Page 71 of Punked By the Playmaker
“Hey, do you happen to know—”
“Yes! Right there!”
My eyebrows hit my hairline.
Without thinking, I grabbed the gold-plated handle and pulled, only to be met with the sight of my wife with the detachable showerhead positioned between her thighs, her face screwed up in pleasure.
“A lesser man would be insulted after the night we shared, but I’d be lying if I said I didn’t love a woman with a high sex drive.”
At the sound of my voice, Arizona’s blue eyes sprang open. She let out a shriek, dropping the showerhead so that the high-flow spray coming from it soaked us both.
Her hands covered her breasts. “Levi! I’m in the shower!”
My smirk was automatic as I reached out to turn off the water. “Yes, I can see that.”
“Oh my God! Get out!”
I was about to do just that when my gaze dipped lower—amused that she hadn’t thought to shield me from a view of her bare pussy—and locked on something that hadn’t been visible in the dark last night.
Almost as if drawn by a magnet, I extended a hand, my fingers skimming along the raised keloid scar that spanned from one hip to the other.
She sucked in a sharp breath at my touch.
“Is this from a surgery?”
“Mm-hmm,” Arizona hummed in the affirmative.
Like a lightbulb going off in my brain, it hit me. “This is why you can’t get pregnant, isn’t it?”
With a thick swallow and a sniffle, she nodded. “Yeah.”
“I’m sorry.” While I’d never planned to have children, that option had always been open to me should I ever change my mind. I couldn’t imagine what it was like to have that choice taken away.
My wife averted her glassy eyes. “It was a long time ago.”
“Just because it happened in the past doesn’t mean it hurts any less.”
She looked at me as though she hardly recognized me, breathing, “Who are you, and what have you done with that playboy who was only interested in getting me into bed?”
I couldn’t blame her for being confused; I was reeling from the sudden switch myself.
Taking her wet hand in mine, I gave it a gentle squeeze. “For so long, I only cared about myself—”
Arizona snorted. “You can say that again.”
After a sharp glare in her direction, I continued, “I refused to form attachments—with women, with my teammates—because I wasn’t capable of being part of a reciprocal relationship. Then a girl with my eyes and my sister’s face showed up, and she needed me.Me, of all people. And the moment I knew she was mine, it changed me on a molecular level. I realized I would rather die than let her down. So, I created this crazy little blended family with a group of people I’ve come to care about and want to take care of. All three of your well-being has become directly tied to mine. If you’re sad or hurt, so am I.”
“Empathy.”
I cocked my head to the side. “Huh?”
“What you’re describing. You’ve developed empathy.” A huff of laughter sounded. “Better late than never, I suppose.”
“Oh.” Heat flooded my face, and I dropped my gaze to the floor.
Arizona tipped my chin up, forcing me to meet her eyes. “I’m proud of you, Levi.”
“I—”
