I shake my head. “That’s not what I meant. You can’t retire for me.”
His thumb brushes over mine as he pulls away a little. “I didn’t. I mean, it certainly was a factor, but—” He cuts off, sighing.
“What?” My air supply is running short, as if my nervous system is suddenly unable to keep up with the roller coaster that is my day.
He steps away slightly, a hint of something like guilt flitting across his face. “I found out right before the announcement that it was possible I wasn’t going to be able to play next season, anyway. Or that I might seriously hurt my hip long-term if I did play.” His thumb returns to stroking the side of mine.
“So you didn’t retire in a romantic but ultimately ridiculous attempt to save my career?” I ask, feeling like I can breathe properly since the first time I heard Kane wasn’t planning to play next season.
He shakes his head. “As much as I would love to tell you I sacrificed myself for you to have a chance at happiness, it didn’t exactly go that way. And since I hadn’t decided what I was going to do when I heard you’d turned yourself in—something I have a lot of thoughts about, by the way—I can’t say for sure what I would’ve done.”
The smile that breaks out across my face isn’t one I can contain. “I love you, Beckett Kane.”
His lips pull into a crooked, confused smile. “You what?”
“Love you,” I repeat. Because it’s true. Even if he’s not sure whether he’s the type of man to give up his dreams for a woman. Or maybe even more so because of that.
“How is that possibly your response to hearing I didn’t retire for you?” he asks. “Do you have a weird kink for men with hips far worse than they should be at their age?”
Realizing we’re talking about love and kinks in the middle of our apartment building’s hallway, I grab his hand and pull him into my place.
Beckett laughs, following me. “You do, don’t you?!”
“Hard to say.” I push him against the closed door. “I candefinitelyconfirm I have a thing for one guy with old-man hips.”
He twists his hand in the bottom of my shirt. “Oh yeah?”
I kiss him deeply, his lips eagerly engaging mine in a dance that feels like fireworks and coming home.
He pulls me into him, his erection pressing into my stomach in a way that makes it impossible for me to keep in the low moan building in my throat.
“You want to know the best part?” I ask when we finally pull apart, my chest heaving.
“It’s not that you get to keep your job?” he says on a disbelieving laugh.
I tilt my head back and forth. “Well, maybe, but I was thinking the fact that I happen to have a nice little vacation planned for the next four weeks.”
He chuckles. “Is that what they’re calling it these days?”
I bite my bottom lip and nod. “Want to spend it with me?”
“You couldn’t stop me even if you tried.”
Chapter 46
Beckett
“Elsie!”Larsenyellsashe tries to pull Finley into a bear hug. She stiff-arms him to the side of the face, laughing as he dodges out of the way and tries again.
“Dude,” Li groans.
“What?” Larsen asks. “I’m just excited she didn’t get fired.”
“Yeah, but I don’t think you should hug her… like ever. It’s how we got into this mess.”
I meet Finley’s eyes and want to laugh at the mirth there.
Larsen shakes his head. “We did not get into this mess from hugging. I’m pretty sure they were fu—”
