Page 37 of Major Penalty

“Can we talk?” she asks, her voice quiet but firm. I say nothing, and she exhales, shifting her weight. “I saw you play today. Your hip is getting worse,” she continues, her voice softer now. “You need treatment. Scans. Rest.”

“I’m fine,” I lie. I’m not fine. The need to bring her closer and kiss her again is unbearable. But I know it won’t last. I’m not meant to last with a girl like her. If anything, I’ll only dull her light, drag her down with me, poison her like I poison everything.

“You’re not.” She shakes her head and steps closer. “If you’re avoiding me because of the kiss…” She hesitates. “You don’t have to.”

There it is.

She’s too fucking close now. The faint scent of her perfume reaches me, soft vanilla, just like her. And fuck me, how I’ve missed it.

“Did I do something wrong?” she asks, looking up at me through her lashes. She looks so concerned, so worried that she might have offended me somehow, not understanding the sudden shift in my behavior.

I want to wrap her in my arms. I want to bring her close and tell her she’s done the opposite. And as selfish as I can be sometimes, I need to release this girl and give her a chance to move on and find someone who’s actually suitable for her.

“You haven’t done anything wrong, little thing,” I say instead with a slight shake of my head, mentally slapping myself for the nickname.

Stop feeding into it, prick.

Irene steps closer and lifts her hand, pressing her palm flat against my chest.

Oh, fuck.

Her palm is small against me, its warmth seeping through the fabric. My entire body locks up as I suck in a breath. I look down at her, and that’s when I see it. That look. That wide-eyed, slightly dazed, pupils-blown look. That’s a big fat fucking crush.

My teeth clench.

She doesn’t even know what she’s doing, what she’s pushing for.

“I really liked it,” she says, her voice just a whisper.

The kiss.

I close my eyes for a second, trying to shake off the memory. Because I liked it, too, way too much. Because it gave me a taste of the one thing I shouldn’t have. The one thing I want to devour until there’s nothing left.

I open my eyes as I lift my hand and slide my forefinger beneath her chin to tilt her head up. Her breath hitches, and her lips part immediately. It’s this fucking easy.

My heartbeat drops to a slow, pounding rhythm as I move closer to her. I watch her breath tremble, her eyes flutter, her little tongue wetting her lips, preparing for kiss that’s not going to come.

And then I grip her jaw and slowly turn her head to the side until my lips are against her ear.

“Stay away from me, Irene,” I murmur, hating myself for every single word. She stills, her fingers twitching against my chest. “And forget about the kiss.”

I feel her exhale, uneven and shaky, before I pull back. Her head stays turned sideways as I step away. I turn, ignoring the need to take her perfect face between my hands and plant kisses all over it, to make sure she understands that this isn’t because she did something wrong. It’s because she’s too good for me.

Instead, I push the door open and walk out, feeling like the biggest fucking asshole.

Chapter eleven

~IRENE~

I can’t sit still. My thoughts are too loud, too fast, and too tangled.

My heart won’t slow down as I pace around my office. I should be working, preparing for the captain’s exam. Instead, all I can think about is him.

His voice, his hands on me, his lips, kissing me like he wanted to devour me whole, invading my mouth as if he was fighting himself and losing.

And then the way he looked at me yesterday—so distant and reserved.

The way he held my jaw, brought his lips close to mine, just to twist my head and tell me to stay away from him. To erase what happened.

---