Chapter 32

CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO

ZACH

T hree days, three whole days, and four entire nights of keeping her to myself.

Personally, I'd like to hole up in my apartment and not resurface for the entire time.

But the next best thing is that I get to have her in my family box, sitting next to our friends and cheering me on.

I'm stoked. No, I'm fucking thrumming with excitement and anticipation, waiting for her to walk through arrivals. Her plane landed half an hour ago, so I know the next flight to walk through these double doors is likely to be hers.

Three and a half fucking months without her near me was rough. But not having a whole lot of contact and trying to respect her space has nearly killed me.

Maybe the flowers were too much? I look down at the bright pink roses wrapped in even brighter pink paper.

They're too much; I look too needy.

Shit. Thanks, Jon, for convincing me it was "a hundred percent the right move."

I look left and right. Where do I stash them? Feels like a waste to throw them in the trash.

There's a tap on my shoulder from behind. "Zach?"

I swivel on my heel and lock eyes on her warm coffee gaze. The one I've craved for way too long.

My dream girl.

I know she is. I knew it before she left, but after pining for her for months, I'm damn sure.

"Oh, hey." I look back over my shoulder at the double doors. "I thought you would come through those."

She smiles sweetly and then looks down at the roses as I awkwardly hand them to her.

"You bought me flowers?" She tucks a lock of silky auburn hair behind her ear, and today, she has a tiny yellow bow pinning one side back. Fuck me, she's beautiful.

"Umm…yeah."

Christ, this is embarrassing. I'm going to murder Jon.

Taking the flowers, she reaches up on her tiptoes, planting a kiss on the underside of my jaw.

"Where's your suitcase?"

She shrugs. "I packed heavily last time." She loops her thumb under the strap of the large black carry-on bag she has on her shoulder. "Figured I'd rein it in a bit."

I take the bag from her and swing it over my arm.

"It suits you." She giggles, and it's then I notice the brightly stitched flowers along the side. "Why, thanks."

Interlacing her fingers through mine, it's like her life source breathes into me as I feel her skin for the first time in too long.

We walk out of departures and toward the parking lot. "I had trouble telling if it was you since your cap is pulled so low over your eyes."

"Yeah, hockey players aren't exactly bombarded in public, but I wanted to be anonymous." It wouldn't be a great start, Luna walking through arrivals, and I'm signing autographs and taking pictures. She'd likely freak out and board the next flight back to Florida.

"Makes sense."

Approaching my truck, I open the passenger door, and she climbs in. I can't help but stare at her tight, jean-covered ass as she hauls herself into my F150.

"Stop staring at my ass, Evans," she calls behind her.

"I wasn't."

"I can feel the heat on my cheeks! You were."

So can I. Still the same spunky Luna.

Climbing into my side, I reach across and buckle her in. Her vanilla scent hits me as memories from this summer overtake my senses.

"Okay, maybe I was a little," I admit.

I crank the engine andput my sunglasses on. It's a bright November afternoon. "Hungry?"

"Ugh." She throws her head back in the chair. "Starving! The food on the plane was crap."

I quirk an unsurprised brow. "Told you to let me buy you a ticket in first."

She throws me a look. "I'm no kept woman."

Laughing, I pull out of the lot and hit the freeway, feeling like despite the long and torturous time we've spent apart, ten minutes in her company, and it's as if she never left.

LUNA

"Babe, every time you come to a game, you overbuy and then expect me to finish the snacks." Felicity motions up and down her body as we sit side by side watching the first period against Dallas. "It's a struggle holding onto my figure as it is."

"I might've overestimated how much I can eat." Kate winces.

"Eh, yeah."

"Here," I say, flipping my hands toward me. "Pass those nachos to me. I can look after them."

Chewing around a mouthful of guacamole, salsa, and hot cheese, I point down to the rink. "Jon can move across the ice."

"He sure can. Hard to believe he's not a rookie with his speed." Felicity smiles proudly.

"They all look so huge in their pads. Like some sort of Viking or something. Especially Jensen."

Felicity side-eyes me.

"Shame there's a dickhead beneath it all." Kate crosses her legs and reaches over, stealing a nacho.

My brows knit together. "So, what's the story there? We never finished that text convo."

"Shall I go or you?" Felicity turns to Kate.

Kate waves a hand in front of her. "Be my guest, babe, I'm hitting the bathroom."

She rounds the chairs and makes her way out of earshot.

"It's a long story, and none of us are really sure what happened, but last season, pretty much around the time I met Jon, Kate and Jensen had a thing. " She pauses, taking a sip from her Icee. "Well, I say ‘thing'—more like they had the hots for one another, that was clear. One night after a big Scorpions win, they were getting cozy, and we were all convinced they'd hit it off. Next thing I know, Kate texts me saying they had an argument, and he left with another girl."

I almost choke on my chip. " What?! "

She nods her head. "Kate thinks he slept with someone else. They weren't together or even seeing each other, but it was strange."

"I'll say. So now they're frosty?"

"You could say that. There's no love lost, that's for sure."

"Have they ever spoken about it?"

"Not that she's told me. Kate doesn't let her emotions show, especially when it comes to men. But it definitely bothered her more than she's letting on."

"I get that. It's a bit of a shitty thing to do."

She doesn't look all that convinced. "Thing is, Jensen's a great guy. I just don't see him doing something like that. I mean, if he did, then yeah, it's not cool, but…I just think there's more to the story. Not that it matters. Kate's seeing Tom now."

Sure as shit looks like it matters from where I'm sitting, but I don't say any more.

Kate retakes her seat right as the first period ends.

It's really hard to see since we're so high, but my attention has been laser-focused on number sixty-six all game. He's played amazing, and the way he goes in on hits is hot as hell. I'm not sure I'd feel the same way watching him fight, but so far, no gloves have been dropped.

Zach pulls his helmet off and removes his mouthguard as he skates toward the side with Jon. It's zero-zero, and they're clearly talking tactics. Just as they get to the side, Zach stops and looks up toward me. His turquoise eyes pierce straight through me even from here. Lifting his hand, he waves and smiles, and the way my body heats straight through tells no lies. I want him.

"Oh, jumbotron alert!" Kate shouts.

I look over to see my face on-screen to at least twenty thousand fans as they all make the connection that their key defenseman is waving at me.

I want to slump back in my chair until I'm out of sight, but I fight through the embarrassment and wave back.

I turn to Felicity. "Will it always be this way? The moment he does something that involves me, all eyes are on us."

"There's always going to be attention, especially at games. I don't know whether it's a case of you get used to it, or they eventually move to the new shiny toy."

We're halfway through the third period when Dallas goes a goal ahead.

"Ah shit, Jon's gonna be pissed if they lose this," Felicity drawls.

I can already see Zach is pissed. Very little gets through him, but the Dallas winger slid around him like he wasn't even there.

My phone pings in my pocket, and I pull it out to see it's from Mom.

Mom

When are you home from Seattle?

I quickly begin typing out a response to let her know I only arrived today when I hear Kate suck through her teeth. "Uh-oh."

"Babe, you might want to take a bathroom break or something," Felicity suggests.

My head shoots up. "Why, what's happened?"

"A Dallas defenseman has just boarded Jessie. It was a dirty hit."

My gaze shoots across to see Jessie Callaghan lying on the ice, clutching his wrist.

"Yeah, Zach's not happy," Kate confirms with a wince.

I watch in horror as he rips off his gloves and helmet and rushes to the Dallas captain who put in the hit. In response, he drops his onto the ice as they begin circling, sizing each other up.

The player in orange and white throws the first punch which Zach skillfully dodges, leaning to the side. In return, Zach lays an uppercut that connects with the defenseman's jaw, and a spray of blood hits the ice. The home crowd goes wild. But Zach's not done; in fact, it looks like he's just getting started.

"Those two have a history." Felicity nods toward them going at it.

"I wouldn't know," I say, twisting my hands around nervously in my lap. "I've watched his games but never his fights."

Her eyes soften. "Are you sure you want to watch this?"

No.

Right at that moment there's an "oooh" from the crowd. I have no idea how he got there since I was only looking at my friend for a split second, but the next thing I see is the defenseman beating down on Zach, pummeling him into the ice. I watch as he brings his hands over his face, clearly protecting himself.

I leap from my seat, panic setting in. "Stop! Stop hitting him!"

Felicity quickly leaps from hers, Kate closely after, and they both shout with me.

The Dallas captain is clearly aiming for his head as eventually the ref intervenes, deciding enough is enough.

When Zach finally comes back into view, I don't need to be ice level to see how beaten up his face is as blood pours from him.

"Why didn't they stop it sooner?" I scream at anyone who'll listen.

"It's what they do; it's part of the game," Kate says softly as she and Felicity retake their seats.

I don't retake mine though. Ripping my jacket from the back, I grab my purse.

"Where are you going?" they both ask in unison.

"Something's not right. I can feel it." I point over to where Zach's skating off the ice to get treatment, his shoulders slumped. "I haven't watched his fights, but did that look normal to you? Does he normally just go down like that?"

"Well, no. He's normally the one handing it out," Kate replies.

I think back to the conversations I've had with him. His admission over being hesitant this season. "I need to go check on him."

Felicity grabs my hand. "I'll come show you where to go."

With the help of Felicity, I make it past security and into the vast locker room. Pads, clothes, shoes, and bags are thrown across the floor, and I screw up my nose at the smell.

Men.

"Where is he?" I say turning to her.

She points to the left. "Most likely in the medical area, through there."

I make my way over and push the door open which leads to a sterile white hallway.

"I'll wait for you outside, babe."

"Okay, thanks," I say, turning back to her with an appreciative smile.

Behind a glass door, I find Zach. He's laid back on a bed while the team doctor finishes taping and cleaning up his eye.

When he notices me, he sits up and motions for me to enter. As I do, I know the doctor is not impressed with my presence.

"Family and girlfriends only," he snipes.

"She is my girlfriend," Zach counters.

The way that label sounds leaving his mouth…even if it isn't real.

"Fair enough." The doctor finishes up and then leaves, taking the tray of medical gauze and tape with him.

I come to stand by the bed when Zach reaches down and takes my hand in his, brushing his thumb lightly over my knuckles. "What are you doing here?"

"I had to see you. That didn't look normal out there."

He says nothing but comes to sit at the edge of the bed. I can tell he's feeling dizzy, and I want him to lie down, but I know he won't listen.

Pulling me between his legs, he's only wearing a pair of athletic shorts, and I can see some of the bruising coming out on his chest already. Even between the tattoos, it's obvious. "I'm good." He pushes a piece of hair back from my face, and his eyes dance between mine. "You came to check on me."

"Of course. I was worried."

"The last time I got hurt, and I was in a hospital bed I was?—"

"Alone?"

He nods. "Yeah."

I hold his gorgeous face in my hands. "Yeah, well not anymore."