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sneaking a peek at Theo, who was staring at me, still seemingly waiting for me to do something about the girls staring at him throughout the restaurant. Annoyance was quickly replaced with an uncertainty. What harm could it do?
Theo: Not gonna tell me where you are? Me: Rehearsing. I’ll be here for a while. I’ll be quiet when I come in so I don’t disrupt your sleep, Grandpa.
My eyes bounced back and forth between hers, and when her bottom lip began to tremble, I felt something chip off inside my chest. She looked down to her lap, hiding her tears.
Claire’s shaky hands landed on my hips as I continued to cage her against the wall. A wicked dose of desire flooded my veins, but I forced my thoughts elsewhere because there was no way I could disguise touching her any more than I already had with our fake-dating scheme because, right now, we were alone. So very alone.
“It’s either that or I throw you over my shoulder, Bryant. You’re tired.” And babying your ankle. “We’re going back to the room and rewatching that episode that we fell asleep watching the night you ate an entire pizza by yourself. If I don’t figure out how it ends, I’m going to watch it without you.”
as I jogged through the auditorium with her wrapped around me, I realized that even if we weren’t actively playing the little fake-dating game that we kept finding ourselves in, I enjoyed her presence. Her laugh seeped into my chest, and although I was only getting a small piece of her, I didn’t want to let go of it.
His brown hair was flopped over his forehead in the most adorable, messy way that somehow doubled as sexy. His jaw bone looked as sharp as a knife as his face was angled away from me, showing off his arched cheekbone with the tiniest little scar underneath his eye. He truly was perfect. There wasn’t a flaw to be had. Not a single one.
“We fell asleep,” I croaked, staying completely still because if I let myself move against him, I’d be in deep trouble. “I know,” he answered, voice raspy and a little daring. “Boyfriends and girlfriends fall asleep together all the time. No big deal. Go back to sleep.”
“Skip it.” Theo’s breath rushed over the sensitive skin against my neck. My sigh was breathy, and when he buried his face in my hair, I licked my lips. Oh, God. “I’m comfortable with you right where you are, Bryant. Stay.”
“I can’t be held responsible for what I do with you looking at me like that while wearing my jersey.” He was still staring at my lips, and all rational thinking was going out the window the longer he hovered over me. “You look damn good in it, Bryant.”
“I bet you say that to all the girls who wear it,” I tried to joke again, but it came out hoarse. There was a tight crease in between his brows, and he looked almost offended. “You’re the only one who has ever worn my jersey.”
“How long were you going to hide that injury from me?” My arms crossed over my chest as I waited for her answer. Claire nervously pulled down the beanie over her head and looked down at her boots. Instead of denying it, like I assumed she would, she slowly raised her chin and locked onto me. There was the smallest crack in her strong-girl façade, and I watched the mask slip just enough to make me feel worthy that she was trusting me. “How did you know?” “Because I pay attention,” I answered truthfully, but what I didn’t allude to was the fact that I only paid attention to her.
We were in the locker room entirely too soon, and I was forced to plop her on the bench, hating that I had to take a step away from her so that Zedd, our personal trainer, could look at her ankle. A raging jealousy simmered as I watched Zedd’s fingers gently press on Claire’s ankle, which was beyond shocking. I quickly tore my eyes from his grip on her leg and silently slapped myself for the hit on my character.
The truth was, I liked her. I liked being around her. I liked watching her from afar. I liked that she was just as driven as me, and determined, and focused. I liked making her laugh, and I liked lying in my bed with her, watching Supernatural. I just liked being with her.
I shoved the ACE bandage in my pocket and turned my head to the left so she could hear my words clearly. “Keep it up and I’ll spank you, Bryant.” The humor was there, but barely. It was meant to be a joke, but my hand tingled with the thought of touching that peach of an ass that she had. Fuck, get it together. “You would not,” she whispered, letting her arms drop down my back in defeat as I entered the training room.
Her hands landed on my chest, and I was certain she could feel the racing of my heart, which was a quick reminder that my little roommate-slash-fake-girlfriend was completely embedding herself into my life, whether it was all a ruse or not. “Was I that heavy?” She frowned, taking my hand from behind her leg. “Your heart is flying. And here I thought hockey players had good stamina.” “You’re not heavy. That’s not why my heart is flying, Claire.” Don’t say it, Theo. Don’t say it. Do no— “And I have excellent stamina.” I paused, trying to make the next part of my sentence sound like I was
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It wasn’t a good idea. I knew that last night, as I stared down at her lying in my arms while she wore my jersey. There was something about her having my last name on her back that made me wonder if my world could revolve around something other than hockey...like her.
The second the timer went off, I quickly reached in, grabbed her biceps, and pulled her to her feet in one single motion. I scanned her wet body and did a triple-take at the way my world stopped spinning for a second. She wore nothing but a simple black bra and those damn panties that showed entirely too much. Water droplets raced down in between her cleavage, and I was confident in saying that it was the first time I’d ever been jealous of a small bead of liquid.
“Am I not allowed to be here?” she asked, standing up on shaky legs. She pulled my hoodie over her head, and I averted my gaze to the lockers behind her. I’d bite my fist if she wasn’t staring at me. I’d do anything to keep myself from thinking the thoughts I was currently having. “No,” I answered. “I’m breaking all my rules for you, Bryant.”
I pulled open the door and shut out the sound of the shower as I slammed my back against the wall and bent over at the waist, breathing in and out of my nose until I put the restraints back on. “What the fuck,” I mumbled, looking up at the ceiling. “She’s not really yours, bro.”
I was completely shocked that Theo had noticed there was something wrong with my ankle, and the fact that he went out of his way to have it checked out for me was so genuine. Truthfully, Theo Brooks made it painfully hard not to fall for him.
“What’s wrong?” A tiny crevice appeared in between his eyebrows, and I followed the small bead of water that trailed over his nose, landing in between us. “This. This is what’s wrong!” Theo moved closer to me, and I gingerly took a step back, knowing that if he touched me, it was game over. His closed fist banged against the tile behind me, and he leaned in close, careful not to let our bodies touch. “Claire, since the first time I kissed you, I’ve had a really hard time thinking of anything but your mouth.” Theo’s admittance stole the last bit of self-control I had. “And your laugh. And…”
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I couldn’t help but wonder if it was just attraction or if it was something more. I knew it was dangerous to think that way, but I would rather see Chad cheating on me again versus asking Theo that simple question, which was a deadly thought.
“Wait,” I rushed. When her baby blues reached me, I felt them bury themselves in my soul. The soft color of blue was sharpened, and the wall between us was stronger than before. I felt like I’d lost her, and I didn’t even have her yet. “I didn’t mean it.” I had no control over what was falling from my lips. None at all.
But somehow, the NHL didn’t seem all that significant while looking down at the hurt on her face. “No.” I shook my head. Claire’s brows lowered, and her eyes grew glossier. “Theo, everything you said was true. We are fake dating, remember? That was your idea to begin with. It just…kinda happened.” A single tear crept out of the corner of her eye, and although she tried to hide it, I still caught it with the side of my thumb. “Tell me why you’re crying.” “I’m not crying.”
“Tell me right now why you are crying.” I need to hear it. I need to know that she is on the same page as me.
swore the water cascading down my back turned to ice. “Because your words hurt me, and they shouldn’t have.” I brought her forehead to mine and peered down into her eyes. I trapped the wet strands of her dark hair in between my fingers as I cupped her face. “I lied.”
“You mean something to me. I lied so he’d get out of here faster.” “But—” My lips grazed hers when I repeated myself. “It’s not fake for me, Claire. I think about you every second of the day. I wonder where you are, what you’re doing, how I can spend more time with you in between your busy schedule and my games…” I gripped her hips, and my knee went in between her slippery legs as my heart began filling with warmth. “And don’t even get me started on seeing you in my jersey.”
I was slapped in the face with what my future could look like the second I felt her slipping from my fingers, and the realization that I’d fallen for my fake girlfriend was humbling, to say the least.
My breath quickened with the sight of her pebbled nipples that were obviously made for my mouth. I was captivated by her mind, heart, and body—and that was new territory for me.
“My mother warned me of guys like my father. Jocks. And even though you’ve proved you’re not what I thought you were, I don’t know if I can take another blow to my heart after Chad.” I’d never. “If you give me a piece of your heart, I’ll keep it safe.”
“Don’t make me regret this, Theo.” “Never,” I said before swiftly taking her mouth with mine and letting the rest of the world disappear. The only thing I could feel was her smooth skin beneath my calloused hands. The only thing I could taste was her pureness and willingness to let me take her under. The only thing I thought of was making this girl mine.
“God damn,” I whispered, stealing a kiss from her willing mouth before putting another finger inside.
“Brace yourself,” I said before slipping inside. There was a crack in the earth, and my heart did a double-take. “Holy shit,” I mumbled, dropping my head to the crook of her neck. My teeth sunk in, and her entire body shook against mine.
felt her come around my dick, and the tiles of the showers could have been crumbling around us, and I wouldn’t have stopped plunging inside. “That’s it,” I coaxed, pushing in deeper. “I could watch you come every second of every day and never get sick of it.”
“You”—I stepped over to her and pulled her in close with my hands on her lithe waist—“are my weak side, Bryant. Do you hear me?” She swallowed shyly and stared up at me. “I don’t know what that means.” I smirked as I reached over and turned the water off. “It means you’re mine.”
We were more wrapped up in each other behind our door than in front of it, but not because he didn’t want to keep up with the charade in front of campus, but mainly because he wanted me all for himself—his words, not mine.
It wasn’t as if the thought didn’t occur to me that I could leave my mother to fend for herself. She was old enough to understand how to budget, and she’d surely been an adult longer than I had, but for as long as I could remember, my mother and I were a team. We were always in survival mode, and if I ruined our relationship, who would I have left?
Tom Gardini was still gazing at me, but instead of nodding or looking away, he stared with a curiosity that was painfully obvious. His head tilted to the side, and although someone was trying to get his attention, he had a hard time pulling his gaze from me.
“Do you know where my head kept going while I was talking to the one guy who I’ve looked up to my entire life?” My finger laid over the button of her jeans, and like the needy girl she was, Claire moved back a sliver, and it was the silent green light I’d been waiting for. “No,” she answered hesitantly. “You.” It was something I never thought I’d admit aloud, but here I was, bending for a girl who was never supposed to be mine. “And how much I fucking loved seeing you in my jersey, and how effortless you looked talking to my parents, winning my mother over in a split second. And after every
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“Tell me.” I shook my head before tapping the inside of her thigh, nearly salivating. “You know you can trust me, right?” Her jaw worked back and forth, and she nodded quickly. “It’s just…” She looked down at her panties that were already sporting a wet spot. My tongue tingled, but I forced myself to wait. Doesn’t she know I am starving for her? “You’ve never done this to me before.” “I’m well aware.” Please don’t make me wait any longer.
Her mouth opened in shock and then closed abruptly. “I’m beginning to know you very well, Claire. So, tell me. Now.” My finger slowly crept over to her panties, and I slipped the moist fabric over, feeling my chest constrict with something that I wasn’t able to control. “He just didn’t like to do this often. Not unless I had showered or…shaved.” I could kill him. I’d like to put him in the middle of the ice rink and blast ice pucks at his head all fucking day.
“Bryant,” I demanded, pulling her into my lap. Her body was limp, and her head lollygagged to the left before I cupped the side of her face, caressing it lightly. “Claire, wake up.” “Call 911,” someone said in the background, but I ignored them as Claire’s eyelashes began to flutter open. My chest quivered to see her blue eyes, and everything faded when she finally opened them and landed on me. “Hey,” I rushed out, hearing the fear in my voice. “You okay?”
“Don’t fall asleep,” I demanded. “And keep your eyes open.” Aasher opened the door and said, “I have the car ready. Let’s go.” I nodded and held on tighter to Claire, not even bothering to see if Chad was still lingering. I’d deal with him later. Right now, Claire was the priority, and I was quickly realizing that she was always going to be the priority.
“They did a CT, making sure she doesn’t have a brain bleed. I haven’t been back in the room. I’m not family, so I can’t go in, which is fucking ridiculous because they let Taytum in.” “Well, I hate to admit it, but she’s prettier than you.”
I loved hockey. I breathed hockey. My future was hockey. But nothing seemed important in this moment except for Claire, and I would be fucking damned if I made her feel as insignificant as she had in the past. I wouldn’t leave this hospital until I knew she was okay and she knew that I was out here waiting.
“She’s tired. A little dizzy. She has a concussion, but they don’t think it's anything more serious than that. Still waiting for the results, though.” “Does she know I’m out here?” Before Taytum could answer, the air in the waiting room turned to ice, and she began to glare. I spun around, and suddenly, I was back on the ice, ready to tear down my opponent.
“Theo, what are you doing here?!” She lay back, but panic still backed every one of her words. Without even meaning to, I crowded her space and stared down into her eyes. “I’m here to make sure you’re okay. Game or no game, I wasn’t leaving until I knew.”
She seemed exasperated, and it was kind of cute how stressed out she was, but before I caused any more unnecessary stress for her, I leaned down and kissed her forehead before whispering, “It’s important, but I’m beginning to realize it may not be the most important thing anymore.”
Because after all, what was a future without her in it?
