Total pages in book: 42
Estimated words: 38249 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 191(@200wpm)___ 153(@250wpm)___ 127(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 38249 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 191(@200wpm)___ 153(@250wpm)___ 127(@300wpm)
I freeze, panic clawing up my throat. I know what I look like—cheeks flushed, hair wild, one sleeve of my dress twisted so far around my arm it's basically a tourniquet, my tights missing in action. Trent, the traitor, is even worse off, with his jacket wrinkled, his Santa hat in his hands, and an actual bite mark on his throat.
It's readily apparent that we've been up to no good.
"Well, well, well." Ryan grins, his eyebrows climbing into his hairline. "Where have the two of you been?"
Kill me now. Seriously. Just get it over with right now.
Trent just smirks at Ryan, completely unbothered that we've been busted by the one man on the team who cannot stay quiet to save his life. Seriously. If his life depended on his silence, he'd die in seconds. They can't even mic him up for games anymore because he cannot be trusted not to tell everyone's business. "Needed a minute."
Ryan bursts into laughter, practically doubling over. "About goddamn time you finally got your head out of your ass and stopped stalking her schedule, man. We were taking bets on how long it'd take for you to snap."
"Stalking my schedule?"
Trent doesn't miss a beat. He also doesn't deny it. "You think I was on it first thing most days by chance?"
"He paid us to switch spots with him," Ryan supplies.
When I glare at Trent, he just shrugs, completely shameless, and I have absolutely nothing to say to that.
Ryan glances at me, his expression weirdly kind for a man whose hobby is giving me a hard time all day, every day. "He hasn't shut up about you for months. We wanted to kill him."
I blush so hard I'm worried I currently match the hat in Trent's hands.
Ryan just winks and shoves off the wall. "Merry Christmas, you degenerates." He heads back toward the noise of the party, leaving us alone in the empty hallway.
For a second, we just stand there. Trent's hand finds mine, lacing our fingers together, as if he needs the connection as much as I do.
"How pissed are you right now, Sunshine?" he asks, his voice oddly tense as he stares after Ryan.
I study his profile, the sharp lines and strong angles, trying to understand the shift in his mood when he glances over at me. There's a vulnerability in his eyes I've never seen before, not on the ice, not even yesterday in the ER.
Realization hits like a hammer blow—he's risking just as much as I am here, and he's just as terrified as I am.
If this all goes to hell, it's not just my job or my reputation on the line. It's his, too. His standing with the team, his future, and his heart.
He's in love with me. That's never been as obvious as it is right now.
I reach up and touch his cheek, my thumb brushing his beard.
"I'm not mad at all," I whisper. How can I be? Even before I knew there was an us, he was fighting for us, for me.
He exhales a soft, relieved breath, hauling me up against his chest as if he's afraid I'll vanish if he lets me go. "I meant what I said," he murmurs, his forehead pressed to mine. "I want you, Dani. I want this. So fucking badly it's terrifying."
I believe him. I really, truly do. And, for the first time, I let myself imagine what it might look like if I stop running and just let him catch me.
If this is what's at stake, maybe my career is worth risking. Maybe everything is.
I squeeze his hand, trying to decide what happens next. I don't have any answers, though, at least not tonight. This isn't the place for them.
"Come on," I say. "If we don't get back soon, they're going to send a search party."
He laughs, the sound genuine, as he tugs me even closer. "We can't have that."
We walk back into the party together. The music is louder, the lights are brighter, and the crowd is rowdier than before. But with Trent's hand in mine, none of it feels overwhelming anymore. It feels…hopeful.
I catch Ryan's eye across the room. He gives me a thumbs up and mouths, "Good luck," before a pair of kids tackle his legs.
Trent tugs me closer, and I lean into him, letting myself be seen. Letting everyone see us.
It's terrifying.
And absolutely, completely worth it.
Chapter Seven
Trent
By the time we make it back to Dani's place for the night, she's giddy, tipsy, and radiant as hell, laughing like she's never been hurt in her life. But, as I'm coming to learn, her past is seasoned with more pain and disappointment than I think anyone realizes.
She's been hurt, let down, and neglected for most of her life. But somehow, impossibly, she still puts her whole heart on the line for the people she cares about.