Chase
Allie remained against my chest long after the conversation should have ended.
The arena hallway was quiet around us. Most of the players had already left, and the staff members passing through the far end gave us enough privacy not to interrupt. I kept my arms around her carefully, one hand resting between her shoulders and the other at her waist.
I did not kiss her.
I wanted to.
The memory of the treatment room had stayed with me through every practice, interview, and sleepless hour since it happened. I remembered the way she had closed the distance first. The way her fingers had tightened in my shirt. The way she looked afterward, frightened by her own choice but certain she did not regret it.
Now, with her face pressed against my chest, I could feel the temptation to turn t
