Page 87 of Breakaway

“Promise?” I ask.

“I swear,” he says, taking my chin between his thumb and index finger and tilting my head toward him. “Ready for round two?”

I laugh heartily, pressing my forehead to his. “Always,” I whisper before I turn around and connect my lips to his.

Apparently, we can spend the whole evening fucking and it still won’t be enough.

1 ????? — Fuck

2 ???? ?????… — Your scent…

Chapter 34

Damaged Goods

ROMAN

I hate losing.

It’s part of the job. Part of every sport there is. And still, I fucking loathe it.

We won four games, one after the other, but now it’s our second game in a row that we’ve lost. It’s our second away game, dammit. It’s one to five with only four minutes left in the third period, and it makes me mad.

I grab my water bottle and drink, my hand tightening around it. My eye twitches when I see Seattle leading another charge at our net.

“Da chto za…?1” I mutter, falling quiet and gritting my teeth instead of cursing louder. My fucked-up mood is all over the place. Thankfully, this time Rodgers makes a brilliant save, and I release the breath I was holding.

Jumping to my feet, I rush on the ice and go after Carter, Seattle’s winger. I cut around him in the left circle, ruining his chances for a clear pass and sending the puck in Colton’s direction instead. Realistically, I don’t think we can win, but we can try to score at least one more time while making sure Seattle doesn’t score again. I’ll take it as a fucking personal offense if they end up scoring six goals.

When I notice Seattle’s winger, Svensson, dashing toward our net, I speed after him. He hits the puck, making a diagonal pass to his teammate in the right circle.Fuck. I grit my teeth, pushing as hard as I can to intercept the puck. Pavel Bure’s speed would come in fucking handy right now.

Leaning forward, I extend my stick as far as I can, catching the puck at the last moment, literally grabbing it right from under Seattle’s nose. I glance over my shoulder, noticing Drake, and send the puck flying into the board so it’ll land right where he is.

The second he has the puck, he skates behind the net, Seattle’s players stalking him. With a short pass from behind the net, the puck ends up right in front of Colton, and he doesn’t waste even a moment, just lifts his stick and fires a goal into the left corner behind Seattle’s goalie.

Thank fucking God. At least we scored two.

When the game ends, the final score on the Jumbotron gives me an expected rush of anger. Five to two isn’t the best way to end a game, but at least we didn’t let them score more, and we got that second goal. I’m not super proud of myself, but, like Drake always says—it’s just another lesson. Take in the loss, mull it over, learn from your mistakes, and do better next time.

“I watchedthe Champion’s League game with Thompson last night, and you fucking reminded me of Rüdiger from Real,” Clay says, looking at me with a lopsided grin. “The way you sped up in the third period was awesome. I can’t wait to check the highlights.”

I roll my eyes and look out the window. We’re heading to the airport for our flight home, and, strangely, the atmosphere onthe bus is super calm. Obviously, no one is happy that we lost, but it doesn’t feel bitter. Or maybe it’s just me. I think I’m getting better at accepting defeat.

Mom watches every game, most of the time recorded because of the time zone difference, and she says I’m not as brutal as I used to be. She’s sure it’s all Nevaeh’s influence. And no matter how much I want to argue with her and prove her wrong, deep down I know she’s right.

It’s all because of my wife.

Nevaeh sees my flaws and knows damn well how imperfect I am. She’s witnessed my broken parts, and instead of running away she holds them close, feeding my soul with her warmth and affection. Even when I’m falling into the abyss of my own darkness, she stays with me. Being with her is easy. Effortless. Right. And she’s not trying to change me…I’m changing for her myself.

“Any plans for tonight?” Clay’s voice rips me out of my thoughts. I turn my head to look at him, and a half smile plays on his face. “Or maybe your only plan is your wife?”

I smirk. “My only plan is my wife.” I pull my phone out of my pocket and unlock it. “The article she’s been working on was published today. I think I’ll take her out to celebrate. Or maybe we’ll order in and stay home. I haven’t decided yet. It depends on what sort of mood she’s in.”

“Must be nice to have someone waiting for you at home.” Clay’s gaze becomes distant. Shaking his head at himself, he looks out the window. “All I plan to do is play Xbox until I pass out.”

“That kinda?—”

“Sucks, I know,” he says with a shrug. “I just know what I want, and I don’t want to settle for something that isn’t right for me.”

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