Page 106 of Cross Check Hearts

When he steps back, his eyes hold mine for a moment, full of something I can’t quite name. He helps check my dress to make sure nothing’s out of place and adjusts his own clothes, and when we look semi-presentable again, he takes my hand in his.

Opening the door he just had me pressed against, he leads me out of the supply room—but I freeze as soon as I step outside, my heart leaping into my throat.

Aaron is standing right in front of us.

“Oh! Hi, um… uh… ah…” I stammer, caught completely off guard.

Declan chuckles beside me, his thumb stroking reassuringly over my knuckles. “Damn, it sounds like she forgot your name,” he says to Aaron with a smirk. “I guess she was too busy screaming mine to remember yours.”

Aaron’s jaw drops. His face flushes deep red, and his shoulders go tense as his gaze bounces back and forth between me and Declan. Declan just wraps an arm around my waist, seeming completely unfazed by Aaron’s glare.

“Come on, hummingbird. Let’s head back to the party,” he says, guiding me forward.

We make it a few steps before Aaron’s voice stops us.

“Her tattoo.”

My ex’s voice is sharp with realization. Declan turns us around slowly, his hand resting possessively on my hip.

“You called her that name when I first met you at that bar,” Aaron says. “If you knew about her tattoo back then, you must have already slept with her.” His eyes narrow as he jabs a finger at me. “Whenwewere supposed to be getting back together.”

He says the last part like he’s caught me in a terrible betrayal, and I flinch under the weight of his anger. But I meet his gaze steadily, lifting my chin.

“No, Aaron. Whenyouwere trying to get me back. But I never agreed to that. You declared yourself my boyfriend and expected me to fall in line like I always used to. Those days are over.Weare over.”

Something changes in Aaron’s expression as he processes my vehement words. His features twist into something cold and unfamiliar that sends a little chill rippling through me. It’s like a mask has fallen away, revealing a stranger wearing Aaron’s face.

“Well, I guess it’s a good thing I didn’t invest too much into our relationship,” he says with a cold smile. “You weren’t the only one keeping your options open, you know.”

“What does that mean?” I ask, taken aback by the venom in his voice. This isn’t the Aaron I remember. He’s always been entitled and self-centered, but never this cruel. The transformation is jarring, like watching someone you thought you knew turn into someone else entirely.

Aaron steps closer, but Declan subtly shifts his stance, creating a protective barrier between us. I can feel the tension in Declan’s body and see the way his shoulders are squared, but Aaron seems undeterred, his smile turning ugly.

“Nice girls like you are so fucking naïve,” he scoffs, craning his neck a little to see me behind the wall that Declan is creating. “I bet it never crossed your mind that I might have had a side piece too, did it?”

His words hit like a physical blow. My stomach drops, not because I still care about him, but because it makes me question everything I thought was real during our time together. I stare at him, shocked by this new level of cruelty. When I don’t respond, he laughs, the sound hollow and mean.

“But damn, if I’d known back then how wild you could get,” he says, gesturing toward the closet with a sneer, “maybe I wouldn’t have needed to look elsewhere to get my fun.”

“Fuck you,” I spit out, finding my voice at last as the heat of anger replaces the chill of shock.

Aaron actually has the audacity to laugh.

“No thanks, babe. Anyway, I’m pretty sure you don’t need me for that anymore,” he mutters, eyeing Declan with contempt. “Although I wonder how many others have had their turn? Hockey player, lawyer, maybe a professor or two… you do get around, don’t you?”

Declan’s entire body goes rigid in front me, and I can feel the fury radiating off him in waves. He steps forward, his hands curled into fists and his jaw tight, but his voice remains controlled.

“Watch your fucking mouth. You’re speaking to the future mother of my children.”

“Children?” Aaron’s eyebrows shoot up before he throws back his head with a barking laugh. “To each their own, I guess, but if it was me, I wouldn’t touch damaged goods that’ve been passed around the entire campus. Who knows where she’s been?—”

The punch happens so fast I barely register Declan’s movement. His fist connects with Aaron’s jaw with a sickening sound. The crack of bone meeting bone echoes through the hallway, and Aaron stumbles backward, landing hard on the floor. Blood trickles from the corner of his lip, and his jaw is already swelling.

As Aaron scrambles to his feet, looking like he might actually try to take a swing back, Declan moves toward him again, his eyes dark with a fury I’ve never seen in him before. My heart leaps into my throat—if this escalates into a full-on fight, Declan could lose everything he’s worked for.

Darting forward, I reach out to grab his arm. “Wait, Declan, don’t! He’s not worth it.”

I feel the tension in his muscles, the controlled power vibrating beneath my fingertips. For a moment, I think he might shake me off, but then he looks down at me, and something in his eyes shifts. The fury recedes, replaced by concern.

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