Page 15

I should have stayed home.

I should have enjoyed my day off, cozied up in my apartment, turned off my phone, and buried myself in some ridiculous reality show until my brain stopped replaying every single second of my night with Grant.

But instead?

I walk straight into another bad decision.

I come to the rink.

Jake mentioned he had an afternoon practice, and for some idiotic reason, I thought watching some hockey would be a good distraction.

A way to shake off this Grant-induced haze.

Spoiler alert:

It is not.

Because Grant?

Is here.

Looking like every sinful decision I’ve ever made wrapped in six feet of broad shoulders, unfairly powerful legs, and pure dominance.

My stomach twists. Because seeing him in his element like this reminds me of Denver. Of our steamy night when he owned me, kissing and licking every inch of my skin. Pounding into me one second and whispering sweet compliments that made my toes curl the next.

I’m standing there, aroused and needy.

And the worst part? He doesn’t even know I’m watching. He’s just being himself.

And that? Shatters something in me. I grip the railing, exhaling slowly.

This was a bad idea. A very bad idea.

Practice ends and I should leave. Right now. I start to turn—

And then I hear it.

A high-pitched giggle rings through the rink, light and full of excitement. My gaze snaps toward the ice, my stomach twisting for reasons I don’t understand yet. A little girl—tiny, dark curls spilling out from beneath her helmet—clutches onto the boards, wobbling slightly as she tries to steady herself.

She’s wearing a jersey that practically swallows her, the sleeves flopping past her wrists. But she doesn’t seem to care. She’s beaming, her entire body buzzing with energy.

She lets go of the boards for half a second, trying to push forward—only to stumble. Before I even process what’s happening, Grant is there. Skating toward her. Catching her with ease before she falls. Steadying her like it’s second nature.

And then—

“Daddy, did you see? I almost did it by myself!”

The word slams into me.

Hard.

I don’t breathe. I don’t blink. Because I must have heard that wrong. I had to.

But no.

She’s looking right up at him, waiting for his approval, her little face shining with excitement.

Grant kneels on the ice, brushing one of her curls from her forehead, his voice soft but clear.

“Yeah, baby, I saw. You’re a natural.”

My stomach twists into knots.

No.

No, this—

I would have known, wouldn’t I?

He never said—

How the hell did I not know?

But I can’t deny it. I see it now. The way he softens. The way his whole world just shifted to orbit around her.

I can’t move.

Can’t process the fact that Grant has a daughter and I had no idea.

Because Grant Maddox isn’t just the man who turned my world upside down in Denver.

He isn’t just my brother’s coach.

He’s a father.

And I had no fucking idea.

The Grant I know—the one who teased me in a bar, wrecked me in his bed, smirked in my doorway like he knew I’d come back for more?

That Grant?

Didn’t come with strings.

Didn’t come with a little girl who laughs when he spins her on the ice, who looks at him like he hung the goddamn moon.

I swallow, hard.

Because seeing him with her? Seeing the way his entire world centers around her?

It hits different. My chest tightens. For weeks, I’ve been telling myself this is just lust.

Just a mistake. A one-time thing. Something I can shove into the past and forget.

But watching him with her? I know that’s not true. This isn’t just sex. It’s not just a game. It’s not just about me.

It’s about a man who is so much more than I ever let myself consider. And that?

Scares the absolute shit out of me. Because I don’t do serious. I don’t do commitment. And I sure as hell don’t fall for men with responsibilities I don’t fit into.

I need to leave. I need to get out of here before he sees me. Before I have to face the fact that I am well and truly fucked. My pulse pounds.

I take one step back. Then another.

Then—

I turn and bolt. Because if I stay, I’ll have to admit what I already know. I don’t want just his body. I don’t want just another night.

I want him.

And I have no idea what the hell to do about it.