Page 17 of Devil on Skates

IRINA

PUTTING OFF THE INEVITABLE only makes my anxiety worse.

I’ve learned that lesson over and over again, and yet here I am, dragging my feet toward my house, every step heavy with dread.

The quiet streets don’t help because there’s no way to escape the loop of thoughts spinning in my head.

What’s he going to say? How will I even respond? What’s waiting for me behind that door?

The key turns in the lock with that familiar click, but now it sounds way more threatening. The house is perfectly quiet, but I know my dad’s here and probably waiting for me. I consider slipping upstairs and hiding in my room a little longer before the showdown I know is coming.

But it’s too late. Before I even reach the stairs, he appears in the doorway. His shoulders are rigid, a vein twitching at his temple.

“So you’ve finally decided to come home,” he says, his voice quiet like it always is a moment before he explodes. “After embarrassing me... both at work and personally... you destroyed years I spent working my ass off to turn my players into a real team.”

I stay near the bottom of the stairs, trying to keep some distance. “Dad, I—”

“Do you even realize,” he says, his voice getting louder with each word, “what you’ve done? The damage you’ve caused? Keith—the son of one of the most influential people in the hockey world—has ended things with you because of your fling with one of my players!”

My heart pounds in my chest. “It wasn’t like that—”

“Not like what?” He’s shouting so loud it echoes through the house.

“There are videos, Irina! Videos of you drunk out of your mind! And my players fighting over you like some... trophy! The whole athletic department is buzzing about it. Noel called me and he was pissed off about how his son got treated!”

His face is flushed with rage, and I force myself not to move, even though all I want to do is run. “I didn’t ask anyone to fight over me. I can’t control what other people do.”

“Don’t.” He cuts me off with a wave of his hand. “Don’t try to wash your hands off this. You chose to get drunk in public. You chose to go after Gallagher, even though you were with Keith. You created this mess.”

His twisted version of things makes my own anger flare up, burning away the guilt I usually hide behind when he’s upset. “I didn’t choose any of this! You set me up with Keith without even asking if I wanted to date him. You’ve been controlling my whole life to get what you want!”

“Because I know what’s best for you!” he yells, stepping closer. “I’ve been thinking about your future while you’ve been chasing stupid, short-term thrills!”

“It’s not like that,” I say, but I have no idea how to explain it to him.

He takes a deep breath, and when he speaks again, it’s with that dangerous, quiet tone. “You’re going to fix this. You will call Keith, apologize like crazy, and make things right, no matter what it takes.”

I freeze, my shoulders tight, as if the floor just tilted under me. “What? No. I don’t even like him. Maybe this is actually better—”

“Better?” He laughs. “I gave you a chance to connect with a family that could secure your future! And you think throwing that all away and having nothing is better?”

“I think being with someone I actually care about is better,” I say before I can stop myself.

His eyes turn icy. “Then you can pay for that yourself. If you won’t fix things with Keith, find somewhere else to live and figure out how to pay me back for your education and everything I’ve done for you. And your car stays here, because I paid for it.”

He’s kicking me out, and only because I don’t want to date who he wants me to.

“This discussion is over,” he adds. “I want to hear you’ve contacted Keith by tomorrow. Until then, we’re done.”

As he leaves, I stare after him in shock. This house, which never truly felt like my home, now feels like a prison, and every corner is a reminder that his acceptance was never unconditional.

I drag myself upstairs. After getting a shower and changing into something more comfortable, I start packing, grabbing my clothes, toiletries, laptop, and school stuff. I don’t know where I’m going, but I have to get out of here.

The photo on my nightstand catches my eye. It’s me at ten, and I’m standing between Mom and Dad at a hockey tournament, both their hands on my shoulders like everything’s perfect. I flip it face down, unwilling to look at it.

I slip out of the house, the door quietly clicking shut behind me.

As I walk down the street, I realize I have nowhere safe to go because there’s no one who’ll love me no matter what.

My mom would probably take me in, but I don’t want any trouble with my stepdad, who I know wouldn’t want me in his house.

My feet take me to the bus stop without me even thinking about it. The campus is the one place I still feel like I belong.

The bus ride is a blur, and when I get to the campus, I barely have a plan. I need to find a place to crash tonight, figure out money tomorrow, and talk to someone about emergency help.

I settle on a bench near one of the buildings and pull out my phone. It’s still blowing up with texts from my classmates who saw everything, social media with the videos still spreading, and messages from Mom asking what’s going on now that Dad’s probably filled her in.

I start watching the videos causing all this drama. They’re easy to find and show different angles of the fight. In all of them, Xavier is pinning and punching his teammate, his face twisted with fury. I’m mostly in the background, but clearly drunk.

Then there’s a moment I don’t remember. Xavier turns from the fight toward me, his body shielding me as he checks if I’m okay.

In a world where my dad’s love depends on me playing his game and being his perfect puppet, where Mom stays distant because of her new family, and where Keith only cares about how he and I will look in public, Xavier’s concern feels real.

He actually fought for me, risking his spot on the team for me.

That’s huge.

I feel someone’s gaze on me and I look up. My heart skips a beat. It’s Xavier. I should be annoyed that he showed up on my campus uninvited, but I actually feel a strange relief. Someone actually looked for me and knows where I might run when everything falls apart.

“What are you doing here?” I ask.

“Because I want you, and you want me. Go ahead. Try to deny it.”

Usually, I’d push back, but not now. I’m too tired to argue, and he’s right. I stare at him, and all the roles I’m supposed to play disappear.

I’m just me, and that seems to be enough for him.

I get to my feet. We close the gap between us slowly, drawn together like magnets. His hands cup my face, surprising me with how gentle he can be. My fingers grab his jacket, as if I’m trying to hold on to something real when everything else feels shaky.

When our lips meet, it’s just pure passion and desire. His kiss is sure and intense, and as he deepens it, a different kind of fire lights up inside me.

“Not here,” I whisper, aware of the people nearby who are probably staring.

His eyes flash with heat and hunger. “Then where?”

I think of the storage room with all the rehab gear in the building close by. No one should be there at this time, and we can block the door with something.

“Follow me,” I say, taking his hand and leading him with me.

The building is quiet, our footsteps echoing in the hallways. I lead him to the dim storage room.

It’s easy to open the door because the lock’s broken, but no one cares. Inside, it smells like rubber and cleaning supplies, but I don’t mind. The only light comes from a tiny, dirty window covered with cobwebs.

The door closes behind us, and Xavier places a crate in front of it so that no one barges in on us. Then his hands find my waist, pulling me toward him.

“Do you want me as much as I want you?” he asks, his confidence softening into something gentle.

He’s still giving me a choice to walk away, isn’t he? With my dad and with Keith, it was always ultimatums and consequences. But with him, I get to decide on my own, without any pressure.

“Yes,” I say. “I want you more than I ever wanted anyone.”

A slow smile spreads across his face. Our lips connect, his hands grabbing my wrists and pinning them above my head against the wall. His body presses into mine, his thigh wedging between my legs and making me suck in a breath as heat pools low in my stomach.

His mouth slams against mine, his tongue forcing its way in with so much hunger that it leaves me breathless.

I groan and gently bite his lower lip. A growl forms at the back of his throat, and his grip on my wrists tightens.

He kisses me again, and I arch into him, already feeling just how hard he is.

He lets go of my wrists and grabs my shirt, yanking it off me in one rough tug. His fingers fumble with the elastic of my sports bra, and he almost rips it off me. He dips his head, his tongue flicking over my hard nipple and making me gasp.

His pinches my other nipple between his fingers as he keeps licking, slowly circling my sensitive bud before sucking it into his mouth, his teeth grazing me lightly.

My soft moans fill the air as he toys with my breasts, and I start tugging at his jersey.

“Xavier... Fuck,” I whisper.

He pulls back, grabbing my waist and lifting me onto a desk, his eyes sparkling with desire. Some things fall off the desk with a loud sound, but I don’t give a damn. Xavier’s hands lower to my pants, dragging them down my legs along with my underwear and leaving me completely bare to him.

I kick off the clothes and my shoes as he yanks his shirt over his head, exposing his muscular chest. My breath catches as he shoves my thighs apart, his fingers going to my slickness. I groan as he lowers himself to his knees, his tongue finding my clit as he slides a finger inside me.

I grip the edge of the table as his slow and deliberate licks drive me crazy, building the fire inside me until I’m not sure I can take it anymore. His tongue keeps working me, another one of his fingers pushing in and out of me.

I come so hard that my whole body shakes, my moans tearing their way out of my throat as I close my thighs around his head. As I try to catch my breath, Xavier gets up, licking his lips and grinning at me, which only reignites the need spreading through me.

He quickly gets rid of his clothes and grabs a condom, his thick length rock-hard. Another jolt of desire surges through me, and I slide myself off the table. I turn around, bending over the table and glancing over my shoulder at Xavier.

As I shoot him a smile, he grips my hips, and without any hesitation, he slams himself inside me. I groan as I stretch around him, taking him as deep as possible. He grunts as he pumps into me hard and fast, smacking my ass.

Our moans and groans fill the air as his furious thrusts bring me closer and closer to the edge. It’s crazy just how good he can make me feel, and I know I haven’t made a mistake when I decided to give in.

I don’t think I’ll ever find someone like Xavier. This kind of connection happens once in a lifetime, and as his fingers tangle in my hair, pulling my head back while he pounds into me, I just want to forget everything else exists.

When my release hits me, I cry out, and Xavier joins me a moment later. My whole body tingles with pleasure, and as Xavier backs away from me, he pulls me up and spins me around so he can kiss me.

He leans his forehead against mine as we both pant for breath, his arms around me. In his embrace, I know I’m safe and I know that I can trust him. Being with him feels like the only thing in my life that’s right and real.

But what do we do about the world that doesn’t want us together?