He shoves a hand in his pocket and walks toward the stairs, not bothering to give me a second glance. The waves crash behind me as I stare after his retreating backside.
Why do I get the feeling I said something wrong?
I’m the one who’s supposed to be calling the shots here, not him.
I jog to catch up to him, finally succeeding at the end of the boardwalk. Reaching out, I grab his elbow. His skin’s warm and smooth, his muscles hard. He spins around to face me, that insufferable grin spreading across his face.
“Want a ride?” I peer up at him.
“No, thanks. I’ll run. Try not to miss me too much, Sunshine.”
Then he jogs away toward the condo, leaving me standing there alone and confused.
CHAPTER 7
BENNETT
If you don’t screw up, we’ll both be free.
Tori’s voice echoes in my head, haunting me the rest of the afternoon. I try to drown it out. Her stinging words. The bitter flash in her eyes.
PlayingCall of Dutywith Callum doesn’t work. Then I grind through a punishing weight set, the music cranked up.
Nope.
Nothing works.
I can’t unhear the desperation. Can’t unsee the panic, the crack in her armor.
She was genuinely worried, at least for a minute.
I hate that I did that.
I also hate that she has to worry about me at all.
I’m not a fucking child.
I thought we’d made progress — maybe even called some kind of truce.
Clearly not.
She still sees me as someone to manage. A liability. A headline waiting to happen.
I should be pissed about it. And I am.
But also…a tiny bit bummed.
A stupid part of me wants Tori to see me as more than an unhinged hockey player with one too many concussions, itching for a fight. Someone who doesn’t need a babysitter every fucking hour of the day.
And I definitely don’t need her crushing disappointment added to the pile Prince, Coach, and the league dumped on me.
It’s heavy being everyone’s problem.
After the fight at the beach, the last thing I want to do tonight is go to this boring gala. Especially with her.
I’m half-tempted to slip Knox and Bishop a couple hundred bucks and go off the grid for the next 24.
Doubt they’d go for it though and then I’d be in double the shit I’m in now.
