Total pages in book: 93
Estimated words: 91285 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 456(@200wpm)___ 365(@250wpm)___ 304(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 91285 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 456(@200wpm)___ 365(@250wpm)___ 304(@300wpm)
She squeals, wriggling away from Kia and racing toward him. “Caleb!”
They meet in the middle of the space, as if they’re long-lost friends, before throwing their arms around each other and jumping up and down for a full thirty seconds. As they grin at each other, he pulls a small dragon from his pocket and holds it out to her.
“I brought you this.”
Elody’s eyes widen as she takes the toy, inspecting it carefully, as if it’s the most precious thing she’s ever been given. They start talking over each other, words tumbling out too quickly to follow, completely lost in their own little world.
I can’t help but smile.
“Well,” Evelyn says, glancing at Kia, “They seem like the very best of friends.”
Kia laughs. “It’s like this every time they get together.”
“Barely old enough to tie their shoes and already attached. Mark my words, that’s exactly how it all starts,” Evelyn says with a shake of her head.
Her gaze shifts as an older man steps into the suite. I recognize him from the event. Hugh. Or Hot Hugh, as Sloane called him. He greets a few people, his smile easy, but his attention keeps drifting back to Evelyn.
And when he moves closer, not quite touching but close enough that it feels intentional, something in the air shifts. It’s subtle but impossible to ignore.
It’s almost like watching a conversation unfold without words, as if they’re orbiting each other, caught in something neither of them is quite ready to break.
My attention is pulled back to the ice when the noise in the arena swells as warm-ups continue. Unable to help myself, I step closer to the glass. It doesn’t take long to find Knox. He stands out without even trying as he glides across the ice, his movements smooth and controlled.
He looks so much bigger out there. Somehow, the pads manage to broaden already wide shoulders, and on skates, he’s even taller. I haven’t attended many sporting events, and certainly not hockey games, but I’m starting to understand the appeal.
Knox skates past the glass once and then again. On the second pass, his head turns, his gaze scanning the suite until it lands on me, and a slow, satisfied smile spreads across his face. That’s all it takes for a fluttering sensation to fill my stomach.
His attention stays locked on me as he taps the ice once with his stick as he passes, a subtle acknowledgment that feels like it’s meant just for me. My lips curve before I can stop them. For a second, everything else fades to the background. All I can think about is the way he looked at me yesterday and how his hands felt on my body.
Rina’s laugh cuts straight through my thoughts.
“Oh, girl,” she says, stepping beside me. “You are in so much trouble.”
With a groan, I bury my face in my hands. “I know.”
This isn’t just fun anymore. Or us pretending.
I’m falling.
Hard.
Even though every logical part of me knows I should step back and protect myself, put some kind of distance between us so I don’t end up hurt again, I can’t do it.
This no longer feels like something I can control.
Then again, did it ever?
Rina leans her elbows against the ledge, her gaze following Knox as he circles back. “That man is completely gone for you.”
My teeth sink into my lower lip as I continue watching him. “The feeling is mutual.”
Her eyes flick toward me and her expression softens. “Good,” she says simply. “You deserve that. And so does Knox.”
A knot of uncertainty tightens in my chest. “You think so?”
She studies the ice, as if genuinely considering my question. “Yeah, I do. For as long as I’ve known Knox, he’s always kept women at a distance. Never allowing anyone to get too close. And he’s never brought anyone to a game before.”
My heart stutters.
She leans in before lowering her voice. “So, whatever this is between the two of you… it’s different.”
Different.
The word lingers in the air before sinking deep.
“And just like I’m here for the ongoing Evelyn and Hugh saga,” she adds with a grin, “I’m here for the two of you as well.”
A laugh slips from me, easing some of my tension as I glance at the older couple. “I have to admit I’m totally invested in that situation too.”
“We all are, girl.”
Knox circles around again, his focus split between the puck and the suite. Every time his gaze finds mine, a burst of warmth floods through me.
Chicago was supposed to be temporary. A place to disappear and lie low while I figured out whether a different future might exist for me, even if it never felt entirely realistic.
And this relationship with Knox McNichols was supposed to be fake.
A temporary solution to solve a problem.
But standing here in his jersey, surrounded by laughter, children, and women who are starting to feel like more than strangers, while a man on the ice looks at me like I matter?