Page 49 of Hockey Halloween

Paisley

OMG. OMG. OMG.

Gunther Wolf—the man I’ve secretly loved forever—just gave me a mind-blowingorgasm.

In the pool change room.

Under the guise of creating intimacy.

To fool the others.

And we almost got caught.

What is happening with my life? I have no clue.

But I do know one thing. I want that again.

I stay close to him, his big, warm hand guiding me inside, his touch still lingering on my skin. The party’s laughter drifts through the house as we sneak back into the kitchen, trying to act casual. Melanie glances our way, a knowing grin curving her lips.

“We needed some fresh air,” Gunther offers smoothly.

“Yeah,” I add quickly, “It’s hot in here.”

Melanie’s eyes twinkle. “I think Jaxon was looking for you.”

Beside me, Gunther stiffens and my heart leaps into my throat. This was the plan, wasn’t it? Make him jealous. Make him see me. But maybe now is the time to scrap the whole act and tell him everything—that it was always him .

But before I can speak, Brighton breezes into the kitchen and grabs my arm. “There you are,” she says, eyeing Gunther. “Did you get something to drink?”

Gunther gulps, cheeks slightly flushed. “Uh, yeah. Fully hydrated.”

“You’re ready to sing, then?”

He swallows again. “Yeah, sure.”

“Good. Everyone’s waiting to hearPaisley.”

Gunther grins. “What aboutme?”

Brighton laughs and tugs me toward the living room. “You’ll get your moment, Wonder Woman.”

She lets go once we reach the crowd. Ash hands me a guitar, and I step up to the mic. Gunther joins me, and it’s crazy how the world is right when he’s at my side.

“Ready?” I ask.

He nods and, like muscle memory, we fall into rhythm. Brighton hits play on our favorite karaoke duet, and we don’t even glance at the lyrics. We’ve done this a hundred times before.

And then—of course—Gunther goes full drama mode, busting out theatrical moves in his ridiculous Wonder Woman costume.

Our friends cheer, laughing as he twirls and sings with all the grace of a drunken Broadway star.

He’s endearing, and hilarious, and so damn adorable, it hurts.

I can’t help but wonder... Why hasn’t anyone snatched him up yet?

Maybe because he’s been pining for you too, girl.

Honestly, we’re electric together. It doesn’t matter what we’re doing, we’re always in sync.

Look at us now, me on guitar and Gunther singing like he was born to.

We’re a rhythm, a harmony, something that justworks.

And earlier, in that changing room… God.

The way he touched me, like his hands had memorized me long before they ever met my skin.

If I have anything to say about it, he’ll be touching me like that for the rest of my life.

The room erupts in applause, people dancing, cheering. I spot Melanie and she throws me a wink. And then there's Jaxon. Leaning against the far wall, legs casually crossed, arms folded, eyes locked on me .

We finish the song and the crowd loses it. I set down the guitar, and before I can even blink, Gunther pulls me into his arms, and spins me around like we’ve just won something more than applause.

“Nailed it,” he says, grinning. “Look out, Vermont. Here we come.”

I laugh, but his words hit somewhere deeper.We. Vermont. A future.

He’s ready. And if he’s ready, then it’s time. Time for honesty. Time to stop hiding behind this ruse, and say what I need to say.

“Can we talk?” I ask.

“Yeah, sure.”

We step aside, letting Dani and Conner take the mic. Their voices blend into the background as I pull Gunther toward a quieter corner. He leans against the wall, watching me closely, a flicker of something uncertain in his eyes.

I move in, not just to hear him better, but because I need his nearness. I rest my hand on his arm. He lowers his head, close, so close I think he’s going to kiss me.

His mouth brushes my ear. “What’s up?”

I pull back just enough to meet his gaze, my palm finding his chest. My heart’s beating as I work to formulate my words. I rise onto my toes, just a breath away. “Gunther,” I begin. His name tastes like hope.

But then he says a name that tastes like heartbreak. “Maddy.”

Time halts.

Maddy. The girl he was seeing. The one he said was over.

He isn’t thinking of me in this moment. He’s thinking of her.

And just like that, the air between us isn’t charged…it’s cracked.

“There you are.” I stumble back a step as she appears—Maddy—wedging herself between me and Gunther like she belongs there. She’s wearing his jersey. His number .

What the hell is happening?

Was this all pretend? Was Gunther just humoring me, playing the role I asked for so I could win over my guy. A guy that was never him?

Before I can make sense of it, Maddy throws her arms around him and jumps onto his waist like she’s done it a hundred times. Like she’s the one going home with him tonight.

Glass shatters behind me, a drink hitting the floor. I turn to see Roman accidently slam into Kalen, and everything becomes noise. My pulse pounds in my ears, but through the chaos, my eyes find Jaxon near the door, his brows drawn together in deep concern.

“Jaxon,” I breathe, barely audible over the noise as I hurry to him.

He straightens, instantly alert. “You okay?”

“No. Yes. I…I don’t know.” My voice cracks, and I can feel the tears coming fast, no time to blink them back. “I need to get out of here. Can you give me a ride?”

“Of course. Come on.”

I grab my coat, barely aware of what I’m doing. He follows suit, and together we push out the door into the cold. Just before it shuts, I glance back—one last look—and there she is. Maddy, wrapped aroundGunther like it’s exactly where she belongs.

“Oh, God,” I whisper as the door clicks shut.

Jaxon turns to me, his face softening. I shake my head. “I… I can’t go back to Gunther’s tonight.”

“You can stay with me. Or I’ll drive you to a hotel. Whatever you need.”

I look up at him through blurry eyes, guilt knotting in my throat. “I don’t want to put you out. You’ve already done so much tonight.”

He exhales hard, shoulders sagging. “I didn’t do enough, apparently.”

My chest aches. “What was I thinking?” I choke out. “Using you to make him jealous? I appreciate you going along with it and you did enough. But it was a stupid idea from the start.”

He studies me for a moment, then glances past me, a slow smile pulling at his lips. “Maybe not as stupid as you think.”

“What?” I turn to see what he’s looking at—and freeze.

Gunther.

Storming toward us, jaw tight, eyes burning with something wild and unspoken.

My breath catches .

Maybe this isn’t over.

“Paisley, wait. Please.” His jaw is tense, clenched like he’s wrestling something inside him. “What you just saw… heard…” He shakes his head, struggling for words. “She came out of nowhere. Surprised me. I wasn’t saying her name because I was thinkingabout her.”

His eyes flick between Jaxon and me, darting, uncertain. “She’s not the one I want,” he says, softer now. “You…”

I hold my breath, waiting for more. But he just stares at me, long, searching, like he’s trying to piece together something he doesn’t want to believe. Then, like a light fading, something shifts behind his eyes. Hurt gives way to heartbreak. And then… acceptance.

He exhales, voice rough. “I should go.”

He turns, but I step forward, reaching for him. “Wait. This isn’t what you think either.”

His brows knit. “What?” He leans in, his voice dropping low, meant only for me. “The act. The ruse…You got the guy you wanted, right?”

His words hit like a punch to the chest—not because they’re cruel, but because he meansthem. He’s letting me go, thinking that’s what I want.

I swallow hard. “I got the guy I wanted,” I whisper. “But only for a moment.”

That makes him pause. He looks at Jaxon again, confused. “I don’t get it.”

“It was you, Gunther. It’s always been you.

” My voice trembles, but I keep going. “Melanie saw how we looked at each other. She told me to go for it. I didn’t believe you wanted me, that we had a future, until the fortune teller said something about my wolf howling.

And I just knew she was talking about you. ”

He’s frozen, gaze locked on mine.

“Melanie asked Jaxon to help, to play along,” I continue. “It was all just a game to make you jealous. So you'd see me as more than your best friend. ”

He lets out a harsh breath, somewhere between disbelief and a bitter laugh. “You’ve got to be kidding me.”

“I’m not.”

There’s a beat, and then Jaxon gently claps Gunther on the shoulder. “Think I’ll head back inside,” he says quietly, then slips away, leaving just the two of us in the cold, quiet night.

“Paisley…” Gunther starts, voice low, rough. I step into him, wrapping my arms around his shoulders before he can overthink it.

His hands land on my shoulders, tentative, almost afraid. “You… me…”

He trails off, like the words are stuck—like he's scared to believe it’s real.

So I whisper the words for him. “I know. I get it,” I say softly. “You were scared to ruin the best friendship of your life. So was I. But tonight… I had to take the risk. Because as good as we are as friends, I knew in my heart, we could be better as…more.”

“More,” he echoes, voice low, pulling me into his arms. “We’re going to be more.”

I don’t know if it’s a question or a statement, so I answer him the only way that matters. I rise up on my toes and kiss him.

“Paisley,” he murmurs against my lips, like he still doesn’t believe this is real. “I can’t believe it. Everyone was in on this?”

“Not the fortune teller.” I laugh. “That was just good timing.” I arch a brow. “So… it worked? You got jealous? Realized you couldn’t stand the idea of me with someone else?”

His arms tighten around me. “If Jaxon had been what you wanted, I’d have stepped aside. Because all I’ve ever wanted… is what’s best for you. Even if that would have killed me.”

I smile up at him, heart full. “You’rewhat’s best for me, Gunther.”

He grins. “Yeah? Because you’rewhat’s best for me, Paisley.”

He glances back at the house, then leans in, lips brushing my ear. “How about we get out of here. Go back to my place… and finish what we started in that pool changing room?”

My heart leaps. Laughing, I say, “I thought you’d never ask. ”

“You know,” he says, playful now, that crooked smile I love lighting up his face, “I didn’t know you were into games.”

I tilt my head. “Guess there’s a few things you don’t know about me.”

He leans closer, voice husky. “Yeah, and I can’t wait to spend the rest of my life learning every single thing. But I’d like to startin the bedroom. Figuring out your likes, with my cock inside you.”

A delicious shiver runs down my spine. “I already like where this is going.”

He laughs and wraps an arm around my waist, leading me to his car.

His place.

Our future.