Page 120 of Game Misconduct
She raises a brow. “Seriously?”
“Oh yeah.” I pause a moment, deciding how much I want to reveal to her.
Because once I do, she may leave and never come back.
I take a chance anyway because I need her to understand.
“My father was just like Josh. A bully who loved to pick on the weak, kicking them while they’re down.”
When she doesn’t say anything, I keep going. “On one hand, I have to thank the bastard. If I hadn’t wanted to stay out of the house so much when he drank, I wouldn’t be the player I am today.”
I blow out a breath. “On the other hand, he also gave me his temper, and I have to fight it every day. Because when I don’t—like during the fight with Josh—it costs me.”
Sloane lays a hand over mine. “Hey, we all get some of our parents worst traits. But listen to me…”
She stops talking, waiting for me to look at her.
And when I do, I know I’m in way over my head with this woman. “Yeah?”
“I’m not running, Maddox.”
“I’m beginning to see that.”
We hold the stare for a few beats longer.
Sloane Carrington isn’t like any other woman I’ve ever known. She’s wise beyond her twenty-eight years, and that scares the shit out of me.
With her, I forget the years between us, and she makes me…want.
Everything. With her.
Finally, she pulls her hand away, picking up her wine glass. “Have you talked to the kid since then?”
I’m glad one of us can fucking speak. I’m having trouble finding my voice. Where the hell did that come from?
I clear my throat before I can speak. “No. Last I heard, he’s overseas and playing well.” I turn my head and look out the wall of windows in the living room. “You know one of the worst parts of the deal?”
“What’s that?”
I look back at her, meeting her gaze. “I didn’t defend the kid for a thank you. But after the incident, he refused to speak to me. Like I’d been the one to bully him.”
She pursues her lips. “Do you know why?”
“Nope. And I didn’t ask.” I push my plate away, most of my appetite vanishing. “I thought it was better off that way, especially given the fact I’d been suspended.”
We’re quiet a moment before my eyes meet hers, my hands loose on the edge of the counter. “So, yeah. When people say I’m hard to work with, they’re not wrong. I just don’t back down when it matters. And for me, that situation mattered.”
Sloane shakes her head, her voice soft but fierce. “You did the right thing. You protected someone when no one else would.”
“That’s not what the media said.”
“You really care what they say?”
I pause. “Not until it started costing me teams. Then, yeah. It got to me.”
There’s a flicker of something in her eyes, but it’s gone so quickly, I think I imagined it.
She gets up and crosses around the island to stand in front of me. I expect her to touch me, but she doesn’t. She just looks me dead in the eye.
