Total pages in book: 129
Estimated words: 124005 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 620(@200wpm)___ 496(@250wpm)___ 413(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 124005 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 620(@200wpm)___ 496(@250wpm)___ 413(@300wpm)
“And when I joined the Terror, you never said no to a promo op, even if you hated it because…” I let it hang, still trying to get my head around it.
“I could make your job easier doing the things no one else wanted to. I got to spend time with you. I wasn’t late on purpose. I was nervous, and my anxiety boners are really fucking problematic.”
“You’ve really had a thing for me all these years?” I’m reeling in the face of these revelations.
He nods. “When we reconnected, mostly I wanted to fix what I’d broken, and I mean, I didn’t really think through the boyfriend or the fiancé angle. But I’m kind of completely in love with you, and have been for a while.” He chews his bottom lip, like he’s waiting for me to reject him. Never have I seen Dallas this nervous. Not ever.
As terrified as I am, I believe he’s telling the truth. But that’s new to me, so putting my faith in him feels akin to jumping off a cliff into dark waters, unsure if there are rocks beneath the surface. Our entire history is in the process of reframing, shifting, so I do the only thing that feels right—I grab the lapels of his suit jacket and pull his mouth to mine. He makes a surprised sound, but his arm snakes around my waist and his other hand slides into my hair. He groans as I push my tongue past his lips and he pulls me tight against him.
This isn’t like any other kiss we’ve shared. The anger and fear melt away, and that crackling energy between us explodes—like stars bursting and the world shifting back into alignment. It’s raw and real and healing. Every wall I erected to keep my heart safe falls with this one perfect kiss. It’s as though our souls are brushing up against each other for the first time. It’s a promise of something new, feral, powerful, and earth shattering.
Dallas Bright, professional hockey player and grown up all-around nice guy, is honestly and truly in love with me. I feel that pouring into me, filling the holes in my heart, giving me the most incredible, unexpected balm of hope. All those feelings I’ve been fighting, the chemistry I’ve tried to shove down and suppress, are suddenly, viciously present.
I tear my mouth from his.
He growls, fucking growls, and tries to reclaim my lips.
“Wait.”
He blinks twice and releases me. “Sorry. I’m sorry.”
“What? No. Don’t be sorry. Take me home now, please.”
“Home as in…”
“Back to the cabin, so we can continue this not outside our high school where people can take pictures that will make both our lives more challenging, but mostly mine.” I smile at him and realize this is what it must feel like to win the Cup. The world is mine, and everything I didn’t know I needed is right in front of me.
CHAPTER 30
HEMI
The two-minute drive is fraught with an exceptional amount of sexual tension. All the time and energy I’ve spent hating Dallas, every time I organized a promo op specifically to torment him the way he used to do to me, now seems callous and vindictive. It feels petty and small. I spent years believing he’d set me up on purpose as a prank meant to entertain his friends.
“You never tried to explain,” I say softly. My throat is tight, and my feelings are on fire.
He nods after a moment. “I realized that until I’d given you a reason to believe I was a different person now, it wasn’t worth bothering with. I was a dick to you for a long time—too worried about the unimportant stuff, when you were always the only thing that mattered.” He reaches for my hand as he pulls into the driveway. “And then more recently, it didn’t seem like you wanted to talk about it. So I tried to communicate in other ways. I wanted to earn the right to be honest.”
Every sweet thing he’s done, every soft moment, every bouquet of flowers, crocheted peach, and coffee left on my desk were meant to show me the truth. That he cares. That he’s sorry. That he isn’t the asshole I’ve spent my entire life hating.
The walls I built around my heart are falling. The armor I wore dissolving.
He parks in the garage, but instead of passing by the house, he takes my hand and leads me down the path behind it so we don’t get stopped by his mom asking how the reunion went. New energy crackles between us, no longer fueled by anger and vindication. My gaze stays locked on his profile as we navigate the uneven ground.
Low tones of music and laughter reach my ears, as though someone is hosting a lakeside summer party close by.
Dallas opens the door to the cabin, and I step over the threshold, tugging him along with me. As soon as the door closes, I grab his tie and pull his mouth to mine. His arm winds around me, one hand skimming my curves. I slide my fingers into his thick hair, gripping the strands as our tongues battle and tangle.