Page 208 of Well Played

My meetings are done and I couldn’t be more relieved. I mean, I’m sure I’m not the first guy to have to make a deal with their dad to stay home. But I probably am the first one whose coach had seemed disappointed when I showed up without him. It’s a curse, I swear. It’s also a reminder that I have to prove myself on the ice. I’m amped for the challenge, ready to train after meeting the staff and touring the facilities. New team. New opportunities.

I’m sure my smile is a mile wide when her roommate opens the door. She’s a tough one to read, but she blinks twice at whatever she sees on my face. “CJ’s in her room.” She motions me into their living room and then disappears down a short hallway. There’s the murmur of conversation and then two sets of footsteps.

I force my hands into my pockets so I don’t maul Camille when she walks in the room. And fuck, do I want to: in jeans and a crop top, she’s absolutely everything I want. Energy and desire thrum through me like a current.

Her roommate clears her throat, giving me a once that I can’t interpret. “Text if you need anything,” she tells CJ as she makes her way to the door.

I don’t wait for it to close before I cross the room and grab my girlfriend. My hands go immediately to her hips as I back her up against the wall of her living room and my lips find hers. Fuck, kissing Camille is like coming home. She’s so sweet, so soft. I boost her up so her legs are wrapped around my waist, which has the added bonus of direct contact between her core and my cock. She moans, this little delicious sound that makes me crazy.

Did I mention I’m hard as steel? I haven’t jerked off in two days, saving myself for her. My dick is so hard it might actually jackhammer through the rivets of my zipper.

“William,” she pulls her mouth away from mine, breathing as heavily as I am, “we have to talk.”

“In a second.” I pant back, skimming up her shirt to cup her breast. “Fuck, I missed you,” I groan against her neck.

She tugs the hair at the nape of my neck. “Me too. But we really have to talk. It’s about Watts.”

Just like that, my boner shrivels. I’m not sure why my girl is bringing up that total cocksucker, but I’m pretty sure it must be important. I kiss her one more time on the lips, gently, and ease her down to her feet before tugging her shirt back in place.

She nudges me back to the couch with a hand on my abs and I grab it to pull her into my lap. Instead of taking it, though, she pulls it away and runs her palms down her jeans.

That’s when I get the hint that this is serious. My body tenses, ready for a threat I can’t see.

She closes her eyes and runs her fingers through her hair. When she opens them, she says, “Watts asked for a meeting while you were away.”

I fist my hands because What the Actual Fuck?

“I went,” she adds. “And then I went to the dean.”

“You…what?” I want to make sure I’m hearing her properly. “You had a meeting with Wattsalone?”

She nods, then sits next to me. Her eyes are clear when they meet mine. “I didn’t want to put it off. I spoke to a lawyer first—someone Mina found—and I recorded the meeting.”

“You recorded it?” Pretty sure I sound like an idiot, just parroting her words back to her. But I’m so far out of my element, so floored by what she’s saying, that I can’t jump to an emotional reaction past shock.

“I did. And the dean has a copy now, along with my statement. He’s excused me from the final and I have it in writing that my grade will stand as it was before I reported this. There’s also some other stuff that my lawyer has said I can’t discuss with anyone. Not even you or Toa, or Mina.” She looks down at her hands, which I notice are clenched in her lap. “Iwanted to tell you, but I didn’t want to impact your meetings. I was afraid you’d want to come back.”

“I would have.” I take her hand in mine and rub my thumb across her knuckles. “Fuck, Camille! I wasn’t here and you needed me.”

“William, I really need you to hear me on this: I like you. I really like you.” She blows out a slow breath, squeezing my fingertips and sliding her hand out from mine. “But I needed you to be where you were, handling your own stuff and trusting me to handle mine. That’s way more important than you dropping everything and punching something. I need someone who knows I can take care of myself, not someone who’s going to try to rescue me. Does that make sense?”

I may not know much about women, or relationships, but I can tell by her voice that she’s serious about this. This is a deal breaker for her and she needs me not to just nod and say I understand, but to really, really get it. And I want to. I know I’m effective at listening and reacting with instincts on the ice, but I’m learning that’s not always how I handle myself off of it. For once, I don’t want to hit something and then think it through later. She makes me want to listen.

My voice is steady when I tell her, “That makes complete sense. And I like you too. A lot.” That’s probably the understatement of the century, but it needs to be said.

A slow smile spreads across her face, lighting up her eyes. “Yeah?”

I nod, standing to cross to a bag I had dropped on the floor in my hurry to get to her. I hold it out. “Yeah. I got you something.”

She takes it, pulling out a jersey with my name and number on it, and the logo of the Bridgeport Dragons on the front. She smoothes it out on her lap. She sounds a little breathless when she asks, “You got me a jersey?”

I rub the back of my neck and squat down next to her. “I know we haven’t talked at all about what happens after graduation, but I thought you might come to some of my games. Bridgeport’s not that far from New York.” And then I shrug and add, “And after how you managed Watts like a boss, I’m thinking you deserve to wear that dragon more than I do.”

Her eyes sparkle. “You want me to come to your games, wearing your jersey.”

I lean toward her, but stop myself, suddenly nervous. “I’m not ready for this to end.”

My girl surges forward to press her lips to mine. I get lost for a second in how perfect her mouth is right before she pokes my chest. I take the hint, letting her tilt my world on its axis until I’m flat on my back. My arms hold her close to my racing heart.

She smiles as she leans in toward my lips. “Neither am I.”

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