Shit. It wasn’t an earthquake. She was in love.
Chapter Twenty-Two
Twenty-second encounter
“You smell like me.”
“No, Lucas. My whole bed smells like you. And sometimes, I wake up in the middle of the night and get wet just from your scent.”
“Shit.”
“What?”
“You can’t say something like that right before I’m about to leave!” he growled, dropping his bag and shoving her back onto her bed.
He should never have stopped sleeping with Anna.
It had been a stupid idea.
Spending the night with Anna was therapeutic. He felt more balanced and relaxed. Ironically, he got more sleep because he didn’t lie awake at night, tormented by guilt over not being able to give Melody what she deserved. He’d never seen Melody happier than when she put his leg in a cast and then watchedAnna saw it free. It might not have been what other parents did to amuse their five-year-olds, but hey, as long as it made Melody look at him like he was her damn hero, he was okay with it.
Even his knee was better. That might have been because Anna said she wouldn’t sleep with him if he didn’t take his pills.
The bottom line was, he was...happy?
His friends were concerned.
“Why are yousmilingso much?” Hazel looked at him, irritated, as she tapped the line where he had to sign to extend his contract with the Hawks. “If you’re not careful, you’ll lose your title askiller.”
“That would be terrible,” he replied dryly, initialing each page and finally signing at the bottom.
“It's just because everyone’s so afraid of you. I rarely have to renegotiate your contracts unless they come from Gareth that-fucking-idiot Clark.”
Lucas ignored the last comment. Everything Hazel said about the second owner of the Hawks was expressed with words that would have made Melody’s kindergarten teacher faint.
“Honestly, Moreau, you have a crucial game tomorrow to advance to the second round of the playoffs. Fox is a nervous wreck. You usually are too.”
“Guess I’m just more relaxed than him.”
Hazel snorted in amusement and packed up the paperwork. “Everyone’s more relaxed than Fox. And they’ll be taking pictures of all of you on Monday when you’re at Mel’s kindergarten, you know that, right? Doesn’t that worry you?”
“Nope. I’ll tell them I’m Mel’s uncle. That’s the truth. It’s not scandalous, so it’s not a problem.”
“Mhm,” Hazel said, looking at him piercingly. “Okay. If that’s what you want.”
He sighed. “Hazel, it’s better for her.”
“Okay,” his agent said, squeezing his shoulder. “I’m glad you’re so relaxed. You’ve got to give me the recipe for that relaxing concoction you’re obviously drinking these days. I could use it before I go into battle for Fox’s contract...”
“Lu, is Anna coming tonight?” Melody called out, running into the living room. Oh, fuck. Hazel’s eyebrows shot up. “Anna?” she asked, drawing out the syllables. “The woman who isnobody?”
“She’s not nobody.” Melody rolled her eyes. “She’s a doctor. The coolest doctor.”
“Ah.” Hazel turned to him, interested. “Would you agree? Is she the coolest doctor?”
Well, she’d explained boisterously to Charkov in front of everyone yesterday why he really should know what a clitoris was. He’d never seen so many grown men with such bright red faces. That had been pretty cool.
“Sure,” he said casually.
