a formal dress.

Besides, while I love clothes and my closet is stocked with designer goods because of my slight addiction to all things pretty I don’t exactly have a smorgasbord of black-tie dresses because I’d never use them.

“Whim,” he says my name softly. “The cogs in your brain are spinning so fast I think you might catch on fire.”

“I don’t have anything to wear to an event like that.”

“You’ll have time to go shopping during the day. I’ll leave you my card.”

“You don’t need to do that.” I have a hefty payment that just landed in my account via Jackson.

He traces his finger delicately around the curve of my ear. “If you were my real girlfriend, I’d damn sure be paying for your dress. Take the damn card, Whimsy. Fuck, buy yourself some designer shoes and jewelry while you’re at it. I’m sure there’s probably a purse or two you’re eyeing as well.”

I tickle his ribs, and he squirms beneath me. “Don’t mock my love of handbags.”

He chuckles. “Settle down. I would never.”

It hits me then—how easy this is with him. How natural it feels to lie here in the grass, sprawled on his chest, poking fun at each other.

I need to be careful.

None of this is real. We’re still technically boss and employee. He’s paying me to be his fake girlfriend—not to actually fall for him.

But whether Elias knows it or not, he’s pretty impossible not to care for.

Clearing my throat, I roll away from him and sit up. “I’m going to head up to bed.”

He rises up, using his elbows as support. “Is everything okay?” His eyes practically caress my skin as he checks on me.

“Everything is fine.” I stand, making sure not to get my feet tangled in the bottom of the blanket. “Just tired is all.”

I scurry away, fleeing like a frightened animal as I hurry into the house away from him.

The only problem is I can’t outrun my feelings.