So I do the stupid thing and answer him truthfully, because I’m never going to see him again, and I need to get this weight off my chest before I shatter into a million pieces. Coach has been like a father figure to me, and all I want to do is make him and my team proud. Everyone on the Reapers is taking a chance on me, despite the bad publicity I’ve brought them. This is my life. This is all that matters. His words are so simple, so straightforward, yet it’s the most beautiful proclamation my ears have ever heard. I don’t care, though. I need the distraction. Reputation wise, this season’s been shit for me, and it’s only just started. I’m not making you nervous, am I?” he drawls, scooting an inch closer to me, just waiting for me to walk right into his trap.

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I became Wilder’s puppet, his prisoner. He isolated me from all my friends, even my family. He yearned for control, and my eagerness to please him made me the perfect target for his manipulation. After a while, I wanted out, but I was too afraid to leave. I was afraid of what he would’ve done. I was afraid that he was going to hit me. Blushing, I shuffle over to him, planting my ass in my seat without objection. There’s a tangled mess of nerves writhing inside of me, and that’s the last thing I want to feel at a ripe eleven in the morning. If Roden saw me now, he’d be so disappointed.” I blink away the moisture on my lower lash line that’s threatening to leave streaky evidence through my foundation.

You said you lived down here, right?” It’s starting to get colder, and at the snail-like pace we’re moving, we might contract hypothermia by the time we get to her place.

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Kit doesn’t seem fazed by either of our reactions. Then again, he’s not really the most empathetic person.The muscle in his jaw moves in tight circles, and he claps his hands together and points them right at me. “Let me guess. You’ve just been broken up with?” Look, I’m smart enough to know I should never answer that question if a stranger asks, but there’s something that seems trustworthy about this guy. Then again, I’m pretty sure girls said the same thing about Ted Bundy, and, well…

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I’m not sending you all the way home like that. At least clean up, okay? Then you can be on your merry way.” Stop finding ways to blame yourself. This is on him. If he can’t see how incredible you are, then he doesn’t deserve a second of your time, okay?” she growls, practically flaying me alive with her stone-cold gaze. Holy shit. Why did I let him kiss me? This is going to end badly, I just know it. My number one rule is to never let anyone in. And what’s the first thing I do? I let someone in. I owe it to the guys. I owe it to myself. I’m twenty-three for crying out loud. I need to start acting like it. As much as I want to let Hayes in, I can’t. I don’t think I’d survive another person abandoning me. First my brother, and then Wilder. The two people I loved most at one point in my life. I hate love. I didn’t used to, but I do.I’m getting to know you, Aeris. Plus, I need to know the name of the beautiful girl who let me escort her home.”

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A chorus of cries rattles my eardrums, but the second Fulton gets an inch away from the goal line, a hulking defenseman smashes him into the plexiglass. The cries evolve into disappointed groans. I know my teammates can handle themselves. Hell, some of the guys are larger than I am, but when they’re on the receiving end of some brutal hits, my vision turns red. It’s some kind of weird, primal reaction inside of me that makes me want to rip my gloves off and scatter teeth all over the ice. Are we sharing sob stories with each other? I don’t know what I’m supposed to say to that. Shit, I can’t say the S-word now.I’ve been chasing after love my entire life, wanting that gratification of meaning something to another person. But life doesn’t work that way. People don’t work that way.