Total pages in book: 59
Estimated words: 56213 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 281(@200wpm)___ 225(@250wpm)___ 187(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 56213 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 281(@200wpm)___ 225(@250wpm)___ 187(@300wpm)
“This is my fault,” Duke says.
“No, it’s mine,” I interject. “I should have put an end to it.”
Duke looks at me, his eyes wide and glassy, like a little boy who just found out there’s no Santa. “Lila, c’mon…”
“Duke, no. Don’t try to defend me. I’m your doctor, and as my patient, I had a responsibility to you.”
“You did,” Tom says in a firm tone, “and as of today, you no longer work for the team. Your actions have violated the ethics clause in your contract.”
I bite back the wave of nausea sweeping over me, and the tears that I’m desperately fighting to keep at bay.
“Tom, don’t do this to her,” Duke growls. “It’s my fault. I pushed things too far. Blame me. Trade me. But don’t take Lila’s job away from her.”
Tom folds his hands on his desk, studying Duke’s face with an unreadable expression. “You have a habit of screwing things up, Baldwin. You had a good thing going here. This little arrangement your dad suggested was your last chance. I warned you what would happen if you screwed this up.”
“Can you afford to lose me?” Duke glares across the desk at him. “Can the team? They’ve been playing like shit since my suspension.”
“We’ll make the playoffs,” he challenges.
“We will,” Duke agrees, pressing his palms to his thighs as he leans forward, his eyes fixed on the team manager. “But they won’t get far without me. You need me. The team needs me.”
“Your attitude has been a problem for years,” he says with a nasty look crossing his face. “I don’t want to see you go. But don’t you dare fucking tell me what this team needs.” His voice raises several octaves, sending a shiver down my arms.
I grip Duke’s arm, though his biceps are far too thick for me to wrap my fingers around. Duke’s head snaps in my direction. When our eyes meet, I issue a silent warning. He can fly off the handle and prove he’s the same person, or he can make a choice and show Tom that he’s changed. I yelled at him earlier, because I was upset about my family heirloom.
I was angry that he broke his phone, falling back into his old ways. It only made me feel worse. Like nothing I’ve said or done over the past few months has helped him. But deep down inside, I know I have gotten through to him.
But what happens to Duke when I’m not around? Will he go back to his old ways? I don’t want to think about the impact it will have on his life, on both of our lives.
“You have three weeks left on your suspension,” Tom says to Duke. “Coach Marshall wants you back on the ice with the team for practice.”
Duke grins like a fool. Men like him always win.
As I expected, Duke gets a slap on the wrist, while I lose everything. It’s a lot easier to be mad at someone else when you’re the one to blame. I’m an adult. I knew what I was doing was wrong, and I did it anyway. So, now I have to suffer the consequences.
“Would you excuse us, Dr. Devine?” Tom tips his head toward the door.
Ashamed, I can’t even look Tom in the eye.
Duke touches my arm. “Wait for me, okay?”
I nod, because how else will I get home? He drove me here.
When I was in college, I was already married to Ted. I never did a walk of shame out of the dorms or a frat house. Hell, I never even did anything slutty. And as I leave Tom’s office, I imagine the gut-wrenching, soul-crushing feeling I’m experiencing now would have come pretty close.
An hour later, I climb into Duke’s SUV, and for the first time, he doesn’t slap my ass to help me into my seat. Not that I want him to touch me right now. We have a lot to talk about, a lot for me to think about. Duke slides into his seat and turns on the engine. He stares out the window with a blank expression on his face. Since we walked into Tom’s office, Duke looks like he’s aged five years.
“We’re breaking up, aren’t we?” Duke’s deep voice cuts the silence.
“For now,” I say, my voice trembling. “I need to think about everything. About how much I screwed up.”
Duke leans back in his seat and shoves his hands through his hair with a frustrated groan. “I wish I could say that I regret pushing you to date me. I wish I could say that I would take it all back. But I meant what I said earlier. I love you, Lila. I’ve never been in love with a woman before. And I don’t know what to do or say that will make this better. I wish I had the answers. I wish I could do something that doesn’t make me feel so useless. But please… I need you.” A single tear falls from his eye when he locks on to me. “I can’t lose you.”