Page 58 of Perfect Playbook

“Yes!” Nino grabs his hand. “Let’s go!” He tugs at Logan’s hand to follow him the rest of the way down the long hallway.

I follow Logan and Nino, attempting to cool off, breathing deeply. I smooth my fingers through my hair as if it’s tousled, and I’m sure it isn’t, but that experience, Logan’s body close to mine, his mouth so warm and delicious, so…

I was worried about wanting to have sex with Logan. The impulsive desire from this morning was cured only by my own ravaging fingers. But that kiss? Yes, it set my core on fire. Yes, my nipples ached. They were so hard they could have fallen off. But, his lips… they were still tender, still caring. It was worse than lust. A foolish woman would believe there was much more there than simple desire.

No, I can’t think there are still feelings like that here. That Logan is gone, swallowed up under the sheets he shared with a thousand women between what we once were and what we are now.

And yet my feet move as if they don’t even belong tome. My soul has teleported to some other world at that moment, and I struggle to come back to where I am.

As we get to the end of the hallway, I realize I’m about to time travel all over again.Here, we did his version of a lingering peck. Next time, we’ll have to do mine.

Chapter Twenty

I didn’t noticeone single step of getting from that kiss in the hallway to rink side. I’m basically fucked. I’m a college kid all over again who just wants to crawl back onto her skin and dive into her aura.

I should have been able to shake it with the long walk down the hall but I’m still floating like I’ve had an out-of-body experience, heart still pounding so hard it’s drowning out all logic. If Antonio wasn’t holding my hand, I’m not sure I’d be able to control them. I want Shay’s soft, womanly waist on my palms. I’m burning to touch her again.

Only the sound of blades digging into the ice starts bringing me out of my haze, and then, the coach’s shrillwhistle yanks me back to reality, snapping my head in his direction where he salutes me in a way of greeting.

He knows we’re here.

Nino has been patiently waiting for me and his mom to get through ourpracticesession and to be entertained. His forehead is now plastered against the plexiglass, but he can barely see over the boards, so I hoist him up in my arms for a better view of the plays.

“Right now, they’re practicing a move calledhitting the trailer. It starts with a rusher, that’s an offensive player. Wait, you know about offense and defense from soccer, right?”

“Yeah. I play in the defense, but my coach just tells me not to move. So I mostly just stand there.”

Not move? My gut gets heavy, instincts setting off. Why can’t the little man move?

Antonio asks. “What position are you?”

“I’m a forward for the offense.”

“Are you good?”

So innocent. “I’m all right.”

“You have to be really good to be a professional, right? The chances are really, really low in soccer.”

I don’t like the way Nino reveals the odds. It sounds almost as though he thinks the statistics mean it’s impossible.

Shay leans up against the boards and plexiglass on the other side of Nino in my arms. She rubs his back, caring, but mindless, while watching the guys play. Her gesture is that of every mom in the world, an instinctive touch, a reach out to reassure her cub. Pride swells in my chest with this boy in my arms. His beautiful mom, and my wife, frames the picture of a real, actual family.

“So what are the chances in hockey to be a professional?” Nino asks.

I’m still watching Shay, who’s watching the team.

“I don’t know. I never once thought to look, because if you want something badly enough…”

Shay swipes hair behind her ear. She’s flawless…

“If you want something badly enough, you need to ignore the odds.”

Shay tilts her head, and her dark eyes connect with mine. The corner of my mouth pulls up in a half-smile. She offers a tight one in return. Fuck, I want to kiss those lips until they’re soft again, until they’re plump and swollen and…mine.

They are mine.Mine for now.All of this is mine. Antonio perched on my forearm is mine to support, to nurture. Shay is mine to do the same. It’s her hour as much as his to get what she wants out of this life, for her to succeed in her business and reach her true potential, too. I won’t stop until I give it to them.

My heart aches with something deeper than happiness. A sense of contentedness washes through me, like this is what life is all about and I was somehow able to finally manifest it. A good woman. A wonderful child. And, of course… hockey. If you’d asked me what my holy trinity was when I was twenty years old, that would be it.

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