Page 106 of Captain's Claim

I exhale hard, pride and fury battling in my chest.

Of course she walked out. Of course she didn’t let them win.

I've gone toe to toe with the woman and look where that got me? Head over heels in love with her.

But the suitcase still sits by the window.

"Okay. So you quit. Attagirl." I take another step toward her. "So why the hell are you packing?"

We both look to the small suitcase. I want to grab that fucking thing and hurl it through the window, watch it explode on the pavement below.

"Were you really going to leave?"

She nods, but there's hesitation in the movement. "I... I don't know. Part of me didn't want to, but-"

I cup her face in my hands. My thumbs brush away her tears, and something in my chest breaks at how small she feels against my palms.

"Then don't. Stay. With me."

"I don't know who I am here, Blake. I came to prove myself, and now I'm just—"

I silence her with a kiss, pouring everything I can't say into it. All my rage at those bastards who hurt her, all my pride in what she's accomplished, all my desperate need to keep her here with me.

"You are not some PR pawn," I murmur. "You are not some pretty face they get to dress up and parade around. You are the smartest, most badass woman I’ve ever met. You built that team’s entire fucking brand with your bare hands, Sophia. You made itstronger. You made itbetter."

"The Icehawks are gonna make the playoffs because ofyou."

"Blake… I—"

I tilt her chin up, making her look at me.

"You’re not leaving, sweetheart." There's no question in it. "Not this town. Not this life. And sure as fuck, you're not leaving me."

"So what then?" Sophia asks. "I just quit and then let the paparazzi keep following us?"

"Fuck no."

I capture her lips in a fierce kiss, guiding her down onto the plush sofa cushions. My hands frame her face as I break away to look into those hazel eyes.

"First, I need to be inside you. Right now. Because the thought of you leaving..." My voice catches. "I've never been so fucking terrified in my life."

"Blake..." Her fingers trace my jaw.

"And then," I continue, trailing kisses down her neck. "I have a plan."

"A plan?"

She arches beneath me as my hands slide under her shirt, finding the hard peaks of her nipples. I trail kisses along her neck, savoring the scent of her perfume. Her hands fall to my arms, fingers gripping the fabric of my shirt as she starts tugging at it, pulling it from my shoulders.

"Yeah." I nip at her collarbone. "Eli's not the only one pulling the strings in this town, you know."

Her suitcase stands like an accusation by the window and I kick it over as I lift Sophia into my arms, carrying her toward the bedroom. Her legs wrap around my waist, and I can feel her heart racing against my chest.

"I love you, Blake."

I lay her on the bed, pulling my shirt over my head, staring down at the best damn thing that's ever happened to me.

"I love you too. Remember, you're more than them, sweetheart."

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