Page 24

Chapter Twenty-Four

I n my career, we’d won hundreds of times. The feeling never faded or dulled, but tonight, it felt different. I was proud we played like hell if only to show Cassie what hockey could be like.

It was her first game, after all, I told myself when an inner voice of reasoning started to ask why it mattered. Of course I wanted to give her a good impression of the game.

And in my opinion, we’d delivered on that account.

That inner voice was starting to get annoying as hell, though.

Especially when it started bringing up pretty valid points when I went looking for Cassie and Maggie after the game ended.

You have interviews to give. You don’t have time for this.

But I knew that Maggie was never patient enough to stick around after a game while I did the media obligations. And I wanted to see how Cassie liked it.

You’ll see her at home.

It didn’t matter; I wanted to see her now, and no amount of reasoning could talk me out of it. Before I could get roped into an interview, I slipped out of the locker room, promising Brody I’d be back in a few minutes to fulfill any obligations to the team that were required of me.

And then I ran through the arena like a bat out of hell, headed straight toward the exit I knew Maggie usually took.

Without my gear on, I was able to blend in a bit more, wearing only a hoodie and joggers as I maneuvered through the crowds trying to make their way out.

It was mayhem, and I was thanking every God that might exist that no one gave me so much as a second glance. Of course they wouldn’t expect me to be here, rushing through thousands of people to try and find one girl.

But I was.

Why?

I saw her several feet away from the exit, finding it impossible to miss a blonde in a variety of pastels among the blue and gray jerseys that filled the lobby.

“What, you guys bailing out on me so soon?” I called out loud enough for them to hear.

I watched as they both turned at the same time.

“I must not have played as well as I thought.” I laughed at the bewilderment on Cassie’s face.

“?” she asked, eyes lighting up, running toward me.

I fucking melted at the sight of it.

Her eyes had to be my favorite thing about her, not only because they were bluer than any ocean I’d ever seen but because of how expressive they were. I could see every feeling and thought play across them in real-time. And right now? It looked like she was as excited to see me as I was.

“Maggie said you were going to be too busy to talk to us!” Cassie practically bounced on her heels as she approached.

“Yeah,” Maggie said, approaching belatedly because she walked at a normal pace, unlike Cassie’s run toward me. “What happened to all your interviews?” She sniffed the air. “God, did you even shower yet?”

I ran a hand through my hair, still slick with sweat.

“I have time to say hi quick,” I responded to Maggie’s skeptical look.

“But—”

“!” A voice behind me called, halting Maggie’s words. “They’re looking for you now!”

I turned my head to see Brody approaching from behind. Jesus Christ.

“I’ll be there in one minute,” I told him, giving him a look that would ordinarily make him back off.

But this time, he was looking at Maggie, and when I turned, I noticed she was looking right back at him too.

“Hey,” she said, more timidly than I’d ever seen her.

Was she blushing?

“Hi, Maggie.” Brody grinned. “How’s it going? didn’t tell me you were here tonight.”

“Yeah, Cassie’s never been,” she said by way of explanation.

“Really?” Brody peeked around me to look over to Cassie. “No shit! Hey Cassie, I didn’t see you over there behind .”

“Hi.” She waved shyly.

I grinned down at her, amused by how bold and timid she could be at the same time.

“You guys played really well tonight,” Maggie said nonchalantly to Brody.

“You guys were amazing !” Cassie corrected, staring at me in disbelief. “I mean, you were so fast. I didn’t even know you could move that fast on the ice. And the way you guys managed to be brutally aggressive and graceful at the same time? Crazy.”

“Glad you enjoyed it.” I laughed.

But I wasn’t glad. I was over the fucking moon. Part of me had worried she’d find it all boring and a waste of time. Now I could at least hope she might want to come to more games in the future.

“Are you kidding?” Her voice rose. “I loved it. I’m so glad I got to see you in your element. I feel like I sort of get you more now. You know what I mean?”

I did. And my heart clenched because of it. She understood that this was the biggest part of who I was. Maybe that’s why I’d wanted her to come so badly. To see all of me.

“I did get scared at one point, though—”

“When?” I asked more intensely than I’d intended. My mind flashed with rowdy fans crowding her space or aggressive drunks spilling drinks on her.

“When that guy slammed you up against the glass. I was really worried.” Her eyes were downcast, peeking up at me between words.

My heart paused.

She was scared for me?

“I’ve taken worse than that before.” I tried to joke, but the words came out breathy.

“Well, I hope I never have to see it. That was enough for me.”

I didn’t notice the way Brody and Maggie had put some distance between us while Cassie was talking. How could I notice anything when she was lighting up my peripheral? Now the pair of them were far enough away that I couldn’t overhear their conversation. Fine by me.

Cassie stared at them wistfully, both of us watching as Brody spoke to Maggie with a grin on his face. “He likes her, doesn’t he?”

“Yeah,” I admitted. “I think he does a lot.”

“That’s perfect.” Her eyes practically turned to hearts as she gushed. “Maggie deserves it. I think she likes him, too. Even though she wouldn’t admit it.”

I took the moment she was distracted, staring off at them, to fully take her in. Her cheeks were flushed from the cold, her hair was falling down in wisps around her face, and she looked so beautiful. More beautiful than any girl I’d ever seen, that was for sure.

I didn’t know how she could be both. So sweet, so kind, and absolutely stunning at the same time. It was enough to throw a man off-kilter. Maybe enough to make him even enjoy the disorientation.

Not good. That pesky voice said. Not good at all.

I cleared my throat.

“Hey, um, do you need a ride home tonight?” I asked, stupidly hoping she’d say yes.

Her eyes widened, turning to face me.

“Oh, no.” She shook her head. “It’s okay. Maggie said she’d bring me.”

Yeah, but last time she left somewhere with Maggie, it wasn’t my house she ended up back at.

How the hell was I annoyed with my sister for hogging her friend? It wasn’t as if Cassie actually wanted to spend any time with me. Of course she’d want to be with her actual friend. But still, I asked.

“Are you sure? If you stick around for a bit, I can try to wrap things up quickly back there.” I gestured my head toward the direction of the locker rooms I’d fled from.

I knew I’d have to be getting back soon. Coach would blow a gasket if he couldn’t find me, knowing all of the reporters would want to harass me about game interviews.

“Well, if you’re sure,” Cassie said, tugging at her sleeves. “It would be easier, so Maggie doesn’t have to go out of her way.”

I didn’t know why she got like that sometimes. At first, I thought it was just me because she didn’t know me. But even with Maggie, she was still always talking about herself as if she were a burden that needed to be endured. I didn’t understand it, and I didn’t like it at all.

“Maggie wouldn’t care,” I assured her, staring down at her intently. “But I do want to drive you home, so I hope you’ll wait for me.”

“You do?” Her eyes met mine warily.

My breath caught.

“Yeah, I do.”

“Okay,” she said, a faint smile tugging at her lips.

“That’s if you can fit in my car,” I teased, tugging the end of her scarf. “You look like one of us with all that padding on.”

With her pink puffer jacket over her thick sweater, her earmuffs, and fully mittened hands, she looked puffy enough to survive a few body checks on the ice.

A laugh bubbled out of her, and I wished I could bottle up the sound and keep it forever. It made me want to have a thousand funny lines at my disposal so I could summon the noise from her whenever I wanted.

“Well, if you find any hockey teams who use the color pink in their jerseys, send them my way. That’s definitely something I could get on board with.”

“No.” I shook my head playfully at her. “I don’t think I want to see you in any other team’s jersey.”

Hell, I didn’t want to see her in any of my team’s jerseys unless it was my last name she was wearing.

For a second, the thought made me recoil as the intrusive voice asked me what type of weird, territorial part of me had been unleashed to think up that thought, but I shoved that voice away. I was getting good at keeping it at bay.

“Don’t worry,” she said, “after tonight, I’m a Harbor Wolves fan through and through.”

“Yeah?” I asked, feeling idiotic at the size of the smile on my face. “Or are you just a fan of whoever the winning team is?”

She scrunched up her nose, scoffing at the insinuation. “I’ll have you know I am not that fickle.”

I didn’t doubt it. She was as loyal as they came. I had the feeling that once she was in your corner, there wasn’t anything on earth that could drag her out of it.

“Besides,” she said, “I wasn’t cheering because of the team. I was cheering because of you. ”

For a moment, my head whirled. I felt like our conversation was far too intimate to be had in the bustle of the Garden. All I wanted was to throw her in my car and take her home immediately so it could just be the two of us.

I don’t know how the hell she did it, but she calmed something inside of me. She made all the noise that was in my head stop. I felt like I could breathe easier around her, and I was scared as hell about what that meant.

“Cassie, I—”

“ Cassie? ” My back stiffened at the sound of her name being called by another man’s voice.

Cassie spun, her body freezing when her eyes landed on the owner of the voice.

He was of average build, average height, and average face. Everything about him was completely ordinary. He could’ve been anyone. But Cassie’s reaction made it evident that he most definitely was not just anyone.

“Cassie?” he repeated again, his jaw dropping as he stared at her. “What are you doing here?”

He started to take a step, and when Cassie processed his plan, she turned back to me, eyes wide and frantic, face paler than I’d ever seen it.

“I, uh- I need to go home. Now. Please tell Maggie I’ll be outside.”

“Cassie—” I started, reaching out for her, but she was already running out the exit.

I could’ve followed her, but I needed to know what the hell was going on, and the idiot standing a few feet away seemed like the best place to start.

The guy looked as if he were going to go after her, but I stalked over in front of him, grateful as hell for the way I towered over him. Rage radiated off of me toward this stranger who was looking up at me with intimidation in his eyes. I might not know who he was, but I could guess. And Cassie’s reaction alone gave me cause enough to hate him with a ferocity that was dangerous.

“Mind backing up?” he asked in a way that pissed me off.

“Mind telling me who the hell you are? And why she just ran out of here at the sight of you?” I lifted my arm, pointing in the direction where Cassie fled.

“None of your business.”

He snorted, trying to get around me, but I was bigger and broader, and I knew if he tried to get away, I would punch him right in the face and not care how many reporters printed the story.

“She is my business,” I answered. “So start fucking talking.”

“I don’t know who you think you are, but Cassie and I—”

Those words. The way he still tried to pair himself with her made me see red. I wanted to shove him against the wall and demand that he never utter her name again.

“There is no Cassie and you,” I said, grabbing him by the front of his shirt, just an edge away from the tipping point. “So tell me now, who the fuck are you?”

I knew if he didn’t answer, I’d hit him. I knew there’d be no restraining myself if he said one more smart-ass comment.

For a minute, his eyes shone with panic as he looked down at the fist that grasped the fabric of his shirt. Then, it was replaced with a scathing look as he jutted his chin in defiance.

I held his gaze, not backing down in the slightest.

It didn’t matter who saw. It didn’t matter that people were stopping to stare.

Security might be here soon to break up the fight, but it didn’t matter. All that mattered was confirming the identity of the dick in front of me.

“I’m Dave ,” he spat out at last, eyes blaring with hatred. “And who the fuck are you?”

“I’m her fucking boyfriend,” I seethed, and then I threw the punch.