Because, sure, I loved playing for the Sharks. It had been a dream of mine since I could remember.
But she needed this job. Needed that signing bonus to take care of her mother.
And if we were outed—I’d take the fall for her without even blinking.
God damn, I loved her.
Loved her like I couldn’t believe, even after all this time.
A prickle of anger filtered into my blood, cursing our situation. Wishing we were just allowed to be fucking happy.
“How much time have you been spending with Lewis?”
I flinched at the sound of Chloe’s last name.
“Coach?” I tilted my head, prepared to play innocent until proven guilty and all that.
“Or is it McPherson, Jackson, and Kinley?”
I furrowed my brow, holding my breath. “Sir?”
The ghost of a smile shaped his normally stern as shit lips as he pointed at me. “Your game,” he said, pointing at me. “has improved immensely over the past two seasons.” He sat back in his seat, relaxed, for once. “I’m wondering if the source is the guys, or if you’ve taken upon yourself some extra training with Lewis.”
A breath released from my lungs so fast it almost hurt.
“Both,” I blurted, so damn thankful this conversation wasn’t the one I thought we were about to have.
He tilted his head. “You all right?” he asked, motioning to me. “You look nervous.”
I arched a brow at him. “Coach, you normally don’t call anyone in here unless you’re about to hand them their ass.”
He chuckled, his eyes beaming like it was a compliment. “Well, that’s not entirely true. Exhibit A.” He pointed at me again.
“Thank you,” I said. “For the extra time on the ice.”
“You did great. I like where your head is at.”
I nodded.
“You could earn more time,” he said, leaning forward on his desk. “If you keep this up. I’ll be forced to rethink things. See where I need you most, and where I need Gage most.”
I swallowed hard, hating that I was in competition with him but knowing there was no other way to play.
“Stay focused, kid. Good things will happen if you do.”
“Yes, sir,” I said, standing at his dismissal, his head already plunged into one of five of his favorite playbooks.
I shut his office door behind me, finding the locker room empty.
Except for the light on in Chloe’s exam room, her silhouette framed in the blinds as she peered out.
Likely having the same panic attack I had seconds ago.
Before Coach had complimented me.
That shit didn’t happen every day.
It was a huge step in terms of my career.
Making it that much clearer what I had at stake.
A starting position on this team—if Gage ever decided to pass it down, or if he was forced to.
Another glance at Chloe, who flicked the blinds closed.
I swallowed around the knot in my throat, forcing myself to walk slowly to her door.
She opened it before I knocked.
“What can I do for you, Rogers?” she asked, her tone betraying herself only to me.
Worry.
Fear.
Slight hint of regret.
I wanted to reach out and smooth the crease between her brow.
Wanted to kiss her lips and assure her everything was fine.
But I couldn’t.
Because it was far from fine.
The love of my life stood before me, her eyes locked onto mine, her chest rising and falling as she eagerly awaited my words—and I couldn’t fucking touch her. Had to pretend that she wasn’t mine. That she didn’t own every inch of me.
God damn, what had we gotten ourselves into?
“Hey, Chloe,” I finally said, leaning against her doorframe, keeping it casual. “Coach was just complimenting me on my game. He thinks you’re responsible. Maybe we should keep up our lessons.”
Her shoulders dropped, the air rushing out of her lungs and hitting my chest.
“Yes,” she said, the breathlessness of her tone sent heat straight to my dick.
Damn this woman.
It didn’t take a flicker for me to want her.
To want to risk it all and lock us in her exam room, bend her over the table right now and make her scream my name.
Desire churned in her eyes, swirled and teased as she read what must be written all over my face.
“I think we should keep up our lessons,” she said, standing a little straighter, popping that hip out just to taunt me.
Later . . . I would lick and bite and suck that attitude out of her.
“Tomorrow good?” she asked. “After practice?”
I nodded and lowered my voice to barely a whisper. “Tonight would be better.”
She worried her bottom lip between her teeth. “I have to be somewhere tonight,” she admitted.
Her mom.
I didn’t dare ask to go again.
I knew it was already so fucking hard for her, I didn’t want to add to it.
But damn if I didn’t want to be there for her.
Simply be anywhere she would be.
She held up her finger, spinning into her exam room and returning a few moments later with a piece of paper in her hand. “Be sure to do these stretches,” she said, handing me the paper and glancing over my shoulder.
“Night, Lewis!” Coach called out, then eyed me. “Rogers, you heading out?”
“Yeah, I’ll walk with you.”
“I’m not that old,” Coach teased. “I don’t need protection.”
I laughed. “Not you I’m worried about.”
“Let me grab my stuff,” Chloe said. “Both you big burly men can protect little old me.”
I tried not to gape at her.
Me, Coach, and her walking to the player’s lot?
Fucking brilliant.
“Ha,” Coach said. “I think you’re stronger than the two of us put together, Lewis.” He laughed. “I heard a rumor that you put Henderson on his ass for back-talking you in camp.”
She grabbed her bag without a care on her face and walked beside Coach out of the locker room, me tailing behind them.
“Rumor is true,” she said, slight pride lacing her tone.
No shit?
Henderson was twice my size and an enforcer for the Canucks.
It was my turn to have pride bloom in my chest.
“But to be fair,” she added as we made it to the parking lot. “We were on the ice and he was seriously neglecting his balance.”
I snorted, the vision of her laying him out rushing through me.
My fierce, sharp, beautiful Chloe.
Mine.
Coach chuckled as he made it to his car. “Well, thanks for protecting m
e.” He tossed his stuff in and added, “And my players,” before falling behind the wheel.
I waved to him as he drove off, and then my eyes fell on Chloe.
Or more so, her ass as she purposely swished her hips as she clicked away to her car.
Not even a goodbye?
I flashed her a devious look when she glanced at me from behind the wheel, promising her punishment for that later.
I fingered the paper still in my hands, unrolling the note.
It was an address and time for tonight with the words only if you want to come, no pressure scrawled beneath it.
My heart doubled in size.
She wanted me to come with her to see her mother.
The invitation spoke more volume about her feelings than how she sighed my name when I sank between her thighs.
Coach’s words echoed in my head.
Keep it up and good things will happen.
Then why the hell did I feel that now, finally, as my heart soared for this woman, for this life, that it was all about to come crashing down?
Chapter 14
Chloe
I showed up at the care facility a half-hour earlier than I wrote on the paper I’d handed Bentley.
I wanted to gauge my mother’s mood beforehand—make certain she was up for visitors.
“She’s in a splendid mood,” John assured me as we spoke at the front desk. He’d come out to meet me once I’d signed in with the receptionist. “She has been in great spirits, actually, since your last visit.”
And since the doctors had placed her on a high dosage. Switching up her cocktail was nothing new to me—my whole life, dozens of different doctors and tests and trials, they’d constantly changed the formula in an attempt to get a better result.
These past few weeks, here, had been the most eye-opening.
“I’ll go see her then,” I said to John, readying to walk that way.
“Be sure to stop by here on your way out, Ms. Lewis,” the receptionist halted me.
“What for?” I asked.
She flicked her eyes to John, then back to me. “It’s the end of the month,” she said. “Time to settle the bills.”
“I’m on auto-pay,” I said, my stomach twisting.
“Yes,” she said. “But with the new additions we need to get another signature and approval for the updated amount.”
“All right,” I said, resting my hand on the desk for a moment. “There might be a Bentley Rogers showing up—”