Page 96 of My Pucked Up Enemy

When she does, her voice is soft. “You were always capable of that. You just didn’t believe it yet.”

I blink. That lands deeper than any goal or stat line ever has.

I let out a breath, trying to hold onto the ground beneath me. “Hey, did you see that glove save in the third? The one where I went full stretch left and snagged it before it hit the top corner?”

Her eyes soften, and a tiny smile breaks through. “The one where half the crowd gasped in unison? Yeah, I saw it.”

“Be honest,” I say, nudging her gently. “That was sexy as hell.”

She laughs, and the sound feels like a victory all its own. “Okay, yeah. That one nearly made me forgive you for that less than graceful rebound you had in the second, where their player was literally on top of you.”

“I kept it out, didn’t I?”

“Yes, you did,” she says, smirking, giving me a high five.

“Still counts,” I murmur, grinning. “Though, between us, I’d rather it was you on top of me, not their left winger.”

She shakes her head, but her gaze lingers. “Careful, Chadwick. You keep pulling off saves like that, and I might start imagining myself on top of you, though with a lot less padding and far fewer witnesses.”

I step closer. I can feel my pulse at the base of my throat. I want to say something else—something big—but before I can...

She pulls me into the empty tunnel and kisses me.

Not a brush. Not a teasing flirt.

A real kiss.

Her hands press to my shoulders. My gear’s still on but I feel her anyway—heat, intention, emotion. It steals my breath. My knees nearly buckle. The crowd noise vanishes. All I know is her.

Then, she pulls back.

I’m stunned. Breathless. Heart thudding against my chest like it’s trying to break free.

“Nina.”

She takes a step back.

Her hands drop. Her mouth curves into something that’s not quite a smile.

“Congratulations, Alex,” she says, barely above a whisper.

And then she walks away and leaves me standing there like someone just took the ground out from under me.

She kissed me like a beginning.

And walked away like an ending.

And I didn’t know which one I was supposed to believe.

I’d just had the best game of my career.

And somehow, I never felt more unsure of what comes next.

Chapter twenty-seven

Nina

I’veneverwokenupfrom a dream that felt this real, or this confusing.

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