Page 91 of Treacherous
It’s no surprise this has been our toughest game yet. My knuckles and wrists throb from my tight hold on the hockey stick, but I ignore the pain. The score is tied at three goals and our chances of scoring are lowering as the minutes tick down.
My eyes search for the puck, finding it in the hands of a Star’s winger. Hayes body checks him, stealing the puck. Willow skates closer to him, opening herself for a pass. I change positions too, moving towards the goal.
“Willow!” Hayes yells, not wasting another second.
Opposition players rush towards her, but I know this play like the back of my hand. This is exactly what Willow wanted. She raises her stick, shooting the puck to me. I suck a breath, panting as I skate to the goal.
A breakaway.
This is it, our final chance to win the game. I don’t hesitate, slapping the puck as hard as I can. My gaze doesn’t waver until the puck collides with the net. My heart racing, while the siren booms in my ears.
Holy shit. We did it. Lakewood has won the Frozen Four. My teammates rush to me, tugging me into a tight embrace.
“We fucking did it!” Aiden screams over the crowd.
I pull back from everyone, noting that they have separated to let Willow into the middle of our huddle. She reaches for me, wrapping her arms around my neck, fingers sinking into my hair before crashing her lips onto mine. No warning, just the taste of cinnamon and sugary syrup on my lips.
Willow Rogers is kissing me after we won the Frozen Four together. Is this real?
I drown out the cheers from our teammates, my fingers gripping Willow’s hips to drag her closer to me. Our lips move in sync, sending a thrill down my spine.
Before I can deepen the kiss, Willow pulls back. Her face is flushed, pink, traveling from her cheeks to her neck. I brush my thumb over her swollen lips.
I want to spend the rest of my life worshipping this woman.
“So, did I win you back?” Willow’s voice is quiet and unsure.
I lean closer to her, brushing our lips together once more. I pull back, staring into Willow’s hazel eyes. “You never lost me, Willow. I’ve always been yours,”
The two of us share a smile before looking around us. Our teammates are still clapping and hyping us up.
“I hate to interrupt the moment, but if I don’t, the cameras definitely will,” Aiden says.
Willow’s cheeks heat. “Holy shit, I forgot about the camera. I just kissed someone on live television.”
We all laugh, shaking our heads. “It’s fine. A good story to tell people, right?” I say, wrapping my arm around Willow’s shoulder and dropping a kiss into her hair.
I glance at the crowd, fully taking in the moment. I’ve put my blood, sweat and fucking tears into not only hockey, but this team. I wouldn’t have wanted to win with anyone else.
My attention is drawn to the bench, where the media has already reached Coach West, who is grinning from ear to ear.
I can’t make out his words, but I’m sure he is singing everyone’s praises, including our opposition.
A cameraman closes in on the team, as we head off the ice. A reporter tries to grab mine and Willow’s attention, but Cooper and Aiden step in. Thank God. I don’t mind doing media, it’s always going to be part of the job. However, I don’t want to say anything about Willow before I get the chance to talk to her.
The night goes on forever, everyone celebrating our hard-earned victory. Willow and I don’t leave each other's presence, making up for the time we lost over the past month.
From now on, no matter how treacherous the situation is, we face it together.
Chapter 36
Willow Rogers
Islide my legs together, shaking the bed cover off my body. Heat flares through me, the sensation striking my core. I don’t remember my bedroom being this hot. I go to roll over but a hand skims across my belly.
My eyes open, neck craning to take in the person next to me. Fuck, I’ve missed this.
The only time we stayed the night with each other was the last time we had sex. I didn’t want him to leave, so I didn’t say anything. For the past month, I’ve been imagining Jayden lying beside me, hogging the blankets so I’m forced to cuddle with him. Not that I would object.
