Page 44 of Rivals

“Don’t get hurt, Reign. I never want you to be hurt again.”

He stiffens under me, and I wonder if he’s thinking about his injury when we were kids too, before wrapping his arms around my body again and squeezing. “I’ll do my best. How about you? How was your game?”

Given the way his night ended, I do not want to tell him the drama of our game. I decide to let it go. These girls can hate me all they want; I’m there to play hockey. Now is not the time to tell him how the other team played or about the bruise on my side from the shot I was given by someone’s elbow. “We won 3-1. I had one goal.”

“That’s awesome, babe. I can’t wait to see you play,” Reign praises me while kissing the top off my head. I should thank him or offer to see if he wants me to move or to leave. Maybe he’s as tired as I am.

“I’m definitely tired, Riles, but you can’t leave. I want you with me.”

Oops. I guess I said that out loud. Sighing, I snuggle more into him, pressing my body all along his. Tomorrow I’ll deal with the other things. Tonight I just want him.

Reign

The library has never appealed to me for studying. I always prefer the quietness of my own room. My girl, however, loves her libraries. If it wasn’t for me, she’d sneak off here every evening after practice or all weekend. I’ve been incredible for her social life here at All Saints Academy by forcing her to socialize. Riley does not need to study as hard as she does; she has a genius brain. It’s like she thinks she has something to prove to everyone and she doesn’t. She doesn’t owe them anything. In the end she wants to visit the library and I tag along just to get more time with her and give her snacks from the bag I brought with me so she doesn’t forget to eat.

I glance at her with her hair down, a highlighter behind her ear and a pen gripped tightly in her fingers, while her eyes are closed, lips moving, memorizing something on the page of her book. I can’t help but smile at her. When those brown eyes open, I catch her gaze.

“What?” She scoffs and prods me gently with her elbow. “Shouldn’t you be studying? You have a make-up test to take tomorrow.”

I missed one day of school, thanks to a follow up appointment with the doctor I had after injuring my leg. I wasn’t even going to go, but Coach insisted, especially after he realized it was the same leg I broke when I was eleven. There was nothing to worry about. After ice and a weekend of rest, I’m better and moving around again, both on and off the ice.

“I am studying,” I tell her, dragging my pencil through her hair and pushing it back behind her ear.

“You’re watching me not your pages,” she retorts, her eyes challenging even with a sweet smile on her face.

“Didn’t say I was studying my textbook, babe. You’re way more interesting.”

The blush that climbs her cheeks and darkens her eyes makes my dick twitch. I could watch her all day. Riley is a vision on the ice, and in her comfort zone. But there is something about study-mode-Riley that makes me stop and stare. And to think, I could have been studying like this the last three years. I’ll never forgive myself for messing that up. I refuse to miss it in the future either.

“Michigan has a library bigger than this. I heard they even have a section full of nonfiction and romance books.”

Her eyes light up a second before she catches my lips twitching. “Funny. You almost had me.”

“Maybe if you went there, that could be something you tried to make happen. If not, I happen to know there is in fact a romance book shop just a few blocks from campus. It’s called Never Ending, I think.”

Her brow rises. “Sounds like you’ve been doing your research.”

“I had to find ways to make the trip more interesting for my girl when we visit campus over break. I thought we could take an afternoon to check out the surrounding coffee shops, restaurants and the bookstore. There’s also a hangout place with some pool tables,” I tell her, trying to make it sound casual. In truth I’ve scoped out possibly everything that could sway her into believing that it will be the best decision for her to be there. I just need to get her there. Immerse her in the environment and show her how good it can be.

“We could start the morning at the Dancing Bean, they have your lavender shit. Then I’ll walk you to your classes. We can meet up for lunch with our friends or alone, I’m not one to turn down an afternoon quickie before afternoon classes. Then we head to the arenas, keep it business on the ice, and end our nights at the apartment with dinner and you can read whatever book you picked up from that shop. Except on the weekends. Then I vote we check out the pool hall or the library that I heard all about.”

Riley’s eyes are huge and she’s speechless. I might have broken her brain with the daydream I created for us, but I need her to understand how serious I am about her. About us being together.

“Did you just come up with all of that right now?”

I shrug. “Maybe. Does it sound like a life you can see yourself living?”

She casts her eyes down, her finger rubbing against her thumb. “It sounds like a dream.”

“It could be more than a dream,” I push, when she starts to put her pen and highlighter down. “We’ll check it out this winter. For all I know the pool hall could suck.” This at least earns me a chuckle from her, even as she’s getting up and pushing her seat in.

“I need another book,” she whispers and takes off into the stacks.

The area is mostly quiet and no one has passed by our station in hours. I know Riley is making all her excuses right now in her head and I can’t take it. She needs to think about us and us going to college together. There is no world where I will let her be away from me again.

Getting up from my chair, I follow her down the aisle she went in. Riley didn’t get far and I find her right away, staring at the rows of books, completely zoned out. I slide my hands along her waist, and squeeze.

“Ah!” She jumps in my hold, only it isn’t surprise or even a smile on her face but one of pain and agony.

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