Page 35 of Overtime Goal (Buffalo Warriors Hockey #4)

riley

I was running out of streets to search, not to mention breath and ideas.

Whatever thread of calm I’d been holding on to burned away in the late-afternoon heat.

For what seemed like hours, I’d been tearing up and down Positano’s maze of sunlit alleys and bougainvillea-choked staircases, ducking into bars, and scanning every terrace and café. No Logan, no Quinn.

With every corner I turned, panic choked my gut a little more.

My heart hammered like it was trying to break free, and my sweat-soaked shirt clung to my back.

My legs were on fire, but stopping wasn’t an option.

There was no way in hell I’d go home to sit in the dark, imagining Logan fucking that scumbag Weaver.

I loved Logan, and I was pretty damn sure he loved me. If there was still a chance for us, then the only person either of us should be fucking was each other. What we had wasn’t only about sex; it was about finding the person I wanted for the rest of my life.

What the hell will I do if I can’t find him?

Hotels were next. There was no way receptionists would hand over names like Quinn Weaver or Logan Grayson, but I had to try.

Going from room to room, knocking like a lunatic might get me tossed out or even arrested.

No matter. It would beat the hell out of showing up too late and hearing something through a door I’d never scrub out of my head.

I shook it off. Thinking about Logan naked with Quinn was poison, especially when I hadn’t even told him how I felt.

I fucking loved him, more than anything.

If I had to scream it in the middle of a restaurant, dodging waiters with trays of drinks and grilled octopus, I would.

I didn’t care who heard, as long as Logan did.

Halfway up another incline, my legs gave out. I bent over, with my hands on my knees and my lungs burning like fire. A couple stopped and asked if I was okay. When I wheezed out something about exercising, they moved on, looking unconvinced.

Two more streets, then the hotels.

I forced my legs back into motion and dragged myself onto Via Guglielmo Marconi. The afternoon was so humid I had to struggle for every breath. I kept checking places but turned up nothing. A blond guy at Roc made my heart seize, but when he turned his head, it wasn’t Logan.

Fuck.

I kept going. Each step was heavier than the last, but stopping wasn’t an option. At the intersection, I veered onto Via Cristoforo Colombo. Tourists clogged the way, laughing over limoncello shots while scooters buzzed past.

Then I came to Marco’s. Tucked into the hillside, the terrace was an open space with cobalt-blue chairs and matching tables. Logan and I had passed it on a walk after we arrived in town and said we should come back.

I stepped inside and told the host I was meeting someone. He nodded, and I wove through the crowd, checking every table.

Finally. He was sitting halfway across the terrace with Quinn beside him, way too close.

My heart pounded as the noise of the bar faded into a dull roar.

Weaver was bigger than me, but I might have to beat the shit out of him before the day was out.

I wouldn’t be acting like my father; I’d be declaring for the man I loved.

Energized, I took off. When I came up beside the table, they were staring at each other.

“Logan,” I said. “Thank God I found you.”

They looked over. Logan jerked his head back and blinked before a smile formed on his lips. “Riles?”

“Have I changed so much you have to ask?”

Weaver narrowed his eyes. “What are you doing here, Riley?”

“Logan and I are on vacation together. Didn’t he tell you? We’re staying at a villa up the mountain.” I placed a hand on Logan’s shoulder and smirked at Weaver. “We’ll be here for a month.”

Weaver looked back and forth between us. “The fuck? What’s going on here?”

Logan swallowed. “Um… What he said. We’re here together.” He looked up at me. “What I don’t understand is why you’re here at Marco’s. How did you find me?”

“I’ve been looking for you, running all over the damn city.” My heart was beating so hard my voice shook. “Up and down every fucking street. I didn’t know where to start, but I had to find you before I lost my goddamn mind.”

Quinn shifted in his seat. “You could’ve called like a normal person.”

“No,” I snapped, giving him a cutting glance. “This is way too fucking important to risk a call going to voicemail.”

Logan eased his shoulder out from under my hand. “What’s going on, Riles?”

“Logan, I… I’m not sure how to say this, but I’ll do my best. I didn’t plan a big speech, but you left, and I couldn’t let us end like that.”

He narrowed his eyes. “End like what?”

“Like wh…” I swallowed, trying to get the lump in my throat down, then tried again. “Like what we were doing didn’t matter, wasn’t real. And that I wasn’t important.”

“I didn’t leave for good. Weren’t we going to talk later?”

“You didn’t say that, and you seemed pretty done to me.” I planted both hands on the table, half-bent over, with my heart still slamming in my chest. “You all but said you were going to sleep with him .” I jerked my head toward Weaver the Weasel.

Weaver scoffed. “Jesus.”

“Shut up,” I snapped. “This has nothing to do with you.”

He sat back and folded his arms, wearing a shit-eating grin I wanted to punch off his face. And I would, but first things first. I turned back to Logan, who hadn’t moved. He was wide-eyed, so handsome with his blond hair almost glowing in the sun. I wanted to grab his hand, but resisted the urge.

“I was a fucking fool, Logan. In LA, I got scared. Ever since then, I’ve been trying to show you that wasn’t how I really felt. It’s taken me a while to think everything through. Too long, maybe. But I told you about what I searched on the web, and what it made me think.”

His smile was small but encouraging, so I went on. “I wish I was better with words and had some fancy, beautiful way to say this, but I don’t. I hope it’s enough.” I took a deep breath and said, “I love you, Logan. I’m so fucking in love with you.”

His lips parted, but he didn’t speak. The surrounding noise continued as if what I’d said wasn’t important enough to stop the clocks.

“I love you.” My voice came out hoarse, torn from my heart. “This isn’t a game, and it’s not a phase. It’s not some fucking detour on my way back to women. You’re not a fling, Logan. You’re my first thought in the morning and my last at night. You’re where I want to land.”

Weaver made a sound like he was spitting on the floor. I kept my eyes on Logan, willing him to hear me.

But he said nothing, so I went on. “I’m not curious, and I’m not confused anymore. I’m in love with you, and I want to be together.”

Logan stood, his eyes wider than ever. “Riles?—”

I shook my head. “You don’t have to say it back. You don’t even have to believe me yet. I… I had to say it because pretending I didn’t feel this way and waiting for it to magically make sense was the dumbest fucking thing I’ve ever done.”

Logan’s eyes locked on mine. “Do you?—”

“I can’t stop you if you want to go with Weaver,” I said, the words raw in my throat.

“But please don’t. Don’t walk out of here with him when I’m right here begging you to stay.

Give me a chance.” I moved my hand into the space between us, hoping I could pull him closer by sheer will. “Give us a chance.”

Quinn huffed out a loud breath. “Okay, what the fuck is happening here?”

“Seriously?” I shot death rays with my eyes. “Read the fucking room and get the hell out of it.”

Logan’s hand found the small of my back. “Don’t.”

“Don’t what?” My chest heaved. “Don’t lose it? I’ve almost lost you, and I can’t—” My insides felt like they were about to explode, and my voice fell to a whisper. “I love you, Logan. I don’t want to mess this up again.”

He smiled. “You didn’t mess it up the first time. I did.”

“I thought it was me, everything I said…”

Quinn muttered a curse, but Logan kept his eyes on me and said, “We have a lot to figure out, but I love you too. I’ve been in love with you for so long I can’t remember when it started.” His voice cracked. “We can work this out.”

“Did you say…?”

His lips curved into a shy grin. “I love you, Ade. More than I’ve ever loved anyone. Are you serious about us?”

“Never been more serious about anything. I’m scared because I don’t know how to do this. But I love you enough to figure it out.”

The moment stretched between us, quiet and full of heat. I wanted to kiss him, but we were in public. We didn’t need more complications until we talked about things.

His smile widened into a grin bright enough to light the entire town. “Want to go back to the house? We’ll have all the privacy we need there.”

Weaver let out an irritated grunt. “Lo, does this mean you’re not coming with me?”

I glared at him, tempted to punch him for being there.

Logan put a hand on my arm and said, “Let’s go.”

We walked out, shoulder to shoulder, with no kissing and no fireworks. We were just us, and that was enough because we’d finally said the words that mattered most.