Page 53 of Puck You
It was pretty fucking obvious by now that I couldn’t escape this absurd force pulling me toward Grace, not even if it jeopardized the future I’d been planning since I was twelve years old.From the moment I’d seen her and Landon together at practice, I was done for.I’d tried to drive her away—done everything in my power to make her hate me.And maybe Grace did hate me, but that hadn’t stopped her from kissing me back on the night of my birthday, and it didn’t change how frustratingly right she felt in my arms.I could pretend all I wanted, but there was no driving her out of my mind.Grace was too far under my skin; the infection had already taken root.I needed her like I needed hockey, and that was a terrifying realization.
“Sebastian, what’s wrong?”
Grace took another slow step forward, until she was nearly close enough for me to reach out and touch her.In less than a second, I had her pressed against the barn, my arms on either side of her head, face buried in the corner of her neck.I took a long drag of her cherry perfume, my eyes fluttering closed at the intoxicating smell.Grace held herself deathly still, as if she were fighting the very same instinct that drove me to pin her against the barn.I lifted my head slowly and placed my lips along the shell of her ear.She shivered, but I knew it had nothing to do with the cold.
“Is this wrong?”I asked in a low whisper.“Am I scaring you?”
She didn’t respond immediately.Only after a painfully long moment, one that I spent convincing myself that I had completely terrified her, did Grace shake her head.Her admission came as a relief, but it was short-lived.As I leaned forward to press my lips to her jaw, someone called out her name.
“Grace, where’d you go?”
A growl rumbled in the back of my throat, and I tore myself away just as Lydia turned the corner.She stopped dead in her tracks at the sight of us standing close, Grace’s back pressed to the exterior of the building.There was no mistaking the hint of concern in her eyes as she surveyed the scene.
“Is everything okay?”Lydia asked.
I didn’t miss the accusation in her tone.
“Yeah, everything is okay,” Grace said with a shaky breath.
I gave myself one brief moment to take her in, wanting one last look at golden hour reflected in her stare.I’d worship at her feet if she let me, no matter our past.All she had to do was ask.But then she turned and headed back into the barn with herteammate.
“Happy Thanksgiving, Grace.”
Chapter 14
Sebastian
Despite our unforgettable kiss on my birthday, or the heated moment we’d shared at Thanksgiving, Grace was still in the denial stage of her feelings.There was no other explanation for the lengths to which she went to avoid me.It wasn’t entirely unexpected, not considering our past, but that didn’t assuage my frustration.And after a week of catching glimpses of her retreating form around DuLane, and seeing her flee from the lunch table the moment I sat down, I was ready to make her pay.If I had to suffer in my wanting for Grace, she’d have to suffer in her wanting for me.
My plan to ambush Grace on common ground was simple, though it required me to roll out of bed even earlier than I preferred, which was saying a lot.The girl was relentless when it came to training, which, rather annoyingly, was only moreof a turn-on.Until meeting her, I’d never known anyone who dedicated as much time to hockey as I did.Feeling more determined than ever, I arrived at the empty training facility with a skip in my step.When I reached the weight room, I settled onto a machine along the back wall and waited.It gave me a perfect view of the entrance, and I didn’t have to wait long.Grace arrived ten minutes later, her steps featherlight as she slipped through the door.I could hear the faint sound of music pouring from the wireless headphones perched over her ears.Silently, I watched her approach the row of stationary bikes and settle onto one.Thisisgoing to be fun.If there was anything I’d learned from the past few months, it was that Grace looked incredibly sexy when I got her all worked up.Her head whipped around as I slid onto the bike beside her.
“What do you want?”she asked, pulling her headphones down to sit around her neck.
“It’s bold of you to assume I want anything other than a warm-up.”
She glanced at the empty row of bikes before returning her gaze to me, eyes narrowed in a look of suspicion.“Do you need to use the bike directly next to me?”
“This is my favorite one.I never have to adjust the seat height.”
“Move.”
I smirked.“What are you going to do if I don’t?Push me off?”
The horrified look on her face was more gratifying than I could have imagined.She could pretend that our kiss meant nothing, but I wasn’t going to let her forget about it.Grace looked away ashamedly and, without another word, slipped on her headphones and resumed her warm-up.The entire time, Iremained on the bike beside her, allowing my gaze to stray over the length of her body.I knew she could feel my eyes on her, and I took pleasure in the way her cheeks grew warm under my attention.
She finally slowed to a stop fifteen minutes later, abandoning the bike station after a long chug of water.I considered the possibility that Grace was about to flee the scene, but I had a feeling her pride would win out.As expected, I was right.There was a stubborn set to her shoulders as she laid out a mat in the stretching zone.
“What do you want, Sebastian?Why are you following me around?”she asked when I approached.
“I figured I ought to check out your training regimen, given our little competition.”
Grace shot me a look of exasperation as I plopped down beside her.
“And,” I said, shifting to face her head-on, “I wanted to figure out why you were avoiding me.We are, after all ...what did you call it again?Oh yes—fracquaintances.”
“Not my best moment,” she huffed.“And I’m not avoiding you.Some people just aren’t meant to be friends.”
Grace was right about one thing.We werenevergoing to be friends.It would have to be more than that, for me.And based on her disappearing act, I was confident she felt the same.What other reason would she have to avoid me?
