Page 74 of If You Love Me

“You still hurting?”

“Nah, just want to be an asset to the team and make good choices when it comes to taking care of my body. Besides, I feel like I have some making up to do for all the stress I caused in the first half of the season.”

“The issue seems to be resolved,” I reply.

“Yeah. Seems pretty fucking stupid in hindsight.” He slaps his thighs. “Anyway, Hollis and Hammer seem good. You handling that okay?”

“My daughter is happy, and that’s all that matters.”

“Yeah. Changes things, though, doesn’t it?” Flip muses.

“Yeah, it does,” I agree.

I watch Lexi part from the group and head toward the bathroom. At least half a dozen heads turn as she passes. I hate that I have to sit back and do nothing when the mereideaof her getting hit on makes me twitchy—especially by drunk idiots with dicks for brains. “You mind holding the table for a minute? I gotta use the bathroom.”

Flip nods. “Sure. No problem.”

“Thanks.”

I slide out of the booth and walk the perimeter of the dance floor, positioning myself across from the bathroom to wait. Lexi appears a few minutes later and weaves between the press of bodies, but she pauses to check her phone. She worries her bottom lip as she scrolls through the messages. As predicted, some young douchebag approaches her. He’s probably her age—in his late twenties, still all balls and no brains.

There’s no way I won’t do something regrettable if I see some guy flirt with her. So I step up behind her and skim the length of her arm. She startles, and goose bumps rise along her skin. She nearly drops her phone, but I catch it and slide it back into her hand.

The guy’s expression shifts above her head, and his eyes flare.

“She’s with me,” I grind out.

He raises his hands. “Sorry. I didn’t realize.”

He backs away as Lexi spins around. If I wasn’t fucked before, I certainly am now. Her braid hangs over her shoulder, begging to be wrapped around my fist. Her eyes are on fire, her lips glossy and pink and entirely too fucking enticing.

“What are you doing, Roman?”

Digging my hole deeper, apparently. “He was hitting on you.”

She props a fist on her hip. “I’m fully capable of handling myself.”

“I know. I can’t, though,” I admit. “I just saved him from a broken nose and me from an assault charge. Not proud of my complete lack of control when it comes to you, but at least I can admit I have a problem.”

Her eyes narrow, and she pokes at her lip with her tongue. “I should not find that sexy.”

“I find you sexy.” I give her a heated once-over.

Her fingers flutter near her throat. “You have to stop looking at me like that.”

“Again, I know, but I can’t.” She’s so fucking full of sass; beautiful and brilliant. She’s right in front of me, but I can’t have her. “This is torture.”

She scans the room. “This was such a bad idea.”

That’s a gut punch I’m not sure I’ll ever recover from. I don’t know what my expression must be, but her fingers curve around my wrist.

“Coming out tonight, I mean,” she clarifies.

“Because I’m here.”

“No. Yes. Not because I don’t want to see you, Roman, but because Ido. And it’s so hard to stay away, especially when you’re being all alpha possessive and you look like this.” She gestures to me and seems annoyed.

“Look like what?”

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