Roan’s mouth curved, a small, almost tender smile that didn’t reach his eyes. “We’re not likely to freeze to death, Wren. We’ve played in worse.”
That flicker of humor caught me off guard, and I almost laughed, almost, but it died before it left my throat.
“We can stay in the car if we need to,” he continued, voice quiet and even, the way he always sounded right before a puck drop. “You don’t have to worry about us.”
But that landed wrong in my chest. Iwasworried. Not just about them standing in the snow.
“No,” I said, shaking my head. “That’s not fair to you.”
The words tumbled out before I could stop them. I was talking to them, but also to myself, as I began pacing unevenly in the tiny front room as if I could think my way through the heatburning beneath my skin. “It’s just—the cabin’s small, there’s only one main room and the bedroom’s?—”
I broke off, realizing how insane I sounded, how fractured.
I wanted them close, but I didn’t trust myself. I wantedcontrol, but the longer they stood there, the more my body begged for things I’d spent a lifetime denying.
Roan’s presence was still my anchor—steady, heavy, a solid weight in the storm—but the heat pulsed underneath all of it, a molten thread that made my skin prickle and my breathing stutter. Every time I inhaled, their scents tangled through mine—sharper now, more distinct—and it made it impossible to stay detached.
Jay’s voice was the one that broke the silence next, soft and careful. “We can go,” he said. “We’ll stay close. Just to watch out for you. But if you’d rather we?—”
“Don’t.” The word came out a whisper, but it cut through everything as I faced them, locking my legs so I didn’t sway or fall.
I met his eyes. Then Roan’s. Then Rhett’s.
“Don’t leave.”
The plea escaped before I could smother it. No command, no mask, no control, just raw, honest need that trembled through every syllable. I would lose it if they left. That knowledge poured through me as fiercely as the violent craving roiling inside.
For a heartbeat, none of them moved. The air between us went thick and quiet, full of things I couldn’t name.
Roan’s jaw flexed once, his gaze flicking to Jay, then Rhett. Then back to me.
“Okay,” he said simply. “We won’t.”
Somehow, those two words steadied me more than anything else could have. Taking a deeper breath, deeper than any since the neediness took me over, I said, “Then come inside?”
Chapter
Fourteen
RHETT
I’d never wanted anything the way I wanted her.
Not a playoff run. Not a game-winning goal. Not even blood on the ice, andthatwas saying something.
Because normally? I could keep shit light. Flirty. Playful.
A joke here. A smirk there. Push the line, then pull back before it burned.
But not now. Now I was on fire from the inside out.
The only thing holding me together was the sheerforceof Roan’s presence. Not because he was growling or throwing weight around—not even close. He hadn’t said a damn thing since we crossed the threshold. But his dominance radiated off him in steady, grounding waves. Not aimedatme, not meant to shut me down. Justthere.
A low, thrumming reminder. Something togrip ontowhen I wanted to lunge.
Any other time, I would’ve taken that kind of ferocity as a challenge. But this wasn’t about challenging Roan. This wasn’t about power or pride.
This was abouther.
