Page 5

Chapter 5

Declan

Present Day

I stand rooted to the spot with my eyes locked on the empty space Hannah left behind. I watched her peel out of the parking lot like she couldn’t put enough distance between us fast enough, but I still can’t stop the torrent of memories of our night together at the club from washing over me. My body relives it as if it’s happening all over again.

Sweetness floods my tongue, reminding me of the incredible way she tasted. I see the surprise and desire in her eyes when I slid my cock into her for the first time. And as if she’s in my arms right now, I can practically feel her nails raking down my back the way they did when she fell apart beneath me, her body writhing and grinding against mine desperately. The memory of her gorgeous blue and green eyes gazing up at me makes my chest tighten.

I fell off my training for two days straight after that night. We didn’t sleep at all during the entire night we spent together, just fucked and rested and talked, then did it all over again. I didn’t want to miss a single second of my time with her, and I couldn’t bear the thought of closing my eyes only to reopen them to find she wasn’t there. That kind of night, the things we shared and did to each other, leaves a mark on a person—one that’s impossible to shake.

She fucking wrecked me. Branded me.

I found my mystery girl again.

I shake my head, brows furrowing in disbelief at the thought because I honestly never thought I’d see her again. But her jasmine and orange blossom scent is still lingering in my nostrils, and her voice echoes in my head. As much as I try to think of anything else, all I can see are her gorgeous heterochromatic eyes and that sexy smile of hers, fully loaded with suggestion and covering up the truth of how much fire she’s carrying inside her.

And now I know her name. Hannah . It suits her.

Fuck, she’s even more mesmerizing than I remembered. But she’s my coach’s daughter?

It’s just my luck. And I know that’s why she’s giving me the cold shoulder, but that honestly only makes me want her more. Why should it matter if she’s the coach’s daughter? She’s a grown woman, so she can see whoever she wants, even if he is a hockey player. Besides, Dunaway seems to really like me, so maybe I can win him over. Or maybe we need to approach this differently. Either way, I can’t just give up on getting to know her better now that I’ve finally found her. After the incredible night we had together, I have to at least try.

“There’s the rookie!” Reese calls as he spills down the arena’s steps with several of the guys from the team, snapping me out of my thoughts. He strides over to me with Noah and Theo right behind him and playfully punches my shoulder. “Where’s the fire, buddy? You tore out of the locker room like you saw a ghost.”

I flinch at the joke because he has no idea how close to the truth he is.

“Oh, I had an important call I had to take,” I lie, pulling my phone out of my back pocket and waving it at them like that proves anything.

“Anyway, we’re gonna go get some drinks. You want to join us?” Noah asks, grinning at me.

I nod immediately. “I’d love to,” I answer, grateful for the chance to distract myself from the wild discovery I just made about Hannah. Besides, it’ll be good for me to spend more time with the guys and get to know them better.

“Awesome, then let’s roll. You can follow me if you’re not sure where it is,” Noah offers.

“Sounds good.”

“Cool, then we’ll see you jokers there,” he tells the others. As we head out to the parking lot, he shoots me a look. “You killed it today, by the way. I was really impressed.”

“Thanks. I was pretty nervous at the start, so I’m glad it didn’t show.”

“Really? No, it didn’t show at all. You looked even more confident than Theo out there, and that’s saying something.”

“Then I guess I’ll just have to keep up the hustle,” I say and grin at Noah, who smiles and nods back. “I didn’t work my ass off all these years to be mediocre now that I’m finally here.”

He chuckles approvingly. “That’s the attitude that wins championships.”

I hop on my bike as he climbs into his car, then follow him across town to a local sports bar called The Den. As we stride up to the door, several of the other players are already waiting for us.

“Took you long enough,” Maxim teases.

“Now that Noah is married, it’s mandatory for him to drive like an old man,” Theo says, and I snort.

“Hilarious, as always. Come on,” Noah says and breezes past them for the door, holding it open for the rest of us. The hostess seats us at a high-top table toward the back of the bar with a great view of the massive TV where commentators are going over replays from a recent game between the New Jersey Titans and the Los Angeles Prowlers.

“Ugh, get that shit out of here. No one gives a damn about the Prowlers,” Theo says, making a face at the TV as he sits. He waves a waitress down and asks her to change the channel, so she switches it to football instead. “That’s better.”

“I take it the rivalry between the Aces and the Prowlers is still going strong?” I ask, and Theo chuckles and shrugs.

“It’s not quite as bad as it used to be, but yeah.”

I remember a bunch of news reports coming out a while back about this guy named Kaplan who used to play for the Prowlers. Apparently, he and Theo really hated each other, but from what I remember, Kaplan got tossed out of the NHL. I know better than to pry, though.

“Let’s just say we keep them in their place,” Reese says, and the conversation pauses when the waitress returns to take our order. Noah tells her to bring us a round of whatever is new on tap, and when she’s gone, Theo eyes me.

“So you’re from Canada, eh?”

“Such an original joke,” I fire back as the waitress returns and hands me a large, ice-cold pint of draft beer. Theo smirks as he takes his beer.

“Couldn’t help myself.”

I take a sip of the beer. “Yeah, I’m from Canada. Grew up in Québec and moved to the United States with my parents when I was young.”

“Interesting. How long have you been in the US now?” Noah asks.

I shrug. “I’ve been here since I was ten. You can do the math.”

“So that means you’ve been here for, what, five years?” Theo jokes, and this time I laugh with the rest of them. I’m definitely younger than most of the guys on the team, but I’m not that young.

“I guess that makes you old enough to be my dad, right?” I fire back, and Noah barks out a laugh as Theo smirks.

“I think we’re gonna get along just fine,” he says and raises his beer to me. I clink my glass against his and take another sip, feeling good about bonding with the team like this. I didn’t really know what to expect coming in as a rookie on an established, super successful team like this, but so far everyone’s been great.

“So are your parents still in the US?” Noah asks, keeping the conversation on track.

“My mom is, yeah. But I don’t have a clue what my dad is doing. He split not long after we moved here, and I haven’t heard from the piece of shit since.”

I say it matter-of-factly, no self-pity in my voice. What happened, happened. I’ve made my peace with it.

“Damn. I’m sorry to hear that, man.”

I sip my beer. “Thanks, but it’s whatever.”

Noah flashes me a half-smile. “Your mom must be proud of you for making it to the NHL.”

“Oh, yeah, she’s fucking ecstatic. All I’ve ever wanted is to make her proud. She raised me on her own, worked two jobs to make sure I had gear and could play. This contract isn’t just my dream—it’s hers too.”

“That’s awesome, man,” Theo says with genuine warmth. “Nothing better than being able to give back to the people who helped you get here.”

“Yeah, it is.” I clear my throat. “Anyway, what’s the deal with Dunaway’s family?”

My change of topic doesn’t land as smoothly as I’d hoped it would, and Noah raises an eyebrow at me.

“What do you mean?”

“Oh, I was just wondering if he has any more kids besides, uh, what was her name?” I ask, playing stupid about Hannah.

“You mean Hannah?” Maxim offers, and I snap my fingers.

“Yeah, Hannah.”

Noah’s expression softens a bit. “I think Dunaway used to have another kid, but he died a long time ago. He doesn’t talk about it much, but then, he’s pretty private in general.”

Even before I signed with the Aces, I did a ton of research on the team and Dunaway, but this is the first time I’ve heard anything about Dunaway having a kid who died, so Noah clearly isn’t kidding about how close Dunaway keeps that to his chest.

“Oh, shit, sorry. I didn’t know.”

He waves me away. “Nothing to apologize for. Better you ask one of us than Dunaway himself.”

“Right,” I say and take another sip of my beer while I weigh what I want to ask next. I’ve got to be careful here because I don’t want any of them getting even a hint that Hannah and I already have a connection. I set my beer down carefully on the table in front of me. “Does Hannah hang around the arena like that a lot?”

I make sure to keep my tone casual, conversational—just a new guy trying to learn the dynamics.

Noah shrugs. “She comes to games sometimes, but from what I hear, she’s pretty busy with school and her side job.”

Theo laughs. “Yeah, and I’m sure Dunaway is thrilled she’s so busy with her own shit that it keeps her away from the arena. Poor guy. I can’t imagine being a hockey coach with a daughter.”

Reese nods. “Yeah, seriously. He’s made it abundantly clear to anyone who comes near her that he’d never let her date a hockey player. I’m surprised he hasn’t pulled you aside and given you ‘the talk’ yet.”

I raise my eyebrows at him. “‘The talk?’ What the hell does that mean?”

Noah laughs at me over the rim of his glass as he takes a drink. “Oh, don’t worry. I’m sure you’ll find out soon enough.”

“Yeah, especially since you’re one of the few guys on the team who isn’t partnered up yet,” Theo says. “Tread lightly, rookie.”

I nod as the guys change the subject, but I’m barely paying attention to what they’re saying because my mind’s stuck on Hannah. She said almost the exact same thing earlier—that her dad has forbidden her from dating hockey players—but as far as I’m concerned, that’s not going to stop me.

It’s not that I don’t respect Dunaway. I do. The man’s a legend, and he’s given me the opportunity of a lifetime. But some connections are too rare, too important to ignore. And what Hannah and I shared that night wasn’t just physical chemistry. It was something… bigger. Something worth fighting for.

I’ve finally found my mystery girl, and I’m not about to let her go that easily.