Page 27 of Ice Contact

Sitting beside him now, Hayes’ hand on my thigh loosens the tension in my body, and his calmness wraps around me like my favorite blanket. I can see why he’s been named an assistant captain his first year here. Being a good leader requires a certain amount of composure when facing something as unpredictable as a storm. He doesn’t seem like the type to get rattled easily.Except when you hustle him into thinking you’re horrible at a dance game and show him up in spectacular style.I may not be a good skater; honestly, I’m not even a good dancer, butI’m excellent at lighting up those little squares as they pop up. And that rattled his cage.Mission accomplished.He practically dragged me into the hallway to devour me with the most passionate of our two kisses to date.

Am I counting kisses?Perhaps.

Am I dreaming?Dreaming would be an understatement.

Am I wishing he would kiss me right now?More than anything in the world.

Arriving at our final destination, we drive down the long hill towards Grant Park Beach.This place is breathtaking. It has a gorgeous view of the crisp, blue water of Lake Michigan, white, rocky sand lined with tiki torches, a pier to walk out and see the water up close, and a cute little hamburger stand to grab a snack.

I look over at Hayes, whose eyes are wide and full of awe. My heart swells, and I can’t stop the smile spreading across my cheeks at watching him instantly fall in love with this place like I did.

“Wow. You weren’t kidding when you said the drive would be worth it.”

“Do you remember when I told you I love finding hidden gem spots in the city? This is the best one in Milwaukee.” I beam as he parks, and we hop out to see this gorgeous beach in person.

“Olivia,” he breathes, unable to tear his eyes away, “This place is unreal. It’s…it’s beautiful. It’s like I’m on vacation.”

“Right?! That’s how I felt the first time I came here too. It’s my favorite place to sit and listen to the water.”

We step out of the car and walk towards the beach as I continue to ramble about all the reasons I love this place. “The water is too cold to swim in most of the time, but the breeze drifting off the lake is cooling even on the hottest days. There’s nothing better in the middle of the summer. The locals don’t like tourists to know about this place because it’s so peaceful and doesn’t get overly crowded.”

Hayes takes out his phone to snap some photos of the picturesque beach. “Thank you for trusting me with the secret location of this hidden beach. It’s amazing. Let me just post this on social media quickly to let all my two hundred thousand followers know I’m here,” he says with a wink.

I prepare to give him one of my famous punches, but his quick reflexes grab my hand before it reaches him, quickly pulling me towards him in an embrace I was not expecting but maybe hoping for.

“You’ve already gotten in trouble once today, sweet girl. Are you going for a record?” he murmurs with a raised eyebrow.

“Maybe I am,” I respond with a shaky breath. He stares at me with heat burning straight into me as thousands of butterflies float around my stomach. A current of sexual tension pulses between us, my body anxious to pick up where we left off in the hallway. I break the heady silence surrounding us. “Let’s go for a walk.”

We walk along the shoreline, his rough hand holding mine, before finding a picnic table somewhat secluded from the others enjoying the lake. We sit side by side on the bench facing the water, leaning our backs against the table and watching the waves crash on the shoreline.

“Can I ask you something?” Hayes asks, my body tensing at his words. “You don’t have to answer if you don’t want to.”

Calm your tits, Olivia…Hayes is different.He’s not an asshat more interested in video games and getting drunk with his friends than spending time with his girlfriend.

“Sure. Ask me whatever you want.”

“Why were you and Cayden together for so long?”

That’s…not what I was expecting.

Taking in a deep breath, I calm myself knowing Hayes is just curious why we were together.So am I. “Honestly…that’s a great question.” I sigh, not feeling brave enough to face Hayesas I respond. “I haven’t had any serious boyfriends until Cayden. I would meet guys, and we’d go out on a few dates, but things would fizzle out, and we’d move on. It was fun, but it didn’t feel right. When I met Cayden, he was nice for a while. He got along well with my friends. But, looking back, there are a lot of red flags I should have seen sooner.” I grumble as I stare into the vastness of the water, embarrassed admitting all this, not only to Hayes but also to myself. “He was constantly talking about his friends and how he could never miss an event they had, or he’d be banished from their group. Who lives their life like that? And what kind of friends banish you if you miss a 4thof July cookout?

“The last few months things got worse. I caught him lying a couple of times. Several weeks ago, he was supposed to be at work, but he called in sick. The whole day he was texting me like he was super busy, but I found out from his roommate’s girlfriend he was home all day playing video games with his roommates. He just…didn’t want to see me. I’d been trying to figure out how to ask him about it, but we barely saw each other for a few weeks, so it never came up.” I pause, nervously rubbing my hands up and down my thighs, realizing this is way too much information for me to be sharing with someone I barely know.Even if it feels like I’ve known Hayes for longer than a month.“I could go on all day about this,” I peek out of the corner of my eye, “you don’t need to listen to me ramble on about my horrible past relationship all night.”

“Olivia, it’s not too much. I happen to be a good listener. You said his name was Brayden, right?” he says as I smile and nudge him with my shoulder as a gentle thanks for the comic relief.

“Yes,Brayden.I think because it was my first long-term relationship, I didn’t know what to expect. I got into a headspace where I thought…maybe, this is as good as it gets.” My fingers tangle together in my lap, my knuckles white as I twist them together. “I wondered if this is simply what everyrelationship is like. I know my romance books and movies are just entertainment and nowhere close to real life, but I figured at least the person I was with wouldwantto spend time together. Then I went down this whole rabbit trail ofwhat’s wrong with meknowing someone who’s choosing to be with me doesn’t want to see me.”

Hayes reaches over and grabs my hands, giving them a gentle squeeze. His warmth fills me with a sweet comfort, and I let out a deep exhale at his soothing gesture, finally feeling like I can breathe again, purging all these emotions to someone who actually cares.

Hayes turns toward me, compassion flowing from his warm hands into mine. “You should never have to feel that way Olivia. And, believe it or not, I can relate.”

I blink, surprised someone like Hayes would ever have experienced someone like Cayden. “You can?”

He nods, his features softening as a somber expression crosses his face. “One of the reasons I was excited to sign with the Riders was to get away from my ex-girlfriend and the life we had in Tampa. I feel a lot of the same things. My ex, Chelsea, cheated on me. I knew something was up, but I chose to ignore the voice in my head warning me something was wrong.

“Being in the league, I obviously travel a lot. It’s part of the job that can be tough on the people you care about. You have to miss birthdays, anniversaries, and special events that are important to them. It sucks. It’s the most difficult part of the job. I always tried to find ways to arrange for special things when I’d be gone and to be together as much as possible when I was home.” His hand shakes against mine, and I interlace our fingers, reminding him I’m also here to listen.

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