Page 102 of Playing the Player

Conor lets out a quiet laugh. “Who?”

“My hockey player.”

He shakes his head, but the smile stays on his face. “You really think I can do this?”

I cup his cheeks with my hands, my thumbs brushing over his cheekbones. “I don’t think you can do this, Conor.” I nudge his face upward, until he meets my eyes. “I know you can.”

His expression softens, every ounce of fear still lingering there, but it’s no longer consuming him. He stares at me for a long moment before lacing his fingers through mine and pressing a kiss to my knuckles. “I don’t know what I did to deserve you.”

I hum, pretending to think about it. “You signed an imaginary fake dating contract with very questionable terms and conditions.”

His shoulders shake with silent laughter. “Clause five. You accidentally fall in love with the girl.”

“What was clause six?”

I kiss him once, softly. “She falls harder.”

His smile is so bright, it steals all the air from my lungs. “I love you, Sash.”

Those three simple words still make my heart skip a beat, even after hearing them a hundred times. “I love you, too.” I grin, brushing my nose against his. “Now get some sleep. You have a big day tomorrow.”

“Bossy.”

“Someone has to make sure you’re well rested enough for your triumphant return to the ice.”

He groans dramatically, hugging me tighter against him. “Five more minutes.”

“Conor…”

“Four.”

I laugh, settling against his chest and inhaling deep, his intoxicating scent wrapping around me like a warm blanket. “Fine. Four.”

His heartbeat is thumping a steady rhythm against my ear, each beat chasing away the last of today’s fears. I trace lazy circles over his back, smiling when his arms automatically tighten around me.

For the first time in what feels like forever, neither of us have anything to prove. No pretending. No uncertainty. It’s just us.

I close my eyes, committing this moment to memory. The warmth of his embrace, the quietness of the room, the steady rise and fall of his chest. I finally feel like I’m home.

Tomorrow, he’ll step back onto the ice. But tonight, we’re exactly where we’re meant to be.

Hearing Conor’s name blast over the sound system for the first time in six months was surreal. The roar of the crowd was louder than I had ever heard it, almost deafening as he stepped onto the ice.

He didn’t seem to notice any of it though. He didn’t acknowledge them or wave at them. He didn’t seem to soak up all that attention like he used to do. Instead, he searched the arena until his ocean blue eyes found mine.

The smallest smile tugged at his lips as he took his position on the ice, not once taking his gaze off me. It was small enough that anyone else would have missed it, but I knew him. I knew everything he wanted to say with that one smile.

I pressed my hand against the glass, “You’ve got this,” I mouthed, blowing him a kiss.

He grinned back at me, tapping two fingers against his chest before pointing them at me. I’m okay.

It was such a simple gesture, but still, it stole all the air from my lungs.

“You two are so cute.” Charlie sighs beside me. “It’s actually disgusting.”

I bark a laugh, nudging her shoulder with my own. “Shut up. Wait until you fall in love, I can guarantee that you’ll be worse than the rest of us.”

She looks at me like I’ve personally offended her. “First,” She says, holding one finger up in the air, “I have zero interest in falling in love.” She turns her face up in disgust, before adding another finger. “And secondly, you cannot seriously believe that I would be worse than that.” She gestures down the row to where Olivia is standing with her camera in one hand and a homemade banner with Josh’s name written all over it in the other.