Chapter 27
Twenty-Seven
River
Carter stretches on the ice right in front of me.
I think it started out as a funny way for him to get under my skin, but now, I think he knows it turns me on.
He looks over his shoulder, and tosses me a wink, thrusting and rotating his hips real nice and slow.
I shake my head, giggling in embarrassment and hiding my face behind my hands while peeking through my fingers.
“Graham, save the foreplay for after the game. Let’s go,” Coach yells.
Standing, he pounds his fist over his heart and blows me a kiss. “I’m playing for you, baby.”
“You better be, Fight Club. I love you,” I yell with my hands cupped around my mouth.
Smirking, he skates away. Things have changed a lot in the past few months. I never thought I’d say those words to him, but here we are.
Aspen, Tucker, and Katherine are up in the owner’s suite, but I wanted to sit close to the ice tonight. Thankfully, Hannah didn’t make me sit by myself. She kicks back beside me, a foot propped up against the empty seat in front of her.
“So, what’s new with you?” I ask her.
“Well . . . I met someone new this week.” She grins as she tucks an auburn curl behind her ear. “Not my usual type, but he’s nice. His name is Spencer.”
“Oooh . . . Spencer . . . give me all the deets,” I goad. “How did you meet?”
“Oh, my gosh,” she covers her face and groans. “Well, Aiden and I—”
I bust out laughing. “Oh lord. That’s all you had to say for me to know this is gonna be a good story.”
“Oh, it’s an embarrassing as hell story.
” She giggles, shaking her head. “Aiden and I went out the other night. And we were standing in line at the bar when I noticed this guy who kept turning his head to check me out. Well, Aiden noticed him too. He kept trying to convince me to go talk to the guy, but after Sean, I’m done chasing men, you know?
Anyway, in an effort to encourage me, he shoved me forward just as the guy turned around.
I reached out to keep myself from stumbling, and my hand landed on his junk. Like a full-on handful.”
My shoulders shake as I double over, laughing. “Only Aiden. Jesus. So, then what?”
“I was about to apologize, but we all know Aiden doesn’t know when to shut up.”
“Oh, how well we know.”
“Aiden reached out a hand to introduce himself to Spencer and the bastard literally said, ‘I’m sorry about my friend here, she’s alone, looking to bone,’” she says in a masculine voice.
“No . . . he . . . didn’t,” I say between laughing and trying to catch my breath.
“He did. The fucker. And poor Spencer. He looked like he didn’t know what to say.
I apologized profusely and told him Aiden was an idiot.
Then Spencer held out his hand to shake mine.
I swear to you, I stood there staring at his hand for a solid fifteen seconds, trying to figure out if I should use the same hand that I used to violated him. Good God.”
“Did you use that hand?”
“Yes. Yes. I. Did. We all ended up hanging out, and at the end of the night, I gave him my number.”
One of the concession salesmen walks in front of us with a vendor tray full of popcorn. I raise my hand up to get his attention.
“You know, you should bring him to Cal and Aspen’s Gala,” I tell her.
I dig into my purse, then trade my cash for the popcorn.
“Maybe I will,” she says, keeping her eyes glued to Sean during warmups as our guys shoot puck after puck at him.
“I deserve someone who knows what the hell he wants. Speaking of which, I’m glad I was able to spend some time on your family’s farm last week.
I really needed some space away from Sean to put things into perspective.
The whole will-he-won’t-he thing was driving me out of my damn mind. ”
“I’m glad you came,” I say, shoving a handful of popcorn in my mouth. “The farm is a good place to clear your head.”
She reaches over and steals a handful of my popcorn out of my bag. “It’s slower, you know? Doesn’t feel like everything’s a rush. I could actually hear myself think.”
“If you ever need to get away, I know my mom and dad would love to have you.” I wrap my arm around her, giving her a tight squeeze. “You’re family, Hannah.”
“That means a lot. Thank you, River.”
I release her shoulder, and as I dig back into my popcorn, someone bumps into the back of my seat.
I look back and frown. A man sits down behind me and spreads out in his seat.
He’s tall and built. Good looking and his eyes are striking.
I’m pretty sure I’ve seen this guy several times this week.
I know I have because I remember thinking his eyes were the same unique color blue as Carter’s.
I turn back around and face the ice. Why would this guy be following me? My breathing picks up speed.
Jaxon.
Anger begins to boil and take over. Who does this guy think he is? I turn back around in my seat and narrow my eyes at him.
“Excuse me sir, do I know you?”
He looks at me, then casts his eyes to the ice. “No ma’am. I don’t think you do but—”
“You’re right. You’re right. I don’t think I do either,” I say, cutting him off. “So, then tell me, why the hell have you been following me?”
I know for a fact that I saw this guy following me through the store the other day, and he was behind me at the coffee shop.
I stand, looking for security.
“What's going on?” Hannah asks.
“I need security,” I tell her, loud enough for the people around me to hear.
He sighs. “Please, sit down.”
“Fuck you,” I spit back, still craning my neck to find help.
“I was hired by your husband.”
I glare at him, knowing there is no way Carter would ever go behind my back and have someone follow me without telling me.
“You’re lying.” I shake my head. “He wouldn’t do that to me. He wouldn’t hide something like that from me.”
“Hate to break it to you sweetheart, but it’s the truth.”
My face becomes hot with fury.
I call out to him over the roaring crowd as the puck drops. “Well, I hate to break it to you, but if what you’re saying is the truth, you’re fired.”
His blue eyes pin me in place. “That’s not how this works, River. We really need to talk.”
I point my finger in his face. “You listen here—”
Hannah places a hand on my arm, and I turn to her.
As she shakes her head, I glance around, noticing people watching us.
How dare he do this behind my back? I’ve seen this man following me.
I’ve felt eyes on me this past week, but I thought I was just being paranoid because of everything that happened. Tears sting the back of my eyes.
I’d probably be more understanding if he would’ve talked to me first, instead of making this decision without me and keeping me in the dark.
The game continues, and I can’t even be excited for Carter’s break out or his goal. I’m too fucking mad to even concentrate on the game. I stand, and the asshole behind me stands too.
“Do you mind? I have to pee,” I glare at him.
“I’ll come with. Like I said, we need to talk, and away from the crowd would be more preferable.”
“Like hell. I don’t know you, and I sure the fuck don’t trust you.”
I grab hold of Hannah’s hand and pull her up.
We scoot by fans as we make our way through the aisle and to the stairs.
I look back to find the man following behind us.
The crowd goes nuts, and I look over his shoulder to see what’s going on.
Carter skates toward our section, his stick up in the air, excitement on his face.
He’ll soon find those seats empty. And they’ll stay that way the rest of this game.
Hannah and I hid in the ladies’ room until the game was over, and when we emerged, the guy was no longer there.
When I asked Carter after the game about him hiring someone to babysit me, his eyes said everything his voice didn’t.
When he tried to apologize and explain his reasons for hiring security for me, I ignored him, staring out the window like he wasn’t even there.
It might be acting childish, and judge me as you may, but you try being stalked by your ex and then find out your current husband hired someone to follow you around without your knowledge. It hit me the wrong way.
I slam the front door behind me and head to my old room.
“Where are you going?”
“To my room to take a shower. Want to call your minions over to watch me do that too?” I spit. “I’m sure one of them would love to come scrub my back.”
He follows me into my old room, backing me up against the wall and caging me in with his arms beside my head. My erratic heart pulses loudly in my ears as he growls, “I’ve had enough of your little hissy fit.”
“And I’ve had enough of you trying to be the hero in my story. Always the knight in shining armor. Oh look, Carter’s here to save the goddamn day. I don’t need you to save me. I can save myself.”
His face becomes angry, and his nostrils flare. “So that’s how you see me?” He pushes off the wall and backs away from me. “As someone with a hero complex?”
I lift my chin, not giving him an answer.
“A husband is supposed to protect his wife!” he yells, his voice cracking as he paces the floor in front of me. “But I guess it shouldn’t come as a surprise that you don’t know that’s part of my job.”
“Fuck you.”
“You know what? You’re right. Fuck me. Yeah, yeah, yeah, because all I’ve ever done was love you the way you deserve to be loved.
Be the husband I’m supposed to be. And this prepubescent fit you’re throwing is what I get in return.
After the attack, you acted like you didn’t give a shit what happened to you.
What was it that you said? Oh yeah, I remember.
‘My give a fucks have completely run out.’ So, I found a way to protect you from yourself and your piece-of-shit ex.
Someone to watch out for you when I couldn’t.