Page 26

Hayden

I wake up to Liam’s sweet scent. Flinging my arm to the side, I try to hug him but my hands only feel the cold, empty mattress.

“Liam,” I moan, slowly opening my eyes.

Liam’s side of the bed is empty. Groaning, I stretch my legs under the blanket and yawn widely.

My eyes adjust to the soft morning light spilling through the gaps in the curtains. Looking around the room, I take in the superhero posters lining the walls. Liam’s favorite, Spiderman, poses on top of a New York skyscraper, looking like he’s about to jump at the spectator any second.

On a far wall, there’s a giant framed illustration of Einstein in a wizard’s cape.

I stare at it, my lips curving into an amused grin.

It’s just so Liam .

He’s passionate about Physics and is determined to become a scientist.

My gaze drifts to the shelves alongside the walls, overflowing with thick tomes. One of them is filled with neatly stacked comic books and novels.

Of course.

For Liam, science and fiction go hand-in-hand.

The thought makes me smile. I stretch, feeling the soreness in my muscles but compared to yesterday, I’m much better. Sleeping in a proper bed with Liam nestled against me made all the difference.

Just as I’m thinking about spending another night with Liam, my phone rings. Groaning, I grab it from the nightstand and squint at the screen.

It’s Mitchikov.

A sigh escapes me. No one’s heard from me since the evening of the game, so it was about time my clingy teammate called me.

Taking a deep breath, I answer his call.

“Where the hell are you, Bastian?” Mitchikov’s familiar, over-dramatic voice shouts in my ear. “Thank fuck you picked up your phone or we’d have assumed your dad kidnapped you or something.”

I hear faint murmuring in the background. The rest of the team is probably listening in, making sure I’m okay.

“I’m—” My gaze roves around Liam’s bedroom. It feels somewhat too intimate to just throw it into a conversation with Mitchikov. “I’m not in Knightswood,” I reply. “I’m staying somewhere to recover from all my injuries.”

“Where are you?” he asks immediately. “Are you still with your dad?”

“No. I’m not with my dad.”

“So, where ?” he asks impatiently.

“It’s none of your business, where .”

“Dude, you disappeared right after we lost the game. If Coach didn’t see your dad, we’d have assumed you ran away or something. Do you have any idea how worried we’ve all been?”

The concern in his voice gives me pause. My teammates were worried about me?

“Logan is worried sick about you,” Mitchikov continues to berate me. “He sent you texts but you haven’t even read them, have you?”

A sigh escapes me. “No, I didn’t check them.”

“I knew it,” Mitchikov says in a frustrated tone. “Also, Coach is pissed you missed the team meeting this morning.” He lets out a growl. “So, are you coming back or what?”

I take a moment, considering his question. I don’t want to go back just yet. I want to stay in this quiet, safe bubble where only Liam and I exist for a couple of more days.

But I know it’s not possible.

I have to get back to practice and Liam has to go back to attending his classes and running his experiments in the laser lab.

“Yeah,” I finally answer. “I’ll be back tomorrow.”

“You better,” Mitchikov grumbles. “Well, I guess I’ll see you at practice tomorrow.”

When he hangs up, I toss the phone aside and sit up. My muscles protest at the sudden movement but at least, I can move without feeling like my body is made of lead.

Liam made sure I ate and slept through most of the day yesterday. He was amazingly attentive to me, cooking me breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

A smile comes onto my lips as I remember the delectable pasta and steak Liam made last night. Just as I’m debating whether to go downstairs to find him, the door opens.

“Were you talking to someone?” Liam asks, leaning against the doorframe.

“Yeah. That was Mitchikov.”

“One of the guys who plays as a defenseman?”

I nod. “You know him?”

He shakes his head. “Not really. I just saw him at the game. He’s an amazing player too. I think he’s as vicious as the opponents who hurt you through the game.”

A chuckle escapes me. “Yeah, that’s Mitchikov for you. He and his cousin make sure no one gets away with hurting our teammates during the game.”

Liam hums, walking inside the room. “So, you’re heading back tomorrow?”

“I don’t want to but we’ve got to. You don’t want to miss your classes and lab time, right?”

Liam nods, looking gloomy.

Silence stretches between us. I know he’s worried that things will go back to being the same when we both return to Knightswood. A part of me wants to reassure him that I’ll treat him better, that he’ll be my number one priority but I fail to find the right words.

My gaze falls on the bright blue sky and the ocean in the distance. “Liam?”

“Yeah?”

“Do you want to take a walk on the beach before we head back to reality?”

He turns toward the windows almost unconsciously. “Sure. I have to go grocery shopping anyway.”

I grin. “Beach first.”

A chuckle escapes him as he nods. “Sure. Let’s head to the beach first.”

“Give me a minute, okay?” I say, climbing off the bed. “I’ll just brush my teeth and comb my hair.”

“Yeah, okay.”

Walking up to him, I pull him closer and kiss his cheek.

The spot my lips touch turns a bright pink, making me grin. Patting his butt teasingly, I walk into the bathroom.

The first thing I do is lift my T-shirt and check the bruises on my side. They’re still dark and ugly, but they’re not hindering my movements.

Letting the hem of my T-shirt slide back down, I proceed to brush my teeth and wash my face. I wish I could change the T-shirt I’ve been wearing since Friday night but I don’t have anything else to wear. Liam would probably loan me something from his closet if I asked him but I doubt I’d fit into his clothes.

I borrow Liam’s comb and brush the tangles out of my dark strands.

Once I’m done with my efforts to look good for Liam, I walk out of the bathroom.

Stepping into the room, I see that Liam has already folded the blankets and made up the bed. He looks up from a book he’d been perusing and grins.

“Ready?” he asks.

“Yep.”

With that, we walk out of the room and head downstairs.

A warm breeze plays with my stray strands as we step out of the house. Under the bright sunshine, I marvel at the rose bushes and vines that fill the front lawn.

“Does your grandma like roses?” I ask.

He chuckles and nods, stopping for a second to breathe in the scent of an orange blossom. “Grams loves them,” he says with an indulgent grin. “Her partner planted them for her. I guess they remind her of him. We even have a gardener who comes in a few times a week to look after the roses.”

“Wow,” I breathe as we walk through a metal gate and onto the road leading to the beach.

“Grams is a total romantic,” Liam says with a sigh. “You’ve got to come for a visit when she’s around.”

“If she doesn’t mind me, I’d love to meet her.”

He clasps my hand in his and squeezes. “She’d love to meet you.”

Warmth shoots through me at those words. It’s almost incredible to feel welcomed when I never felt wanted in my own home.

Giving myself a mental shake, I look at the sea in the distance. Sunlight ripples and dances on the waves, creating hypnotic patterns.

My legs are kind of sore but it feels good to walk on the sand.

Soon, Liam and I walk hand-in-hand down the beach. There are people around us but no one pays us any mind.

As time passes by, I start feeling lighter. Happier.

I like that no one knows me as Hayden Bastian here, the star center of the Thunder Knights team. It allows me to enjoy this moment fully and be with Liam.

I glance toward Liam.

A smile plays on his lips as the wind tousles his blond curls. Sunlight falls on him, catching his incredibly blue eyes.

Liam is so damn beautiful, it sends an ache through me.

I stop in my tracks and tighten my hold on his wrist. Before he can react, I’ve pulled him against me and captured his lush lips.

Liam’s body stiffens for a moment but then, relaxes as he melts into the kiss. His mouth tastes incredibly sweet, making me feel drunk.

I take my time, kissing him thoroughly.

Liam’s cheeks are bright pink when we finally break away.

“I can’t believe you just did that,” he whispers, looking around us.

I shrug. “No one’s around right now, so I couldn’t pass up the opportunity. Also, I wanted to kiss you.”

Liam’s cheeks turn pinker. He playfully punches my shoulder and starts walking again.

I jog forward, keeping pace with him.

We just keep walking, kissing from time to time, savoring the moment together.

Suddenly, Liam takes off running.

“Hey, get back!”

Liam turns back, laughing his head off, and promptly starts sprinting again.

“Oh, you little—” I chase after him, the sand under my feet slowing me down.

Even though Liam has a head start, I catch up with him easily. Grabbing him around the waist, I lift him off his feet.

“Hayden, stop—” He kicks his feet, making me lose my balance. We drop onto the warm sand, caught in a tangle of limbs and breathless laughter.

The brisk walk loosened my muscles, helping me gain back my agility. Within minutes, I have Liam pinned underneath me.

His chest rises and falls in an erratic rhythm as desire clouds his blue eyes.

A smirk rises on my lips. I couldn’t do much to him last night even though we slept together in the same bed but it’s different now. My body doesn’t feel as sore as yesterday. Taking full advantage of my rapid recovery, I decide not to let him get away that easily.

Leaning down, I capture his lips with mine.

Liam stops struggling. Melting into the kiss, he opens up to me, allowing me to taste him deeply.

He gasps as my lips trail down his jaw, to the soft, sensitive skin of his neck. His body shudders as I feel him grow hard underneath me.

“Hayden—stop—”

There he goes again. His lips say one thing but his body says another.

Tightening my hold on his wrists, I capture his mouth again.

Suddenly, I feel his teeth sink into the tip of my tongue.

“Did you just bite me?” I growl.

“Have you gone mad?” he hisses, frantically looking around us. “People might not care if we kiss but this ? We can’t do this here.”

I smirk. “Okay, so you’re saying we can’t do this here but it’s fine if we’re at home?”

Liam looks confused for a second. “Well, yeah. If you want to kiss me like that, it should be somewhere more private.”

“Say no more.” I quickly get off him and haul him over my shoulder.

“Oh, gods! Hayden!” he cries out as I run down the beach, going back the way we came from. “Put me down, you crazy Pirate!”

My grin widens as I hear him call me by my nickname.

Liam is so lightweight, I barely feel any exertion as I run with him on my shoulder. The warm sea breeze and the bright blue sky seem to have worked their wonders on me. I feel almost as good as new!