Page 8 of Break my Heart
The smile he flashes doesn’t quite banish the sadness from his eyes. “Sure. Of course.” There’s a pause. “I love you, Ava.”
Only then does everything loosen inside me. “I love you too.”
4
Hayes
“Who’s hungry?” Colby asks as we shove through the arena doors into the crisp evening air. “Because I’m fucking famished.” He pats his belly.
“Correct me if I’m wrong, but I do believe it’s Tuesday,” Steele adds.
Ford grins. “Taco Tuesday it is!” He pulls out his phone. “I’ll call the girls. They can meet us there.”
“Guess I could put away a few tacos,” Bridger adds, slinging his bag over his shoulder.
A curvy body slams into mine and I find Larsa Middleton hanging off my neck. She’s got dark eyes that always seem to sparkle with mischief, and right now they’re locked on mine.
“How about me? Am I invited to Taco Loco?”
I give her an apologetic smile. “Sorry, sweetheart. I won’t be heading over. I’ve got other plans this evening.”
Her lower lip juts out in a pout that probably works on most guys. “Can’t you change them?”
I shake my head, not even tempted in the least. “Nope. Maybe next time.”
She stretches onto the tips of her toes and nips my earlobe with sharp teeth, whispering, “That’s too bad. I was hoping we could spend a little one-on-one time together. Or, if you’re up to it, maybe two-on-one.”
Before I can respond, movement catches the corner of my eye, and my head swivels so fast that I nearly give myself whiplash. My attention locks on the blonde striding across campus about twenty yards away. Her ponytail bounces with every determined step she takes.
Ava.
The girl I haven’t been able to stop thinking about since our memorable encounter in the locker room.
As if she can feel the heat of my stare, she glances up from her phone. Her eyes narrow as soon as our gazes collide. The smile I flash is met with a scowl before she dismisses me and continues on her way.
“Hayes?”
It’s only when Ava disappears around the corner of a building that I glance at Larsa and realize she’s still clinging to me. “As fun as that sounds,” I say, untangling her arms from around my neck, “I’m gonna have to pass.”
“Boo.” She swings away, eyeing Ford and Colby for a few seconds before dismissing them. Larsa knows better than to mess with either of my teammates. Carina and Britt both made sure of that. If she crosses the line again, it won’t end well for her.
The grin Steele flashes her way makes his dimples pop. “You can ride on the back of my bike.”
She gives it a second of consideration before setting her sights on his cousin. “No, thanks.”
“Okay, the girls are in. They’ll meet us at Taco Loco in ten,” Ford announces, pocketing his phone.
I glance back to the last place I saw the petite blonde. The words are out of my mouth before I can reel them back in. “Did you guys know Coach has a daughter?”
Ford glances at me with mild confusion. “Yeah, there’s a picture of her in his office. You never noticed?”
I frown. “Nope.”
With a smirk, Bridger shakes his head. “You’re totally oblivious, dude.”
“Not when it matters,” I shoot back.
Colby raises an eyebrow. “And when exactly would that be? On the ice and between the sheets?”