But we both freeze.
She looks up at me. I look down at her. And for a second, neither of us moves.
“Tori...”
“You should go,” she says quietly. “Get some rest.”
She’s right. I know she’s right.
I nod once and depart.
• • •
Back in my hotel room, I ice my shoulder and stare at the ceiling.
I keep replaying it flashes from tonight. The way she smiled when I scored, the way she saidyou smell goodlike it slipped out before she could stop it, the way her breath caught when our hands touched.
That wasn’t nothing. I don’t care what my rational brain says—that wasn’t nothing.
And here’s the thing I keep coming back to—this isn’t about being touch-starved. It’s not about needing to blow off steam or find someone to scratch an itch.
It’s abouther.
I think about Grayson’s comment, and my hands curl into fists again.
Legs for days. Ass that won’t quit.
He’s not wrong. She’s gorgeous. But that’s not what this is about, and the fact that he reduced her to body parts makes me want to break something—preferably his face.
Tori Wells is smart and sharp and funny as hell. She’s the first person in years who’s made me feel like maybe I don’t have to carry everything alone. And I’m lying in this hotel room at midnight, icing my shoulder, coming to terms with a realization I’ve been dodging for days.
I’m falling for her.
And I have absolutely no idea what to do about it.
7
WHAT HAPPENS IN DETROIT
Tori
We win in Detroit.
Not just win—we demolish the Kings, 5-1, with Zayden getting two assists and Logan scoring his first career hat trick. The entire team is buzzing with the kind of energy that only comes from a road trip going better than expected.
I watched from my spot near the bench, tracking Zayden’s shoulder mechanics every shift, telling myself that’s the only reason I couldn’t take my eyes off him.
It wasn’t. But it’s the lie I’m going with.
By the time I’m halfway back to the hotel, my phone buzzes.
Logan:Team drinks. Hotel bar then somewhere else. You’re coming.
Me:I don’t remember agreeing to that.
Logan:You just did. Be in the lobby in 20. It’s for MORALE, Tori. PLAYER WELLNESS.
Me:That’s not how player wellness works.
