Unloved (The Undone, #2)

by Peyton Corinne

“I think you’d be really easy to love,” she says. It’s a lax, whispered compliment, one she doesn’t know sounds like a gunshot in my head, hitting me straight in the chest.

“Good to see you again, princess,” he says, the words soft. My cheeks heat. “I missed you.”

“And I score on defended nets all the time.” Freddy shrugs, then leans across the now-too-short table to peer up at me with playful eyes and a pretty smile. “The goalie makes scoring more difficult, not impossible.”

“If you were my girlfriend, Rosalie,” he says, his voice deep and rough. My full name is like warm honey dripping from his lips. “You wouldn’t have to do anything to convince me. Just a fucking smile and I’d be a goner, okay?”

I make a vow then to protect her, the pretty girl with butterflies in her messy curls, even if she’ll never really be mine.

“I’ll be your friend, Ro,” I say. “I want you to see me as your friend.” “I’d like that, Matt.” She smiles, small and gentle, and I feel another layer of care and protectiveness reach out from me to her. A friend—not because of being on the same hockey team or some kind of trade-off. Just my friend, because she wants to be.

“Sorry. That was probably so weird. I’m… sorry, Matt. You’re unfortunately very handsome.” “Unfortunately?” It makes me laugh. I’ve been told I’m attractive more times than I can count, but none of them quite so backhandedly.

“To be loved is to be seen—and she’s the first person to really see him. That’s why they fall in love.”

“Aww, Donaldson.” Freddy smiles, his entire persona blending into a mix of the previous fury and his usual mischief. “Worried the school slut can actually make your girl come?”

I think I’m in love with her—not even romantically, but on some soul level. I feel devoted to her.

“If you wanna kiss someone, I’m right here.” It comes out breathy, but I’m smiling as my hand works its way up her side to rest against the right side of her neck. I lean in, skimming my nose along her cheek. “And I’m way fucking better at it than him. I promise, princess.”

“There you go, princess,” I mumble before my tongue traces the sharp hinge of her jaw, up to her ear. I press a kiss to her cheek and smile, whispering, “C’mon, Rosalie. Tell me if it feels good.”

“Matt,” she begs before convulsing rapidly against me, bucking with abandon. “That’s it, baby. Take what you need.”

“Do you like him ’cause he’s smarter than me?” His voice is so small that for a moment I’m convinced he didn’t speak. That it was some whisper of my imagination.

“Not touching you,” he whispers before gently extracting himself from my arms, swaying slowly into the shower, and fiddling clumsily with the knobs. “I need it cold before I do something you’ll regret.”

“Is this okay?” His whisper dances across the skin beneath my ear and I shiver. “Yes.” The word is barely a breath. “I just want to hold you. Just for tonight, please.”

You’re the most amazing, wonderful person I’ve ever met, and sometimes I nearly make myself sick over what I’ll do without you when this is over between us. In my dreams, I take care of you the way you take care of other people, and you’re relaxed and calm. And before bed, you tell me how easy it is to love me. I’m starting to think I’d give up anything, even hockey, for that life with you.

Loving Rosalie Shariff would be the easiest thing I’ve ever done—I know, because I’m already doing it. I think I’ve loved her since the day she stood up for me in that conference room. As a friend first, something I’ve never had, but now it’s more. It’s overwhelming, suddenly hard to swallow or even look at her. So I turn her around and wash her back reverently. I can’t stop myself from pressing a kiss into her back, right at the top of her spine. I think loving you would be the greatest thing in my life.

“I’m serious,” Toren says, jerking me again. “I’ve been doing this for years.” “And?” “And what? Still feels like I got shot in the fucking stomach and I’m bleeding out.” He lands a hit square to my abdomen, but I tense, seeing it coming. “It never stops, and it never hurts less.”

“Whatever you did,” Kane snaps, all the enjoyment from the fight rapidly fading. “Fix it.” He leaves me lying there, the dark threat of his words hovering over me.

He laughs, eyes dancing as he flicks his gaze to me. “You’re telling me my girlfriend and I kissed freshman year? That she’s been crushing on me since then—while she was dating you?” The smile that takes over Matt’s face is beaming, his arms stretching out around my shoulders lazily. “That’s the best thing I’ve heard all year.”

We strut past Tyler first, and my boyfriend leans in to whisper, “Thanks for the info. You can’t imagine how good it feels to know that all five times you slept with my girlfriend, she was thinking about me.” He grabs Tyler’s shoulder and jostles him slightly. “Good talk, man. And hey, if you ever talk to her again, I’ll kick your ass. For real this time.”

“I think falling in love with you is the easiest thing I’ve ever done.”

“Actually, about that,” I say, nerves rattling my voice. I lean a little more toward Ro for strength. “I want baby Elsie to know about her namesake, about Mom. And I want her to know how much you loved each other.” I clear my throat now, feeling almost sick at the mix of nerves and excitement. “You’ve always been a father to me, and I want her to know you as my dad—as her grandfather.” He chokes out a sob with a swift nod. “I’m… God, kid. I’m honored.” His eyes immediately dart back to the baby in his arms, and he coos even softer now. “I’m your Grandpa Ace. And I love you very much.”