Page 76 of My Pucked Up Enemy

Her side is empty.

She's gone.

I sit up slowly, look around to see if there are any signs of her.

She didn’t leave a note.

Didn’t leave a trace.

Just silence.

And me.

Still in the dark, wanting more.

Wantingher.

Chapter twenty-one

Nina

I’mhalfwaythroughacold cup of coffee when Alex walks in like with the kind of swagger that demands attention.

Hair damp from a post-practice shower, hoodie unzipped, smirk ready to deploy, he’s a walking disruption, and my office has never felt smaller.

"Miss me?" he says, shutting the door like this is a casual drop-in instead of a scheduled mental health check-in.

I school my expression and close the file I wasn’t reading anyway. "That depends. Is this a session or a charm offensive?"

He drops into the chair across from me, all ease and confidence, like we didn’t just spend a night tangled together in sheets, with sighs and whispers I haven’t been able to forget.

"Can’t it be both?"

I lift a brow. "I’m not sure the licensing board would agree."

His grin widens. "Then I’ll keep it strictly professional. You know, after we cover the very pressing matter of you sneaking out like a thief in the night."

My stomach flips. I expected this—repercussions, awkwardness, a thousand unspoken things. I didn’t expect him to lead with it like it was a joke.

"Didn’t want to disturb your beauty sleep.” I say evenly.

"Bullshit."

"Language."

"Fine," he mutters. "Call it what you want. But I’m not going to pretend it didn’t happen. Or that it didn’t matter."

His words are low, serious now, and they land somewhere just beneath my ribs. I set my pen down.

"Alex..."

"No," he says, leaning forward, elbows on his knees. "Let me talk. Just for a minute."

I nod. Once.

He exhales like he’s bracing himself. "I didn’t expect that night to change anything. But it did. I feel... different. Not just because of the sex. I mean, obviously…"

I hold up a hand. "Tread carefully."

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