I want to break it.
The thought startles me. I want to push him, to see what happens when he lets go. I want to feel all that contained power unleashed—onme.
My nipples harden against my sports bra. The fabric suddenly feels too thin, too revealing. I’m grateful he can’t see me.
“Okay,” I say, and my voice comes out breathier than intended. “I think that’s good for now.”
I pull my hands away and step back.
Banks doesn’t move immediately. He sits there, head still bowed, breathing slow and measured. When he finally turns to look at me, his eyes are dark. Heavy-lidded. The look of a man who’s barely holding on.
His gaze drops.
To my chest.
To my very obviously peaked nipples straining against the fabric of my sports bra.
He looks away quickly, but not quickly enough. I saw it. He saw it. We both know what this is now.
The air is thick enough to choke on.
“Thanks,” he says, his voice like gravel.
“Anytime.”
He stands slowly, unfolding his massive frame. I step back, giving him room, but the space between us still feels too small. Too charged.
“I should get to morning skate,” he says.
“Yeah. You should.”
Neither of us moves.
“Win—”
“You should go.” I cut him off before he can say whatever he’s about to say. Whatever it is, I’m not ready for it. “Coach will be looking for you.”
He nods. Hesitates. For a moment, I think he’s going to reach for me—cup my face, pull me close, do something to acknowledge the electricity crackling between us.
He doesn’t.
He just turns and walks away, disappearing through the door to the locker room.
I stand there, alone in the empty practice space, my hands tingling and my heart pounding and my body aching for something I can’t have.
This is getting out of control. This is getting so far out of control, and I don’t know how to stop it. I’m not even sure I want to.
I press my palms to my flushed cheeks and take a deep breath.
Five days. Three cities. And a man who’s slowly dismantling every wall I’ve built.
I am in so much trouble.
Chapter Eighteen
Gummy Worms
Winnie
