Blood thundered to my head, harsh breaths sawing in and out of my lungs, so sure I’d heard wrong.
He stopped a foot from me, a nerve pulsing on his jaw. “What doyouwant, Charli?”
Just you.My mouth opened, then I shut it.
“Say it,” he snapped. “Say you don’t want me. Hell, I did well enough until you charged your way into my life, demanding my attention with your little skirts, sexy legs, and beautiful smile, and especially your huge heart that made me fall so damn hard. So goddamn say it, Charli!” His hands fisted, his eyes sparked like blue flames. “And I’ll leave you the hell alone.”
At the thought of him gone, I couldn’t breathe—
“You, okay?” I yelled. “I wantyou! But I can’t.” I wheeled away, facing an abstract, wooden sculpture, a tangle of swirls and knots, like my careening emotions.
“Why the hell not?” He appeared in front of me, blocking the carving, his handsome face tight with frustration and ire.
“Because I’m terrified, because I’m an idiot who gets emotionally entangled. No, no! I meant—”
“Too late.” He pounced. “You admitted your feelings for me, and I’m not letting you go. I love you, Charli, so fucking much. I won’t let you run away from me, fromus!”
My heart tripped at his words, but the sad truth was, I knew better. I shook my head. “They all said the L-word—”
“I’m not those damn losers who can’t keep their damn pants zipped. Hell…” He paced to the small bar fridge near the desk and back again. “Yes, I fucked around, but I never committed to anyone. My hookups knew this upfront.”
He was right. He didn’t.
I lowered my gaze to my evening purse.
“Charli?” his tone softened. “From the moment I saw you in Mulligan’s, something inside me, always off-focus, sharpened, and I saw clearly. I sawyou, and all these feelings I’d never experienced before took hold, consuming me. Did you honestly think I cared about a damn ten-dollar bet?”
I lifted my burning eyes to meet his.
“It meant nothing except for the factyouissued it. I wasn’t taking a chance on you disappearing like you did after the wedding, so I used the damn bet to keep you with me. I knew I was risking everything, wanting you—a girl who’d shut her heart off—then your Instagram posting happened. It paved the way for me because I didn’t know how to get a girl like you to stay with a guy like me, and give me a chance.”
The sincerity in his blue eyes tugged at my heartstrings.
“Yeah, I’m probably bad news. It must be why your mother came out with guns blazing. Can’t say I blame her. The media has a field day with my fuck-ups.” He pinched the bridge of his nose, exhaling wearily. “Once my fame grew, finally being somebody, and having the things I never had…then the boozing and women started. But I’m not how I once was, not anymore.” He dropped his hand. “I’m learning to be better, be solid.”
I didn’t like hearing that, especially about the women, but it was all before me. He had changed. And despite his hardcore past, I saw a guy who cared, who held onto his privacy with the tenacity of a Rottweiler.
“Take a chance on us, Charli,” he whispered, finally reaching out and tracing his knuckles along my jaw. “Or I’ll be hashtagplayerdown, hashtagbrokenheartedbecauseofblue.”
A smile trembled on my lips.Thatwas what started us on this journey together. Instagram. Hashtags. More, I didn’t realize how deeply he felt for me. And the tenderness in his eyes caused my heart to squeeze painfully, emotions engulfing me. “Player down, huh?”
“Utterly broken.”
“God, War.” A shuddering sigh escaped me, and I leaned into him, and his arms came around me. “I don’t know why you want a girl like me buried beneath my shortcomings.” I pressed my brow to his chest, inhaling his warm, comforting, masculine scent.
“Did you miss what I just said?” He put a finger under my chin, lifting my face. “I’m in love with you, insecurities and all. I promise not to hurt you, Charli, not intentionally, anyway.”
“But we fight—”
“And then we make up. I love being with you—inside you—hell, anyway I can have you. And we both like the quiet,” he pointed out.
True. “You travel out of state for games, and you have fancy events to attend. While I…” I grimaced. “I avoid them like the plague.”
“I know. When we travel for the games, I’ll be out on the rink for a while, and you can cheer me on from the stands.” A soft smile now. “Social events are not all the time. Usually, it’s for the hockey team and the occasional charity events, but I’ll be there with you. And yeah, when I coach the kids over the summer.”
I gulped in lungfuls of air, knowing I was taking the biggest risk of all. I nodded.
“I need the words, Charli.”
