Page 25

I wake up slowly.

Which is wrong. I never sleep this deep. Not since I retired from playing, not since I took on coaching, not since—

Shit.

Last night.

Kenzie.

My body tenses before my brain fully catches up.

My arms tighten around—

Nothing.

The bed is cold beside me. The sheets empty. And that’s all it takes for my stomach to fucking drop.

She left.

Of course, she did. I should have known better. Should have—

Then I smell coffee.

It takes me half a second to register it. Rich, dark, fresh. Not hotel coffee. Not the cheap, watered-down shit I make when I’m in a rush.

It’s hers.

I exhale, rubbing a hand down my face my pulse still beating faster than it should. She’s here. She didn’t run.

When she walks into the room looking effortlessly sexy… and hesitant… I sigh. This is hard. For both of us.

“This isn’t casual, Flight.”

Her face softens, then, eyes trailing over my bare chest before snapping up to meet my gaze. She looks vulnerable as she says, “I know.”

She tilts her head at me, inviting me to join her in heading back to the kitchen.

I get busy finding mugs and creamer.

And when she starts to make breakfast, the sight in front of me damn near knocks me flat.

Kenzie, standing at the stove.

An oversized t-shirt swallowing her frame, bare legs peeking out from beneath the hem.

One foot tucked behind the other, hips swaying slightly as she hums to herself.

Completely at home.

Completely unbothered.

And fuck me, I’m so far gone.

I should say something.

Hell, I should do something.

But all I can do is lean against the countertop and watch.

Kenzie has no idea what she’s doing to me.

Standing there, bare legs, thin shirt draped over her curves, completely lost in whatever song she’s humming.

Like she’s done this a hundred times.

Like she belongs here with me.

Like she’s mine.

And fuck.

That realization hits harder than it should.

She turns then, catching sight of me watching her.

A slow smile spreads across her lips.

"See something you like, Silver Fox?"

I push off the doorframe, closing the space between us.

"That depends." I slide a hand over her hip, fingers toying with the hem of my shirt. "Is this mine, or are you planning on stealing it?"

Kenzie grins, reaching for her coffee I’d just poured.

"Stealing implies you’d actually ask for it back."

Hell. She’s right.

I wouldn’t.

She sips her coffee, watching me over the rim.

Then—her free hand lifts, tracing a slow, teasing path down my chest.

My breath goes tight.

Her fingers skim lower, lower, until—

My phone buzzes.

Loud.

Obnoxious.

Cock-blocking.

Kenzie laughs.

I groan, grabbing my phone off the counter.

Jake.

Because of course.

Kenzie takes a very deliberate sip of coffee, smug as hell.

"You should probably answer that."

I glare at her. "You are enjoying this way too much."

Her smile is all teeth. "Obviously."

I scrub a hand down my face and answer.

"Yeah?"

"Damn, you sound like shit."

I grunt. "Appreciate that, Williams."

He snorts, voice turning suspicious. "Long night?"

He and I are going to have to have a private chat about his sister… and me.

Kenzie bites her lip to keep from laughing.

I clear my throat. Do not look at her. "Something like that."

"Well, wake the fuck up. We need to talk."

Right. Hockey. The reason I’m here.

Not her.

Not this.

Kenzie sets her coffee down, sliding past me toward the bedroom.

But before she disappears, she leans in close, voice low, just for me.

"Go do your coach thing, Silver Fox."

Then—she grabs the hem of my shirt she’s wearing, teasingly pulling it up like she might take it off—before smirking and walking away, leaving me standing there, completely melted.

"You still there, Maddox?"

Jake’s voice snaps me back to reality.

I grip the counter, trying to shake off the lingering effects of Kenzie’s teasing—her walking around in my shirt, that damn smirk, the way she feels too good in my space.

"Yeah, I’m here."

"Good. Because we need to talk."

"So you said. What’s this about? Practice?"

A pause.

"About Kenzie."

My stomach tightens. I watch Kenzie flounce down the hallway, giving me a moment alone.

Because I knew this was coming. It has to happen.

I just didn’t think it’d be now, over the phone.

"What about her?" I say, keeping my voice neutral.

"Don’t play dumb." His tone shifts—firmer, more serious. "I let a lot of shit slide when I first found out about you two. Shit I wanted to say. I figured it was just a thing for her, that she’d get bored of you and move on."

"Appreciate the vote of confidence," I mutter.

"Don’t be short with me on this, Maddox. I’ve been trying to give you space. But this isn’t just a fling anymore, is it?"

I don’t answer right away.

Because what the hell am I supposed to say?

Jake isn’t wrong.

At first, Kenzie and I had no rules. No names, no complications.

But we passed that line a long time ago.

And now, it’s everything.

She’s everything.

Jake exhales, and when he speaks again, his voice is quieter.

"She acts tough, but you and I both know she’s not as unbreakable as she pretends to be. So I’m asking you, man to man—what are you doing?"

I clench my jaw.

"What do you want me to say, Williams?"

"I want you to tell me you’re not going to hurt her."

The words land like a punch.

Because that’s the thing—I don’t want to.

But what if I do anyway?

What if I fuck this up? What if Kenzie wakes up one day and decides this isn’t the life she wants?

What if Lauren makes good on her threats, drags me through a custody battle, and I lose Olivia?

What if Kenzie walks away because I can’t be everything she deserves?

The weight of it settles deep.

And I realize—I’ve never been more afraid of losing something in my life.

"I care about her, Jake."

I don’t mean to say it. But it’s the truth.

Jake goes silent. Then—a slow exhale. "Then don’t screw it up."

His voice is firm. Final. "Because if you do? I’ll kill you, Maddox."

And at that, I actually smirk. "Yeah, yeah. Get in line."

I toss my phone onto the counter and exhale slowly. Jake’s words are still sitting heavy in my chest.

Not because I don’t already know how much Kenzie means to me. But because hearing it out loud? Saying it out loud?

That’s different.

I’ve been in a lot of fights in my life. On the ice. In that locker room. In a courtroom. But this? This thing with Kenzie? This might be the most dangerous fight of all.

Because it’s not just my future on the line. It’s hers too. And I have no idea if I deserve to win.

My phone buzzes.

Kenzie.

Like she knows I’m overthinking.

Like she’s already figured out exactly how to drag me back into her orbit.

I grab the phone, swipe open the message—

And immediately tense.

Because she sent a picture.

A bedroom selfie.

My shirt hanging loose on her frame.

Her hair still a little messy from my hands.

That signature smirk, pure trouble, tilted just so.

And one single text beneath it.

"Round 2? Or are you gonna make me wait for you all day?"

Motherf—

I exhale slowly, pressing my thumb to the bridge of my nose.

Because fuck me, this woman.

It’s not just the words.

It’s the fact that I know she means them.

No more games. No more teasing just to see who will break first.

She’s mine.

And I need to get back to her immediately. I close the distance from the kitchen to the bedroom in five seconds flat.