Page 19 of Major Penalty

I just feel the weight of what’s about to come when I confront him again.

Ares Black is not a man you stop.

Not on the ice. Not off it.

And yet? Here I am.

Standing in front of him in the private hallway. Blocking his path.

He stops, sweat still slicking his brow, his hockey gear clinking with every movement. The adrenaline from the game still buzzes in the air around us, but the celebration is out there. Not in here. In here, we’re alone.

Ares stops dead in his tracks when he sees me standing in his way, blocking the tunnel. His gaze flicks to me, then straight past, like I’m nothing more than a shadow in his path.

“No,” he says, his voice low and commanding.

“Is this how you react when someone wants to congratulate you on the win?” I raise an eyebrow, crossing my arms.

“You’re not here to congratulate me,” he mutters and tightens his jaw. “You’re ambushing me.”

I chew on my lip for a moment, hesitating. Then, I let out a soft, breathless laugh.

“You don’t even know what I was going to say to youafterI congratulate you.”

“I do.” He tilts his head just an inch. “You want me to do my physical.”

I scoff, feigning mock offense.

“I’m worried about you,” I say, my voice quieter now. It comes out before I can stop it. “I saw you out there.”

“You and twenty thousand other people.” His voice is suddenly low, a challenge in his tone. “What’s your point, Irene?”

His expression doesn’t change as he says my name. But something inside me does. My name sounds different on his lips. He says it like he owns it. And now I’m the one who feels cornered.

Ares hasn’t moved. Hasn’t done a single thing. And yet, somehow, he’s winning. What exactly, I’m not sure yet.

“I saw you limping.” I hesitate for just a moment, trying to find the right words. “I saw you fight through it. You’re hurt, Ares. You’re not invincible, no matter how much you think you are. Let me help you.”

His jaw tightens, and his fingers curl slightly.

“I’m fine.” His voice stays steady. “I need to get ready for the press.” And with that, he turns, giving me his back.

I’ve always played it safe. Always tiptoeing around, always cautious. But I’m done playing that role. I’m a PTA now, and I have a job to do. A real job. Working with children is my dream, my future. I can’t be soft, not if I want to make a difference. I can’t just back down whenever a child is scared of the doctor’s office, afraid of what might happen. And that’s exactly what Ares is doing right now. He’s acting like a child, too scared to admit he’s hurt. Why? I still don’t know, but I need to be the one who stands firm. I’m here to help him, and he’s not going to stop me.

I don’t think; I react. My hand shoots out, and I grab him. I only realize this once I look down and see my hand wrapped around two of his inked fingers.

Uh-oh.

His entire body locks up. The air splits. Something dark, something deep, something dangerous crawls into the space between us. And then his head turns slowly like the barrel of a loaded gun shifting in my direction. His gaze drops. Lower. Lower. Until it lands on my hand where I’m touching him. Holding him, stopping him.

My stomach flips at the way he looks back at me. I swear the temperature in the room drops. I ignore the warning in his stare and the narrowing of his eyes like he’s trying to figure out if Ireallyjust did that.

Yes, unfortunately, I did. And now I have to follow it through.

“If you don’t do the physical, I’ll tell Dr. Mathews and Coach Brown. And I don’t care if you hate me for it. You need to rest and recover.”

His expression doesn’t change, but something in his eyes does.

His lips part slightly, like he’s about to say something, then stops.

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