Page 10 of Cross Check Hearts

He’s already ruined me.

Chapter5

Declan

Present Day

I stand rooted to the spot with my eyes locked on the empty space Hannah left behind. I watched her peel out of the parking lot like she couldn’t put enough distance between us fast enough, but I still can’t stop the torrent of memories of our night together at the club from washing over me. My body relives it as if it’s happening all over again.

Sweetness floods my tongue, reminding me of the incredible way she tasted. I see the surprise and desire in her eyes when I slid my cock into her for the first time. And as if she’s in my arms right now, I can practically feel her nails raking down my back the way they did when she fell apart beneath me, her body writhing and grinding against mine desperately. The memory of her gorgeous blue and green eyes gazing up at me makes my chest tighten.

I fell off my training for two days straight after that night. We didn’t sleep at all during the entire night we spent together, just fucked and rested and talked, then did it all over again. I didn’t want to miss a single second of my time with her, and I couldn’t bear the thought of closing my eyes only to reopen them to find she wasn’t there. That kind of night, the things we shared and did to each other, leaves a mark on a person—one that’s impossible to shake.

She fucking wrecked me.Brandedme.

I found my mystery girl again.

I shake my head, brows furrowing in disbelief at the thought because I honestly never thought I’d see her again. But her jasmine and orange blossom scent is still lingering in my nostrils, and her voice echoes in my head. As much as I try to think of anything else, all I can see are her gorgeous heterochromatic eyes and that sexy smile of hers, fully loaded with suggestion and covering up the truth of how much fire she’s carrying inside her.

And now I know her name.Hannah. It suits her.

Fuck, she’s even more mesmerizing than I remembered. But she’s my coach’s daughter?

It’s just my luck. And I know that’s why she’s giving me the cold shoulder, but that honestly only makes me want her more. Why should it matter if she’s the coach’s daughter? She’s a grown woman, so she can see whoever she wants, even if he is a hockey player. Besides, Dunaway seems to really like me, so maybe I can win him over. Or maybe we need to approach this differently. Either way, I can’t just give up on getting to know her better now that I’ve finally found her. After the incredible night we had together, I have to at least try.

“There’s the rookie!” Reese calls as he spills down the arena’s steps with several of the guys from the team, snapping me out of my thoughts. He strides over to me with Noah and Theo right behind him and playfully punches my shoulder. “Where’s the fire, buddy? You tore out of the locker room like you saw a ghost.”

I flinch at the joke because he has no idea how close to the truth he is.

“Oh, I had an important call I had to take,” I lie, pulling my phone out of my back pocket and waving it at them like that proves anything.

“Anyway, we’re gonna go get some drinks. You want to join us?” Noah asks, grinning at me.

I nod immediately. “I’d love to,” I answer, grateful for the chance to distract myself from the wild discovery I just made about Hannah. Besides, it’ll be good for me to spend more time with the guys and get to know them better.

“Awesome, then let’s roll. You can follow me if you’re not sure where it is,” Noah offers.

“Sounds good.”

“Cool, then we’ll see you jokers there,” he tells the others. As we head out to the parking lot, he shoots me a look. “You killed it today, by the way. I was really impressed.”

“Thanks. I was pretty nervous at the start, so I’m glad it didn’t show.”

“Really? No, it didn’t show at all. You looked even more confident than Theo out there, and that’s saying something.”

“Then I guess I’ll just have to keep up the hustle,” I say and grin at Noah, who smiles and nods back. “I didn’t work my ass off all these years to be mediocre now that I’m finally here.”

He chuckles approvingly. “That’s the attitude that wins championships.”

I hop on my bike as he climbs into his car, then follow him across town to a local sports bar called The Den. As we stride up to the door, several of the other players are already waiting for us.

“Took you long enough,” Maxim teases.

“Now that Noah is married, it’s mandatory for him to drive like an old man,” Theo says, and I snort.

“Hilarious, as always. Come on,” Noah says and breezes past them for the door, holding it open for the rest of us. The hostess seats us at a high-top table toward the back of the bar with a great view of the massive TV where commentators are going over replays from a recent game between the New Jersey Titans and the Los Angeles Prowlers.

“Ugh, get that shit out of here. No one gives a damn about the Prowlers,” Theo says, making a face at the TV as he sits. He waves a waitress down and asks her to change the channel, so she switches it to football instead. “That’s better.”

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