I have no idea how this is going to play out, but at least I’ll get some answers I need one way or another.

  “This is so exciting!” Wren exclaims, practically jumping up and down as I look for the seats that match our tickets. “I’ve never been to a hockey game before. Do you think there will be a fight tonight?”

  Unsure of how Knox is going to react to seeing me, I chuckle softly.

  “I think your chances are pretty good tonight.”

  I find our seats and stop when I see how close we are to the ice.

  “These are our seats?” Wren asks, dropping her jaw. “We’re in the front row and practically at center ice!”

  Hayes definitely set me up. I’m like a neon sign for Knox. There’s no way he won’t see me every time he skates by this way.

  “It looks like it,” I murmur, double-checking the tickets and seeing that the numbers do indeed match. I take a seat next to Wren and try to relax. I don’t know why I’m so nervous all of a sudden. Taking a sip of my beer, I place it in the cup holder and do my best to keep up with her conversation.

  The lights finally go out as the multiple spotlights dance across the ice. The scoreboard starts showing highlight reels just as their signature song comes on to amp up the crowd.

  It’s hard not to get wrapped up in the energy as I find myself standing with the rest of the fans as they announce their starting lineup one by one. I watch Colton’s name and picture flash on the screen as he hits the ice, followed by Hunter, Thane, and Jett. Cayden steps out in his goalie gear, and the crowd goes wild as his blades touch the ice, but it’s nothing like the roar of the fans when number twenty-two flashes on the screen.

  Knox hits the ice, and the sound is deafening in the arena as his name is announced.

  One by one, I watch his teammates tap their sticks to the glass as they skate by me with a grin. Hayes mouths that he loves my jersey as he blatantly points to his own that matches, and I can’t help but laugh at the craziness of it all.

  Goosebumps appear on my arms as I feel his eyes land on me. When I finally turn and make eye contact with him, the whole arena disappears as I’m thrown into this intense energy that surrounds us in a bubble. His eyes glance down and darken into slits. Ice flies as he comes to an abrupt stop right in front of me.

  I’m frozen in place and unable to break away from the heat being thrown my way. The people around me start to notice he’s standing there as they get excited and try to get his attention, but it’s all focused on me.

  He’s breathing hard and gripping his stick like he wants to break it in two. Thane appears behind him and says something in his ear. Knox finally snaps out of it and skates away. He glances back once more as an onslaught of emotions crosses his face before turning and skating toward center ice for the anthem.

  “Jesus,” Wren breathes. “What the hell was that all about? For a minute, I thought he was going to break through the glass and throw you over his shoulder to take you back to his cave.”

  “I might have left a few things out about tonight,” I say, when I can finally breathe again.

  “A few?” She laughs. “You could have warned me how hot these hockey players are. It’s like a boy aquarium loaded with gorgeous male specimens in a glass tank that we get to stare at all night long.”

  “Boy aquarium?” I giggle. “That’s a pretty good one.”

  “Thanks, it just came to me, but don’t change the subject. You know that guy. I’m not talking about as a hockey fan. I mean, like, really know him. Number twenty-two. You know, the sex on skates that stopped in front of us and looked like he wanted to devour you whole…that one.”

  “I know who Knox is,” I sigh. “The shortened version is I’ve known him since I was a child. We’ve always had a love/hate relationship. Since he moved back, things have been complicated between us. I came here tonight because his teammates seem to think I’m a lucky charm for him, and he needs me here to win. Based on the look he just gave me, I don’t think he agrees with them,” I softly chuckle as the sound of the anthem playing cuts off her response as we stop to listen.

  Once seated, the players get in their positions as they wait for the first drop of the night.

  “Remind me later to scold you for the fact that you’ve been seeing and keeping all of these sexy players to yourself. Does ‘sharing is caring’ mean anything to you?”

  “I’ll introduce you to them all, I promise, but don’t get your hopes up. None of them that I’ve noticed seem like the commitment type.”

  “I’m fine with just a little fun,” she shrugs, taking a sip of her beer.

  “I thought I was too,” I say quietly, watching Knox win the face off and pass it to Jett. It’s like the hounds of hell are on his heels as he skates with an aggressive speed that already has another player being slammed into the boards.

  I really hope his teammates know what they’re doing because Knox is out for blood tonight, and I have a feeling I’m the cause of it.

  TWENTY-FOUR

  KNOX

  “What the fuck is Savi doing wearing your number?” I seethe under my breath as we take our first lineup change of the night and hit the bench.

  “It’s the plan I was telling you about.” Hayes shoots some water into his mouth before spitting it on the floor.

  “You mean the one where I end up fucking killing you?” Taking the towel handed to me, I run it over my face before tossing it away.

  “We had to pull out the big guns.”

  “We?”

  “The guys and I paid her a visit and persuaded her to come tonight,” he shrugs like it’s not a big deal, when I feel like control is slipping out of my fingers with every second that ticks by. “You’re going to lose her, Knox, if you don’t get that stubborn ass of yours to admit you like her. Her wearing another man’s jersey…going on dates with other men? That’s your future if you don’t step the fuck up, and the sooner you do it, the sooner we get you back in the game with us.”

  The line changes, and I don’t get another minute to think as I’m thrown back in the game. Knowing she’s in the stands tonight puts a fire under me that I’ve been missing the past few days as I throw all the emotions I’m feeling into this period.

  The hits feel harder.

  My blades dig a little deeper into the ice.

  The slap of my stick against the puck feels stronger, sending a crack in the air that rings a little louder.

  Every time I skate by her and see another guy’s number on her body, I skate harder and faster as jealousy sinks its claws into me, pushing me to acknowledge what I already knew deep down.

  She’s mine and has been since the day I met her. There is no other choice for me than to cut myself wide open and bleed for her. Show her all the parts of me I’m too afraid to show, and pray like hell I always have her by my side until my last breath.

  The first-period buzzer rings out, and the no-score game flashes on the scoreboard. I don’t wait for the players like I usually do, as I skate off the ice first. Pulling the first equipment manager I see as I walk down the hall, I tell him exactly what I need him to do.

  He’s new and young, so it doesn’t take much convincing that he needs to listen if he wants to keep his job.

  When he jogs away with his task, I walk into the locker room, tossing my gear on the floor and whipping my jersey over my head along with my pads.

  The team starts piling in as I grab a towel, and run it over my face and hair before swiping it across my chest. Reaching for an electrolyte drink to rehydrate what I lost from my body by pushing it so hard in the last period, I down it in one gulp before tossing the empty bottle aside.

  My lineup walks over, and I narrow my eyes at them.

  “I’ll deal with you guys later. I don’t have a lot of time and need to take care of something more important,” I say, brushing past them and walking out the door.

  I head to the small utility closet, which is the best I could do for privacy on such short notice, and open the door, shutting it behind me.

  Savi’s waiting for me, and I make a small mental note to give the kid a hefty bonus for getting the job done.

  “Have you gone mad? It’s in the middle of the game…your game,” she says, frantically.

  “Take the jersey off now,” I say, calmly, but giving her no doubt with my look that I’m serious.

  “What?” Her eyes get wide as I step closer to her.

  “Take the jersey off now, or I’ll do it myself. Your choice.”

  “You have gone mad,” she mutters, lifting the jersey over her head and revealing a fitted, black Bolts tee underneath.

  Taking the jersey from her hand, I toss it to the floor.

  “This wasn’t my idea,” she swallows. “The guys said I should come…that it would help you figure things out. I’m sorry if it made it worse,” she wrings her hands together nervously as I back her up against the small table in the room. “I…I can leave if you need me to.”

  “Are you finished talking because I really want to kiss the fuck out of you right now.”

  Something flashes in her eyes, and I sink into it as my hand comes up to cup the side of her face. Her blue eyes close briefly at my touch, like it’s the best damn thing she’s felt in a while, matching exactly what I feel.

  I can no longer hold back as I dive into those beautiful lips that I’ve been dying to taste again. It’s only been two weeks, but it feels like a lifetime.

  My tongue eagerly tangles with hers as I deepen the kiss and sink my fingers into her soft hair.

  “Fuck, Savi, I’ve missed you,” I groan against her lips before diving right back in. Her hands come up and thread into my hair at the nape of my neck, and it feels so damn good to have her touch on me again. “Tell me I’m not too late, that Tristan…” I can’t even finish the thought, as images of them together make it difficult for me to breathe.

  “There is nothing between Tristan and me. How could there be, when deep down my heart has always belonged to you,” she whispers, and I close my eyes to the impact of what those words do to me. “It still does,” she admits.

  Bowing my head to hers, I drop my hands and keep a firm grip on her waist, needing to feel her against me. Her presence gives me the strength to push through my fears and give her the truth, no matter how hard it is for me to lay my heart at her feet.

  “I’m so fucking sorry it took me so long to realize that I can’t do this alone…that I don’t want to do this alone anymore. I still don’t have a clue what the fuck I’m doing, but I want to try. I need you, sunshine. So fucking much that it scares the hell out of me, but seeing you tonight and knowing that if I keep pushing you away, I’ll eventually lose you, scares me so much fucking more.”

  “I need you too, Knox,” she whispers, and I close my eyes as her words sink into me. “I don’t want to do this without you either. I…I can’t lose you,” she says, her voice catching on the last part.

  “As long as you’ll let me, I’ll keep trying to be the man you seem to think I am.”

  “You’ve always been that man to me…always.”

  “Looks like you just got yourself another stray that nobody wants,” I chuckle softly.

  “I want you,” she smiles, lifting her blue eyes to mine.

  “And that’s all I need.” I kiss her one more time so I can taste her on my lips for a little bit longer. “For the first time in my life, I wish I didn’t have a game to go back to. I can think of a million things I would love to be doing more with you right now,” I murmur against her neck and breathe in her scent.

  “Knowing how much you love hockey, that’s a pretty big statement,” she grins into my chest.

  “Yeah, it surprised me too. Who the fuck am I anymore?” I chuckle softly.

  “You’re the Knox I’ve always loved and prayed would see me standing here one day.”

  “I’ve always seen you, sunshine. Not once, since I first saw you, did I ever stop seeing you.”

  I kiss her briefly on the lips, not trusting myself to stop if I truly kiss her the way I want to right now. As much as I want to lose myself in her for hours, I have a team that is depending on me.

  Sighing, I step away so I can get a grip on my emotions, knowing I need a clear headspace when I step out on the ice in a few minutes.

  Her eyes roam down me until they hit my blades before trailing back up again, leaving me wanting so much more.

  “Do you realize how hot you look right now wearing only the bottom half of your uniform?”

  “Do you realize how hot you look right now without Hayes’s jersey on?” My eyebrow lifts as she bites her lip to hide a smile.

  “I didn’t think you would like that part of the plan very much.”

  “Like isn’t the word I would use to describe how much I hated it.”

  “I’m giving it back,” she laughs, bending down to pick it up as I reach out and take it from her hand.

  “Let me do the honors,” I smirk, hooking my finger in her sexy little black skirt and bringing her back to me because it’s so damn hard for me not to touch her again. “Do you know your way back to your seats, or do you need me to get someone to walk you?”

  “I think I can manage.” Her hand comes to rest over my heart as it picks up speed from her touch. “Kick some ass out there for me tonight,” she grins, and I feel the familiar pull of the game flow back into me.

  “I plan on it. Next goal is for you.” I kiss her briefly on the lips before smacking her ass and turning her toward the door. “You need to leave so I can get my dick under control before the buzzer sounds off,” I growl, running my fingers through my hair to try to get ahold of some self-control that I seriously lack when I’m with her.

  “I’m going,” she giggles, opening the door.

  “Hey sunshine,” I call out, stopping her as she looks over her shoulder at me. Her blue eyes are shining with that light that always takes my breath away. I’m going to do everything in my power to always keep it bright. “Thanks for coming tonight,” I say softly. She has no idea how much it means to me for her to be here.

  “I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else,” she smiles before walking away.

  Fisting the jersey in my hand, I step out and head in the opposite direction toward the locker room. I find my teammates in the back putting their gear back on as I head straight to them.

  I throw the jersey in Hayes’s face, and he catches it, laughing.

  “Don’t fucking mess with me again like that,” I growl out, as I take a seat and start putting my pads back on my shoulders.

  “It worked, didn’t it?” Hayes asks with a smug look on his face.

  “In a weird fucked up way, I guess it did,” I mutter.

  “I’m waiting?” Hayes puts a hand to his ear, and I scowl at him.

  “For what, a fucking lollipop?”

  “A thank you would work, but if you have a sucker on you, I’ll take one of those instead?” He shrugs, getting an eye roll from me.

  “I’ll thank you after we win this game.” I throw my jersey on and stuff a protein bar in my mouth.

  “Deal,” he grins.

  “Glad to have you back, Captain,” Cayden says, slapping me on the back before walking over to where the rest of the team is lining up. Kane, McCormick, and Foxx do the same as they pass by me, their gloves tapping me on the shoulders, showing their support.

  Feels good to be back.

  Shoving my helmet on, I stuff my hands in my gloves and grab my stick, feeling more mentally prepared than I have in days.

  As soon as my skates hit the ice, I see Cayden already scuffing up his ice area in front of the net and doing a few stretches. The rest of the lineup is getting a couple of laps in as they get a feel of the newly resurfaced ice and roughing it up a bit before the puck drops.

  Joining them, I make a point to skate to the area where Savi is sitting and am relieved to see that she made it back to her seat. Her grin is infectious when she sees me, and I can’t help but feel myself smile back. Tapping the glass briefly with my stick, I give her a wink before skating to the center to get in position for the face off.

  The crowd disappears as I crouch low, waiting for the puck to drop. It hits the ice, and I win the face off as I pass it to McCormick on my right.

  Digging my skates into the icy surface, I pick up speed chasing after him as we race to the goal post. Hayes takes control of the puck and ice sprays behind the net as he comes to a rapid halt, taking a moment to assess the situation.

  Whipping it along the sides, Kane picks it up at the center line before shooting it across the rink to Foxx.

  Moving to the left, I finally get free of the player guarding me, and it doesn’t take long for Foxx to notice I’m open as he launches it at me. I stickhandle it back and forth as I inch toward the net. Swinging back, I aim as my stick connects with the puck, sending it sailing past the goalie’s glove into the red zone.

  Stopping behind the net, I touch my heart briefly as a grin stretches across my face.

  “He’s back,” Foxx says, putting his glove on my helmet and shaking it.

  “That’s what I’m talking about,” Hayes grins, fisting his glove to mine as the goal horn sounds and the music comes on. I skate back to the bench and smile when I see Savi cheering with the crowd.

  Her eyes meet mine, and I feel a little more of her light seep in as my heart slowly starts to come alive again.

  TWENTY-FIVE

  SAVI

  “Are you sure you’re okay with me leaving? I know we talked about going out after the game tonight.” Wren looks doubtful as she grabs her jacket off the back of the chair.

  “I’m completely fine,” I laugh. “You go take care of your work emergency. I know better than anyone that animals are unpredictable and can pull you away at any time. Call me if you need me to take a look at her right away.”

  “I will. The person who found her said she didn’t look injured, just neglected, so it should be okay to wait until tomorrow to see her. I’ll keep you posted.”