Page 73 of Broken As Puck

She popped the lock on her trunk and stuck her own bag inside, then turned to face me. “I’m guessing you want to discuss last night?”

I nodded. “Look, there’s absolutely no pressure. We don’t have to label anything between us or even repeat it if you don’t want to, but I’d like to know where we stand so there aren’t any miscommunications.”

She sighed. “Yeah, okay. That makes sense. Give me a minute.”

She clasped her hands in front of her and looked down at them, just breathing for a few seconds, remaining silent, perhaps gathering her thoughts. Maybe when she looked at me, she became as distracted as I did when I stared at her.

When she raised her eyes, there was a flash of steeliness in the blue. “Like I said last night, I want to be open to seeing where this might go, but I’m worried about two things: First, getting hurt again. Second, my job.”

I put my hands in my pockets because otherwise I might try to take hers, and this was exactly the wrong time for that. “I understand.” I might not like it, but I thought anyone would see that her concerns were valid. “A relationship between us isn’t actually forbidden in the code of conduct, though.”

She looked off to the side. “Maybe not, but it’s discouraged, and I don’t want to make a reputation for myself as being the publicist who sleeps with her clients. You guys don’t need the potential negative publicity either.”

Technically, the team was her client, not individual players, but I wasn’t going to nitpick when I understood where she was coming from on both counts. Still, I couldn’t let her talk herself out of pursuing something with me either.

“Doing something once isn’t enough to get a reputation for it,” I pointed out.

She scoffed and turned that cerulean gaze back on me. “In some circumstances, it is.”

“So, where does that leave us?” Because, at the end of the day, that was all I wanted to know.

She pursed her lips. “Can we see each other quietly? You know, like just keep it to ourselves until we’re sure it’s serious?”

It was all I could do not to flinch. I already knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that any relationship between us would be 100 percent serious from my point of view. But if waiting and dating secretly was what she needed, then that was what we’d do. I’d already promised her anything, and after all, wasn’t this what I deserved for letting her down in the past?

“I can do that,” I told her.

A smile lit her beautiful face. “Really?”

I sighed. “Chelsey, sweetheart, I don’t think you’re getting this. I would literally do anything for you.”

Her teeth scraped over her lower lip. “Thank you.”

“No problem.”

Inhaling slowly, I crossed my fingers that I wouldn’t fuck this up.

Chapter Twenty-Six

MATT

I kissed the top of Chelsey’s head, breathing in her ever-present sweetness and tucking her more firmly under my chin. “How are you feeling?”

“Great,” she replied, snuggling closer.

My tummy rumbled and I ignored it. Even two months after we’d agreed to date again in secret, I couldn’t get enough of holding her in my arms. There wasn’t much I’d prioritize over wrapping my body around her and touching as much of her as I could manage.

After missing her for so long, there was no chance I was going to take it for granted that I was allowed to be with her. Every second together was a blessing.

I closed my eyes and reveled in the feel of her so close to me, her skin silken and warm, her scent enveloping me and lingering on the bedsheets. I loved how much she’d made herself at home in my house. Her toiletries were in the bathroom, her clothes in the wardrobe, and she’d begun keeping another toothbrush next to mine because she spent so many nights in my bed.

Part of me worried that the reason she was so often at my place was to keep me out of her apartment—and therefore keep me at an emotional distance—but hopefully, she’d learn to trust me eventually. At least she’d told Layla the truth, and I’d survived our first interaction with all my body parts intact, although Layla did threaten to make me a eunuch if I fucked up. I’d expected nothing less.

I drifted for a while, half-asleep, until Chelsey’s stomach growled loudly. I blinked myself awake and tried to clear the mental fog.

“I’ll make some breakfast,” I murmured, starting to ease away from her before pausing to kiss her cheek. “We just burned off the last of yesterday’s energy, after all. We need to stay fueled.”

“Okay.” She sat up and ran her hand through her glorious mane of hair. “But let’s shower first.”