Page 67 of Scarred

“I guess the question is, what do we do about it? Staying away from you is clearly not working well for me on the ice, but hurting you is not an option,” I say with absolute conviction that my mind is made up on that last part.

Even more so because of who her family is. Noah’s a great guy, and the last thing I would want to do is be the ass who hurts his sister. Which, in turn, would snowball into Maverick, followed by the Montgomery Brothers, and then full circle back to Knox and the team. It would be a complete shit show with me being at the center of it all.

“And what makes you think that you’ll hurt me?”

“You’re not a puck bunny, Luna,” I smirk, “far from it. You eventually would want the emotional side. I’ve gone that route before, and it didn’t end so well for me,” I say, hoping she will understand where I’m coming from.

I give her a little more, so she will have no doubt where I stand. “I won’t lose myself to someone a second time and risk the pain of dying all over again. I have Scarlett to think about now. She needs all of me, not just some shell of a person that will be left behind if this ends badly.”

“You can’t control the outcome of life, Cayden. It doesn’t work that way,” she says, shaking her head. “No one knows what the future holds, not even your controlling ass,” she teases, easing the seriousness in the room and allowing me to breathe a little better. “Besides, who knows, maybe I will try this puck bunny thing. I can definitely see the appeal after I’ve watched a few games. Maybe it’s not you after all that affects my dancing,” she says, with a daring gleam in her eyes, “maybe it’s simply the fact that it’s been a long time since I’ve gotten properly laid. The girls tell me all the time that I work too hard, and I need to let a little fun into my life. Maybe this is the answer,” she shrugs casually.

I stare at her speechless as my eyes narrow at her response.

Hell will freeze over before anyone on my team touches her.

“Thanks for the dance, Blade.” I flinch when she uses my less personal name. “I’m sure I’ll see you around at Breakaway,” she says, mentioning the bar the puck bunnies frequent.

She steps out of my arms just as the dance ends and heads toward the table of champagne.

What the fuck did I just do?

I was trying to do the right thing and protect her.

Not give her a nudge toward the wolves.

Grabbing another drink, I stand at the bar and spend the rest of the evening watching her dance with every fucking guy in this place except for me.

At least the band is good, so it’s not a total waste. Southern Tides has kept the guests on the dance floor the entire night. Miles even got on stage behind the drums for a couple of songs that he dedicated to his new wife.

I do my best to make small talk with Miles’s brothers and Knox, but my mind is on the dance floor with the one girl who’s ever played me.

I watch her step out of Kane’s arms, and my hand tightens on my glass when his hand on the small of her back lingers a little too long for my liking.

She smiles at him and laughs at something he said before turning in the crowd. The green swish of her dress weaves through the dance floor as I see her walking out the balcony doors.

If she wants me to admit that I’m not sharing her with the rest of the team…that jealousy tears its claws into me every time someone touches her that isn’t me…

Then I’ll goddamn give her what she wants.

Anything is better than the torture I’ve felt tonight.

Setting my drink down, I leave without a word. It’s not like I was contributing to the conversation anyway.

When I walk outside, the cool air ruffles my hair as I search the area for any sign of her. I finally catch a glimpse of green walking up the balcony stairs to the rooftop where the wedding took place earlier.

Making a beeline through the crowd, I follow her up and stop in my tracks when I see her.

Her hands are on the railing, and her eyes are closed as she lifts her face to the full moon. The breeze runs through her hair, lifting the strands from her shoulder. Her dress clings to her body, and my dick instantly reacts with a force that makes my fingers flex at my sides.

God, she’s a sight in the moonlight.

I walk to her like a moth to a flame, knowing I’m headed for something that could likely destroy me, but not giving two fucks in this moment if it will.

All I can think about right now is how badly I need to feel her lips on mine again.

“I can’t control life, but I need to control this,” my voice startles her as she whirls around to meet me. “I want you, Luna,” I say, stepping closer to her. “There’s no fucking denying how badly I want you, but I can’t give you any more than my body. If you want a good fucking time and somewhere to escape to help you dance, then I’m your guy. If you need more right now, then I need you to walk away from me…because I can’t.” I bridge the gap between us until our bodies are flushed.

Her eyes widen when she feels how hard I am, but she doesn’t pull away. If anything, her body sinks in further against me.