Body Check (Seattle Serpents, #1)

by Teagan Hunter

I lift my head to meet the eyes of my coach, then the GM, and I say two words I know will change everything. “I’m in.”

Nooooo! Dumbass that’s the wrong choice!!

Today, I sold my company.

He doesn’t know!!! He is gonna feel like an idiot but it should be ok for them to be together now right?!

That’s why tonight, after the game, I’m going to come clean to Hutch about how I feel about him. I’m going to tell him I broke the rules, did the unthinkable, and I, Auden Sinclair, am irrevocably in love with him. I just hope he feels the same.

I hope he lets her talk

“You didn’t know what?” “That you love her.” I stumble backward. What the… “I’m…” I shake my head at him and his ridiculous statement. Then, I laugh. Hard. Love? Me? Not a fucking chance.

Ummmm yeah ya are

“Why is she the first person you run to after we’re gone for days on end?” “She’s not,” I mutter through gritted teeth, and that bitter taste gets worse. “And why is she the person you want to share all your highs and lows with, huh?” He pokes my chest, right above the spot that’s been aching for days. “Why is she the one you go to after you play a hard game and come up empty-handed?” Another poke, another stumble. “Why is she the one you can’t wait to see after you’ve decimated the opposing team?” Poke. “Or after you’ve been annoyed by Lawson for too fucking long and need someone to ground you?” Poke. “Why is she the person you can’t seem to stop fucking thinking about?” “She’s not. She’s…” I gnash my teeth so firmly I guarantee the team dentist will yell at me for it. “You’re wrong.” He laughs sardonically. “Am I, Hutch?” Another poke, this one right above my heart. “If I’m so wrong, why have you changed in the months since you’ve known her, huh? Why is even Lawson commenting about how much you were smiling until a few days ago? Why have you been playing so well? Why is everything in your life looking a whole hell of a lot brighter since her? And why are you such a miserable fuck now that she’s gone?” Locke steps closer to me, our noses nearly brushing. “Why is your life so much better with her in it?” “It’s not. It’s—” He ignores my feeble attempt at a protest, pressing harder against that now-familiar ache in my chest. “She’s in here, man. Right fucking here. She’s wor...

Yes! Knock some sense into him!

He’s fucking right.

*face palm* nah dip Sherlock

I fucking know. I’m in love with Auden Sinclair, and I have no clue how I got here.

So go get her!!!

“Nothing,” I tell Locke. “I’m going to do nothing.”

Wrong

“What heartbreak? He seemed fine to me the other night. Besides, it’s not like he was in love with me or anything. How could his heart be broken?” All the guys exchange a look. “What?” I ask. “What was that look for?”

“Hutch is in love with you.” “Bullshit.”

“Sorry, Auden, but it’s true. He told me himself just yesterday.” “He did not,” I insist, but even as the words pass my lips, I know they’re pointless, just like I know Locke isn’t lying—Hutch is in love with me. “But…but…how?” He lifts a shoulder. “That’s for him to tell you, if you’ll give him the chance.”

“It’s true. I started working on it a couple of weeks ago, and we just finalized everything a few days ago. Actually, it was…” I trail off, choking back the emotion rising in my throat when I think about the day I finalized the biggest deal of my life, when I changed everything for the man I love, only to have him ignore me.

He doesn’t know, Auden.”

And how could he? He refused to talk to me. Hell, he refused to even look at me. He just walked away from it all—from us.

That’s what I’ve been saying!!

“But he did walk away. He did. What am I supposed to do with that? Just show up and tell him I quit and we confess our love and live happily ever

Damn Twin Thing.

Bahaha

“I miss you.”

“I miss you, too.”

told him he was nuts, said there was no way she’d do that. She loves that company. She wouldn’t sell. Not unless there was something…” She rolls her head my way. “Someone she loved more.” She stares at me. And stares some more. When I don’t say anything, she shrugs. “Anyway, I Googled it myself and he was right. She sold it. That little lovesick fool.” When several seconds pass and I still don’t say anything, she peeks over at me. I try not to laugh. Damn do I try, but it’s so hard not to when she’s looking at me like she is, her bottom lip snug between her teeth as she chews on it with worry. “Are you done?” I ask. She nods. “I’m done.” “Good.”

I haul her into my lap and I kiss her. I kiss her hard. I kiss her soft. I kiss her and kiss her and kiss her until that damn flight attendant is back and yelling at us to get into our own seats.

“Fuck, Auden. I’m so sorry. The way I walked away…the way I treated you at the game…” I shake my head, disgusted with myself. “You didn’t deserve that.”

“You’re right, I didn’t, but I understand it. I know why you did it. You had to. You thought we couldn’t be together, and you did what you had to do to protect your heart.” She lifts a shoulder, her gray sweater slipping down to reveal her pale skin. “I would have done the same thing.”

love you. So much. I didn’t mean to. I know that wasn’t the deal, but it happened. It happened and I’m not sorry about it, okay? I just can’t be sorry about it.”

“Because I love you too, Sinclair.”

But it’s not a coincidence. Not at all. It’s fate.

❤️❤️❤️❤️🥰🥰🥰😍😍😍😍😍

I sigh softly, rising up on my tiptoes and resting my lips against his. It’s supposed to be a chaste kiss, something quick…but that’s not the actual case, not with us.