Page 21

I thump my fist on his shoulder before grabbing my bag and jogging from the locker rooms. The girls’ hockey team is done with practice and I have about ten minutes before Emmarys will leave the building.

It will take me almost that long just to get to the other side of the practice facility.

By the time I get over there, I see her exit through the doors, surrounded by her usual group of friends.

Her friend with the blonde hair catches sight of me first and gives her a little jab with her elbow.

All three of them glance in my direction so fast that I laugh in response.

Emmarys’s eyes narrow and her lips pull into a scowl, while her friends continue smiling and saying something to my girl that has her cheeks turning a pretty shade of pink.

I watch as she turns to them, says something that sets them into another fit of giggles before she stomps her way over to me, leaving them behind.

“Hey, sweetheart,” I say to her, reaching for her when she’s within arm’s length.

Emmarys pushes my hand down, her arms folding over her chest. “What are you doing here, Hawke?”

“Thought you might be hungry,” I respond, forcing my hands to hang at my sides when all I really want to do is run them over her body, through her hair, touching her any way that I can.

“I’m not hungry.” She shuts me down fast.

“Okay, how about just a ride home then?” I challenge her, stepping just a little closer to her, close enough that she has to tilt her head to look at me.

I can see the indecision in her eyes so I press her.

“Come on, sweets. I promise I won’t kidnap you and take you to get food.

You’ll be warmer than if you walked home.

Plus, I think the guys will be heading home soon.

Probably shouldn’t hurt your ex’s feelings too much by standing out here. ”

“Oh my god.” She grabs my arm and starts dragging me after her.

“You are the worst.” She’s fuming, but she’s touching me.

There is absolutely nothing that could bother me right now, while she has her hand on me.

Technically, it's on my sweatshirt but semantics. She initiated the contact and I’ll follow her willingly anywhere.

I’d even walk into hell right now if she told me to, as long as she doesn’t let me go.

“My trucks in the lot,” I tell her, and it earns me an angry scowl over her shoulder, but she’s still hanging on to me.

“Okay, which one is it?” She finally stops once we’re between the many rows of vehicles in the lot that’s farthest from the front doors of the ice arena.

Her hand starts to drop and I quickly scoop it up in mine, linking our fingers together. “Over here.”

Emmarys follows next to me, her eyes staring straight ahead, but I can see the way her brain is thinking double time.

I lead her to the passenger side door and open it for her like I have hundreds of times in our past, and she gets in before I close it after her.

A sense of rightness flows through my veins.

Something so simple, just giving her a ride, but it feels like a momentous step forward.

I could do this for the rest of my life.

I quickly jog to my side and get in, starting up the engine and driving off, right before the other players exit the arena.

My gaze slides to Emmarys, who doesn’t even seem to be paying attention to what is happening outside the windows.

“How was practice,” I ask her, and to my surprise she brings her gaze to mine.

“Long. Painful.” She lifts her shoulders. “I’m ready for the season to start. Any more leg lifts and soon my legs are going to look like rectangles instead of being curvy.”

My eyes drop to her legs, and while I can’t see the definite shape because of the sweatpants she’s wearing, I can tell that she’s worried for nothing.

They look mouthwateringly curvy and strong.

I’d willingly let her wrap them around my neck to feel just how strong those muscles could hold me, and how they might strain and twitch under my hands while I feast on her pussy.

“You’re beautiful,” I tell her honestly and, once again, she turns to look out the window instead of at me.

“You don’t have to do all those things for me, Hawke.

We aren’t together, you don’t need to take care of me now.

” she says, shaking her head, but I won’t be backing down.

There is nothing more that I want than to take care of her.

We reach her building and after I pull into a parking spot and stop the truck, I face her.

“I’ll always tell you how beautiful I think you are, Emmarys. And as far as I’m concerned, sugar, we never ended. I want to take care of you, I like knowing that my girl has everything she needs.”

Emmarys turns, her magnificent caramel eyes flashing. “Pretty sure we did end, Hawke, right when you left the hotel room and again when I never heard from you.”

“So let me make it up to you,” I suggest, refusing to let her put more space between us.

“Tomorrow night, let me take you on a date. I’ll feed you, we can talk, you deserve to have dessert because I was an asshole, so I’ll make sure you get your favorite cheesecake, and I’ll beg for your forgiveness. ”

Emmarys goes very still, refusing to acknowledge anything I said.

I glance at her and, once again, she’s looking out the window and not at me.

“Emma,” I call her, my hand reaching out, cupping her jaw gently and turning her head in my direction.

I’m not prepared for the tears pooled in her eyes and falling down her cheeks.

“I can’t, Hawke.” Her voice breaks and the tears come faster.

My heart bangs painfully in my chest seeing her look so upset.

“I can’t go to dinner with you, I can’t let you keep doing nice things for me.

I don’t deserve it right now and I haven’t talked to Jax.

He won’t speak to me. I don’t know what I’m doing. ”

My gut coils thinking about her talking to him. She better not be entertaining the idea of taking him back after what he did to her. “He hurt you, Emmarys.”

“I hurt him too.” She shakes her head before covering her face with her hands and sobbing.

I wait, letting her cry, letting her feel all the things she needs to without judgment from me.

Emmarys has a big heart, she’s beyond caring.

I knew this break up wouldn’t be easy for her, but it needed to happen.

I have zero regrets about my part in what occurred.

Never again will another man have the privilege of being with her.

“Emma, he fucked up. It doesn’t matter what he did or when.

He was supposed to be yours, and he slept with another girl.

You, me, us kissing isn’t something to feel guilty about.

He’ll move past his bruised ego. Trust me, he knows that what was between you two would have ended a long time ago if you knew the truth.

You didn’t break his heart by kissing me back.

” I lay it out for her and see her visibly flinch when I remind her that he had sex with someone else.

He had her, he chose not to fight for her and thought he could get away with it. He’s weak.

Emmarys sniffles, but her tears have at least stopped. I can see her resolve snapping back into place. She dabs her fingers under her eyes and looks at me again. “What we did still doesn’t make it right. I at least owe it to him to end our relationship before even considering something between us.”

She moves her finger back and forth between her body and mine, and my hand reaches out, grasping it. I can’t help the grin on my lips from her little speech. “It's cute you think you have anything to consider, sweets.”

“Hawke—”

“Emmarys,” I cut her off, drawing out her name just as she did mine. She glares and I chuckle. “We are happening. I’ll wait for you to let him down easy, do what you have to do. But I’m not going away. I won’t leave you alone ever again.”

She inhales sharply and her cheeks flush again.

I watch her while she comes to terms with what I’m saying, hearing the sincerity in my tone.

She wrestles her finger out of my grip before grabbing her bag and opening the door.

“Bye, Hawke,” she drops over her shoulder before bolting from my truck and to her front door.

I watch her like she’s my prey. Like I’m the exact obsessive, possessive ex-boyfriend that Riggs and Falcon have accused me of being. My intentions look stalkerish to Emmarys. If only she knew the depraved lengths I am willing to go to in order to keep her this time.