Page 31 of Pitcher Perfect (Big Shots #4)

The only thing making Robbie feel better as he, Elton, and Doug stood at the edge of the lake, preparing to swim to the opposite

shore, was he easily looked the best shirtless. His standout physique was little consolation, however, because Madden and Skylar were standing

shoulder to shoulder on the other side of the lake and Skylar was in a bathing suit. A black one-piece Speedo, obviously.

That was so her.

No nonsense.

Buy the most aerodynamic swimsuit on the market.

No bells and whistles.

Somehow, she managed to make it hotter than a string bikini.

The one silver lining here was that he had an incentive to swim as fast as humanly possible to get to the other side of the

lake and break up Skylar and Madden’s little huddle, preferably before she remembered all the reasons she was in love with

Madden. Maybe Robbie should be grateful that Skylar had answered I don’t know when asked if she still had feelings for the catcher, but guess what? He wasn’t.

Robbie needed the answer to be a hard no, like, yesterday. Last year, even.

As soon as he’d made the conscious decision to fight for her, all the possessiveness and hunger and admiration and fear he’d been keeping contained broke free.

Now he was a teeming tangle of issues, all of which revolved around her, yet she was also the fucking antidote?

Love was a bitch, man. It didn’t even make sense.

If there is anyone else in the world who’d work harder to make her happy. As long as the answer to that is no, you’re the right man.

The answer to that question was even more solid this morning after witnessing Skylar’s reaction to the Boston University shirts.

She’d needed those symbols of support. He’d noticed that and acted on it. Maybe he’d only done one small thing so far, but

it counted, right? She’d tucked her face into his neck afterward. He could still feel it there.

“You boys ready to lose?” Doug said, dropping into a runner’s stance, preparing to sprint toward the water. “I was the captain

of the swim team my senior year.” His tone sounded... forced? “I swim this lake every morning in the summertime.”

Elton patted his father on the back. “We’ll try to keep up, Dad.”

“Don’t patronize me,” snapped the older man.

Concern crept into Elton’s expression. “Is everything okay?”

“Fine and dandy.” Doug straightened, spearing Robbie with a look. “What point were you trying to make with those T-shirts,

son? You think I can’t afford to buy my own shirts?”

Most guys would avoid an argument with the father of their potential girlfriend at all costs. Most guys weren’t Robbie. He

didn’t know how to avoid an argument to save his life. Especially this one. “I know you can afford it. That’s what makes it

all the more confusing that you don’t already have one. Or ten .”

“Meaning what?”

“Meaning, your house looks like the gift shop at Brown. Not a goddamn pennant or bobblehead for BU anywhere.” He raised an

eyebrow. “How do you think that makes Skylar feel?”

The older man waved him off. “Oh, stop. She knows it’s our family alma mater. She’s tougher than that.”

“Yeah. She is. So imagine someone that tough and high-achieving gets rejected and has to be reminded of it every single day. Everyone is tough to a point .”

“Who made you her spokesperson?” Elton wanted to know.

Robbie rolled a tense shoulder. “I’m not qualified to be anyone’s spokesperson, but I’ll tell you this. When I notice something

making her sad, you can bet your ass I’m going to say something about it. That’s my girl.”

God, it felt so good to say that out loud. Even if it wasn’t true yet.

Felt true, though. Felt as real as the sky overhead.

“Ridiculous.” Doug sniffed, his voice lacking the conviction from before. His robust frame seemed to be hunching in on itself,

his usual confidence carrying away on the breeze. “Why hasn’t she said something if it bothers her so much?”

“Probably because complaining is a sign of weakness in your house.”

Elton and Doug blustered enough to start a dust storm. “Who asked you?”

“ You did!” Robbie countered.

Obviously, Vivica chose that moment to blow the air horn.

“Goddammit.” Elton sighed.

They all ran for the water at once, Robbie yelping at the temperature. “Jesus Christ, that’s cold.”

“Isn’t ice your thing?”

“Yeah, when I’m insulated by pads.”

That was the final exchange before the three men were cutting through the water with freestyle strokes.

Robbie took the lead after thirty seconds to the soundtrack of cursing in his wake.

Not only was he motivated as hell to make it to the other side of that lake to reclaim his still technically fake girlfriend, but he’d also gone to surfing camp three summers in a row in Long Beach, so his skills were on point.

Throw in the fact that he’d blown the climbing challenge and Robbie had something to prove.

Thankfully, he did, reaching the other side of the lake long before the other two men.

There was Skylar in her no-bullshit bathing suit, waiting for him with that exhilarated thrill of competition on her face,

holding out her hand to get tagged. Instead of tagging her with a hand slap, he snagged her hand, bringing it to his mouth

and kissing her palm.

“Got us the lead. Bring it home, Rocket.”

Color warmed her complexion. “On it.”

She splashed into the lake and dove into a seamless freestyle stroke, tan arms slicing through blue. He was so mesmerized

by her graceful movements, he barely paid attention when Elton and Doug reached shore, tagged their partners, and immediately

started to argue about who had gotten there first. Robbie tuned them out, shouting encouragement to Skylar once she reached

the halfway point and still had the lead.

Something happened, though, toward the middle of the reservoir. Something that didn’t make sense.

She slowed down.

Madden gained on Skylar, then little by little, he passed her.

Meanwhile, Vivica was in a distant third and appeared to be swimming in the wrong direction. But Robbie’s attention remained

locked on Skylar and when she stopped swimming completely and her head disappeared under the surface, his fucking soul left

his body.

“ Skylar ,” he shouted.

She had a cramp. She’d gotten dizzy and lost consciousness.

Jaws is real and he’s in the reservoir.

Bad. Bad. Something bad.

Robbie’s brain snapped into survival mode and he quickly scoped out the surrounding shoreline, trying to judge if there was a closer entry point into the lake to her location—and there was. There was. He broke into a sprint without taking his focus off the spot where she’d gone down—

She emerged from the water and Robbie made a broken sound, but he didn’t slow down, not one iota, because she was visibly

struggling.

“What the fuck. What the fuck ,” he chanted, finally reaching the closest section of the beach and barreling full speed into the water, breaking into a

swim as soon as the water got waist-deep. He didn’t allow himself to speculate on what was wrong with Skylar or what could

happen if he didn’t get there in time. No. Just go. Go.

It seemed like an hour had passed by the time he reached Skylar, when in reality it had probably been under three minutes.

She flailed in the water with an expression of pure fatigue, followed by the relief of seeing him.

Robbie , she mouthed without sound.

“I’ve got you.” He turned her around, banding an arm across her collarbone, and immediately reversed direction back to shore,

adrenaline moving like lightning through his veins. “Breathe, Skylar. I’ve got you.”

“I don’t know what happened.” Her teeth were chattering, no doubt from fear, as well as the water temperature. “My leg cramped

and I tried to... push through it but I got so tired trying to compensate...”

“Okay. I figured it was something like that. Deep breaths. You’re going to be fine.”

“I didn’t think anyone would see me,” she whispered, breath hitching.

“Really, Rocket?” Robbie labored through a few inhales, exhales. A few violent clenches of his heart. “Don’t you know I never

stop looking at you?”

She wrapped herself around his arm, holding on so tight, his throat constricted.

By now, Skylar’s parents and Elton had become alerted to the emergency.

Elton was currently swimming in their direction with an obvious sense of urgency, Doug and Vivica waiting on the shore holding each other and looking terrified.

Robbie could relate. Now that Skylar was safely in his arms, angry cymbals smashed together in his head. Visions of what could

have happened plagued him. By the time he was able to put his feet down and carry Skylar the remaining distance to land in

his arms, the blood vessels behind his eyes were on the verge of bursting.

“Towels! Get her some towels. ”

Madden appeared, holding a stack of striped beach towels in his arms, his concern for Skylar obvious and at that moment, Robbie

didn’t have the capacity to be jealous. Later, maybe. Right now, as he held a shivering Skylar to his body while everyone

wrapped towels around her, he was racked with residual fear—and frankly, outrage. Not over the competition itself, but the

fact that it stood in place of emotional bonding. The kind he was starting to sense more and more that Skylar needed.

“Never again. She’s never doing the swimming challenge again. Or any other dangerous ones. Is everyone listening to me?” Having cocooned her as much

as possible in various shades of terrycloth, Robbie caught her in a bear hug. “Please stop shaking. Please stop shaking.”

“I’m okay.”

“I’m not. You almost drowned because the Pages can’t sit in the living room and play charades like a normal family.” He looked

all three Pages in the eye, one by one. “The need to continually prove herself is going to get her killed .”

“Hold on just a damn second—” Doug blustered.