58. Mira

58

MIRA

"Admit it." Taylor knocks my hip as we stand outside the locker room in the space reserved for family and friends. "You had fun."

I roll my eyes. "I never said I wouldn't have fun. I'm just not into sports the way you are."

Or the sea of people or being on live television. Or long-lens cameras that can see my pores better than I can.

"Tell that to yourself twenty minutes ago. I thought you were going to jump out of the box and fight with the refs."

"Only because that penalty wasn't fair!" I argue. "That other guy was in Zane's way. What was he supposed to do, not ram him into the boards?"

"Yeah, actually," Taylor laughs. "That was the point of the penalty. He shouldn't have done that."

I wave her off. "Agree to disagree."

I know she's probably right, but as Zane skated to the penalty box, he looked up to where I was sitting and winked. I'd have forgiven him for anything in that moment. Hell, he could have shoulder-checked a grandma straight into the ICU and I would've been on his side until my final breath.

I really had no idea what was happening the entire game—but I knew Zane looked damn good doing it.

There's something intensely erotic about watching him hit and pass and whip his way down the ice to score. I can imagine the way his muscles are moving beneath his pads. I know what it sounds like when he's out of breath and covered in a sheen of sweat and holding his stick and?—

"Oh, here they come!" Taylor stretches onto her toes. "Daniel looks so good in red. He's such a classic winter—just like you! You should wear more red."

I glance down at the Angels jersey Zane left on the end of the bed for me. His name is printed in block letters across the back, and I have to bite back a smile.

Taylor has been trying to get me into color theory for years, but I never cared until now. Maybe I should wear more red.

I'm flushed and embarrassingly breathless when Zane walks down the hall with the team. His blue eyes find me in the crowd and he crystallizes. Everything else goes soft and hazy around him.

As he passes, he sweeps out an arm and tucks me into his side, pulling me into the stream of people. "There you are."

I angle back to wave to Taylor, but she's too busy hugging Daniel.

"Your boyfriend is the star of the game, Mira!" Davis throws a fist in the air, getting everyone riled again.

Everyone joins in—except for Carson. He's walking fast at the head of the line like he's looking for the closest door to bolt through.

"Where are we going?" Reeves asks when the chanting dies down. "Our kid is at Jace's house tonight, so Jemma and I are up for anything. As long as it ends before midnight."

Davis boos the curfew, but Nathan holds up his phone. "McTavern's posted online that they'd pay for drinks for the team if we won by three, and I don't know if any of you saw our wunderkind, Zane Whitaker, out there tonight, but?—"

A chant of "MVP!" erupts. The guys jostle Zane, and he tucks me closer into his side to protect me from the melee. He smells like wintergreen and body wash. I want to take a bite out of him.

"McTavern's, it is!" Davis shouts. "Which rookie wants to be the designated driver?"

People start arguing about who it should be, but it all fades to white noise when Zane's lips brush across my temple. "You look good in my jersey. But you'll look even better out of it."

"Don't you want to go out with the team?" I ask, desperately hoping the answer is "no."

Suddenly, Zane jerks me into a side hallway. I fall against his chest with a yelp.

The stream of people carries on without us. No one seems to notice we slipped away.

"Where are we going?" I whisper.

His mouth slips into a smile that makes my stomach flip and he takes my hand. "Come with me."

We turn into a stairwell and Zane doesn't let go of my hand as we climb… and climb… and climb.

"You didn't tell me we were training to be firemen," I pant. "I'm not wearing the right shoes for this."

He takes me in from head to toe and sinks his teeth into his lower lip. I silently thank Taylor for dressing me tonight.

The mini skirt and heels seemed like a weird pairing with Zane's jersey, but Taylor somehow made it work. Now, I'm very glad she did.

"You're wearing exactly the right shoes for what I have in mind."

Still, he tucks his shoulder and shifts me onto his back with one arm.

"I can walk!" I protest.

Or, I try to protest. It's hard when my legs are wrapped around his broad back and I plan to cling to him like a koala if he tries to put me down.

He chuckles. "Remember that. You won't be saying it by the end of tonight."

Oh.

He carries me the rest of the way up like I weigh nothing, only putting me down when we reach the door. He pulls a silver key out of his pocket.

"Wow. You really have the run of this place."

"Perks of my best friend being the equipment manager and your best friend being the owner's daughter." He wags his brows and pushes the door open…

To reveal an endless velvet sky.

The mountains are a black silhouette against the dark blue. Most of the stars are washed out from the city lights, but a few still manage to twinkle.

I'm frozen in the doorway, but Zane grips my waist and walks me out onto the narrow walkway. The retractable dome that sits over the ice is to the right. The walkway wraps around it.

I fold my hands over his. "Don't you dare let go of me."

"Scared?" he breathes against my neck.

Duh. Terrified. Of falling to my death, obviously.

But also of the weird way my heart thumps when Zane looks at me. And the way that, in his arms, I'm really not scared at all.

"Just hold on tight," I say sternly. "I'm precious cargo."

We stop at the railing, gazing down at the long line of cars trying to get out of the lot. It feels like we're floating outside of time up here. Like we've carved out a space for the two of us.

"Why did you bring me up here?"

Zane wraps his arms around my waist, his stubble scrubbing against my cheek. "I like it up here, and I wanted you to see it."

"Really? That's swee?—"

"I've also always thought this would be a great place to have sex."

I snort. "Okay. A little less sweet."

He spins me around, pinning me between the railing and his body. "Does it help that I never liked anyone else enough to bring them here until you?"

"Only if it's true."

He fists my jersey, tugging me into him. "I always tell the truth."

Must be nice .

The fantasy I've been building for myself the last few days starts to falter. I'm lying to Zane about a million different things. The worst part is, for the first time since I first ran away, I want to tell someone the truth.

If there was anyone I'd ever tell, it would be him.

But it's not safe for him or Aiden. He could lose his son if people found out who I am… what I've done…

"Hey." He grabs my chin and tilts my face to his. "Where'd you go?"

"I'm here. I'm here with you." I press my lips to his, and I feel him hesitate. He's been pushing lately, asking more questions that I can't answer. One day, he'll make me tell him, and then I'll have to go. So I kiss him harder, breaking away when I'm breathless. "Fuck me up here."

He rocks against me. "You want to?"

"You said you've been imagining it for years." I slowly undo his pants, sliding my hand inside to stroke him. "I want to fulfill one of your fantasies."

His thumb glides down my neck. His eyes are as dark and as bright as the sky around us. "We're way past that, Mira. You've fulfilled countless."

But he kisses me anyway, bending me over the railing, sliding his hands under my skirt until I'm shaking in his arms.

When he turns me around and fills me from behind, I'm not scared of falling.

I already have.

I fell for Zane hard and there isn't any reality I can see where I don't end up splattered on the metaphorical pavement.

So, for tonight, I let him hold me and fuck me. For tonight, I pretend I can have this forever.

When we're done, Zane carries me down the stairs again. He loads me in his car, kissing me for a long time over the center console.

And when we get back to the condo, we don't make it past the living room. Zane lays me back on the couch and kneels between my legs until I'm fisting his hair and screaming up to the ceiling.

We stumble our way towards the bedroom, but I stop him in the hallway and sink to my knees. I return the favor, loving the way this strong, sturdy man loses control when I touch him.

By the time we do finally make it to bed, it's only for a few hours of sleep broken by kissing and touching in the dark. Desperate gasps into pillows. Kicking the tangled blankets to the floor and keeping each other warm.

At some point, we do actually fall asleep.

Zane's heavy arm is over my bare stomach and my fingers are curled in his hair. I don't even need to dream because this is all I want. Being here with him and the rest of the world far, far away—it's peaceful. This is all I've ever wanted.

My dream comes crashing in sometime after sunrise, the same time the front door of the condo does.

The crash wakes us both up.

Zane jumps out of bed and tugs on his boxers as a deep, growling voice tears through the house.

But I don't move. Can't breathe. I'm frozen on the bed, staring up at the ceiling in disbelief. Because it's over.

After all this time…

He found me.