Page 38 of Decked, Wrecked and Pucked
I want to erase the hurt in her eyes, promise her we’ll figure this out, but with everything still so raw—Roman’s wounds still open—I can’t. Not yet. So I press my lips to her forehead, lingering there, and gather her back against my chest, holding her for all of us.
“Stay here tonight, yeah?” I whisper.
She nods, and I ease us both beneath the covers. I know when morning comes, she’ll be curled between me and Jasper, and that’s when shit gets real. Because whatever this was tonight, it’s not going away.
CHAPTER
TWELVE
ROMAN
EIGHT YEARS AGO
I hate sneaking around.But I’d do it a thousand times over for her. Somewhere between late-night texts and stolen glances across the rink, I fell for the one girl I should’ve stayed away from—my coach’s daughter. The same coach who’s made it crystal clear that if any of his players so much as look at her sideways, they’re benched.
If it ever came down to a choice between keeping Addie or keeping my spot on the team… there’s no question. It’s her—every single time.
Right now, the guys and I are in the final quarter of the game, and we’re head-to-head with one goal to score to win. There’s no doubt in my mind that we’re going to do it. No room for anything except the absolute certainty that we’re about to bury this puck in the back of their net and walk away with the win. I’ve got the best guys around me, teammates I’ve bled with and fought beside. Most of them, I’d trust with my life. Others? I’d rather slam into the ice and pretend it was an accident.
The puck drops, and everything else disappears. Right now, it’s just me, the ice, and the game I’ve loved since I was a kid. My bladescarve deep as I chase down the puck, adrenaline crackling through me like electricity.
We move through plays we could run in our sleep. Zeke takes the hit, sending the puck along the boards. Jasper scoops it up, cool as ever, and just like that, it’s back on my stick—right where I want it. We play as one; I don’t even have to look to know where they are. I just know.
Twenty seconds left on the clock.
I spin past a defender, threading the puck to Chad, before he flips the puck right back to me.I don’t hesitate.I shoot, and the puck sails to the back of the net. The red light flashes, the horn blares, and the game is ours.
The arena explodes around me, and the fans are on their feet, giving off the kind of energy only a win in the final seconds can deliver. Jasper barrels into my side, slamming me against the boards. Zeke and Grant are right there, piling on, all of us shouting, laughing, and letting the adrenaline take over.
When I finally break away, breathless, I scan the stands, and there she is—my girl, in her usual spot, on her feet and shining brighter than the arena lights. She’s grinning, her eyes fixed on mine, and when she lifts her arm, I know exactly what’s coming. She holds up one finger, and the rest of the world drops away.
One finger—our code.You’re the one. I love you.
I can’t help the grin that splits my face.
I lift my hand, two fingers in the air.I love you too.
Maybe it’s dumb, but it’s ours.
Jesus, what the hell is wrong with me?
I scrub a hand down my face, trying to erase the image, but the damage is done. The memory’s already there.
I was more involved in Addie’s pleasure than I ever meant tobe—though if I’m being honest, if I really didn’t want it, I wouldn’t have let myself get lost in her and the way she touched herself.
It was… Fuck. I don’t even have the words for what it was.
Beautiful.
Devastating.
Addictive.
Terrifying.
And now my head’s a mess because deep down I know this is all going to blow up in our faces.The truth is, when I saw them all together in the bed—Addie, Zeke, and Jasper—I felt like maybe this crazy, impossible thing could actually work, and that scares the shit out of me.
I’m staring at my reflection, trying to make sense of the storm in my head, when I catch Jasper’s dark eyes in the mirror as he steps up behind me.
