Closing my eyes and forcing in a deep breath, hoping to hide my pain, I school my features and turn around. “What do you want?”
But taking in the sight of him, I clench my jaw so tight I think my teeth are about to crumble.
He looks like hell, his eyes red-rimmed and his golden blonde hair standing up in wild tufts like he's been running his hands through it. His skin is pale, almost ashen, and there's a haunted look in his gaze that makes my chest ache in a way that has nothing to do with my injuries.
“I just wanted to talk, to see what I did wrong?”
Oh, fuck him right now.
“Why are you acting like a dependent fuck? We had sex. We were done. I have shit to do.”
Killian flinches like I've slapped him, his eyes widening and glistening. “It was my first time. With a guy. And you . . . I saw your lip tremble, shithead. I hurt you.”
Holy Mary, mother of fucks, this man.
“Think you must’ve come too hard and you’re seeing things. I mean, you lost your damn mind with all that ‘baby’ talk.” I shoot him a snarky smile, only it's for show because as much as I hate to admit it, I loved every time the word came out of his mouth.
Killian's face hardens, his eyes flashing with anger and something that looks a lot like disappointment. “For someone who claims it was his first time too, you sure seem to be brushing this off like I’m just another one of your hookups.”
“Aren’t you though?”
Oh, shit.
Killian glares at me through those thick lashes of his, then grabs my sweatshirt, fisting it and jerking my body forward.
The sudden movement sends a bolt of white-hot agony lancing through my side, and I can't bite back the yelp of pain that tears from my throat. I stumble, my knees buckling, and I grab onto Killian's arms to keep from falling.
He tries to wrap an arm around me, to steady me, but I shove him away, my breath coming in short, panicked gasps. “Don't . . . touch . . .”
“How bad is it?” His voice is dangerously low, and the way he’s staring at me, I almost feel like he’s going to snap my neck and throw my body in a dumpster. “Jackson, how bad was that hit really?”
My skin tingles, stomach fluttering. For some reason I want to run away. But not because I’m scared of him. It’s the fierceprotectiveness in his eyes that scares the hell out of me. Because it makes me feel . . . weak.
I take a step back, my shoulders squared and my chin lifted. “What, you planning on using it against me? Think you've got an advantage when we play each other? That is, if you fuckers even make it to the next round.”
Killian's face contorts as his hands ball into fists at his sides. “Why do you have to be such a goddamn asshole? I care about you, more than you deserve right this second!”
Something in me snaps, a dam bursting under the weight of too much pressure. I lash out, my fist connecting with Killian's cheek in a clumsy, half-hearted punch.
It's not hard, not really. But it's enough to make my point, to remind him of who we are and what we do.
We fight. It’s what feels normal and, right now, I just want to feel normal.
“Hit me.” I even stick my chin out. “Come on, Blackwell. You know you want to.”
But he doesn't take the bait. Instead, the motherfucker grips my chin so tight I think he might break it.
“Stop calling me Blackwell when we're not on the ice.” He growls, his face inches from mine. “And why the fuck did you just punch me?”
“What were you expecting, a kiss hello?”
Something flashes in his eyes, too quick to decipher. “Actually . . .”
And then he's kissing me, his lips soft and warm and insistent against mine. I make a startled sound in the back of my throat, my eyes fluttering closed as his tongue strokes over mine in a way that makes heat pool low in my belly.
It's different from our other kisses, less a battle for dominance and more of a give and take, a sort of push and pull that leavesme breathless and aching, my hands fisting in the front of his shirt to drag him closer.
Killian slides his hand around to cup the back of my neck as he angles his head to deepen it. I let out a moan, embarrassingly needy, and I can feel him smile against my mouth, can feel the way his body relaxes into mine.
