Crossing The Line 6 (The Avalon Wolves #6)

Chapter 1

Chapter One

SUTTON

Istare at him through the car window, my brain cycling through every reason why this is a terrible idea—going back to the hockey house and sleeping under the same roof as Declan and pretending that everything between us isn't a complete disaster.

But my phone is showing hotel prices I can't afford, and the firefighter just said the building might be condemned. My other options are my car or asking strangers for help.

"One night," I hear myself say.

He nods. "One night."

"And I'm staying in the guest room, not your room."

"Obviously."

"And this doesn't mean anything. It's just practical."

"Sutton, I'm not asking you to marry me. I'm asking you to sleep in a bed instead of your car." He steps back from my car. "Follow me.”

I realize how silly it is for me to negotiate the huge favor he’s offering. Talk about ungrateful. He’s doing me a solid, and I’m acting like it’s the other way around.

I’ll do better.

He walks to his truck parked a few cars down. I watch him go. Not for the first time since I’ve seen him, I acknowledge I miss him. I miss all of him. His humor. His touch. His presence.

And that’s why I know this is a mistake.

But I start my car anyway.

The drive to the hockey house takes ten minutes. Ten minutes were spent convincing myself to turn around at least five times. Turn around and go where? I follow his taillights through campus, past the athletic complex, and into the neighborhood where the team house is.

I park behind Declan's truck and grab my backpack from the passenger seat. It's all I have. My laptop, a change of clothes I keep for emergencies, and my toiletries. Everything else is trapped in that building.

Declan waits for me at the bottom of the porch steps. "You okay?"

"Fantastic."

He doesn't call me on the lie. He just opens the front door and lets me walk in first.

The house smells the same. Pizza, stale beer, and boy, it hits me harder than I expect. This was home for a few months. It’s not “fresh linen,” but it smells more like home than my crappy apartment.

Crew is in the kitchen eating cereal straight from the box. He freezes mid-chew when he sees me.

"Hey," I say.

"Hey." He looks at Declan, then back at me. "You good?"

"The building caught fire. She needs a place to crash," Declan says before I can answer.

"Shit. That sucks."

"Thanks," I manage.

"Do you have anything else?" Declan asks.

"Just the gym bag."

I follow him upstairs.

Declan pushes open the door.

My old bed.

The room is exactly as I left it, which somehow makes this worse. It’s as if the room has been waiting for me to come back. This is the epitome of one step forward and two steps back. I am eating the biggest piece of humble pie, and it tastes like shit.

"We'll figure out the rest tomorrow," Declan says. "Your stuff, whatever you need."

He turns toward the door.

"Declan."

He stops. His back is to me, and he doesn't turn around. I can see the tension in the set of his shoulders.

"Just…" I don't even know how to start. I don't know what I'm asking for. "Can we just talk? For a minute."

"Not tonight."

My heart sinks. I shouldn’t expect anything else. “Okay. Well, um, thank you.”

"Go to bed, Sutton."

And then he's gone. His door closes. A quiet click. It feels so deliberate, final.

I stand in the middle of my old room and stare at the bag on the bed.

My throat tightens, and then I'm silently crying. I’m too proud to make any noise. I press the back of my hand against my mouth and breathe through it until the worst of it passes.

I’m right back where I started, but this time, I’m at what I’m sure is the lowest point of my young life. I thought showing up here the first time was a bad idea. It’s nothing compared to what I feel now.

I have nothing. I have no idea if I’ll be able to get my things out of my apartment. I don’t even know if they’re ruined. I have no clothes. No home. Nothing.

I sit on the edge of the bed and pull out my phone. My hands are shaking with the strength it takes to keep myself from caring.

Me: Ended up back at the house. Long story. I'm okay.

Keira's response comes in under a minute, which means she wasn't asleep.

Keira: Good.

Me: Thank you.

Keira: I didn’t do anything.

Me: Liar. But thank you.

Keira: I’m sorry. I was worried, and I hate that I couldn’t help.

Me: Goodnight.

I set my phone face down on the mattress and sit there for another minute, listening to the house settle around me. Everything feels the same but different. I feel like I’ve been gone forever, and yet no more than a day.

Eventually, I get up.

The linen closet is in the hall, between my room and the bathroom. I know exactly which shelf holds the spare bedding. I find it without looking. I pull them down and carry them back.

I had washed them before I left. Folded them properly and put them away because I didn't want to be the person who left things messy. I'd been so careful about leaving the house the way I found it, like I could just disappear, as if I’d never been there.

And now I'm back.

I strip down to my panties. It’s a risk in a house with so many guys, but I don’t exactly have much to change into. I think about asking Declan for a shirt, but I can’t bring myself to do it. He’s done enough.

I'm too tired to worry about my pajamas. I definitely have bigger things to stress about. I pull the blanket up, stare at the ceiling, and listen for any sound from down the hall, but there's nothing. Declan's door stays closed.

Back. I’m back. Any distance I created is gone.

And I don’t know what to do. I have zero options. I hate being dependent on anyone. If not for Declan being a big enough person to come rescue me, I’d be in my car.

And I don’t know what to do with that.