Total pages in book: 34
Estimated words: 31113 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 156(@200wpm)___ 124(@250wpm)___ 104(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 31113 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 156(@200wpm)___ 124(@250wpm)___ 104(@300wpm)
"No," she whispers, shaking her head.
"I'm not hiding you, baby girl."
"Jonas."
"I'm not hiding you," I repeat, reaching out to cup her cheek.
She melts into my touch, unable to help herself. Her gray eyes tangle with mine, wide and full of worry. Full of hope too. It blazes like beacons in those slate depths, pleading with me not to break her heart. As if I could. Fuck, she has no idea how wild I am about her, does she?
How could she when I haven't told her?
"You belong right here with me," I say.
"Your teammates," she protests.
"They'll love you because I do."
She gasps, a sweet little sound that hits me right in the heart.
"It's true. I'm in love with you."
"Jonas." Tears well in her eyes, and they're not the happy kind. Pure misery sweeps through her expression, cracking my heart in half. "I…I want you to mean that so much." Her tongue slides across her bottom lip. "But I'm afraid you might not feel the same way when you find out what happened."
What the fuck?
"Hey!" Charlotte shouts suddenly, her clear voice ringing out into the silence. "Can I come skate with you guys? I want to learn to play hockey!"
I send up a silent prayer of gratitude as every eye in the arena refocuses on her.
"Fuck yeah!" Logan calls back to Charlotte.
"Theo's going to kick your ass," Wes growls.
"Come on," I murmur to Jamie, hopping over the lower boards as Coach yells for Dean to go find a pair of skates for Charlotte.
"Where?" she asks, just like always.
"To talk, baby girl."
"Okay," she whispers, swallowing hard.
Chapter Ten
Jamie
I follow Jonas down the hall toward the locker room with my heart in my throat and tears blurring my vision. Part of me wants to flee like a coward instead of telling him what I've been keeping from him since we met. But I can't do that. I won't do that.
I want him to know because I chose him. I want him to know because I love him.
And I do love him. I've thought of nothing else since I left my office. That's exactly why I'm here now. Because I love him. Because when my world fell apart, he was the only thing I wanted. But somewhere between introducing myself to Charlotte as someone finally not after a damn story and seeing his teammates on the ice, I lost my nerve.
It all feels so freaking pointless. They all hate me, and for what? I was never going to make it to the big leagues with Darren calling the shots. I was never going to be anything more than a gossip reporter. And I was stupid enough to follow along for a year, thinking if I just hung on long enough, he'd see that I could do more than that.
It's embarrassing to admit just how naïve I was.
"If anyone is in here, get out!" Jonas shouts, shoving the door to their locker room open so hard it bangs against the wall. He waits silently for a full five count before barging in.
I follow behind him, silent as he stomps around in his skates, carefully checking the bathroom and showers to make sure we're alone. Their locker room is impressive. The logo stretches across the floor, and team colors paint every surface. Their names are emblazoned across their lockers, with equipment hanging neatly from hooks and in cabinets. I've caught glimpses of this room before, but I've never been allowed inside.
I've always been the interloper.
As soon as Jonas is sure we're alone, he drags me into his arms, backing me up against a row of lockers. His dark blue eyes run over my face, full of concern.
"You didn't say it back." Pain bleeds into his expression, shattering my heart into tiny pieces.
Tears spill down my cheeks, a sob catching in my throat. "I'm sorry," I choke, turning my face from him. "I'm sorry."
His fingers beneath my chin gently force my attention back to him. "Tell me who made you cry so I can fucking kill them," he says, fury burning in his gaze.
His ridiculously sweet words only make me cry hard. He's so damn good to me, even when I don't deserve it. He thinks I don't love him, and still, he's worried about me.
"Was it your prick of a boss? One of my teammates?" he growls, cupping my cheeks between his palms to wipe away my tears. "I'm your safe place, angel. I'm your port. You run to me. Always, you run to me. So tell me who to kill for making you want to run away."
"I did run to you!" I cry, grasping his forearms. He deserves to know that. "I've been in love with you since the first time I saw you. I came here to see you, Jonas. But then I saw you out there with your teammates, and I freaked out because…because…."