Page 32 of Playing to Win
A few more players step forward, all of them with bulky, muscular arms, and I nearly want to jump up and down in glee at our choices.
“Okay, guys,” I say, clapping my hands when I’ve got all of them surrounding me and Gwen. She’s got her phone out, ready to record. “I need you take your shirts off.”
All of them glance at each other before they look at me, their wary expressions telling me they’re not too sure about this.
“This feels vaguely inappropriate,” Ace says, and while I can hear the teasing in his voice, I also don’t want these guys to feel like we’re objectifying them.
Even if we sort of—okay, fine, we are totally objectifying them, but it’s all in good fun. We would never make them do something they don’t want to.
“Look, I promise this won’t be sleazy. We don’t want to make gawking videos of your naked torsos,” I tell Ace, my gaze sweeping over all of them. “Our plan is to make an ode to arm candy.”
“Oh my God, I love it,” Gwen murmurs, and I stand a little taller, thrilled to earn her approval.
“Arm candy?” the first guy who volunteered—Evan—says. “What exactly do you mean?”
“We need you to flex and show off your muscles,” Gwen says loudly. “You can manage that for a few minutes, right guys?”
They all grumble, but within seconds, we’ve got six guys with their shirts off and um…
Wow.
We’re surrounded by men who are in top physical condition. Smooth skin, rippling muscles, thick forearms, bulging biceps. Firm pecs, flat stomachs, that naughty little trail leading from their navels and disappearing behind the waistband of their shorts, pants, whatever.
Okay, specifically I’m eyeing Ace’s happy trail and it’s making me feel very, um…
Happy.
Reminding myself I need to keep this professional and stop ogling them, my sensibilities take over and I line them up. Gwen films each guy, zooming in tightly as they hold up their arms and flex. She never films their faces, which causes them all to start protesting. They want to be known, want to show off their grinning faces so the girls know who to scream for, but Gwen shakes her head.
“We need an air of mystery at first. Eventually you’ll be revealed,” she reassures them.
“Maybe you should have them guess who we are in the comments,” Ace suggests and Gwen’s face lights up, glancing over at me.
“That’s a good idea,” she says, and I reluctantly nod.
Ace’s gaze slides to mine and I can tell he’s pleased. It’s his turn to flex and I do my best not to watch while Gwen films him, but I quickly give up and just blatantly stare.
His arms are like works of art. He’s bulky but not too much. Sleek, smooth skin that’s tanned from the sun. Bulging biceps and thick forearms corded with muscle, lightly dusted in golden hair and those damn hands.
My gaze lingers on his hands, and I’m immediately lost in thought. I imagine them touching me. Pushing my hair away from my face, drifting across my cheek. Along my jaw and sliding farther down, curving gently around my throat, tilting my face up for a kiss…
“Okay, next!” Gwen shouts, snapping me out of my reverie and when my gaze finds Ace’s once more, he’s grinning, looking mighty pleased with himself.
Ugh. I turn away, ready to call the next guy to get filmed, but I realize Ace was the last guy.
Mattson blows his whistle. “Back to practice! Now!”
They all jog away, Ace the only one lingering, that smirk still on his face as he watches me. “Can’t wait to see the final result.”
“We’ll be posting tonight,” Gwen tells him, her gaze locked on her phone as she runs through all the videos she just took.
“Thank you,” I tell him, wishing he’d walk away. Wishing he’d continue to linger.
My conflicting feelings are so…conflicting.
“Anytime,” he says, his voice lowering, his gaze never straying from my face and I part my lips, ready to say…
What? Want to hang out? Want to meet at my apartment and make a mess of my bed for a few hours? No.
