Total pages in book: 130
Estimated words: 129323 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 647(@200wpm)___ 517(@250wpm)___ 431(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 129323 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 647(@200wpm)___ 517(@250wpm)___ 431(@300wpm)
Not like this.
Not while thinking about my past. Or her splayed out naked on my bed.
Standing from the chair, I face her. “Thanks for the milk.” And with that, I head back to my room, needing the space.
Needing to think with a clear head.
Lines can’t be blurred, and sometimes Cassidy makes it difficult to remember that.
The crowd roars with excitement and anticipation, their cheers and chants echoing throughout the arena.
It’s halfway through the third period, and despite our efforts, the scoreboard shows a tied score of zero to zero.
If we don’t lock this up, we have to face them again, which is something I don’t want to do.
We need to rally and prove we have what it takes to win this game.
Round two is on the horizon, so close I can practically taste it.
We need a victory today.
Shit.
Knowing what rides on this has my lungs tightening, making it hard to breathe.
Cass.
My gaze seeks her out, and the moment I see her, the pressure subsides.
It shouldn’t help, but it does.
What that means, fuck, I don’t even want to know right now, but as I see her waving and screaming what looks like my name, I can feel my adrenaline start pumping, but this time, it’s filled with fierce determination.
The truth is, we’ve proven in the last three games that we have this in the bag. Now, we just need to bring it home.
Tightening my grip on my stick, I'm ready to face off in our defense zone. I look over to where Mason guards our net and then back to the puck.
With the speed I'm known for, I strike, winning the face-off and sending the puck to my second line defenseman Wolfe, who skates the puck behind our net to set up the play.
He passes it up our blue line, and I receive the puck with a burst of speed.
With adrenaline pumping, I glide across the ice, making my way to the red line, where I flip the puck into the Renegades zone for a dump and chase.
Dodging their defensemen, I send a perfect pass to Dane at the point.
Dane quickly passes the puck to Hudson, who’s at the center of the blue line, for a quick one-timer.
The crowd roars fiercely as our plan works perfectly... but unfortunately, the Renegade goalie manages to block Wolfe's shot, deflecting it and forcing it away.
Fuck.
I skate toward the goal, needing desperately to save the play, and that’s when I see an opening.
I go for it.
Without hesitation, I pull my arm back, hit the puck, and stuff into the goal.
The stadium erupts.
But I only have eyes for one person.
Which is a big problem.
20
CASSIDY
It’s been a grueling ten days.
I thought that since the Saints swept round one and had a break before their next game, it wouldn’t be, but with the amount that they practice and how tough their coach is, the pressure is high.
The one thing that’s been nice despite the rigorous practice schedule is not having to be on the road.
Being in Aiden’s house for a long trek of time, we’ve gotten into a groove working together seamlessly, but now we’re on the road again.
Tampa Bay to be exact. The Saints are playing the two-seeded Bulldogs.
As I walk into the hotel lobby, I find Aiden waiting for me, as per normal.
My mouth parts into a smile as I head in his direction.
A few of his teammates are nearby, so when I make it to where he’s standing, I play my part, throwing my arms around his neck and giving him a hug.
It never gets easier to do this.
With my chest pressed against his, my heart beats rapidly. There’s no way he doesn’t feel it. The good thing about Aiden is that he wouldn’t mention it even if he did.
Or at least I don’t think he would. I only touch him like this in front of people, and he can’t run the risk of letting people in on our secret.
As he pulls me closer, he places his lips right beside my ear. My body shivers at the proximity.
“We have a slight problem,” he whispers for only me to hear. I pull back with a smile, pretending nothing is wrong. “Let’s go to our room and put your stuff away.”
“Okay,” I respond, perplexed about what the issue is.
Together, we head to the elevator and then get off on the 9th floor.
Not surprising.
Aiden is a creature of habit, after all.
As long as the floor is a multiple of three, Aiden is happy.
Neither of us speaks as he leads us to our room, but the moment he opens the door and I take a step into the living room, I realize the problem.
The room might be a suite, but it’s a one-bedroom suite.
Which means most likely there is only one bed.
I move farther into the space and poke my head through the open door.