Page 30 of The Love You Win

The ten minutes it takes to drive to her apartment go by way too quickly. The neighborhood isn’t great, and it causes an irrational surge of protective instincts to flare in my chest. But Isla doesn’t seem bothered by it, so I hold my tongue. As soon as I park, she turns, offering us a blinding, if tired, smile. “I had so much fun with you all tonight. Thanks for including me in your guys’ night. I’m sorry for crashing it.”

Griffin reaches up and ruffles her hair. “Don’t apologize, Teach. We had fun with you, too. We’ll have even more fun when we all go out and celebrate after we win the game you come see.”

She chuckles. “That sounds like a plan.”

Wright lets out a whoop as he turns to me. “Told you we’d convince her.”

Hand on the door, Isla chews her bottom lip. I want to reach out and soothe the abused flesh again, but that would be a stupid move. “Okay, well, goodnight. Thanks again.”

“Saying goodnight so soon? Why don’t you let us walk you to your door? I know that guy freaked you out earlier.” I glance at the guys. “Boys.” They all climb out of the car. Soon, three hockey players prowl around the parking lot and in front of Isla’s building while I stand guard at her side.

“Hockey bodyguards. This is fun. I guess I was pretty freaked out about earlier. Is this car to door service, or do you offer apartment sweeps too? I keep imagining that asshole hiding under my bed,” she jokes. Her cheeks grow pink. She’s so damned beautiful. “I’m kidding, of course.”

“Checking under the bed is part of the package,” I reply with a wink. Because she’s kidding, but she’s not. Even though there’s no way that guy is in her apartment, the whole experience unsettled her. I’ve got a little sister. Unfortunately, I have experience helping a freaked out woman feel safe again. And one way to do that is to make them laugh without minimizing their feelings.

The wind blows a strand of hair in her face, and I reach out to tuck it behind her ear without even thinking. Her blush grows deeper, and my stupid mind conjures images of her flushed and panting beneath me as I move inside her.

Fuck. Now I’m hard.

“Well, I’d be stupid not to get my money’s worth.” The guys wait for us at the entrance to her apartment building, their visual sweep of the exterior done. She opens the door and motions us in. “Come on, then.”

Her apartment is on the third floor at the end of the hallway. It’s small but tidy, full of bright colors and vintage furniture. Black and white photos and colorful paintings adorn the space, and floor-to-ceiling bookshelves span the entire wall behind her green velvet couch. It’s eclectic and creative, and I drink it all in, savoring this private piece of Isla I never thought I’d see.

She fidgets as she watches us check out her home. Four massive hockey players make the space seem smaller than I’m sure it normally feels. “Can I get you guys drinks or anything?”

“Nah,” I say, grinning. “We’re okay. We’ll just check under your bed and behind the shower curtain as part of our hockey security service, then get out of your way.”

Isla laughs. The sweet sound goes straight to my cock. “Uh, feel free to take a look around. And under my bed, I guess. I’ve seen way too many horror movies to want to look there myself.”

The guys chuckle, but even though she’s laughing along with them, I see the lingering nerves she’s trying to hide. That prick shook her up. And as over the top as all of this is, it will help her sleep better tonight. We’ll make her laugh, put on a show of inspecting every dark corner, and help her feel safe. We check out the bedroom and bathroom, making a point to look behind the shower curtain, beneath the bed, and inside her closet. It’s overkill, and we crack jokes the whole time, but it does the trick. The tension bleeds out of her posture, and she finally relaxes.

“You good?” I ask her as the guys and I move toward her door. She yawns, obviously tired. As much as some irrational part of me wants to stay, I know we need to let her get some sleep.

“I’m good. Thanks, guys.”

“Don’t mention it,” Navarro says. Wright and Byrne echo his sentiments.

“We’ll get out of your hair and let you go to bed.” I hesitate, not sure if I should give her a hug or a high five or a kiss on the forehead. Definitely not a high five. I’d never hear the end of it from the guys. In the end, I do nothing. “Night, Isla.”

Her sleepy smile is a sucker punch to the heart. “Night, Maddox. Night, guys.”

My boys chorus their goodbyes, and I reluctantly follow them out of Isla’s apartment. The light inside her place back-lights her as she stands in the doorway, watching us walk down the hall. She gives us a little wave before we hit the stairs. No one speaks until we’ve hit the first floor, then Navarro claps me on the back.

“It was nice knowing you.”

I bark out a laugh. “What?”

He throws me a shit-eating grin. “We all saw that. You’re a goner, Graves. Plain and simple.”

And damn it all, I think he’s right.

fourteen

ISLA

Last night was… unexpected.

I woke with thoughts of Maddox Graves dancing through my head, and I stare at the ceiling while replaying the evening for the hundredth time. Ending up alone at Skin and Tonic. That asshole, Blake. Maddox and his teammates.

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