Page 123 of My Pucked Up Enemy

"Couldn’t leave without seeing you," he says, voice rough and low, still catching his breath.

I rise from my chair, slow and uncertain, my hands pressing flat against the desk like I need the grounding.

"You should be celebrating," I say, forcing a small smile.

"I am."

He crosses the room in three long strides, stopping just short of touching me.

The air shifts. Thickens.

He leans in slightly, enough that I can feel the energy vibrating off of him—wild, electric, barely contained.

"I need you here," he says, fierce and raw. No hesitation. No fear. "Not just because of hockey. Not because of what you do for the team. Because you’re… you’re part of this. Part of us."

The breath catches in my lungs.

I blink up at him, my vision blurring with sudden emotion.

God, he’s standing here sweaty, exhausted, still bleeding adrenaline. And he's looking at me like I’m the only thing he sees.

"Alex…"

He shakes his head. "You don’t have to say anything. I just needed you to know."

I step closer until our shoes are almost touching. My voice is barely above a whisper.

"I’m staying."

The words fall out like a breath I’ve been holding for too long.

His eyes close for a second, like he’s taking the words into his bloodstream, letting them fill all the broken places inside him.

When he opens them again, the look he gives me wrecks whatever defenses I had left.

He cups my face with both hands, still rough from his gloves, and crushes his mouth to mine.

The kiss is desperate and messy and perfect. It’s everything we’ve been holding back finally breaking free. It’s every fear, every hope, every second we almost lost each other pouring out between us.

I cling to him, fingers fisting in the loose fabric of his jersey. He tastes like salt and sweat and triumph, and I never want to forget it.

When we finally break apart, both of us breathing hard, he presses his forehead against mine.

"You sure?" he whispers.

I nod, smiling even as tears sting my eyes. "Yeah. I’m sure."

He pulls me in again, gentler this time, arms wrapping around me like he’s anchoring himself.

For a long moment, we just stay there, tangled up in each other, the chaos of the outside world falling away.

The team, the Cup, and the future can all wait.

Right now, it’s just us.

Just this.

And it’s everything.

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