Page 110 of Slash & Burn

My reunion in New York with Grady was short-lived. Like, really short. He was on a plane an hour after he told me he loved me. But even as I had to say goodbye to him—something I was going to have to get used to now that we were doing this for real—I still felt better than I had in months.

The plan we’d made was for him to come up to Holden Cove after his next home game. That was five days away. Five days of feeling like we’d only just scratched the surface of where this thing was going to take us. I already knew the parts I was going to hate the most, but Grady had assured me this wasn’t about me giving up my life to meet him in his. We werebothgoing to make this work.

We’d left with only one rule figured out: we were never allowed to say goodbye without knowing exactly when and where we’d be seeing each other again. It was meant to calm my anxiety, but I got the sense Grady needed that reassurance just as badly.

It was because of the plan we’d made that I was laughing now, as I followed Lexi through the back entrance of the HUB Garden. She’d pretty much leapt through the phone when I’d asked her for a favor and without me saying a word, she’d offered to come help me navigate the crowds and security that would have given me hives if I’d been left on my own.

“They’re going to come out right there.” She pointed to the dark tunnel leading to the ice. “If you stand over here, he’ll see you.”

I followed her when she led me to the seats right behind the bench, taking off my jacket as my hands shook.

“You’re doing great,” she reassured me, and I gave her arm a squeeze.

“Thank you. For everything.”

“You kidding?” she said, throwing her head back with a laugh. “I never get to surprise him. This is going to be epic.”

When the lights cut out and the crowd went wild I could feel the pulsing sound against my chest. It was nothing like I’d ever experienced before, and I wasn’t sure how I felt about it. But then they announced the Brawlers and the players raced past us from the tunnel onto the ice. Grady was the second one out, knocking over a pile of pucks from the boards that the rest of the team started to bat around.

I was watching them move, their grace and speed breathtaking, even though they were just warming up. As the clock wound down, players began filtering back to the bench and Lexi tapped my arm to stand beside her. When I did, I spotted Grady skating over, his helmet on and his eyes down.

But as soon as he stepped into the Brawler bench he looked up. He spotted Lexi first, his eyes going wide as he grinned and gave her a nod. But then his gaze slid over to me and he stopped short.

I gave him a little wave, and he stepped closer to the glass. Everything about him intensified, his eyes fixed on me like a predator. But when I held up one finger, spinning so he could read the back of my jersey, he pounced. Banging on the glass, he pointed to the side, meeting me where the stands and tunnel had only a low barrier between them.

“Get over here, gorgeous,” he growled, his gloves gone from his hands. I leaned over the rail toward him and he grabbed the collar of my shirt. “You’re wearing my name, baby.”

“I know,” I laughed, not realizing just how much he was going to like that.

“You know what that means to me?” He held my gaze, his jaw working, his eyes swirling with emotion. I shook my head. “It means the fucking world, baby. It means you’re mine. And now everybody knows it.”

“I’ve had a crush on you since I was like ten. I’ve always been yours.”

He kissed me, groaning before he pulled back. “And now you always will be.” He stroked his thumb reverently across my jaw as someone called his name. It was such a gentle move from a man dressed for battle and amped up to fight. “I love you, baby.”

“I love you, too, hot shot. Go get ‘em.”

EPILOGUE

GRADY - TWO MONTHS LATER

“Where’s my girl?” I asked the crowded bar, as if anyone could even hear me. I didn’t need them too, though, once I spotted Jill in the corner booth. It was our usual hideout, and it still did something to me to see her tucked in against the brick wall, a beer in front of her and a smile on her face.

“Hey, gorgeous,” I said, drawing her eyes away from Michum’s girlfriend, Hannah.

She slid out of the booth and wrapped her arms around my neck. “Hey, handsome. Good game tonight. But maybe let the other team score a few next time, so they don’t feel so bad.”

“Not really what they pay me for.”

She scrunched her nose adorably, smirking. “Fine. You do look pretty hot when you dominate the ice.”

I leaned in to whisper in her ear. “Just the ice?”

Jill’s cheeks flushed crimson and I kissed her temple before sliding into the booth and pulling her down on my lap. We weren’t staying long.

“Where’s AJ?” I asked, noticing his empty chair beside Michum.

Jill giggled, jerking her head toward the bar where my grumpy goalie was leaning on his elbow, his eyes on a pretty brunette.Was he smiling?

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