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“Nothing.” I smile with a slight shake of my head, intent on enjoying this moment.
“What is it?” he insists, not capable of letting it go.
I look him deep in his eyes, hoping it’s the right time, but now that it’s on my mind, I have to let it out. “I love you,” I whisper.
His eyes search mine, and he goes quiet for a moment before the softest smile graces his lips. He wraps one hand around the back of my neck and pulls me to him, pressing his lips to mine before kissing me with every ounce of passion he possesses.
Once he’s thoroughly done rocking my world, he pulls back just an inch, his forehead resting against mine. “I fucking love you, too.”
Chapter 13
XANDER
My alarm sounds on Monday morning, screeching through the quiet room like a damn banshee. Rolling over with a groan, I reach for my new phone and grunt in pain, the move putting me directly over my ribs. Quickly adjusting myself, I try again before finally silencing my phone and hoping I haven’t disturbed Charli too much.
I hate the idea of going back to reality today. The weekend with her has been nothing short of amazing, apart from the whole attack thing. That shit kind of sucked. Like, really fucking sucked. But not having to train all weekend and being looked after by nurse Charli definitely had its perks. That nurse’s outfit blew me the fuck away, with the matching bra, red lipstick, and thigh-high stockings. Fuck, I wasn’t expecting that from my innocent Charli, so I guess she has a wild side after all. A wild side that drives me fucking crazy.
Then she went ahead and told me she loves me, and those three little words whispered from her lips made me drown in a sea of raw emotion. It was like my heart exploded with undeniable happiness. All I could do at that moment was pull her to me and kiss her like it was the end of the world.
I’ve had girlfriends tell me they love me before, but nothing ever felt the way it does with Charli. She’s real. She’s the woman I’ll be spending the rest of my life with. I know it’s only been a few weeks, but when you know, you know.
The thought of leaving her to go to hockey training almost has me rioting, but what can I do? Despite not being what I really want, hockey is a part of my life, and I honestly do love it. I want to be part of the team, which means showing up for my boys. I can only imagine how the shit is going to hit the fan when they discover my secret life, but the longer I can keep it quiet, the better.
Leaning over, I press a kiss on Charli’s lips before climbing out of bed. She caved last night and agreed to stay at my place so it would be easier for me this morning, as all my shit for training is already here.
My ribs still ache, but the rest of my body seems to have calmed down enough to at least pretend I’m good. Don’t get me wrong, without clothes on, it’s damn obvious that something went down. I just consider myself lucky that I wear long clothing for hockey and I’ll be able to hide most of it. After all, we all know where questions lead.
Shuffling around my room, I gather my shit for my morning run as my ribs scream in protest, but there’s nothing I can do at this point apart from keeping them bandaged and taking some painkillers. The bruising has completely come out, and to be honest, it looks fucking bad. Worse than it had that first night.
I head out to the landing and sit down on the top step to tie my shoes, hating the awful feeling that each movement makes. It’s still early in the day, and I need to allow my body a chance to wake up. I’m sure once I get started on my run, all the aches and pains will begin to settle.
Ducking back into my room, I can’t resist giving Charli another kiss to let her know I’m leaving. I’m a whipped motherfucker like that. “Don’t be stupid,” she mumbles through her sleepy haze, still trying to take care of me.
“I know. I’ll be careful,” I promise her. But let’s face it, whatever is required of me during our training session, I’m always going to give one hundred percent, no matter what. Even if it fucking kills me.
Then heading downstairs, I make my way into the kitchen before ripping out a piece of paper from a notebook. I begin writing with a stupid as fuck grin plastered across my face.
Babe,
Just in case I’m not home when you leave.
