Page 51 of Perfect Playbook

She suppresses a smile, but her gaze flickers, and her cheeks flush like maybe she didn’t think I meant the kitchen.

Nino crawls along the counter and peeks into the bag. “Boxes of stuff.”

I slide them toward Shay. “Hope I picked well.”

She skims the plastic down the sides of one of the boxes in the bag and immediately gasps. “Oh my gosh. Copper pots. I…” She puts her hand in front of her mouth but calms down before she orgasms. “I always wanted copper pots and pans.” She points behind her but still stares at the top of the closed lid. “They match your…” She shakes her hands as though her excitement is hurting them. “They’ll match your gorgeous sink.”

“Ourgorgeous sink.”

Her gaze meets mine. An electricity runs between us; a familiar feeling exchanges on the current, sending shivers through my spine. But she soon lowers her eyes back to the box.

“Oursink and pots match.” She runs her finger along the writing on the side, still admiring just the exterior of the box.

A warm feeling rises in my chest.

“Logan. These must have cost a fortune…”

Nino leans toward me and talks behind his hand but doesn’t whisper. “One time, Mom told me about a new whisk for hours.”

She pretends to be offended, throwing a sassy hand on her hip. “Hey, it wasn’thours, and it was the first time I tried a silicone one over a metal one. It was a big deal, and I swear my meringue wasn’t the same.”

Nino shakes his head and laughs behind his hand. Shay reaches over the island, her scoop-neck t-shirt falling to reveal the most luscious cleavage. Then, she tickles Nino under the armpit as punishment for the burn, and I don’t think I’ve ever felt so many conflicting feelings at once. I want to dive inside that shadow between her breasts and at the same time be part of this joyous innocence visiting my house for the first time.

“Mercy!” Nino yells through his laughter.

“Okay. Just remember this isn’t a roast fest.” Her gaze shimmers with an affectionate joke. “Roasts are on Sundays.”

Nino catches his breath after a few more giggles, and the infectious sound echoes through my body. I’m not around kids much anymore. Eve is my only niece. Though she still giggles and jokes plenty, she’s a teenager now, with a boyfriend and everything. It makes me miss when we used to joke around like this. I always used to think I’d have a few kids by my mid-thirties. That such a common wish was less likely than being a top player in the NHL is baffling. I’m sure I fucked up somewhere along the way. Probably starting with the woman right in front of me.

Shay makes prayer hands and tips her head. “I really, really appreciate the cookware. You didn’t have to.”

“There’s more stuff in the car. I’ll bring it in later.I wanted you to be able to cook. Not for me, of course. Just that you like it.”

She throws me a sassy look, the one she used to give me when I toed the line between the perfect level of dominance and being a pig. “I’m happy to cook for all of us, Logan. Provided you like Mexican food and can live without cheese.”

I take a moment to connect with Nino through my intel from Tom. “Cheese is evil, right?”

Nino’s smile fades, and he could be a superhero talking about his archenemy. “Evil to the max.”

I go around to Shay’s side of the counter to find a plate for my dinner, easing into a small space behind her, and suddenly, in my kitchen, there’s a whole new atmosphere. It’s ten degrees warmer next to this woman and much harder to breathe. I’m not one to seize up next to anyone. There’s something different happening here. It’s all so familiar in that I know the feeling of Shay, we know each other intimately, but with Nino here, and this entirely new domestic situation, I ask myself. How the hell do I fit into this place I clearly belong?

I want to slide my body flush with hers, wrap my hands around her from behind, and pull her in to smell the sugar scent of her neck.

But Shay awkwardly dances away from me. “I’m in the way.”

I lift my eyebrows. “I wouldn’t say that.”

Her laugh is delicate and breathy. She brushes off what I’ve said by tucking it behind her ear along with some of that shiny, long hair of hers. Her cheeks glow with that terra-cotta warmth I used to see when I managed to make her blush. She lowers her gaze, swallows thickly.

What I wouldn’t give to flirt a little more, but she quickly gives her attention back to her son.

“Well,mijo, we need to get you off to bed. We have a big day tomorrow.”

Nino jumps down off the stool, and I can only see his tufts of hair over the counter. “Are you coming, Logan? To my new school?”

“Of course. I wouldn’t miss it for the world. I love new beginnings and big adventures. New school is one of the best ones.”

Shay tosses me a grateful look mixed with a trepidation I guess every parent feels sending their kid off somewhere new. “Well, night.”

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