Read Online Out of the Game3 by Kate Willoughby - Free Book Online
Authors: Kate Willoughby
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cold. She also saw Tim standing at the entrance to the tent. He had his hands clasped in front of him and a smile on his face as he watched Erin approach.
“Hello, Mrs. Hollander.”
“Hello, Mr. Hollander.”
“I thought you might want to go skating with me.”
Erin winced. “You know how bad I am at it.”
“You’re not bad,” Tim said, putting an arm around her shoulders. “You’re learning. And besides, if you have a skating rink at your wedding, you should at least do one lap. You, too, Claire.”
“Oh, I already tried it.”
“You did?” Erin looked surprised, then annoyed. “Oh. With Alex.”
Tim glanced at Claire, then back at Erin. He raised one eyebrow. “What am I missing here?”
Erin shrugged, leaving the ball in Claire’s court.
“Your wife doesn’t want me to see Alex. She thinks he’ll take advantage of me.”
“Alex
Sullivan
?” Tim looked surprised.
Erin prodded him in the chest with her fingertips. “Tell her it’s a bad idea, Tim.”
Tim looked at his watch. “Three hours married and I’m already henpecked. Ouch!” He laughed when Erin poked him in the stomach this time.
“Okay.” He sighed. “Here’s the deal. Alex is a great guy, a very good friend. He’s a lot of fun to be around and...the ladies seem like enjoy his company. If you think you can have a good time with him and walk away, I say go for it. You deserve some happiness. I really mean that. But fair warning, if you think you might fall for him, it’s probably better to not get things started in the first place. I’ve never known Alex’s relationships to last longer than a summer.”
“Thank you, Tim. At least someone around here thinks I can make my own decisions.”
Erin scowled at her husband.
“It’s her life, Erin. Let her live it.”
Having clearly lost the battle, Erin downgraded the scowl to a pout. “I have half a mind not to skate with you.”
“Aw, come on, Mrs. Hollander.” Tim bent and gave her an Eskimo kiss. “We haven’t been on the ice together since I proposed.”
After a moment, a smile emerged slowly on Erin’s face. “It’s not real ice,” she reminded him.
“Doesn’t matter. If you’re with me? Nothing else matters.”
With a lovesick sigh and an apologetic wave, Erin left with Tim and headed toward the rink. Claire waved back, but inside she felt a stab of jealousy and then a stronger one of guilt. She shouldn’t be resentful of her own sister. Claire’s life wasn’t exactly a shithole. She was healthy. She had enough money from the divorce to do whatever she wanted. Happiness was a choice and if she only focused on what she didn’t have, she’d never be happy.
So, what
would
make her happy? A summer fling with Alex Sullivan? Maybe. If they went away together, chances were high that they’d end up in bed. The idea excited her. She’d never been to bed with a man in peak physical condition. As a businessman, Vic had been largely sedentary with a bit of a paunch. Claire hadn’t seen Alex naked, but she’d watched him play hockey. He was two hundred pounds of intensity on the ice. When she thought about him bringing that intensity to the bedroom, her entire body came to life with eager anticipation.
But Tim had a great point. Could she trust herself to keep her emotions out of it? She wanted to think she was smart enough not to fall for a proven Lothario, but she’d never done anything even remotely like this before. Hell, she’d never even had a one-night stand, let alone run away with a man she barely knew. After her parents passed away, she’d been the head of the household at nineteen years old. Dan and Jake had been only eighteen and Erin, the baby, fifteen. Dangerous ages. So much could have gone wrong. The burden of responsibility had been so great, she’d felt like an invisible judge was weighing in on her every move. She’d been careful not to do anything that could be construed by her siblings as permission to follow suit.
Although
“Hello, Mrs. Hollander.”
“Hello, Mr. Hollander.”
“I thought you might want to go skating with me.”
Erin winced. “You know how bad I am at it.”
“You’re not bad,” Tim said, putting an arm around her shoulders. “You’re learning. And besides, if you have a skating rink at your wedding, you should at least do one lap. You, too, Claire.”
“Oh, I already tried it.”
“You did?” Erin looked surprised, then annoyed. “Oh. With Alex.”
Tim glanced at Claire, then back at Erin. He raised one eyebrow. “What am I missing here?”
Erin shrugged, leaving the ball in Claire’s court.
“Your wife doesn’t want me to see Alex. She thinks he’ll take advantage of me.”
“Alex
Sullivan
?” Tim looked surprised.
Erin prodded him in the chest with her fingertips. “Tell her it’s a bad idea, Tim.”
Tim looked at his watch. “Three hours married and I’m already henpecked. Ouch!” He laughed when Erin poked him in the stomach this time.
“Okay.” He sighed. “Here’s the deal. Alex is a great guy, a very good friend. He’s a lot of fun to be around and...the ladies seem like enjoy his company. If you think you can have a good time with him and walk away, I say go for it. You deserve some happiness. I really mean that. But fair warning, if you think you might fall for him, it’s probably better to not get things started in the first place. I’ve never known Alex’s relationships to last longer than a summer.”
“Thank you, Tim. At least someone around here thinks I can make my own decisions.”
Erin scowled at her husband.
“It’s her life, Erin. Let her live it.”
Having clearly lost the battle, Erin downgraded the scowl to a pout. “I have half a mind not to skate with you.”
“Aw, come on, Mrs. Hollander.” Tim bent and gave her an Eskimo kiss. “We haven’t been on the ice together since I proposed.”
After a moment, a smile emerged slowly on Erin’s face. “It’s not real ice,” she reminded him.
“Doesn’t matter. If you’re with me? Nothing else matters.”
With a lovesick sigh and an apologetic wave, Erin left with Tim and headed toward the rink. Claire waved back, but inside she felt a stab of jealousy and then a stronger one of guilt. She shouldn’t be resentful of her own sister. Claire’s life wasn’t exactly a shithole. She was healthy. She had enough money from the divorce to do whatever she wanted. Happiness was a choice and if she only focused on what she didn’t have, she’d never be happy.
So, what
would
make her happy? A summer fling with Alex Sullivan? Maybe. If they went away together, chances were high that they’d end up in bed. The idea excited her. She’d never been to bed with a man in peak physical condition. As a businessman, Vic had been largely sedentary with a bit of a paunch. Claire hadn’t seen Alex naked, but she’d watched him play hockey. He was two hundred pounds of intensity on the ice. When she thought about him bringing that intensity to the bedroom, her entire body came to life with eager anticipation.
But Tim had a great point. Could she trust herself to keep her emotions out of it? She wanted to think she was smart enough not to fall for a proven Lothario, but she’d never done anything even remotely like this before. Hell, she’d never even had a one-night stand, let alone run away with a man she barely knew. After her parents passed away, she’d been the head of the household at nineteen years old. Dan and Jake had been only eighteen and Erin, the baby, fifteen. Dangerous ages. So much could have gone wrong. The burden of responsibility had been so great, she’d felt like an invisible judge was weighing in on her every move. She’d been careful not to do anything that could be construed by her siblings as permission to follow suit.
Although
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