Page 34 of Puck Struck
“You’re right,” Cam says, jaw clenched. “He’s not. And even though I didn’t catch him last time, I’m watching now.”
“You should report him.”
Cam scoffs. “And give him what he wants? Make myself look like a weak fucking crybaby? Hell no.”
I frown. “It wouldn’t be weak. You’d be protecting yourself.”
Cam pauses and looks at me. “You ever had to fight just to keep the ice under your feet?”
I don’t answer but once again, I see the guy with a secret, the past he won’t give me a glimpse into for some reason. His cryptic comments have my brain working overtime, and a shocking realization hits me. I want him to trust me with his truth.
There’s something I’m not seeing. Not yet. But it’s there, just beneath the surface, waiting to crack wide open.
“Didn’t think so.” Cam lets out a deep sigh and sweeps a hand through his hair. “You shouldn’t have followed me out onto that balcony the other night.”
I recoil. “What?”
“At the gala,” he says. “You shouldn’t have come to find me.”
“Yeah,” I say, heart knocking in my chest. “Well, you shouldn’t have looked like that in a tux.”
“You almost kissed me,” he says quietly.
“You said if I did, you’d let me.”
“Exactly. But…” He turns away and drops his eyes to his bag on the bench. “It’s better this way.”
My lungs tighten, the space between us compressing like all the air is being sucked out of it, bringing us together by some force that neither one of us is ready to give in to.
Without another look at me, he picks up his gear and storms out, leaving me there staring after him.
Later, as I’m packing up, Carter claps a hand on my shoulder. “Good work today. You and Cam are really starting to gel. The rookies look up to you. And Cam, well, he needs someone who can ground him.”
I nod, not trusting myself to speak as I look down at my gloves. At the way my fingers tremble.
The team is climbing the ranks. Cam is skyrocketing.
And all I can think about is how much I stand to lose as we get closer to the playoffs, and as I keep getting thrown together with Cam.
It won’t just be a risk to my career. It’ll be a risk to my heart.
Becausewhatever this thing is between us…it’s not simple. And it sure as hell isn’t safe.
TWELVE
cam
I slamthe door of my apartment shut, toss my gear bag into the corner of the foyer, and lean against the wall with my hands fisting the sides of my hair. My heart’s still pounding, not from practice, not from Keating’s bullshit, but from the look Logan gave me.
That look like he wanted to fix me and gut me at the same time.
I don’t know what was worse…the fire in his eyes or the way my chest aches every time he turns away from me like I’m too dangerous to be around.
Maybe I am. Maybe he’s smart to do that. And maybe that’s why he walked away from me the other night.
I told him it was better that he didn’t kiss me, but that was a lie. I thought leaving him would protect me. If I give in to these feelings, if I start to let him in, to trust him, it will wreck me when he walks away. Falling for him would make me vulnerable. Weak. And if he ever found out the truth about me…
I squeeze my eyes shut.
