9. Hayden

My fingers wraparound Cassidy"s throat as I pin her to the wall next to her apartment. Her pupils are blown wide and her lips are parted as she pants for air. She"s fucking gorgeous like this, all hot and begging for me to take what I want from her.

And I plan to.

"You"ve been a naughty girl, Princess," I whisper against her ear as I tighten my grip on her throat just enough to make her gasp. "And I think you need to be punished." I tilt her head so she's forced to stare up at me. "Calling me an asshole. Letting Morozov touch you," I tick off her offenses. "Lying about how much you want me. Telling me you're swearing me off."

She shivers against me, and I can tell she wants this as much as I do. She just won"t admit it.

Yet.

As much as she tried to deny what's happening between us while we were at the restaurant, the second I said I was walking her to her door, we both knew where this was going.

"What are you going to do about it?" She smirks at me even though I have the upper hand here. I can already tell she's going to be a handful and I'm going to fucking revel in every second of having her.

I smile back at her and reach down to cup her pussy through her jeans, rubbing her clit in slow circles with my thumb as she gasps and presses into my touch. "You"re going to come for me, Princess. And then you"re going to beg me to fuck your tight little pussy until you're full of my cum and you can"t walk straight. But first," I tighten my grip on her throat and my lips brush hers as I speak, "You"re going to kiss me."

She tries to bite back her moan as I rub her clit faster, but I feel it against my fingers anyway. Her hips rock against my hand as she gets closer and closer to an orgasm that"s going to blow her fucking mind. And right before she falls, I stop.

I doubt she realizes her fingers are gripping my shirt so tight, the fabric's in danger of ripping.

When she opens her mouth to tear me a new asshole for edging her, I kiss her hard before any words can escape. It's frantic, this need to taste her, to consume her while I swallow her protests and slip my tongue inside her mouth to taste her for the first time. She tastes like fucking mine, and I know I"m never going to get enough of her. She's scoring as the buzzer sounds in game seven of the cup finals to win it all. She's the first skate of the season to a sold-out arena screaming your name.

She's a high I could never have dreamed would be this good.

She kisses me back, biting my lower lip and making me groan as she digs her nails into my sides through my shirt. My fingers tangle in her hair and I've got such a tight grip on her, I don't give a shit if neither of us can breathe. We can be each other's air, because I'm not letting up.

Fuck, this girl just might kill me.

I pull back just enough to whisper against her lips, "You"re mine, Cassidy. And you"re going to admit it if you want to come."

She shakes her head, but I can feel how wet she is for me even through her jeans, see the way her nose scrunches up a tiny bit as she denies how much she wants this. She"s just stubborn as fuck and too proud to give in.

"What'd I tell you about lying?" I ask, smirking at her as I reach down and unzip her jeans, but she slaps my hand away, shoving me back. I let her because I want to see how she's going to try to put space between us. She'll fail, but it's fun to watch her try.

"No."

I step closer. "That word doesn't exist between you and me."

"Unless you want a fist to your junk, back off, Hayden."

I blow out a breath. "What do I have to do to get you to give in to this?" I"m fully ready to stalk her ass twenty-four-seven if I have to. I'll kidnap her and cuff her to my goddamn bed. I'll stuff her so full of my cock, she'll forget the outside world exists if that's what it takes.

She shakes her head and unlocks her door, walking inside and slamming it in my face. If she thinks that'll keep me out, she's got a lot to learn about what exactly is happening here.

I knock on the door until she finally opens it again, looking even more pissed off than before. "What?"

For now, I'll hide the crazy. I'll try to play this the way she wants. But I doubt I'll be able to hold back for long. "Tell me what you need me to do to prove I"m it for you."

She eyes me, biting her swollen lip. Swollen from making out with me. I can still taste her on my tongue. My cock has a pulse of its own, it's so hard, but it can fuck off. This is about more than a single fuck. I want her to be mine on a permanent basis. An eternity sort of basis. So far, there"s not a single thing about her I don"t like, including the way she fights me. No matter what she does, I only crave her more.

Nothing worth having is easy.

She grins up at me, but it"s challenging as hell. "Get a hat trick in your next game."

I bark out a laugh. "You know I"m a defenseman, right?" I may play a more offensive game than a lot of D-men, but scoring three goals in a night isn't a normal part of my game.

She shrugs. "So? If you want me bad enough, you"ll make it happen." She slams the door in my face again and I can"t help but grin.

This girl is trouble.

But fuck if I don"t love it.

"And you"ll never tell me no again?" I yell through the door.

The only response I get is her laughter.

I turn away from her apartment, already planning how I"m going to make this happen as I walk back to my car and drive back to my hotel room to take the coldest shower known to man.

I"m on fire as we line up for the puck drop at the beginning of the third period. We"re tied with the Pioneers, so I know I need to bring it if we want to win this game. Sweat drips down my face, dropping from my chin onto the ice as I bend forward near the blue line and wait for the faceoff.

As the puck drops and we fight for control, Roman"s glare burns into me, trying to distract me and fuck up my game.

Some captain this asshole is, huh?

Not even he can throw me off from getting three in the net. I"ve got two already and need one more. The winning goal.

My stick handling is on point, my skating is faster than ever, and I"m feeling fucking invincible. Today"s the day.

The Pioneers try to get the puck back onto our side of the ice, but I intercept it and take off down the center, passing D-to-D with King who sends it back to me before he gets slammed into the boards by their defenseman.

I fly down the ice with the puck on my stick, dodging their defenseman as he tries to check me and sending it flying toward the net. It bounces off the goalie"s pads and rebounds back to me, and I send it right back again, this time shooting straight for the five-hole and into the net.

"Fucking Hat Trick!" War bellows in my ear as he slams into me from behind, sending us both into the boards. The crowd goes nuts and hats rain down onto the ice. I'm grinning like a fucking lunatic as I skate back to the bench for a fist bump with the team and a water bottle.

I'm sitting on the bench, panting and trying to catch my breath, and it sinks in that I pulled this shit off. Hat fucking trick. And I'm not even excited about it for my career. No, I can"t wait to get off the ice and collect my prize. My dick tries to chub up in my cup when I think about what tonight means, but I refocus on the game and it deflates.

The second the final horn sounds, I"m dragged into media bullshit before I can shower and get the hell out of the arena. The guys try to get me to go out and celebrate with them, but it"s already late and I have a different kind of celebration in mind.

Kingston Beaumont, aka Monty or King, my D-line mate, claps me on the back. The dude hardly says anything, but when he does, I'm learning you pay attention. "Good game. You lit the barn up tonight."

"Thanks, man," I say, grinning at him. "It's your turn next game."

His lips twitch up in a half smile and he heads for the locker room as I finish up with the reporters and finally manage to make my way out of the arena.

I text Cassidy as I walk to my car, telling her to be ready for me when I get to her apartment because I"m not waiting this time. She doesn"t respond, but I don"t care.

She belongs to me now, officially, and I"m about to show her what that means.