Page 165 of Snap Shot

Her lush lips part before closing. The flush across her cheeks blooms. “No kissing,” she says, sounding less convinced than ever.

I grab her throat, gripping the hinge of her jaw. “Who said anything about kissing?” Her cum gathers on my tongue, mixing with my saliva. “Open that pretty mouth wider.” When I spit into it, Indi moans and snaps her legs shut with a judder.

Fuck me.I shake my head through a laugh, then draw back to my position over her lips. “You taste like the sweetest secret.”

An obnoxious knock on the door brings her back to life with a jolt. I press my forehead to hers, pinning her to the spot, not ready to lose the moment while trying to transfer my thoughts to her brain. I don't want us to be a secret anymore.

“Ms.Davé? It's Wally.” The knock peals out again. “I need to take the trash.”

Her hand clutches my shirt in the space over my heart, flattening the palm smooth for the shortest time before gently pushing me off. “One moment!”

My mind refuses to accept defeat. Not when Indi offers me glimpse after glimpse of who she really is. Loyal. Brilliant. Kind-hearted, but reserves it for those she fully trusts. And I want nothing more than to keep being one of them.

—————

Before warmups, I unload my gear bag and sneak away to meet Indi. No one will bother us in this corner of the arena. Or so I thought.

A hushed voice grows louder as I near. “Wow. You look great.” After a pause, another voice replies.

“Aren't you married?” Indi asks.

“Almostnotmarried.” He chuckles. “Down if you are.”

“You'redisgusting.”

“Oh, Indi. You don't believe that.”

My steps hurry in their direction, ready to tear whoever it is limb by limb.

“Ms. Davé?” I call, hating how informal and distant that title sounds.

Indi hugs her slumped torso, wrinkling my jersey. It's a shadow of her usually confident, proud posture. Terrified eyes peer over her shoulder before she turns back to the jerk facing her.

It’s the Dallas Comets' newest risk. Russ Kleinmann's a notoriously dirty player. I haven't seen the guy since he got back from playing in Europe. “Kleinmann.”

“Radek.” He scoffs. “See you on the ice.” His eyes slide to Indi, who flinches when he reaches to touch her elbow. “Maybe we can catch up after the game.”

No, you fucking can't.

Kleinmann slinks away.

Her eyes gloss over with a layer of held-back tears. Rage stews deep in my gut. I retract it, trying to maintain some composure. “You know him?”

Indi clasps herself tighter, shrinking from me. I can't let her fade away now. “He…in uni…” She gazes at the damp cement floor in the once-path of the Zamboni.

I connect the dots. My teeth clack together, the veins at my temples filling with angry blood. A single tear rolls off her chin. I catch it and rub it into my palm. “What did he do?” When she doesn't respond, I lead us into an unlit nook and hold her sweet face between my hands. Indi's body eases up. “Tell me.”

If it wasn't for the pure fury burning inside me, my heart would rip in half hearing what this sleazy motherfucker did. Indi goes numb recalling how he tried to sleep with her. How he couldn't get it up and made it seem like her fault. Made her apologize and humiliated her.

My knuckles crack as my hand turns into a fist when she says he leaked private pictures of her across campus.

She seems to sense the storm brewing and grabs one of my suit lapels, but I'm too far gone. Even her touch won't calm me. “Landon, don't do anything you'll regret. Not for me.”

I cover her hand with mine and release myself from her grasp. “Go to your seat.”

Earbuds and a stoic expression keep the boys away while I get dressed. Once the rink opens for warmups, I tune out, shifting my narrowed eyes from Indi to that scumbag on the other side of the red line. He laughs and skates around, missing almost every practice shot into the empty goal. I want to murder him but settle for accidentallybumping him on my way off the ice. He slides into the glass. “Watch out, asshole.”

Kleinmann throws his hands up. “What the fuck, man?”

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