21. Hayden

The red andblue decor of the Memphis visitor"s locker room fades into the background as I type out a quick text to my lawyer. After the break in at Cassidy"s last night, the last thing I need is the police getting involved. They're incompetent at the best of times, and I don't want them getting involved in my business.

Hayden: I need you to make a police report disappear.

Hayden: Get them to drop it. I don"t care how.

Cohen Astor: I"m gonna need more info.

Hayden: Emailing you the details now.

I type the case number and everything else he"ll need into an email and hit send.

Cohen Astor: Consider it done.

Before I have to put my phone away and change, I switch into my message thread with Sawyer.

Hayden: Hey See-Saw. How"s my girl?

Sawyer: You woke up today and chose violence, huh?

Hayden: ??

Hayden: Cassidy?

Sawyer: Yes, Hayden. I"m good, thanks for asking.

Hayden: ...

Sawyer: She"s not here.

Hayden: Where the fuck is she?

I glance at the time on my phone.

Hayden: The bar doesn"t open for four more hours.

Sawyer: How the hell should I know?

Sawyer: Maybe she had to do inventory or something.

Hayden: I"m going to remember this when it"s you who needs me

Sawyer: I"m terrified

Hayden: Asshole.

Sawyer: Just use your stalker tendencies and spy on her like a normal person

Hayden: Shit, good idea.

Sawyer: That"s why I"m the smart one

Hayden: ??

My brother has a point, though. I switch out of our text thread and into the new camera feed I have of Cassidy"s apartment. She didn't fight me on having a security system installed, and I didn't tell her I could access it anytime I wanted.

I also didn't tell her about the other cameras I found in her apartment that were already there. If I had to guess, I'd say Roman's been the one breaking in and fucking with her while leaving cameras behind in her bedroom, bathroom, and living room.

If I had proof it was him, he'd be so fucking dead.

I look up and watch him as he pulls on his pads, wondering how far I'm going to have to go to take care of his obsession with my girl.

As it is, I'm just going to have to wait for him to slip up.

At least I know he can't fuck with her when we're on the road and I've got my eyes on him.

I focus back on the screen, and my fist tightens around my phone until it creaks when I see what she"s doing. She's in her bedroom, naked on her bed with her phone on a tripod in front of her as she fucks herself with a dildo, moaning my name like she knows I'm watching.

I want to be there with her so bad it hurts, like I left the other half of my soul across the country and I feel the strain in my chest tugging me back to her.

Fuck.

I adjust my hard dick in my pants and force myself to look away from the screen, my jaw aching as I clench my teeth hard enough to break. I need to focus on the game, not on how much Cassidy's defiance turns me on. It"s time for me to get dressed and warm up, but before I can even think about stepping onto the ice, I need to send a message to my naughty little liar.

Hayden: I thought I told you no more solo videos.

Hayden: That pussy belongs to me. I didn"t give you permission to show it off without me there.

I flip back into the camera feed while I wait for her to respond. She crawls across her bed and grabs her phone, smiling down at my message. My chest tightens at that look, one she"d never let me see if I was there with her. The way her eyes light up, knowing it's me on the other side of the screen.

She types out a response and then lays back on her pillows, her finger circling her nipple and plucking at it before she starts to type. In her post-orgasm high, I don"t think she"s fully processed that I can see her yet.

Cassidy: How the hell do you know what I'm doing?!

Hayden: I have my ways.

Cassidy: Psycho

Hayden: I'm not denying it

Hayden: It's not wrong to like it when I watch you, you know

Cassidy: I'm not touching that

Cassidy: And last I checked, this pussy belongs to me

Hayden: Princess…

Cassidy: You"re not here and I needed to relieve some tension.

Cassidy: What are you going to do from Memphis?

My dick hardens again and I groan, knowing I don"t have time to deal with this right now. But fuck if I"m not going to make her pay for teasing me like this. A million ideas race through my mind, ways to punish her from here.

Hayden: If you upload that video, I"ll get it taken down.

Hayden: And if you make another one, I"ll hold you down and tattoo my name across your pussy.

Hayden: Push me and see what happens.

She stares at my messages for a long moment before typing out a response that has me grinning like an idiot.

Cassidy: Maybe I like provoking you.

I groan, imagining all the ways I might punish her when I get home. Then, I type back.

Hayden: Then you better be ready for the consequences.

Cassidy: Big talk for someone 2200 miles away.

Hayden: You have no idea what I"m capable of, Princess.

She shivers on the camera and it"s the hottest thing I"ve seen in my life. She"s so fucking perfect for me, even when she"s pushing and fighting me.

Hayden: Now wish me good luck.

She sends me a picture of her blowing me a kiss, a devious glint in her eye.

Cassidy: Bring me home a win

Hayden: What"ll you give me if I do?

Her fingers fly over the screen, and she bites her lip as she types.

Cassidy: Anything you want.

I stare at that message for a long moment before locking my phone and standing up from the bench. My little liar is brave when I"m not in her zip code, but I"m holding her to her words. Still, I don"t need to be thinking about that right now. I need to focus on the game.

The next time I see Cassidy Bennett, I"m going to make her regret teasing me like this. And she"s going to love every second.

But first, we have a game to win.

After I change, Kingston pounds me on the shoulder with his fist and we walk onto the ice together.

We"re on a winning streak.

Three road games in a row, three wins. Six points and we"re climbing the ranks.

The red and gold of Houston"s logo painted under the ice of their practice facility rushes by under my feet as we run through our morning skate. We have an afternoon game and we"re all focused, pushing hard before Coach calls us in for last-minute adjustments.

Corbin passes me the puck and I move into position, ready for the next drill. My eyes lock on the net and I know it"s going in before I even shoot. It sails past our goalie, Akseli, and hits the back of the net, making my teammates cheer and pound me on the back.

"Shit," Corbin says, shaking his head. "You"re on fire, Hays."

I nod and skate over to grab another puck from the pile, setting it up. "We"ve got a shot at the Cup this year. I"m not fucking around."

He grins at me. "Hell yeah, we do."

I"m breathless by the end of practice, but I feel good. Ready. The adrenaline is flowing and I"m ready to dominate tonight.

Coach Morin gathers us in a half circle, leaning on the stick he"s holding. "You boys are playing like champions," he says, his eyes scanning over us as we nod and grunt in agreement. "But don"t get cocky." He looks at me when he says it and I grin, knowing my cockiness is only an asset to this team. He'll figure it out in his own time.

"We won"t let you down, Coach," War says, slapping me on the back. "We"ve got this."

Roman"s silent, glaring daggers at me even though I"ve done nothing to him... Today at least. I smirk back, telling him to fuck off with my eyes.

The guys disperse, all except our normal crew. Only this time, a couple of new guys join. Gabriel Maddox and Cruz Hardrove, our first and second line centers.

Saint eyes them before turning to me. "So this shit really works," he says.

I smirk. "What, you think I"d bullshit you?"

War bats a puck back and forth with his stick. "This whole thing is fucking insane," he mutters, but he"s grinning.

"Not insane, genius," King says, watching Warren gnaw on his mouth guard.

"Who cares what it is," I say, shrugging. "As long as it works."

Cruz nods at me, his dark eyes serious. "I don"t know how the hell you did it, but we"re not going to argue with results." He leans on his stick. "Count us in. Gabe and I want you to teach us your ways."

I grin. "Watch and learn..."