I took in the tightness in his jaw as he looked up at me.
“It’s a little hard when…”
I stood there waiting for him to finish.
“When what?”
“Nothing. Do what you need to do.”
I explored the joint carefully, feeling the heat and swelling, and now checking for any structural abnormalities. His shoulder was a disaster, much worse than it had been before. Everything felt irritated, and unless I was off my game, I was certain I feltsigns of a rotator cuff tear. I wanted to kick myself; he should have been in treatment months ago.
“Jesus, Callahan.”
“What?” He flinched.
“You’ve been playing like this?” I questioned, looking down into his face.
When he didn’t answer, I took in a deep breath.
“At least allow me to help you. We can work outside of the official channels, if it’s the only way you’ll allow.”
“Why? Why do you care so much?”
“It’s my job, and I enjoy helping people.”
“That’s a pile of bullshit if I’ve ever heard one.”
I felt him take hold of my arm, and I looked down to see his thumb tracing a circle on the inside of my wrist.
“Bianca, we both know this stopped being just a job a long time ago.”
“Callahan…” I choked out as he stood up.
Evan turned to me, cupping my jaw and tilting my face toward his.
“It’s Evan…When we are alone like this, you call me Evan, just like you do when we are at home.”
Our eyes locked.
“You’re wrong, this is about my job,” I choked.
“No, maybe at first it was, but now, you’re after me for different reasons. Like you, I did some digging. You told me you were dating Marcus Grant in secret when he had been injured and I read that he?—”
“Whoa, this has nothing to do with Marcus.”
“It does. He was in your life, you wanted to help him, to save him, but he pushed you away, just like I’m doing. I know you’re attracted me, just like I am to you, and you hate seeing someone in pain, especially someone who you know you can help.”
He brushed his thumb over my cheek, looking at me, reading me, and all I could do was look away, to hide the truth he already knew.
“Evan…we shouldn’t…”
“I know. Your father will kill me,” he whispered, his gaze dropping to my mouth. “The team would lose their minds. It’s unprofessional and complicated and probably the worst idea that either of us ever had.”
“Then why?” I questioned as his thumb ran over my cheek.
“Because I can’t stop thinking about you.” His voice sounded strained, angry. “Because every time you touch me it takes everything I have not to pull you close, and because ever since you moved in, I have spent all of my time trying to convince myself this is just attraction and something I can ignore if I try hard enough. It’s not working.”
My mind was screaming for me to step away, to maintain our boundaries, and to remember every single reason why this was a horrible idea. Instead, I leaned in because I felt it too.
