Chapter 23
TWENTY-THREE
CALLUM
- Present Day -
I was a fucking mess tonight. Seeing her in that fucker’s jersey again damn near killed me.
For the second time in my life, I had to witness my girl wearing a jersey that wasn’t mine, cheering on a man who wasn’t me.
Don’t get me wrong, I know she was cheering on the team as a whole, but I know, I know , that she was only there for him.
And it fucking killed me inside. After that, there was really no stopping me.
Nose to the grind, I focused hard on getting the biscuit into the net; wanting, needing, her attention to be focused on me and not that fucker.
If I could keep the puck away from our end, she would have no reason to even look in his direction.
It was just my luck that the team we were playing tonight had one thing on their minds, and it wasn’t winning.
No, they were out for blood after the shit-show of a game they played against us last season. Every single one of those fuckers kept taunting and jeering, doing their damn best to try and start a fight with us .
And I tried to keep my cool, to take the high ground.
But when that asshole checked me into the boards and then proceeded to “accidentally” hit me with his illegal high stick, I lost my shit.
And after that, it was game over. All the pent up emotions from this last week, seeing Sutton and not being able to talk to her, the years before that of turmoil from losing her, it all came to a head in an instant, and then fists were flying, gloves thrown on the ice and helmets off.
It was only after the fact, when I was sitting in the penalty box waiting for the minutes to count down that I realized Sutton had left; her empty seat glaring at me from across the arena.
I’d hoped maybe it was just for a bathroom break, or to get a snack from concessions, but the minutes ticked by and she never came back.
Honestly, after that, the rest of the game was a blur. I know Coach O’Reilly will be on my ass about it tomorrow because my head was definitely not in the game, but right now I just don’t fucking care.
Taking a deep breath, I knock on the door, and I swear my heart skips a beat as I wait.
I passed on partying with the guys tonight.
Instead, I called in several favors and finally, after some shameless begging and a little help from a friend, managed to get Newbie’s address.
It damn near killed me when I heard they were living together. Fucking living together .
But Newbie isn’t here right now. I can deal with him later.
Right now, I need to get my girl back.
I knock again, more forcefully this time.
From the other side of the door I can hear movement and what sounds like muffled cursing, but still no one comes.
“Open up!” I pound on the door once more.
The sounds are still muffled from the other side of the door, but I can hear my girl clearly enough now as she walks closer.
“Could you be more obnoxious? Oh my god. I swear, if you forgot your keys and are standing outside shitfaced right now, I am not going to let you live this down! Jonah, you so owe - ”
I see red as her words register.
Fucking Jonah .
The door swings open and I don’t let her finish; can’t stand the thought of his name on her lips for another fucking second, so I interject.
“You left.”
My words are clipped, but I can’t help it.
There’s so much hurt and turmoil and longing trying to rip me apart from the inside.
She just stares up at me, shock written on her sleepy face as she tries to process the fact that I am standing here in front of her.
She doesn’t say anything, and after a minute, I watch in bemusement as her eyes take on that glassy, far-away look that she always used to get when she would get lost in her own head.
“ Shorty .”
That snaps her back to attention, and her eyes shift back to my face.
“You left.”
This time, I can’t help the longing and the hurt that seeps into my tone.
She opens her mouth to respond, that gorgeous fucking mouth , and I can’t stand it.
The years of missing her, the laughter and tears and teasing before she walked out of my life, her eyes bright as she sang along to her favorite pop song riding home from school in my truck, everything comes rushing back.
I don’t think, don’t hesitate. Without another word I’m stepping forward and finally, fucking finally , she’s in my arms, my mouth on hers. Home . All I can think is I’m fucking home .
A startled gasp escapes her lips as my tongue traces a sensual, desperate path along their seam, and I slip inside as she opens to me.
The surprise turns into a moan, and she is everywhere.
Her hands in my hair, pulling me closer; her sweet scent surrounding me, her soft breathy moans filling my ears .
I take it all in, kissing her the way I should have done years ago. My girl. My home. This feels so right, like we were always meant to be.
This.
This is right.
This is home.
She is my home.
My hands, which had been cradling her face, slide into her hair, holding her closer as I deepen the kiss, desperate to taste her, to feel her, to not lose another goddamn second with her. Yes!
But then she’s jerking back, ripping her head away from mine with a gasp as her hands suddenly shove against my chest, her own heaving as she struggles to catch her breath.
“Cal, what are you doing here?” Her words come out in an angry demand.
I’m pretty sure my brain just short-circuited.
One second I had the girl of my dreams, the fucking love of my life, in my arms and I was kissing her.
Finally kissing her after years of being adrift, and now she’s stepping back, arms crossed over her chest in a defensive posture, and hurt in her eyes as she glares up at me.
I blink, trying to process what just happened.
“You need to leave.”
That snaps me out of it. My jaw clenches, and I swallow hard. Taking a breath to calm my own frazzled nerves, I respond.
“No.”
“No? What do you mean, no ? You shouldn’t be here, Cal.”
Again, I swear there was a moment of hurt in her eyes before her gaze hardens, and I can almost see the walls she’s putting up between us once more.
I step forward, and she steps back.
“I’m not leaving until we talk, Shorty.”
At that, an almost hysterical laugh escapes her .
“ Now you want to talk?” She shakes her head, and her hair, mussed from sleep, frizzes out in an adorable messy halo around her. “No. You don’t get to dictate the terms here. You had your chance, and you made your choice. Like I said, you need to leave.”
I move closer, unable to stop this magnetic pull, this demanding force, this need to hold her.
Her lip trembles, and a sheen of tears clouds her beautiful eyes. I can see her resistance crumbling, and I take another cautious step towards her.
“What the fuck is going on here?”
Sutton jumps back, startled, and the walls are in place once more, a tangible unseen barrier forcing us apart.
Goddamn fucking Newbie .