Page 116 of Delayed Penalty

No. It’s completely crazy.

I shake away the thought before it can develop any further, but no matter how many times I shake, it doesn’t go away. I like Hayes, yes. I like spending time with him, and I like how much he makes me laugh. I like watching him with Flora and the way he takes care of her in ways she doesn’t even realize, likealwayskeeping pickles on hand for her. I like how he buys me butterscotch candy without me ever asking and how he always orders extra spring rolls because he knows I love them. I like Hayes. I like Hayes a lot.

But love him? No. It’s not possible. It goes against all the rules.

So why can’t I stop thinking about it? Even as we make our way back home and Flora asks for grilled cheese for dinner, it’s there in my head. As I brush her hair after her shower and twist it into a braid, it still won’t go away. And even when I read her a bedtime story and should be focusing on doing all the amazing voices I’ve come up with, it’s all I can think about.

The thought doesn’t leave me even when I tell her good night, or when Hayes calls from Boston like he always does when he’s on the road. For the first time, I don’t answer. Instead, I shoot him a text and tell him I have a headache, Flora is already in bed, and I’ll talk to him tomorrow.

When I lie down and close my eyes, I’m stillthinking about it, especially because loving Adam Hayes doesn’t sound like such a crazy idea after all.

“I think we should do this more often.”

“Have sex? Because I think we do that fairly often already.”

It’s true. The second he got home from his latest road trip, during which the Serpents won three of their four games, our lips locked together, and we stumbled through the house to his bedroom. It’s where we’ve been for the past several hours.

“No. Well, I mean, yes—always that. But I mean sleep in my room. My bed is so much more comfortable than yours.”

I gasp. “Hey! I worked hard to pay for that mattress.”

“While I’m sure you did, that doesn’t make it any more comfortable. I’ve even had to have our team chiropractor do some extra work on my neck.”

“You could always just sleep in your own bed, you know.”

He doesn’t have a rebuttal for that.

He loves you.

I slip the thought right back into thebox I placed it in when Flora mentioned the crazy idea a few days ago. I’ve been trying hard not to think about it since, but I’d be lying if I said late at night, when everyone is asleep, I don’t pull it back out and mull it over and consider the fact that I just might love him, too.

“So, I noticed you were looking up colleges the other day.”

I lift my head off his chest, looking down at him. “Adam Hayes, are you spying on me?”

“No.” He twists his lips. “Well, sort of, but it’s unintentional. You left your computer on the counter when you went to braid Flora’s hair, and I was cleaning up and accidentally bumped it, and the screen booted back up.”

I raise my brows at him.

“What?” he asks. “That’s totally what happened.”

“I’m just struggling to believeyouwere cleaning.”

“Hey, my cleaning lady has been very impressed with the state of this house lately. She joked about wondering if her services are needed anymore. I kept her on. You’re welcome for that.”

I pinch his nipple, and he yelps.

“Shh!” I tell him. “Flora’s sleeping.”

“Then quit pinching me!”

“Quit needing pinching!”

“I didn’t.” He rubs at his nipple, smirking because he damn well knows he deserved that just now. “Anyway, you’re still thinking about going to school, huh?”

I settle against him, loving how he grazes his fingertips over my naked back, like he’s not capable ofnottouching me.

“It’s just a thought.”

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