My breath catches.“And?”
“I liked it.”
The knot in my chest loosens a bit.“I meant it.I know I’m really fucking good at basketball, but when it comes to being a good boyfriend…I guess I’m starting from zero.”
“Possibly less than zero, after what you and Harlan did,” she points out, but her lips twitch.
“The fact you’re still here mean you’ve forgiven me?”I suggest.
She pulls back an inch, suspicious.“I didn’t say that.”
I lift her off her feet and toss her over my shoulder.
She screeches, grabbing my shoulders for balance.“I need to go to work!”
“Guess what, Nova?It’s Saturday, and it’s been a rough week.My girl just told me I need to do better.So I’m going to practice.”
“Wait!”
“Wasn’t a request.”
I lock my arm around the backs of her thighs and stalk toward my bedroom.She squirms but gives up the moment I drag up the shirt and bury my face between those thighs.
For hours, I forget all the bad shit.
21
CLAY
For the past week, Coach has been in a coma and I’ve been doing what Harlan asked.
I talk to the team.
I put on a good act.
I’m at the gym even earlier than usual, keeping an eagle eye on practice for when the assistant coaches screw up.
Today, while I’m trying to keep spirits up at practice, I see someone I don’t expect hovering at the edge of the tunnel.
James Parker stands straight as rod, hands in his pockets as we run drills.
The second I get rotated out, I grab a Gatorade and head for him.
“Clay.What a pleasure.”
From his voice, it’s clear my presence is anything but.
“You could’ve waited more than a day before giving away Coach’s job,” I say as I stop in front of him.
“A team needs a head coach.A conscious one too.The league is demanding like that,” he drawls.“My hands are tied.”
“Your hands are meddling.”
“You’re six-five, but you think you have better perspective than I do up there?”He nods to his office in the rafters of the building.
I pop the top on my drink.“I think you’re so far away you can’t tell a basketball from a breadbasket.”I chug half the bottle, enjoying the way his face contorts.“If you want to win a championship in this town, stay out of shit you don’t understand.That includes Nova.”
“Nova?”He cocks his head, genuinely surprised.
