Page 122 of Risking the Pucking Defense
Sure, she looks tired, but she’s still the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen. The sight of her standing in my apartment with her hands in her hoodie pocket makes my heart skip a beat just like it did the first time I saw her.
“What’s going on, Hails?” I force the words out past the giant lump in my throat, terrified of what’s going to follow.
“That loss last night sucked,” she says. “You played well, though.”
“I really didn’t, but I appreciate the support,” I say, grabbing myself a water and moving a little closer to her.
It’s a risk, because as the scent of her perfume gets stronger, all I want to do is reach out and pull her to me, and she isn’t really giving off vibes that she wants any of that right now.
“Hailee, I need—”
“I told HR about us,” she suddenly blurts, and I’m pretty sure the world stops turning.
“Y-you…you told…shit, Hailee,” I mutter, combing my hair back from my brow. “We’re not…are we…is this…” I swallow down the words I’m too scared to ask.
“I don’t know, but I couldn’t risk it being something and keeping it a secret. That’s a sure-fire way to lose my job.”
The stark reality of what she’s done hits me like a fucking truck.
“That’s why you’ve been distant,” I mutter, more to myself.
“I didn’t want you to worry,” she confesses.
“Worry? Are you kidding? I’d worry even if nothing had happened. I…I care about you, Hails. I—" I slam my lips together. This isn’t about me. “What did they say?”
She swallows thickly before reaching up to swipe a tear from her cheek.
“Fuck, did you get fired?”
My heart begins to race, panic surging through my veins.
“I’ll talk to them. Anthony, Grady, anyone. I’ll tell them that—”
“Hayden,” she says softly, her small, warm hand landing on my forearm.
I take a deep breath. “You haven’t done anything wrong, Hails. This…us…”
“I know, baby.” Fuck. The way she says that final word…it wraps around my chest and threatens to squeeze the life out of me.
“Katie went with you because I was advised not to go while they look into everything.”
“Fuck.”
“It’s okay,” she assures me with a shaky smile.
“No, it’s not. It’s not fucking okay, Hails. You’ve given everything to that organization. They owe you more respect than that.”
“Relationships between—”
“That’s bullshit,” I snap, cutting her off as my panic turns to anger. “You and I…it’s no different from anyone else in a relationship at the organization. You’re so fucking good at your job, and it’s not like you’re going to let me have an easy ride. You’re too much of a hard-ass for that.”
Her smile grows at my comment.
“Hayden—”
“No, this is fucking bullshit. I’m not having it. I’m not letting them take this away from you. I—”
“Hayden,” she says more firmly. “Anthony called me into a meeting this afternoon. It’s okay.”
