Page 106 of Hockey Boy
I won’t fall in love with you.
Aiden’s on top of the guy now, and New York’s players are descending. It’s a melee. Blue and black jerseys blend together as fists fly.
Trembling, and with my heart in my throat, I search for Aiden amid the chaos.
I made him promise he wouldn’t catch feelings. He swore he’d be fine. He promised he could fake it. Clearly, he was right. Apparently, our friends and family weren’t the only ones who were fooled.
Every muscle acheswhen I finally walk into the hotel where Lennox and I are staying for the night. The rest of the team is headed back to Boston now, but since we don’t have practice tomorrow, I got the okay to stay behind. Lennox promised to spend a few hours in the dark with me in the morning, and then, if I’m up for it, take me to her favorite lunch spot before we take the train back. Then I’m off to Seattle for our next away game.
Even after the ten minutes I spent in the sin bin, we pulled off a win. I rarely get penalties, but this one was worth every minute.
No one talks about Lennox.
Unlike in Boston, the people I pass in the hotel lobby aren’t happy to see me. Anyone who recognizes me practically scowls with hatred. Especially after tonight.
By the time I make it up to our room, my head is pounding, but the thought of the woman on the other side of the door—in my jersey—has renewed energy coursing through me.
I push open the door to our oversized suite. “Lex?”
I loosen my tie as I stride across the main area in search of her. The door to the bathroom opens, and she appears. Her sullen expression registers first. Her face is devoid of makeup, like she scrubbed every bit of it off, buther skin isn’t smooth and glowing like it normally is after she finishes her nightly routine. It’s splotchy and red.
She’s been crying.
She’s alsonotin my jersey.
My jaw ticks, and tension knots in my shoulders. It was literally all I asked for. All I wanted. And after tonight, after everything that happened, it’s what I needed.
“You’re upset,” she says plainly, turning off the light in the bathroom.
As she steps into the room, I can’t help but state the obvious. “You’re not in my jersey.”
With a huff, she rolls her eyes. “I’m not wearing your jersey after you got into a fight over another woman.”
I reel back. “What?”
“Vincent Lukov. He’s the guy Jill was cheating on you with.”
Shrugging, I get to work unbuttoning my shirt. Might as well get comfortable if we’re having a discussion. “Yeah, so?”
Lennox’s breasts rise and fall under an oversized pink T-shirt that readsI am the fun. Her cheeks redden and her blue eyes go hard. “You’re obviously still hung up on Jill. Otherwise, why would you beat the shit out of him?”
My fingers halt on the third button of my shirt, my heart thumping hard against my sternum. “Because he said your name.” My voice comes out sharp.Angry.Because I am. Lukov went too far tonight.
Her eyes go wide. “What?”
Keeping my focus fixed on her, I continue unbuttoning my shirt. “I couldn’t give a flying fuck about Jill. Which I told him. He can have her. Or get rid of her. Whatever. But no man will mention your name the way he did and not end up breathing out of a tube.”
“Holy shit, that’s hot.” Her pink lips are parted, her eyes searching mine. With a sharp intake of breath, she covers her mouth and shakes her head like she can’t believe she said that. “Aiden?—”
I pull the tie from my neck and wrap it around my hand, then point it at her. “No. I’m sick of everyone telling me how I feel. I haven’t cared about Jill since the moment I saw you again.”
She rolls her eyes, the action so sassy I’m tempted to bend her over my lap and spank her. “Maybe once you found out that she cheated.”
I eat up the space between us in two strides and get right up in her space. “No,” I grit out. “Since long before that. I walked into that meeting dreading it. Knowing I wasn’t supposed to marry her. I was miserable, Lex. And then you walked in there like a damn ray of sunshine and I…” I force a long breath in and hold it in my lungs before releasing it. Finally, my anger dissipates. This woman in front of me changed everything that day. “I knew right then and there I couldn’t marry her. The elevator hadn’t even made it to the ground floor before I ended it.”
Frowning, she whispers, “After she told you about the affair.” It’s not a question, yet the statement is filled with doubt. She’s unsure.
I don’t want her unsure. I want her to know. Fully. The whole truth.