Page 53 of The Offside Rule
“No maybe.” His voice was rough. “It is. I can’t mess up our lives because we don’t want to keep our hands off each other.”
The words hit harder than they should have. He was right. I hated that.
“This is attraction, Catherine,” he said. “That’s it.”
I froze. That’s it. The air in the elevator changed. Or maybe I did. Heat drained out of me so fast it left embarrassment behind. Not because I wanted him less. I didn’t. But because he had just reduced everything I felt to biology and bad timing, and maybe for him that was all it was. For me, it wasn’t. I slipped out from under his arm before he could stop me. He stepped back immediately, like he realized too late that he had said the wrong thing.
“Catherine—”
“It isn’t for me,” I confessed, feeling pathetic.
His face changed. I held the towel against my chest, suddenly wishing I had worn something more than a bikini and a cover-up for this conversation. “It’s not just attraction for me,” I repeated.
He didn’t speak.
“I’ve watched you with your daughter,” I said, my voice quieter now. “I’ve seen what a good man you are. How dedicated you are. How much you love her.”
His face fell. Like I had hit him somewhere soft.
“I know this is complicated,” I continued. “I know my dad is your coach. I know my mom is your friend. I’m working with the team. I know every reason this is a bad idea. But don’t tell me it’s just attraction like I haven’t known you for years.”
The elevator kept moving. Neither of us looked at the numbers.
Hunter closed his eyes for a second. “I’m a stupid idiot.”
That surprised me enough that I almost laughed. He opened his eyes, and the look on his face made my chest ache.
“I’m sorry,” he said.
I swallowed. “Okay.”
“No, I mean it.” He dragged a hand over his wet hair, making it messier. “That was a shitty thing to say.”
“It felt shitty.”
“I know.” He exhaled hard. “I was trying to scare both of us back into being smart.”
The elevator slowed, then stopped on his floor. The doors opened. Neither of us moved.
Hunter held the door with one hand before it could close again. “Come here.”
I stayed where I was. “Why?”
“So I can say this without an elevator making me feel like I’m on a timer.”
I hesitated.
Then I stepped out onto his floor. The hallway was quiet. The kind of quiet that made every breath feel loud. Hunter let the elevator doors close behind us and turned to me.
“You’re more to me too,” he said.
My chest tightened.
“I’m messed up,” he continued, voice low. “I don’t let people get close. I haven’t for a long time. It’s easier that way. Cleaner. Safer for Isla. Safer for me.”
I stood very still.
“But something about you…” He shook his head, like he was mad at himself. “I don’t know. You make me feel like I can trust you, and I haven’t felt that in years.”
