Page 26 of Face Off
“Why don’t you take a picture? It will last longer,” she mutters as she turns around to face me. She pulls on a pair of gloves before grabbing a gauze pad and making her way to me. “Sit.”
I take a seat on the bench as she comes to me, her fingers gliding along my stubbled chin, tilting my head back for a better view. Her scent overwhelms my senses as she pinches the bridge of my nose. Fuck.
“Shit,” I grumble out as she continues to feel around. My hand moves from my sides to grip her hips. “Could you be a little gentler?”
She smiles sympathetically, continuing to allow me to hold her. “Sorry,” she says, moving out of my hold. “Good news is it’s not broken.”
“Well, that’s a plus.”
“Wanna tell me why you decided to go for blood on the first game of the season?” she says, removing her gloves.
I stand from the bench and trudge to her, pulling her close to my body. Her breath hitches at our closeness. I watch as her chest rises and falls. I know what she had said. That this couldn’t happen again, yet all I want is her. Fuck the semantics.
I gaze into her eyes as I rub her cheek with the pad of my thumb. “He was talking about you, Red. Asked me how sweet your pussy was.” I move my hand down to stroke the nape of her neck as her head lulls to the side. “I know this might sound possessive, but he wanted to try to take what was mine.”
“I belong to no one,” she says, pulling back from me just a little, but her body is still affected by my touch. Whether or not she wants to admit it, she belongs to me.
Her eyes move back and forth between mine before her hands cup either side of my face. Her lips crash into mine. How I wish I could take her up against the wall in the locker room. My hold on her hips tightens as I pull her closer to me. Her tongue brushes against my lower lip, begging for access. I move fast topush her against the wall leading to the office, but just as fast as I push her up against the wall, we separate as the door of the locker room creaks open.
“Hayley?” Cassidy’s voice echoes into the locker room.
When her gaze meets mine, I expect to see regret, yet all that’s present is lust. “Just a minute,” she calls out before brushing her index finger down my sore nose. “We’ll discuss this after the game. You’re expected back since your injury is not season ending.”
I nod in understanding before walking out into the open. Cassidy stands there with raised eyebrows as we round the corner together. Her gaze lands on our entwined fingers. I guess I’m expecting Hayley to drop my hand, which would explain why my squeeze on it only intensifies. But she doesn’t pull away. She squeezes my hand back before slowly releasing it.
“Everything okay, Cass?” she asks while cleaning up her bag.
The grin playing on Cassidy’s face widens as realization grows. “Yup. Just making sure he’s able to return. Coach needs him back on the ice.”
She nods as I make my way to the bench, grabbing my helmet, gloves, and stick. I take Hayley’s hand in mine as we make our way back toward the ice. She gives me a small smile as I place a kiss on the palm of her hand before entering the bench.
The rest of the game is uneventful, and we end up taking home the win. First game of the season basically sets the tone for how you want to end it, and this year, we want it all. However, at this current moment, I could care less about the win. While the guys are ready to go out and celebrate before we head back home for our home opener, I just want to get back to the hotel and see Hayley. Something between us has shifted tonight during thegame, and I have to know what it is. She’s spent so much time trying to push me away, building up these walls. Walls that I hope are slowly dwindling.
Hayley
“He wants to talk tonight before we board our flight back home. What am I supposed to do, Cass? He thinks I’m Hayley Marshall,” I say, plopping down on my back on the unmade bed in the hotel room.
Brooks Miller.
He has weaseled his way into my life. No matter how much I tried to fight it, the attraction between us is undeniable. It’s like my body is set on fire every time he’s near. Slowly chipping away at the walls I’ve built to protect myself and my son. I shouldn’t want him, yet every ounce of my being wants him in every way. But how can I allow myself to fall for another guy who is one of the poster boys for a “player” … and I don’t mean hockey player. It shouldn’t matter, right? It was one little hook up. It doesn’t mean anything to any of us and can’t.
“You are Hayley Marshall,” she cuts me off.
“Professionally, yes. But…” I release a sigh. “What will he say when he finds out that I’m not just Hayley Marshall, but really Hayley Richards?”
She smiles before plopping onto her back beside me. “Not a damn thing. Look, Brooks has had girlfriends. One-night stands. But in the five years I’ve been working for the team, I haven’t seen him into someone like he’s into you. So, who cares that you didn’t tell him that your father owns the team right out the gate? Who cares that you had an amazing child from one of the biggest douchebags in the league? All that matters is that you are you. Whether it’s Hayley Marshall, or Hayley Richards. As long as you are true to yourself… then nothing else should matter.”
I release a breath I didn’t realize I was holding. “But what about the no fraternization clause? I signed one and my father… Oh God. My father would tear me a new one if he caught wind we were dating.”
“Fuck the no fraternization clause. Shit, Hayley, you’re going to run the team one day,” she says, getting up from the bed and walking toward the door. “Enjoy yourself. You deserve love and happiness and if Brooks gives that to you, then go for it.”
I let Cassidy’s words sink in as I move to pack my bag for the flight back home and change into my travel clothes. She’s right, you know. I shouldn’t let my insecurities dictate my happiness, yet here I am, ready to break things off again with Brooks before they’ve even started.
God, I’m giving myself whiplash.
Just as I’m pulling up my black leggings, a quiet knock comes from the other side of the adjoining room. I smile as I walk over to the door and pull it open. On the other side stands Brooks without a shirt on, in a pair of gray joggers.
His pec muscles flex as he pushes off the door frame to enter my room. My eyes wander over his muscular back and histight ass before he turns around to look at me. A smirk tugs at the corner of his full lips.
