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When Cayden pulled away, he was breathing heavily, his hot breath puffing out against my forehead. I clutched his T-shirt, my mind hazy. He held me just like that for a moment, still gripping my throat so tight that I could barely breathe. He took in my half-closed eyes and reddened lips, puffy from his violent kissing, and his blood. It felt like a stain of ownership. Slowly, he released my neck, and air filled my lungs again.
I was late to art. It was the last class of the day, and I knew Lily was going to be there. I couldn’t bring myself to go right away. I needed ten minutes to calm down. I paced the woods until she was safely inside the building, and then followed.
“Hey, West,” Asher whispered beside me.
I glanced over at him. I was on the fence about the so-called Ice Gods. Sure, it might be the very first time I’d be able to say I had friends, but on the other hand, if they got in the way of me playing my best game, I didn’t need them.
“Were you with Lily?” As...
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“Why?” I didn’t like the way he came to her defense. I didn’t like it one bit. Asher shrugged, narrowing his eyes at me. “She’s the coach’s daughter and Eve’s best friend. I don’t want her fucked with.” A humorless smile touched my lips. “I don’t ask for permission to fuck with anyone.” Asher raised an eyebrow at me and then shook his head. “Whatever, man, just stay away from Eve. She’s off-limits – seriously.” “I don’t care about your sister, don’t worry.”
The kiss I’d just stolen pushed itself into my head. Fuck. That had been hot. For a guy who’d never felt anything remotely normal for my age, Lillian Williams sure felt like the cure. Holding her had been the most normal I’d felt in a long time. The only other place I felt like that was on the ice. She was too fucking sweet, with her huge green eyes, her slender stalk of a neck bobbing when she struggled to breathe. The way her long fingers pushed at my chest and then pulled, all at the same time.
“Be careful, man. That way lies danger,” Asher muttered from beside me, following my gaze.
“Okay, get some stickhandling and passing drills – go!” Coach Williams shouted before turning away and looking toward the door at the top of the rink and the figure just entering.
A hard check sent me spinning around and glaring at Marcus as he skated past. “Coach said stickhandling, West. He didn’t mean that kind of stick, if you know what I mean.” Marcus’ smirk was irritating as hell. “Meaning?” “Meaning get your head in training and forget about pretty little redheads who could get you kicked off the team. I’m saying that from a place of love.” He shot me a shit-eating grin and skated away.
Coach turned back to us and blew his whistle. “Okay, let’s get going. Two on one practice, Cayden and Asher take Beckett.” I skated into position beside Asher, my gaze drifting to Lily continuously. My breath fogged in the cool air. Wasn’t she cold sitting there? “Concentrate, man,” Asher muttered beside me as Beckett lined himself up opposite us.
“What the hell was that, West?” Beckett’s shout echoed around the rink. “Don’t fucking tell me you’re not a lefty.” “I am – most of the time.” I grinned at him. Being ambidextrous was a big advantage in hockey. Beckett whistled and gave me a rare grin. “Fucking A. Good to have you with us.”
“You know we have to win this game for your welcome party to be any good, right?” “Yeah, I guess so. Don’t worry, I plan on winning.” He gave me a grin and slapped my shoulder. “I love that confidence.” “It’s not confidence…it’s lack of other options.”
“I see. Well, since you’re making sure we win the game, is there anything you want at the party? Let me know, and I’ll make sure it happens.” “I don’t know, man. I’m not really into parties.” “So, you want a quiet place to escape from your own welcome party? Okay, we can do that,” Beckett said.
“Is Asher’s sister invited to the party?” I asked him. He paused, his dark eyes narrowing at me. “Why? You interested in her? She’s called Eve for a reason. Forbidden fruit. Asher won’t allow any of us to mess around with her.” There was something in his tone, something possessive. It looked like the richest guy at Hade Harbor High had found something he couldn’t buy. Or rather, someone.
Book 2!!
“It’s Bug, isn’t it? Where Eve goes, Bug follows. Man, don’t tell me you have a hard-on for your new foster sister. That’s fucked up.” He laughed. “I like it.” I blew out a breath and gave him a warning look. “I don’t have a hard-on for anyone, especially not the uptight rich girls here at HHH.”
He turned and ambled away. I gulped down some water and fitted my skate guards, trying to seem busy and lost in thought. I really was lost in thought. Thoughts of Lily. Really, it would be better if she didn’t come to the party. She’d be a distraction there, and she wouldn’t hang out with me, anyway. I’d be wondering what loser with a death wish was chatting her up all night. I thought back to the night we officially met, how I’d found her in the kitchen, hiding from me, with Josh, a winger, smiling away at her. No, I wasn’t sure at all if I wanted Lily at the party. Unless I literally
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“Lillian?” The voice jerked me from my thoughts. The girls who’d been passing by were now stopped. I struggled to remember their names...Sara and Ellen, that was it. I smiled quickly at them. “Hey, how’s it going?”
“Listen, I don’t know you well at all, so just tell me to get lost if you want…but you should be careful around Cade. He’s not who everyone thinks he is. Don’t let your guard down.” Her words were like a bucket of ice water over my head. “What do you mean?” “I used to live in Midnight Falls. I went to high school with him for a few years. He has a reputation in town.” Ellen looked skittish like she might run off at any second. She took a step away. I reached out and grabbed her arm. “Wait! What kind of reputation?”
“It’s not my place to say, I just – I just wanted to say be careful. Your family is so kind, and your dad is such a nice guy…I wouldn’t want anything bad to happen, not when I could have warned you about him—” “What about him exactly?” I urged her.
“Yes, what about him exactly?” Cayden’s deep voice spoke from my right. I risked a glance that way. He leaned against the back of the truck nonchalantly, his eyes glittering in the darkness.
I gave Cayden a glare. “So now you’re just going around threatening any poor student who crosses you?” Cayden shrugged. “I didn’t threaten her. I just asked a question.”
“What kind of reputation do you have in Midnight Falls?”
“What do you think?” Cayden asked lazily.
“I don’t know – local psychopath?” “Hmm, more like star player and a guy who always gets what he wants.” He stopped beside me and leaned against the truck, his arm brushing mine.
“Did you enjoy watching training?” “I wasn’t watching. I was studying.” He chuckled quietly. “Sure you were.” “Where’s my dad, anyway?” I asked, twisting around to look in the direction of the gym. “Why? Don’t you like being alone with me, Freckles?” “Don’t call me Freckles.” “What else should I call you? Ladybug?” I snorted. “If you think that’s meaner than just Bug, you should know it’s not. It’s cute.” I jerked, my words dying on my lips as Cayden’s hand reached out and brushed my arm, circling over a patch of freckles. “Red with spots…elegant, but cute…so fragile and easy to crush. It
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“Sorry to keep you guys waiting!” my dad called across the parking lot. He appeared out of the darkness just as Cayden dropped his hand. “Lily, what did you think of Cayden?” my dad asked as we got into the truck. “This is your first time seeing him on the ice.”
“Hmmm, fine, I guess.” “Fine? He was great.” My dad turned to Cayden. “You, Beckett, Marcus, and Asher are going to dominate the league, I can feel it. Make sure to get your head straight. Nothing matters but this.”
“Dad, I’m going for a jog.” “In the gym?” “No, outside. It’s not that late, and I’m a big girl. It’s not even that dark yet,”
“Lil, that’s why we have a gym.” “Dad—” “I can go with her, Coach. It’s no trouble. I’ll make sure she’s safe. I was going to go for a run, anyway.” Cayden’s voice was well-meaning and earnest.
“Are you telling me that training didn’t kill you? I’ll have to step it up next time. I told you just to call me Eric at home.” My dad slapped Cayden’s shoulder, grinning from ear to ear. My mom’s voice called through the house, and my dad sighed. “Okay, kids, I’ve got to go and see the lady of the house. Take care of my girl for me, Cade. See you later.”
“So, where are we going?” “I am going on a jog; you can go run off the edge of the cliff at the end of the road.”
Cayden fell into an easy jog beside me, having no such problems, despite having just finished a two-hour training session. “Well, that doesn’t sound fun at all. I’ll pass.” He jogged beside me for a few more seconds before veering into me and herding me off the street and down a small alley that ran between two houses. Night was gradually falling. “What the hell?!” I protested, pushing against him, my feet nearly stumbling over each other.
“Jogging is boring. Let’s make it a little more interesting.” Cayden stood close, his chest pressing against mine.
“I think watching you run over the edge of a cliff sounds plenty interesting.” “Very funny. I think you need a better workout than this slow-and-steady shit. Nothing burns calories like running away from something.”
“And what do you want me to run away from? You?” I squared up to him as well as I could, considering our size difference. “I already told you I wasn’t scared of you.” “But you’re scared of your filthy little non-con fantasies getting out, aren’t you? Normal girls would be…or are you just giving up on pretending to be a good girl?”
glad we understand each other. Since I’m feeling merciful, let’s make it a simple setup. Escape me and get home before I catch you, and you win – I’ll leave you alone, for tonight.” “And if you win?” My heart felt like it was convulsing as I waited for his answer.
“If I win, and catch you before you get home…I get to kiss you.” A scoff left me before I could help it. “A kiss? Are you serious? What are we, five?” “Were you looking for something more?” Cayden baited me. A furious blush blossomed in my cheeks. “Hilarious. No, I wasn’t looking for anything from you, but even then, for all your posturing and threats, a kiss is really very tame.” He leaned in then, his mouth brushing my ear. “I didn’t say where I was going to kiss you, though, did I?”
“Now, since I’m feeling kind, I’ll give you a ten-second head start. Ten…” I pushed away from him, stumbling back a couple of steps. He watched me with laser-like focus. “Nine… better run, unless you want to get caught.”
A dog barked madly beside me, chained in a yard, scaring me into twisting and nearly falling. “Careful there, pretty girl. Don’t be scared of Nails. He’s just excited to see you.”
“He’s not the only one.” Another one of them laughed. I took a step back, and the man I’d bumped into shadowed the movement. “Hey, where are you going? You just got here,” he said, flashing me a creepy grin. His hand landed on my arm. “Stay awhile.” “I have to go, I’m sorry,” I said mindlessly. Why the hell was I apologizing? “You have nothing to be sorry for, because you’re not going anywhere, isn’t that right?”
I tugged my arm, but it didn’t budge from the man’s steel grip. He held my arm hard enough to cause bruises. “Please,” I heard myself say. “I don’t want any trouble.” The ringleader laughed. “Girlie, didn’t you hear? Sometimes trouble wants you.”
“She said she didn’t want any trouble. You guys hard of hearing or what?” Cayden’s deep voice slid over me, enveloping me in relief. Cayden was here. I wasn’t alone. I didn’t know when exactly the idea of him had become reassuring—especially since I’d just been running away from him, scared of being caught–but my relief was undeniable.
“We heard. We just don’t care. How about you?” The man holding my arm jerked his head up, an aggressive invitation to Cayden. Cayden chuckled, a low, dangerous sound. “Me? I love trouble.” He jerked me out of the ringleader’s hold before punching him square in the face. The fight that broke out was sudden and violent.
Cayden spared me a glance. “Home, now. Run!” “What about you?” I was panicking. How could he fight off four guys? “I’ll be right behind you,” he grunted, bringing an elbow down on someone attempting to take him around the waist. His eyes shot to mine again, and I understood. He couldn’t fight them off for long. He was buying time. I turned and ran. I made it to the tracks before Cayden caught up with me. I could hear yells and threats from behind us. They were chasing us. My feet slipped on the rubble around the tracks, and only Cayden’s hand clamping around mine kept me from falling. He
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“Almost there. Don’t even think about stopping,” Cayden grunted, his hand tightening around mine, like he could tell that I was on the verge of collapsing. “I can’t make it,” I wheezed. “You can, and you will,” he said in a resolute tone. “You don’t have a choice.”
Cayden’s huge hand clamped around my hanging hair and pulled it back sharply. “You need to work on your fitness. You’re the coach’s daughter, for Christ’s sake,” he muttered. He held my hair in a punishing grip as he took in every second of my anguish.
“You’re hurt,” I said flatly to conceal my worry. Damn, I was a pushover. “I’ve had worse in a friendly practice,” he said and shrugged. “I don’t feel sorry for you,” I blurted out suddenly, rebelling against the voice in my head that felt bad that he had gotten beat up for defending me. “I didn’t ask you to.” Cayden’s expression was unreadable. “And for the record, I don’t feel sorry for you either.” He turned and strode toward the house. I stared after him. What the hell did that mean?
The first game coincided with my eighteenth birthday, and Lily’s. I remembered Coach telling me they were only days apart. Eighteen was the age I’d been counting down the days for, with plans of telling Uncle Jack to shove it and starting a life of my own. Now, it was clear he’d never intended to let that happen.
Coach was out with his wife. We were alone in the house. I set the glass on the sink and stared at my reflection in the dark window opposite me. I should get some rest. I should leave Lily alone and focus on the game. I should respect Coach Eric’s rules for the team and his daughter. I never was good at following rules. I went after Lily silently.
