“Meanwhile, you’re the Phenom.”
Guilt engulfed him. Swallowed him whole. He closed his eyes to fully sink into it.
“Ah, there you go.” Her tone held the lightness of a revelation. “You’re living his life.”
Yes. The life he would’ve had.
“The thing is, you don’t know if he’d have been a great player. Maybe he wouldn’t have cut it at the professional level. How many kids with great potential flame out? How many get injured? You have no idea how things would’ve worked out for him.”
“The only thing I care about is that, once again, I took things too far, and Booker paid the price.”
“Okay, you’ve got a God complex. Got it.”
“What does that mean?”
“You’re responsible for the velocity of wind, the timing of it? For how he landed. That’s some supernatural powers you got there.”
“No, I’m responsible for getting him out of bed.”
“I thought Jaime got everyone out of bed? And wasn’t it Jaime’s idea to jump? Okay, forget it. Let’s stop. I’m never going to see it the way you do, and I doubt anyone else will. But it seems you’re getting something out of staying in that endless loop, so there’s no point in talking about it anymore.”
No, there really wasn’t.
“But let me say one last thing, okay? Do with it what you will. The guilt, the shame, all the negative stuff won’t give Booker back the life he could’ve had. There’s nothing positive or constructive that’ll come out of it. So, maybe instead of giving it power over you, take action.”
“What does that mean?”
“Well, what can you do to make it right?”
“I have no idea.”
“You took away Booker’s chance to play hockey. Can you create a scholarship for kids who want to play hockey but can’t? Can you support a rehab facility? I don’t have the answer, but I would love to see you get out of the loop and turn all that energy into something positive.”
“You’re pretty smart, you know that?”
“Yeah.” She nestled in against him, the coconut scent of her shampoo filling his senses. “I know.”
“You going to sleep here?” His voice sounded rough. Mostly because he wanted her to stay but didn’t think she would.
“Too tired to get up.” She snuggled more deeply and let out a sigh. “Wrestling your demons really took it out of me.”
He grinned. “What about the girls?”
“They’ve got their own beds.”
“Okay, smart-ass. What if they walk in here and find us in bed together?”
She stilled. “You want me to leave?”
“I want you to stay.” He tightened his hold. The scent of her hair, the heat of her body sent him back to their kiss. The slick heat of her mouth, the tangle of tongues, and clutch of her hands.
Oh, shit.Blood rushed to his cock.
No, no, no. That’s not what she’s here for.
She’d come to see if he was all right.She wants to sleep.
Then again, her lips parted, softened, and her eyes went sultry.