Part 2 (2/2)
The front door flew open. ”Hey,” Sophie said. ”Here. You guys must be freezing.” She handed him a long sleeved thermal s.h.i.+rt and sweatpants, and Honor something pink and gray. ”Leave your wet clothes out here, and then come back in for a warm drink. Oh, and I'll take this since time's up.” She pulled the canvas bag from his hand and shut the door.
He smiled at the surprise interruption and started to undo the b.u.t.ton and zipper on his pants.
Honor's eyes widened and she spun around.
”I'm good with you looking,” he said.
”I'm not. Now turn around so I can change, too.”
”Funny. You don't strike me as someone modest.” He turned and wrangled his wet pants down his legs. Getting the dry sweats and s.h.i.+rt on felt great.
”Oh my G.o.d.”
He didn't turn or say anything even though the frustration in Honor's voice made it difficult.
”My pants are stuck. I don't think I can get them off without some help. Jesus, wet jeans are heavy and uncooperative.”
A grin stretched across his face. ”You want my help?”
She let out a deep breath. ”Yes, but you have to close your eyes.”
”You going commando tonight?” he teased.
”No, but...”
He shut his eyes and turned. She took his outstretched hand and tugged him down to the ground. Once there, she helped him latch on to the bunched up denim at her thighs, he guessed. Do not peek, Bishop. Do not peek.
”But?”
”My panties are white and now see-through and there's not a lot to them.”
”Gotcha.” There wasn't a red-blooded man alive who wouldn't peek. ”Let's get these off you.” He pulled, she pushed and wiggled, and he got the pants to her feet in no time.
”Thank you,” she said, a little out of breath.
”No problem.”
”Bryce!”
”What?” Christ, she had s.e.xy legs, and the barely-there material at their juncture left little to the imagination, so his thoughts leaped to about a dozen dirty scenarios.
”Your eyes are open!”
”Yeah, sorry.” He jumped to his feet and gave her his back while she mumbled things like jacka.s.s and jerkwad as she got dressed.
”I'm done,” she huffed.
She wore a pair of loose sweats and had freed her damp hair so it fell past her shoulders. A small black smudge stained the smooth skin underneath her left eye.
He licked his thumb and ran it over the blemish. Her breath caught. ”You had something there.”
”Honor?” came a guy's voice from the driveway.
Her attention jumped over his shoulder. ”Cooper. What are you doing here?”
Bryce turned, and much to his surprise recognized Cooper right away. He'd had a few conversations with him over the phone and they'd met briefly during White Strand's film festival.
”Sophie wanted me to come by.” Coop smiled warmly at Honor before turning an eye to him. ”Hey dude, I know you, right?”
”Hey, Cooper. Bryce Bishop.” He put his hand out.
”Mr. Bishop, that's right.” Cooper gave a firm shake. ”We've got a meeting next week.”
”Hold on,” Honor said, stepping between them. ”What meeting? How do you guys know each other?”
”I'm hoping to represent him. How do you two know each other?”
Honor put her hands on her hips. ”Cooper's my brother.”
”Younger brother,” Cooper said, ”so I'm apologizing now for her over-protectiveness.”
Cooper Mitch.e.l.l was Honor's brother? s.h.i.+t. He'd never thought to ask Honor her last name, not that he would have put the two together until now anyway. Coop Mitch.e.l.l was the local boy Bryce wanted to sign. The nineteen-year-old skateboarder had won every amateur compet.i.tion out there, and with new, bigger sponsors after him, his first X Games on the horizon, and his well-known injury and comeback headline news, he needed an agent. Bryce's biggest adversary was after him, too, but Bryce planned to come out the winner. Win or go home, his dad had drilled into him.
”You want to be his agent?” Honor asked, the corners of her mouth dragging down and shadowing the ray of light that seemed to follow her.
”Yes.”
She swung back to her brother. ”I thought you were taking things slow?”
”I'm done with slow. I'm 100 percent and now's the time. I've got this, H.”
”You're not 100 percent. You'll never be 100 percent.” Tension and love rang with her words, so much love Bryce felt it in the middle of chest.
”Mr. Bishop, sorry.” Cooper stepped around his sister. ”You don't need to hear us talk family stuff. I look forward to our meeting. I'm gonna go say hi to Sophie and Zane.”
Bryce nodded. The kid had poise. And determination. After his back injury many thought he'd give up skateboarding. But athletes at his level didn't give in. They couldn't. Their sport lived in their blood and quitting wasn't an option.
He glanced at Honor after the front door shut. With her head canted down he couldn't make out how she felt, but it didn't matter. He'd give his best to Cooper, professionally and personally. He didn't know how not to be friends with his clients, even though that mentality had cost him this last year.
One of his athletes had done the unthinkable. Gotten drunk at a party and a.s.saulted a woman. The press went crazy and the backlash had almost cost Bryce several of his other clients who didn't want to be a.s.sociated with something so horrible. Bryce didn't blame them. He and Danny had dropped the a.s.shole, and with help from a few respected friends and Bryce's father, managed to lose only two other clients. Rebuilding the Bishop-Ellis reputation was still a work in progress.
Bryce shuddered, regret and that slow burn of anger he still couldn't shake thrumming through his veins. His father's look of disappointment even as he took care of the breach of contract lawsuit thrown at Bryce and Danny still lingered, and Bryce wanted nothing more than to make his father proud. Adding a good kid like Cooper to his agency was the best way to do that.
”Why do we have to put the seat down? Why can't women put the seat up?” Cooper said, adding his two cents to the group discussion on relations.h.i.+ps. Honor glared at her brother from across the breakfast bar in Zane and Sophie's kitchen. He never put the seat down. They shared a house and many a late night run to the bathroom had her b.u.t.t falling into the toilet.
”Dropping the seat takes a fraction of a second,” she said, noting the guys-Bryce, Danny, Zane and Zane's brother-in-law Mark-nodded in agreement with her brother.
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