I’m the crazy bastard who came in here uninvited, backed her into a corner, and didn’t ask for permission—and she let me because she loves me.
“You think that’s crazy?” I whisper, dragging my tongue across her skin. “You don’t even know what crazy looks like yet.” I pinch her clit between my thumb and forefinger, rolling it slowly. “Tell me, angel… Are you really ready to tell the world you’re mine? Because once you do, there’s no going back.”
She stills, breath hitching in her throat, and then she nods.
“Yo, Mikey,” I call out, loud enough to carry through the door.
There’s a pause—longer than I expected—and I can’t help the wave of satisfaction that rolls through me.
“Who’s that?” he finally asks, and I can hear the crack in his voice.
“I’m trying to make my girl feel good, so maybe do what she asked and fuck off.”
“Hastings?” he yells. “Is that you?”
At the sound of my name, her whole body pulls tight. She’s about to snap in my hands, and fuck, she’s right there, fluttering, soaked, and desperate to break.
“Call out to me, angel,” I whisper, my forehead pressed into her hair. “Let me belong to you.”
I slip my hand from her mouth just as she comes undone, her body shuddering against mine, her cry—“Jasper”—tearing from her throat, and it’s fucking stunning.
I keep stroking her through every aftershock, holding her up as she melts back into me, both of us ignoring the pounding at the door. Thank God this bathroom is tucked away from the party, or Mikey would have the whole place witnessing this.
For the next few minutes, all I want is to kiss her. Then I’ll make damn sure Mikey King knows he’s never getting anywhere near her again.
CHAPTER
TWENTY
ROMAN
“Thank you, son.”A hand lands heavy on my shoulder, and when I turn, it’s Coach Hope standing beside me—the man I used to respect more than anyone, even when I hated him for taking Addie from me. “The things you said up there… they meant a lot to me. More than I probably deserve.”
“What do you mean?” I ask, though part of me already knows.
He gives me a long look, one that makes my chest tighten before he even says a word. “It’s been a long time, you know. I’ve had a lot of time to think.”
I look away from him, forcing myself to let go and swallow the bitterness that wants to rise. “It’s in the past. No point digging up something that can’t be changed.”
“I didn’t always get things right, Roman, and looking back, I probably could’ve handled things differently, especially with how much pain I caused Addison. But when I told her to stop seeing you, it wasn’t out of spite. I was thinking about your future and what I knew you could become.”
“And what about her? Did her happiness not factor in?” Hedoesn’t answer right away. Maybe because we both know the truth—he made a call that cost both of us something.
“I love my daughter, but I didn’t want her to be the reason you missed your shot, and I couldn’t stand the idea of her heart breaking when you went off and did something huge with your life while she was left behind.”
“You shouldn’t have taken that choice from us. Do you know I almost quit the team after I lost her? I couldn’t think straight, couldn’t focus. And yeah… some part of me understood what you were trying to do. I get that you thought you were doing the right thing. But losing her?” I pause, the ache crawling up my throat. “That was the worst pain I’ve ever felt. Worse than any time I’ve been slammed into the boards or had a bone snap clean.”
“Yet you always pick yourself back up after the knockdowns.”
“Because I have to.”
“No, it’s because you’re stubborn as hell,” he says, trying to soften the air between us with a small smile as he lifts his glass for a sip of champagne.
“So I’ve been told.”
“And you’re a fighter. You never stop chasing what you want, which is why you made it to Boston.”
“Took a hell of a lot of work,” I admit. “And some damn good guidance along the way.”
