Chapter Six #2

What could that mean?

My gaze flickered to the field, where Liam caught a pass and bolted down the sideline like he had something to prove.

He was magnetic, impossible to ignore. Even now, in the middle of piecing together a puzzle that could change everything, my mind circled back to him.

To the way his laugh had sounded last night when he’d called me out for avoiding him.

To how his green eyes seemed to see through every wall I’d built.

I forced my eyes back to my phone. My body tingled with the sense that I was being watched, and I dropped my phone to my lap, whipping my head toward the field.

“Hey, social media queen,” Liam called out, jogging over as practice ended.

My pulse kicked up, and I quickly masked it with a smirk. “What? Need tips on how to smile for the camera?”

He grinned, the dimple in his cheek flashing. “Just making sure you’re getting my good side.”

“Every side’s your good side, remember?”

The words slipped out before I could stop them, and his eyes locked on mine, the teasing glint fading into something deeper. My breath caught.

“I remember,” he said softly before turning back to the field.

But I didn’t miss the thunderous expression on his too-gorgeous face that conflicted with his light tone. He affected me too much, and my mood turned mercurial.

“What? What did you really want to talk to me about?” I snapped.

“Why didn’t you tell me you had a kid?”

My defensive walls erected abruptly. “It’s not relevant to being your tutor, which by the way, is just a job. It doesn’t mean we’re friends. I don’t owe you anything, nor are you entitled to information about my personal life.”

“Really? After everything we’ve shared?” His kissable lips curved into that sexy, irresistible grin that invaded my dreams on lonely nights. “You’re taking that stance with me?”

Why the hell am I thinking about kissing him?

Even when he was being an absolute jerk, my body betrayed me, tugging me toward him with a magnetic pull I couldn’t explain—or resist. “Get serious. Let’s talk about what’s going on here, which has nothing to do with the past. If you expect to improve the shitastic grade you have in chemistry by the final exam, you’ll need to get serious with a study plan.

That means at least three nights a week, not two, and also on Sundays—preferably hangover and jersey-chaser free—or you’ll lose everything you’ve set your sights on so rigidly. ”

“You think I’m still that guy? The one who only cared about parties and the next girl? News flash, Skye—I grew the hell up while you were busy running away.”

“You didn’t grow up, Liam. You just shifted focus. You still bulldoze through everything in your path, and God help anyone who gets in your way.”

“Come on, Skye. Look around.” He spread his arms wide, muscles rippling with the movement. “You used to know who I was?—”

“That was a long time ago. And you moved on real quick after we split up.”

His eyes narrowed dangerously. “From what I remember, so did you.”

I jumped to my feet so he couldn’t tower over me as much. “Stop throwing our past in my face. It was two months. That’s a blip in time and hardly amounts to anything.” Except for the conception of our daughter. The thought blindsided me, and I cringed.

“Maybe”—his spring-grass eyes heated with flecks of fiery gold around the pupils as he crowded me—“what you’re really doing here, day in and day out, is trying for another go.

Everywhere I look, there you are, snapping my picture, and lo and behold, you’re the tutor I’m required to see several times a week.

Surprising, because you up and quit on me when you weren’t sure if I would be the paycheck you were digging for.

Is that why you’re back in my life? Mav not promising a long-term relationship? ”

“Fuck you.” I clenched my fists at my sides. “You’re an asshole.”

“I’m right, aren’t I?” That tick along his jaw worked overtime. “If it weren’t, you would be working for the hockey team where your boyfriend is. After all, he’s headed to the NHL, and rumor says he’s already got an agent.”

Ares skidded to a halt behind Liam, grabbed his elbow, and pulled him away. “Chill out, man.”

Liam’s intense stare lingered as he let Ares pull him back, only breaking when he whirled around and gave me his back.

Anger roared through me, and I sucked in a deep breath, fighting the urge to chuck my phone at his retreating form.

I counted to ten, willing my blood pressure to lower as I caught sight of my uncle’s approach from the field to the sideline where I stood.

“Skye.”

His deep voice jolted ice into my veins, and I relaxed my tense muscles. He didn’t know Liam was Lily’s dad, and the last thing I wanted was to cause problems between Liam and his coach or his chances of Uncle Tommy speaking well about him to scouts.

“Are you okay? One of the assistant coaches heard you and Liam arguing.”

“Yeah, totally fine.” I faked a smile. “It was just about school. Liam’s frustrated by chemistry, and he needed to vent.

Nothing major.” I slung my bag over my shoulder and shoved my phone in my pocket.

“I’m going to get some video around campus to add to a few posts, maybe follow some of the players walking out of the building just for a day-in-the-life clip. ”

He let the silence hang between us, his gaze dancing over my face as if he could decipher the truth from my features.

No way. I had that shit locked down with my game face on.

I’d perfected it early in my pregnancy while living with my aunt and uncle.

While she knew the truth about Lily’s father being a football player, my uncle didn’t—and he couldn’t without it potentially causing an issue for Liam.

“I want to try to catch up with a few players and get their consent to film them leaving. See you at home?”

“Be careful,” Uncle Tommy said.

“Always!” With a wave, I whirled around and hurried through the building.

The argument with Liam had already taken enough time for most of the team to shower or head for the weight room.

I needed some film of them lifting, too, but not today.

Liam’s presence was more than I could handle, and since he was still here…

It didn’t take long before three huge football players headed toward the exit. Good thing I recognized one of them. That only made it clear I had to familiarize myself with the entire team, not just the starters and the usual subs.

“Mitchel.”

I jogged over to the guys as they paused halfway out of the building. They turned as a unit. Mitchel grinned then wiggled his eyebrows, and the tension in my shoulders eased.

“What’s up, Coach’s Niece?”

I snorted. “Knock it off, Romeo.” Mitchel was a teddy bear—a huge one—but a total player. “Kissing my ass won’t do you any good. You should work on your angles instead of chasing the quarterback. Try it in the Indiana game ’cause that quarterback has speed.”

Mitch barked out a laugh then ruffled my hair. “What’re you, the new positions coach in training?”

“Just call me coach, and we’ll be good.” I winked as the other two players crowded our group. “But all kidding aside, can I follow you guys out and record you leaving the building for a short video through campus just past the fountain?”

“You can follow me anywhere, darlin’,” Rodrigues drawled as he sidled up to Mitch, his eyes roaming from my head to my toes and back again.

Liam rounded the corner and joined the guys, a muscle jumping overtime along his jaw as he slapped the rookie in the ample gut and pushed him back.

“Ease up unless you want Coach to bench your ass for the rest of the season.” He waited until the new guy looked suitably chastised.

“You need to think of her as your little sister.” He shoved Rodrigues out the door ahead of him.

“Whatever you need, Skye, let’s get it done. ”

Counting to ten, I prayed for calm around Liam, resigning myself to spending a little more time with him since he’d hijacked my original group. What mattered was the content I could get, and having Liam in the shot guaranteed more likes and responses.

I set my phone to record and positioned myself behind them as they filed out the door, joking and talking with one another. Streetlamps cast a soft glow along the winding path we took rather than the exit that led straight to the parking lot.

I ended the video and shouted thanks as three of them broke off at the fork before the fountain. Liam hung back, watching me. I ignored him. Before I looped back to head to my car, I moved closer, wanting a picture of the fountain all lit up without another soul around it.

I loved the architecture and design. It was the first time I’d been back there in so long.

I hadn’t risked going near it until now, as it was too close to the athletic building, and I had the potential to run into Liam.

However, the fixture was very similar to Buckingham Fountain on a much smaller scale.

At night, lights highlighted the details and alternate colors.

I snapped a few pictures from a distance then moved closer, noticing something odd about the section around the base.

The water had been drained a while ago due to the weather, but something large occupied the basin.

Is that…?

I closed the distance for a better look.

The lights flickered, casting colorful patterns across the carvings.

At first, I thought it was a shadow—a trick of the light.

But as I stepped closer, the outline sharpened into something unmistakable—a body lying face down, head turned to the side, its unseeing eyes staring in my direction.

My stomach twisted, bile rising. I stumbled back, a scream lodged in my throat until it tore out of me at eardrum-shattering decibels.

Strong arms wrapped around me. “Shit,” Liam muttered. “Skye, look away.”

For a few seconds, my gaze remained locked on the unmoving body until I was physically turned, my head cupped, and my cheek pressed against a warm body.

The scent of cinnamon and warm spices penetrated the haze of horror.

The world blurred as Liam held me tightly.

His warmth was a shield against the icy fingers of panic creeping up my spine.

I wanted to disappear into him, to let his strength carry me far from the nightmare unfolding before us.

Footsteps pounded the pavement, sounding like a herd of elephants as the guys I’d been filming returned. Liam’s arms loosened, and I clung tighter. He paused for a second then lifted me and moved farther away. “You’re all right, Skye. I’ve got you.”

His voice was low and soothing, but it only worsened the storm inside me. With a volley of shivers along my spine, I buried my face in his jacket, needing his strength like I’d sworn I never would.

“Holy shit,” Mitch swore. “Is that Jackson?”

Liam tensed, his head whipping up from where he’d rested his chin on me.

My arms drifted up from his waist to wrap about his neck.

I clung to him, the warmth of his embrace at odds with the cold dread settling in my bones.

I didn’t want to face Jackson’s lifeless body or the fragile balance of our world that had cracked wide open.

I wanted not to give a fuck about what I’d seen or what would happen.

All I wanted was for Liam to hold me, to make me forget everything—and that was more dangerous than what we would soon find out about how Jackson had ended up in the drained fountain.

The police were called, and Liam and I moved away from the action with enough distance that I could pretend none of what I’d seen was real.

His arms tightened around me, his warmth a shield against the icy fear clawing up my spine.

My breath hitched, and I buried my face in his chest, inhaling the familiar scent of warm spices and something distinctly him.

I tilted my head back to meet his eyes, those green depths searching mine with an intensity that stole the rest of my breath. His hand cupped my cheek, his thumb brushing away a tear I didn’t even realize had fallen.

The world around us faded—the team’s shouts, the horror of what I’d seen—until it was just him and me. His gaze flicked to my lips, and my heart thundered in response.

“Skye…” His voice was barely a whisper, but it hit me like a plea, threatening to undo everything I’d built to keep him out.

I didn’t move away. Maybe I couldn’t. The pull between us was undeniable, a gravitational force stronger than reason.

My lips parted as he leaned in, his breath mingling with mine, and for a fleeting, reckless moment, I wanted to close the distance.

But then the world came rushing back—the shouts of the players, the reality of the body in the fountain—and I jerked away, my face burning.

“We can’t.” I stepped back, wrapping my arms around myself. “This doesn’t change anything.”

Liam’s hand dropped to his side, his jaw tightening. “Maybe it should.” He didn’t wait for me to respond as he turned to stride toward the group gathered around the fountain.

I stood frozen, feet rooted to the ground, my heart pounding and my chest aching with everything I couldn’t let myself feel. The numbers, the players’ strange behavior, Jackson’s lifeless body—they all pointed to something bigger. And I wasn’t sure I was ready to face it.

A sharp pressure coiled in my chest, winding tighter. “Liam!”

He turned, brows furrowing at the panic that had to be clear in my expression before returning to my side, his hand sliding back into mine. I clung to him, not wanting to be alone.

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