Total pages in book: 108
Estimated words: 103721 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 519(@200wpm)___ 415(@250wpm)___ 346(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 103721 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 519(@200wpm)___ 415(@250wpm)___ 346(@300wpm)
Her blondish-brown hair hung to her waist, longer than before. Stunning waves of silky strands that he could still remember running his fingers through. Her brown eyes were bright, and they sparkled just like the teal leotard that hugged every single inch of her body. Her legs were strong, cut, and defined, and under the sleeves of her leotard, he knew her arms were the same. Unlike her teammates, she didn’t have six-pack abs, not that it mattered to him, but he knew it was because she liked food as much as he did.
Fuck, he missed eating with her.
When her eyes met his, everything faded away, and he swallowed hard around the lump that had formed in his throat. He missed her. A lot. Cameron’s eyes were knowing and even full of apprehension as they held each other’s gaze. She’d known he would be here for media day. The teams were to take photos together for the publicity run for “the Beauty and the Bull,” the promotion teams were working on together. But nothing could have prepared her for his stormy gaze.
Benson was thick in all the right places and massive. Wide shoulders, trim waist, and strong legs that made him the fastest on the ice. His teal-and-black jersey brought out the gray of his eyes. His hair was shaved close on the sides, but at the top, dark, curly hair fell into his eyes. A dusting of hair along his jaw made him look more dangerous than ever. He’d had a baby face when they’d first met, but now, he looked like a man. She wondered if he thought the same of her, that she had matured and grown, but words weren’t formed as they held each other in a heated gaze. God, he left her breathless, just as he had before everything had happened. Back when it was just them, enjoying each other and hanging out. She thought he’d be mad or even ignore her, but his eyes were kind, calming.
As they always had been.
She missed him.
Neither said anything, though. They just watched each other.
When their names were called, Cameron noted a bit of surprise on his face. He must not have known of the press run of just the two of them. Since they both had huge social media followings, they would be the faces of the Bellevue hockey and gymnastics programs. The idea for the Beauty and the Bull promotion had actually been Cameron’s. She’d even suggested that Benson be her Bull—not that she’d admit that to anyone, especially not him. Though she hadn’t spoken to him in months, she couldn’t deny how good they looked together. While he was dark, she was light, and the contrast was stunning.
He licked his lips as she stepped up beside him, their eyes still locked. “Hey there,” he finally muttered, and the deep tenor of his voice had her insides clenching in all the right ways.
Cam tried to sound confident. “Hey.”
Then neither said anything else. Benson took direction well, listening to the photographer and posing with his arms crossed as Cameron stood beside him, mirroring his stance. Heat radiated off him in waves, and she assumed that her body was doing the same. A tether stretched between them, one that urged her to touch him, to meet his gaze, but she fought against it, keeping enough distance between the two of them to protect the safety of her heart.
But then the photographer asked for her to lean on him. She looked up at Benson to find his eyes waiting for hers. A slow grin moved over his lips as he held out his hand. Cameron took it, and Benson leaned his head down, kissing her knuckles ever so softly. Cameron’s breath caught audibly as his warm lips pressed into her fingers. Gone were his teammates and hers, and it was just the two of them, their eyes locked as his lips stayed on her skin.
But neither of them said anything.
Not a single word.
But Cameron didn’t feel words were needed.
What else could be said, when she knew he didn’t want her after everything that had happened. How could he? Being with her was a constant reminder of what had transpired, and she knew her pain was still raw.
But that didn’t mean Cameron didn’t enjoy his lips on her knuckles.
Or his eyes holding hers.
It didn’t mean she didn’t miss him desperately.
It just meant that things between them would never be the same.
Chapter One
Benson
Senior Year
My lungs are burning, but I ignore the pain as I haul ass down the ice with the puck moving back and forth on my stick. I hear Coach yelling something, but my eye is on the goal. While this is just practice, I always give one hundred percent. Before, it was to prove myself to our new coach, and it worked because he made me the captain my sophomore year. Choosing me even over seniors who had been there all four years. My talent spoke for itself, but because of that title, I can’t be anything but the best for him and for my team. If I want into the NHL, I have to focus, I have to dig in, and I have to be the example for everyone else.